The mid-1970s began a wave of labour-related protests in New Brunswick.
1976 saw union members gridlock the streets of Saint John in protest against wage controls introduced by Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s anti-inflation legislation. The legislation introduced wage controls which limited wage agreements to 8, 6, and 4% increases in each of the next three years.
The government’s overarching goal was to curb inflation by artificially suppressing wages. At the time, prices had been rising and unions had been successful in negotiating favourable agreements for their members.
The Feds sought to stop rapid wage increase and the New Brunswick Federation of Labour was fighting to keep wages rising at the same pace as goods. Four years later, in 1980, Larry Hanley won the election for President of the Federation.
Hanley was a key figure in the 1976 protests and his election was reported in the media as a “militant takeover.” He embraced the characterization, and it soon became clear that Federation delegates welcomed a “stronger” leader.
The more militant atmosphere in New Brunswick led to dramatic events in the spring of 1981.
CPU Local 219 represented office workers at the St. Anne-Nackawic paper mill. The mill’s workers had been labouring without a contract since August 1980. Millworkers refused to cross the picket line created by the office workers and production soon ground to a halt.
The company appealed to the Court of Queen’s Bench for an injunction ordering the workers to return to work; the injunction was granted, and the workers refused to obey the court order.
As a result, three Local 219 officers – Doug Homer, Tim Noel, and Glen McGuire – were jailed for contempt of court. This was the second time Noel had been jailed for contempt.
Noel publicly compared the provincial government to the regime in Iran and Hitler’s Germany. This was only two years after the Iranian Revolution which overthrew the government and installed an Islamic Theocratic Regime.
Noel stated, “I’d have to give it some serious thought which one I’d choose.”
The Federation organized demonstrations outside of the York County Jail in downtown Fredericton at the site of the current Science East Science Centre.
Demonstrators were ordered off jail property and complied with the order.
Hanley hosted a news conference in which they said the Federation would press for changes in laws allowing courts to jail union members respecting picket lines.
The paper mill filed a claim against the union for $900k in damages, resulting from the shutdown.
The case progressed to the Supreme Court of Canada where the claim for damages was denied. However, Canada’s highest court confirmed that workers striking or respecting picket lines in defiance of court orders risked fines and imprisonment.