#airplane factory

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Un avion d'attaque au sol Douglas A-20 quitte la chaîne d'assemblage de Douglas Aircraft à Long Beach – Californie – Octobre 1942

Photographe : Alfred T. Palmer

©National Archives and Records Administration - 196398

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L'usine d'assemblage de moteurs d'avion Canadian Wright Limited située sur la rue Notre-Dame Est à Montréal. Photos par Conrad Poirier, 12 septembre 1944.  Fonds Conrad Poirier - Archives nationales à Montréal  

1) Vue générale des ouvriers travaillant sur la chaîne de montage. BAnQ  P48,S1,P10226.

2) Des ouvriers travaillant sur les moteur d'avions. BAnQ P48,S1,P10235.

3) Des ouvriers travaillant sur les moteur d'avions. BAnQ P48,S1,P10244.

4) P48,S1,P10236.

5) P48,S1,P10238.

6) P48,S1,P10245.

7) P48,S1,P10247

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"Un entretien entre députés et grévistes," La Presse. August 11, 1943. Page 3. --- Il aura lieu demain à 1 heure p.m. Grève dans sa deuxième semaine. --- La grève des 20,000 ouvriers des trois plus importantes avionneries du Canada, la Noorduyn, la Vickers et la Fairchild, est entrée dans sa seconde semaine aujourd'hui pendant que se multiplient les entretiens dans l'espoir de mettre fin à ce conflit.

Toutefois les entretiens que les délégués de la loge 712 de l'Union internationale des machinistes, section de l'avionnerie, ont eus hier à Ottawa ne semblent pas avoir eu de résultats satisfaisants et nous apprenons "qu'aucune concession n'au- rait été consentie par le ministère du travail ou par tout autre représentant fédéral pour le retour des grévistes au travail".

On sait que les trois avionneries sont fermées sur l'ordre des hon. C.- D. Howe, ministre des munitions et approvisionnements, et Humphrey Mitchell, ministre du travail. Les grévistes réclament des arrérages du boni de vie chère.

Entretiens avec les députés demain Les représentants des grévistes auront un entretien avec les députés fédéraux et provinciaux de l'ile de Montréal à 1 h., demain après-midi. apprend-on aux quartiers généraux de la loge 712. Cette conférence a pour but de trouver le moyen d'en arriver à une entente. Il se peut, nous dit-on, que les chefs de la loge et les députés aient ensuite une entrevue avec le premier ministre du Canada, le Tres Hon. M. King.

Les entretiens de MM. Robert Haddow et D. S. Lyons, respectivement représentant canadien et vice-président de l'union internationale des machinistes, avec les chefs du Congrès des métiers du Canada et des officiels du gouvernement fédéral, ne semblent pas avoir donné de résultat à date.

On n'a aucune nouvelle également de l'entretien que la Fédération provinciale du travail devait avoir hier avec le premier ministre de la province, l'hon. Adélard Godbout, pour lui demander son intervention personnelle dans le différend de l'avionnerie. Les chefs de la fédération reviendront aujourd'hui dans la métropole.

Réunion, hier soir Des milliers de grévistes se sont réunis, hier soir, à l'Auditorium Hall, pour entendre le rapport de leurs délégués à Ottawa, mais on n'a rien annoncé. MM. Sarto Fournier, dé- puté de Maisonneuve-Rosemont aux Communes, Emile Boucher, député de S.-Henri, à Québec, ont toutefois adressé la parole aux grévistes. Bien que M. Fred Rose, nouveau député fédéral de Cartier, n'ait pas été invité à la réunion, mais il a adressé la parole aux grévistes. Il les a encouragés à réclamer leur boni rétroactif.

La réunion d'hier soir était sous les auspices du Conseil des métiers et du travail dont le président est M, Paul Fournier.

M. Rose a déclaré que "le peuple est fatigué de la politique de MM. Howe et Mitchell".

Il a de plus sévèrement blâmé les autorités fédérales, le parti libéral et l'Association des manufacturiers et les accuses d'avoir retardé le reglement de la grève.

il y aura ce soir une autre réunion au cours de laquelle des rapports sur les entretiens d'Ottawa et de Québec seront donnés.

