Montréal Dressmakers' Strike of 1937 National Historic Event
Montréal, Quebec
ILGWU strike in Montreal, ca. 1940
© Jewish Public Library Archives, Montreal | Archives de la Bibliothèque publique juive, Montréal
Address :
460 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Montréal, Quebec
Recognition Statute:
Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C., 1985, c. H-4)
Designation Date:
2007-06-08
Other Name(s):
-
Montréal Dressmakers' Strike of 1937
(Designation Name)
Research Report Number:
2006-011
Importance:
Proved to be a crucial moment in the evolution of the working relationships between management and labour in the clothing industry
Plaque(s)
Existing plaque: 460 Sainte-Catherine Street West, Montréal, Quebec
Led by the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, this strike was a turning point in the unionization of a key industry in Montréal, then principal centre of clothing production in Canada. In three weeks, Rose Pesotta, Lea Roback, and Yvette Charpentier, among others, rallied a primarily female French-Canadian workforce of more than 5,000 that was regarded by trade unionists as difficult to organize. An example of the essential contributions of Jewish activists within the clothing industry, this successful strike reflected the ability of Jewish and French-Canadian workers to cooperate in a union setting.