Summary Of Showdown By Rob Kristofferson

Showdown! by Rob Kristofferson is a graphic history about the birth of modern unionism in the 1930’s and 1940’s. The focus is upon Hamilton, Ontario, a city heavily focused on industry. At the time, Hamilton was home to Westinghouse, Firestone, Stelco and more. At the beginning of the 1900’s, Canada was a land of opportunity, the home of many immigrants from Europe. There was an abundance of workers, and the items they were producing were being found in homes across the country. Industry was making a lot of money, but due to the number of able workers, these same companies believed that they did not need to treat them well. The workers were putting in ten to twelve hours a day, five and a half, or six days a week (p. 9). The working conditions

This had the effect of sending both current and prospective workers overseas. It also stimulated the economy, as the whole country began to produce the goods necessary to go to war. The talk of unionizing rose to the surface, workers were needed and wanted their voices to be heard. Scared of the backlash the troops could face if industry workers went on strike, the Mackenzie King government passed an order-in-council, legally certifying any union which received a majority vote from the workers. This spurred unionism on, causing many unions to form, get certified, and negotiate a contract. Alas, the order-in-council was a wartime only bill, so with the end of the war, the unions were no longer certified (p. 35). Industries wanted the working conditions to return to what they had been prior to the war, so that they could return to making more profit. The people were not interested in such an idea. They had fought for the rights of others. They had seen what had happened after the First World War. They would not stand by, as the corporations took back the power. So, they fought for their

Southam Newspaper Chain, Firestone, and Westinghouse all experienced closures due to striking workers. Yet, it was the Stelco strike which would have the greatest effect. It came to a head on July 10th, when the federal government declared they were taking control of the steel industry and that striking was illegal (p. 46). In response, the steelworkers’ union of Hamilton held a meeting, where they made the decision to strike. Straight from the meeting, they headed to Stelco, rounding up workers of other professions along the way. They formed a picket line 10 000 strong at the gates of Stelco (p.52). Thus began the showdown. Stelco continued to work, they had retained some 2000 employees (p. 55). They were attempting to bring in food, supplies and workers through any means necessary. The strike became a dedicated effort of the community. The mayor was a staunch supporter of the strike. He foiled a city council member, who sought to bring in extra police to dissolve the strike. He saw that his people were suffering and did his best to aid them. Stores provided goods, communities made food, people came down to entertain the strikers. The strikers were hard at work, but instead of at their jobs, they were fighting for jobs that they could enjoy and respect. Without the support of everyone involved, the strike could have failed. Lasting 81 days, the strike finally concluded with an offer from Stelco that