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"TEN THOUSAND WITNESS PRESENTATION OF 1,000TH FLEET AIRCRAFT TRAINING PLANE TO R.C.A.F. AT FORT ERIE," Toronto Star. October 22, 1943. Page 3. --- FLEET AIRCRAFT employees at Fort Erie completed their 1,000th Cornell trainer Thursday and presented it to the R.C.A.F. Many of these planes are built for U.S. Army Air Force, being ferried to their destination by girls, two of whom are shown above receiving instructions from Capt. A. S. Chandler, Air Transport Command representative.

CHRISTENED "Spirit of Fleet" by Mrs. M. Mark, Fort Erie mother of nine, the trim little craft is shown above in the centre of some of the 10.000 employees and their friends who witnessed the christening. Air Marshal LS. Breadner, chief of air staff, accepted the gift on behalf of the R.CA.F. Following the ceremony the plane was flown away to be put into immediate use. Eight of the workers received Canadian Merit certificates and cash awards, most of the latter being invested in Victory Bonds.

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"Night Shift at Mill Cancelled," Vancouver Sun. October 5, 1943. Page 2. --- PORT ALBERNI, Oct. 5 - (CP) -The International Woodworkers of America has called a meeting for Port Alberni Wednesday night when Nigel Morgan, international board member, will discuss the cancellation of shifts at two district industrial plants.

Bloedel, Stewart and Welch Limited discontinued the night shift at the Great Central Lake mill because of inability to obtain a full crew for operations.

Employees affected have been transferred to the day shift or the Port Alberni mill.

Earlier Alberni Plywoods Limited cancelled its afternoon shift causing the release of 90 girls and 30 men.

Some of these were absorbed in Port Alberni mills and others signed to work for Boeing Aircraft Limited.

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"Aircraft Union Meets Tonight," Montreal Star. August 10, 1943. Page 3 & 6. ---- Labor Leaders Worried; Dairy Drivers Strike ---- Strengthened pickets paced the sidewalk in front of Montreal's three closed aircraft factories today, as 20,000 striking workers worried over their next pay envelope, and the industrial sky was further clouded by one minor dairy and two small shoe factory walk-outs.

There was talk by labor leaders of planned conferences with Dominion and Provincial Government heads in Ottawa and Quebec, but nothing tangible to inspire hope of an early end of the aviation industry strife.

Meeting Tonight Meanwhile the Trades and Labor Council has called a meeting the thousands of aircraft plant strikers for 8:30 o'clock this evening, at the Auditorium Hall, 375 Ontario street west.

Labor leaders, frankly worried over the continued shut-down of the three big aircraft plants of Canadian Vickers, Noorduyn Aviation, Limited, and Fairchild Aircraft, Limited, appealed to both Ottawa and Quebec last night and again today to help settle the dispute involving 20,000 workers and invaluable airplane output.

The aircraft industry dispute is essentially between the Dominion Government and International Association of Machinists, Lodge 712, but officials of the latter today appealed to Premier Godbout and his colleagues in the Quebec cabinet to intervene in the struggle. Headquarters of the lodge had no information formation today, but from another source it was learned that officials of the lodge are in Quebec right now trying to clear the air for a settlement. They were reported also to have officers in Ottawa on the same general mission, but what success they were having, if any, was not available here.

Interview Asked Deep concern over the labor situation in Montreal as a whole, was expressed today by Paul Fournier. president of the Trades and Labor Council, who said he phoned Ottawa today in an effort to arrange an interview with Premier King. Council officers were already in the capital, endeavoring to see Hon. Humphrey Mitchell Minister of Lamphrey Labor, and other Government officials, in an effort to canvass the whole situation and clear the industrial front of disputes.

Mr. Fournier said his chief fear at the present moment was that the unsatisfactory labor-industry atmosphere would become generalized and he pointed to the new strikes by dairymen and shoe workers as an indication of what he meant.

Meanwhile, Mr. Fournier stood rebuked by Mr. Mitchell for the labor leader's statement of Sunday night, that it was "the Labor Department's apparent determination to smash our international trade union movement." In his reply in Ottawa today the Minister of Labor said: "I've been a member of an international union myself since 1915 and still am. We are not out to bust any union. If they bust themseives that's another matter."

