1974 Elliot Lake miners strike

Uranium miners strike 1974 4 18 1974 4 18 years ago Denison Mine, Elliot Lake 46 29 44.15 N 082 36 00.85 W region:CA-ON dms inline,title Wildcat strike action Elliot Lake miners The Elliot Lake Miners Strike was a wildcat strike by approximately 1,000 uranium miners who worked at Denison uranium mine in the Elliot Lake area of Ontario, Canada.Hall Alan King Andrew Naqvi Syed Aversa Terri DeCarlo Nick Farquhar Alec Lozanski Laura Lewchuk Wayne Storey Robert 14 Sep 2010 Precarious Employment and the Internal Responsibility System https://www.iwh.on.ca/sites/iwh/files/iwh/presentations/iwh_plenary_2010_09_14_aking_article.pdf Institute for Work & Health Labour OHCOW Academic Research AllianceElliot Lake wildcat strike led to key law https://www.thesudburystar.com/2014/03/26/elliot-lake-wildcat-strike-led-to-key-law 2021-12-11 thesudburystar en-CA The strike was the first time that Canadian workers had taken industrial action over safety concerns, and it led to Ontario Premier Bill Davis creating a royal commission which led to the creation of new health and safety legislation.The strike that saved lives https://magazine.cim.org/en/voices/the-strike-that-saved-lives/ 2021-12-11 magazine.cim.org en-US17 April 2014 Workplace safety fight far from over, Steelworkers say CBC https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/workplace-safety-fight-far-from-over-steelworkers-say-1.2613441MacDowell Laurel Sefton 2012 The Elliot Lake Uranium Miners' Battle to Gain Occupational Health and Safety Improvements, 1950–1980 https://www.erudit.org/en/journals/llt/1900-v1-n1-llt0160/1011330ar.pdf Journal of Canadian Labour Studies Background Concerned about prevalence of cancers and poor support for sick workers by mine owners, United Steelworkers representatives had been meeting with the Government of Ontario, the leader of the opposition New Democratic Party, and the Workman's Compensation Board of Ontario. At the time, the union activities were led by Gib Gilchrist, who was supported by Paul Falkowski and Homer Seguin.Williams Lynn R. One Day Longer - a memoir University of Toronto Press 2011 9781442699267 Immediately prior to the strike, two representatives of United Steelworkers, attended a conference in Bordeaux, France. At the conference, they learned about a paper presented by the Ontario Ministry of Health that contained details about cancer risks to uranium miners, that had not been shared with the miners. The strike On 18 April 1974, the workers at Denison mine (owned by Denison Mines) started a wildcat strike that lasted fourteen days. The strike was supported by Ontario New Democratic Party leader Stephen Lewis and Member of Provincial Parliament Elie Martel. Ed Vance, one of the striking miners, is quoted in the 2016 book Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces:Foster Jason Health and Safety in Canadian Workplaces Barnetson Bob Athabasca University Press 2016 9781771991834 81–83 10.15215/aupress/9781771991834.01 free"They deliberately kept us ignorant. There is no other way to describe it. Government has a responsibility and in this case they failed to keep the workers advised. They failed to warn the workers of their work environment. And, they were part of that conspiracy." Effects thumb|The Miner's Memorial is a tribute to the mining history of Elliot Lake, ON. This part is a tribute to all the miners who died as a result of working in the uranium mines. Mine owners immediately allowed miners to change the filters in their protective face-masks daily, an improvement from the existing weekly replacements, and soon after offered a 15 cent per hour increase in living allowance. The government embarked on air-quality testing in the mines, but was criticized for missing some areas. Following the survey, mine owners improved underground ventilation.Royal Commission on the Health and Safety of Workers in MinesPressure from the workers, combined with the political pressure, led to the creation of the Royal Commission on the Health and Safety of Workers in Mines, informally known as the Ham Commission after its chairperson, James Milton Ham. The recommendations from the royal commission led to the creation of Ontario's Occupational Health and Safety Act of 1979. See also Uranium mining in the Elliot Lake area Uranium mining in the Bancroft area Uranium mining in Canada References collapsed collapsed collapsed Category:1974 labor disputes and strikes Category:Elliot Lake Category:History of mining in Ontario Category:History of Canada (1960–1981) Category:Uranium mining Category:Labour disputes in Ontario Category:Labor disputes led by the United Steelworkers Category:1974 in Ontario Category:Uranium mining in Canada Category:Miners' labour disputes in Canada Category:Denison Mines Category:Nuclear energy in Ontario