Building on gains made by Order-in-Council P.C. 1003, unions
were granted further recognition with the introduction of the
Rand Formula in 1945. Based on a compromise reached by Supreme
Court Justice Ivan Rand between striking Ford auto workers and
management, this seminal division called for all workers to pay
union dues, even if they did not become members, thus ensuring
financial stability for the unions.
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George Burt, a member of the United Auto Workers, was involved in the Ford
Windsor Strike in 1945. His recollections demonstrate how important this
victory was to the labour movement.
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Union organization in the Ford plant was necessary:
"At that stage Ford was paying seventy-five cents an hour. It
wasn't as good as General Motors and was ten cents under Chrysler.
What's more, Ford had some really bad practices. They started
you at seventy-five cents an hour. After six months you were
entitled to an increase of ten cents. So they'd keep you
for six months. Then they'd lay you off and rehire you again at seventy-
five cents. This didn't go down very good. And none of the plants then
paid overtime."
Excerpt from:We stand Together: First-hand
accounts of Dramatic Events in Canada's Labour Past, Gloria Montero
(Toronto: James Lorimer & Company, 1979).
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Steward
assisting union member to fill out grievance form, 1947.
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Cheque
covering dues paid under the Rand Formula by the Ford Motor Co. Ltd.
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Listen to the
results of the Rand Formula.
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