Marcel Francq, secretary of the Quebec Federation of Labor, said that his organization has arranged an interview with Hon. Edgar Rochette, Quebec Minister of Labor, and several other members of the Quebec Government, and hoped to meet Premier Godbout at the same time in an effort of bringing about a settlement of the dispute.

"We are trying to get an appointment with Mr. Godbout and his colleagues to have them use their good offices to get the men back to work on a basis satisfactory to all parties," Mr. Francq said. "In a case like this, where neither party will budge, it is necessary to secure the help of an intermediary who enjoys the respect and confidence of both sides." Mr. Francq said. Officers of the federation will travel to Quebec city as soon as an interview is arranged, he added.

Mr. Mitchell added that there have been no new developments in the aircraft industry dispute so far as his department was concerned, and there had been no delegations from Montreal. Dairy Drivers Strike Milk deliveries to about 250 customers of Elmhurst Dairy Ltd. were delayed today until this afternoon by a strike of 28 drivers at the firm's branch at 6240 Hutchison street. "It came like a bolt from the blue," said W. J. Candlish, office manager of the concern, who admitted, however, that the drivers had been trying to unionize for some time.

Mr. Candlish denied the strikers' claim that one of their number had been fired because of his union activities. "The man was dismissed for cause." Mr. Candish said, "but it had nothing to do with union activities."

The manager stated that the drivers, without warning, just failed to show up for work this morning, leaving the firm the problem of finding other means of delivering milk to its customers in a section of Outremont, St. Laurent and Cote des Neiges road.

Mr. Candlish stated that so far there has been no question of union recognition, but he understood the union with which the drivers were in contact was an affiliate of the American Federation of Labor. Just now there are no dairy workers' unions in Montreal, he added.

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"20,000 Aircraft Workers Strike Over Bonus Issue," Montreal Star. August 3, 1943. Page 3. --- Three Plants Affected by Walkout; Union Envoys Conferring at Ottawa ---- REFUSING to wait any longer for definite action by the Department of Labor over the question of back cost of living bonus pay, 20,000 aircraft workers at the plants of Fairchild, Canadian Vickers and Noorduyn Aviation downed tools at three o'clock this afternoon and filed quietly out of their works.

The back pay that the men have been demanding, and in which request the management of the three plants have joined, is the difference between the cost-of-living bonus paid them from July 1 of last year up to March 23 of this year, when the full $4.25 a week was allowed by the National Labor Board.

It amounts to about $2.75 per week, and the workers demanded that it should date back to last year when the old agreement expired. The National War Labor Board declared they were unable to do this as their authority did not go beyond March 23 last paid.

The back bonus will amount to about $105 per worker if paid.

The deadline of three o'clock that was fixed by the men themselves last night, despite attempts by union officials of Aircraft Lodge No. 712, International Association of Machinists, to get an indefinite extension of the deadline until the delegation in Ottawa this morning had had time to make its presentations to the National War Labor Board, saw the workers determined to protest inaction by Government authorities by stopping production. Nothing that officials of the union could say or do in the half-hour before three o'clock had any effect on them --- say or do in the half-hour before three o'clock had any effect on them.

Just as reports filed into The Star that the men were quietly walking out in a 100 per cent strike, word came from Ottawa that it was believed there the strike had been temporarily averted as the delegation from the lodge had, after seeing the National War Labor Board, arranged to see members of the Government, Officials of the lodge In Mont- real, who had been twice in telephonic communication with their delegates in Ottawa had a different story to tell. "It is impossible to get any solution from those people up there they have been trying to find Mr. Howe, (Hon, C. D. Howe, Minister of Munitions and Supply) for a couple of hours, but up to 2.30 had been unable to locate him.

Heard By War Labor Board "Our delegation was listened to by the National War Labor Board and they indicated that if they had to power to deal with the matter they would request leave to hear the appeal, but they had not the power to act on the case at all. and that it was a matter for the Government to deal with if they wanted to give the board that power.

"Twice our fellows telephoned that they were being shifted around from one to another and could not get any satisfaction, but we still hoped that before 3 o'clock we would be able to flash some hope to the shop committees that would keen the men at work. But when 3 o'clock came we had nothing to tell them and the fellows Just came out. There was no union. order to strike. The matter was dealt with by the Shop Committees and now we are helpless until we can find some place for the men to meet.

"We made an application to the city a couple of days ago for the use of Fletcher's Field in case it was needed but that was refused, so we have sent union officials out to meetings near the plants to counsel the men to act quietly and cause no trouble."

Sought Interviews The visit of Adrien Villeneuve, Grand Lodge representative of the International Association of Machinists, and J. Laplante, president of Aircraft Lodge 712, to Ottawa over the week-end had for its object interviews with Hon. C. D. Howe, Minister of Munitions and Supply, and Hon. Humphrey Mitchell, Minister of Labor, but the former was absent in Port Arthur. Mr. Mitchell, however, made the appointment for the National War Labor Board for 10 a.m. today. Last evening, at a meeting of the men held at the Auditorium Hall, the delegation to meet the board was selected.

The delegation comprised Robert Haddow, Grand Lodge representative I.A.M.; Jean Pare, business agent of Lodge 712, 3. Fair, representing the men at Fairchilds, J. Chapman, of Canadian Vickers Aircraft Division, and R. Middlecoat, of Noorduyn Aviation Limited.

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"Le nombre de grévistes dans les avionneries serait porté à 35,000," Montreal-Matin. August 4, 1943. Page 2. --- Si la grève n'est pas réglée aujourd'hui, 15,000 ouvriers imiteront les 20,000 employés qui se sont mis en grève hier. - Réunion spéciale à l'Auditorium. --- Malgré un avertissement bien formel du ministère fédéral du travail, plus de 20,000 employés de trois importantes avionneries de Montréal sont actuellement en grève. Et de plus, si la grève n'est pas réglée d'ici à 24 heures, environ 15,000 autres ouvriers et ouvrières quitteront leur travail, formant un total de 35,000 employés.

Les, compagnies dont les employés ont cessé de travailler sont: Fairchild, de Longueuil. Canadian Vic- kers, de Cartierville, et Noorduyn, de Cartierville et de la rue Haig.

Une décision de retarder la grève jusqu'à hier après-midi a été prise à une réunion en la salle Auditorium lundi soir, à la suite de la réception d'un télégramme de M. R.- H. Neilson, chef du bureau du conseil national du travail. Mais hier après-midi, plus de 20,000 employés de ces trois importantes firmes ont quitté leur travail avec la ferme decision de ne retourner à leur poste que quand le gouvernement fédéral leur aura donné satisfaction, c'est-à-dire l'octroi du boni de vie chère rétroactif au premier juillet dernier, date à laquelle a été signé le contrat de travail présentement en vigueur, plus une vacance payée, requête qu'étudie actuellement le conseil régional du travail.

Réunion spéciale Il y eut une réunion spéciale à l'Auditorium de la rue Ontario hier soir. Plus de 3,000 personnes s'y sont rendues pour apposer leur signature sur un document qui spécifiait bien catégoriquement que la grève durerait tant que les autorités fédérales n'auront pas décidé d'opter en faveur du boni de vie chère rétroactif au premier juillet, et d'une vacance payée pour tous les employes.

Des piqueteurs Les grévistes se proposent de ne pas retourner au travail tant que les compagnies et le gouvernement fédéral ne décideront pas d'accéder à leur requête. De plus, ils se proposent de protester contre le retour au travail en plaçant des "piqueteurs" aux portes de ces trois industries pour empêcher certains employés de reprendre leur travail. C'est ce qu'ils ont décidé à la réunion à la salle Auditorium hier soir alors que plus de 2,000 employés se sont présentés pour agir comme "piqueteurs" aux portes d'entrées des usines de ces trois compagnies.

Une assemblée d'urgence eut lieu à 11 heures hier soir aux quartiers généraux de la Fédération américaine du travail, rue Ste-Catherine ouest, mais les officiers, MM. Jean Paré et J.-A. Lapiante, n'ont fait aucune déclaration officielle à la fin de la réunion.