Charles Millard
Encyclopedia
Charles Hibbert Millard (August 25, 1896 - November 24, 1978) was a Canadian
trade union
activist and politician
.
, the son of a railroad repairman, and first trained as a carpenter.
Millard became an autoworker after his small business failed as a result of the Great Depression
.
in Oshawa, Ontario
, Millard was involved in the organizing auto workers in the 1930s and was elected the first president of the new United Auto Workers
local 222 in Oshawa leading his union out on strike
in 1937 after GM refused to recognize the union. The 18 day long strike was successful and Millard's local obtained the first contract in Canada between an automobile manufacturer and its workers. Millard was elected the first Canadian director of the United Auto Workers, was a full time organizer for the CIO
and was also elected to the provincial executive of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in Ontario. Millard was active in championing the CCF within the union against the Communist Party of Canada
, and was viewed as some as a divisive force. In 1939, he was defeated in his bid for re-election as the UAW's Canadian director by George Burt
who was the candidate of the "Unity Caucus" composed of Communists, left-wing CCFers and other militants who viewed Millard as right-wing. CIO president John L. Lewis
appointed Millard secretary of the CIO in Canada and then as the first head of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee
in Canada (SWOC) became the United Steel Workers of America in 1942 with Millard as Canadian director and was active in purging Communists from the SWOC. Millard was also an executive member of the Canadian Congress of Labour
and played a role in establishing the United Packinghouse Workers in Canada.
Millard stepped down as Canadian director in 1947 but resumed the post in the 1950s.
- in December 1939 he was arrested under the Defence of Canada Regulations
after telling workers in Timmins that "[we] should have democracy here in Canada before we go to Europe to defend it." As a result Millard was jailed and the Canadian offices of the CIO being raided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
.
becoming vice-president of the new body, the Canadian Labour Congress
, at its founding in 1956. In the late 1950s he was also director of organizing for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
in Brussels, Belgium.
as a CCF Member of Provincial Parliament for the Toronto area riding of York West from 1943 to 1945 and again from 1948 to 1951 and was also the party's vice president through much of the 1940s. In the early 1960s, he supported the creation of the New Democratic Party
as a party with formal affiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress. He was a candidate for the federal CCF
in the 1953 federal election and for the federal NDP in the 1962 and 1963 federal elections but failed in his bid to become a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.
and the Religious Labor Foundation
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
trade union
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
activist and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Early life
He was born in St. Thomas, OntarioSt. Thomas, Ontario
St. Thomas is a city in southern , Ontario, Canada. It is the seat for Elgin County and gained its city charter on March 4, 1881.-History:...
, the son of a railroad repairman, and first trained as a carpenter.
Millard became an autoworker after his small business failed as a result of the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
.
Union activism
Employed by General MotorsGeneral Motors Canada
General Motors of Canada Limited is General Motors' Canadian division. Its national headquarters office, Canadian Regional Engineering Centre, and main manufacturing plants are located in Oshawa, Ontario. GM Canada is 100% owned by GM.As of Apr...
in Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
, Millard was involved in the organizing auto workers in the 1930s and was elected the first president of the new United Auto Workers
United Auto Workers
The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers , is a labor union which represents workers in the United States and Puerto Rico, and formerly in Canada. Founded as part of the Congress of Industrial...
local 222 in Oshawa leading his union out on strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
in 1937 after GM refused to recognize the union. The 18 day long strike was successful and Millard's local obtained the first contract in Canada between an automobile manufacturer and its workers. Millard was elected the first Canadian director of the United Auto Workers, was a full time organizer for the CIO
Congress of Industrial Organizations
The Congress of Industrial Organizations, or CIO, proposed by John L. Lewis in 1932, was a federation of unions that organized workers in industrial unions in the United States and Canada from 1935 to 1955. The Taft-Hartley Act of 1947 required union leaders to swear that they were not...
and was also elected to the provincial executive of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation in Ontario. Millard was active in championing the CCF within the union against the Communist Party of Canada
Communist Party of Canada
The Communist Party of Canada is a communist political party in Canada. Although is it currently a minor or small political party without representation in the Federal Parliament or in provincial legislatures, historically the Party has elected representatives in Federal Parliament, Ontario...
, and was viewed as some as a divisive force. In 1939, he was defeated in his bid for re-election as the UAW's Canadian director by George Burt
George Burt (Canada)
George Burt was Canadian Director of the United Auto Workers from 1939 to 1968.His father was a brickmaker and active trade unionist. Burt worked as an apprentice plumber before getting a job on the General Motors assembly line in Oshawa, Ontario in 1929...
who was the candidate of the "Unity Caucus" composed of Communists, left-wing CCFers and other militants who viewed Millard as right-wing. CIO president John L. Lewis
John L. Lewis
John Llewellyn Lewis was an American leader of organized labor who served as president of the United Mine Workers of America from 1920 to 1960...
appointed Millard secretary of the CIO in Canada and then as the first head of the Steel Workers Organizing Committee
Steel Workers Organizing Committee
The Steel Workers Organizing Committee was one of two precursor labor organizations to the United Steelworkers. It was formed by the CIO in 1936. It disbanded in 1942 to become the United Steel Workers of America....
in Canada (SWOC) became the United Steel Workers of America in 1942 with Millard as Canadian director and was active in purging Communists from the SWOC. Millard was also an executive member of the Canadian Congress of Labour
Canadian Congress of Labour
The Canadian Congress of Labour was founded in 1940 and merged with Trades and Labour Congress of Canada to form the Canadian Labour Congress in 1956.-Founding:...
and played a role in establishing the United Packinghouse Workers in Canada.
Millard stepped down as Canadian director in 1947 but resumed the post in the 1950s.
World War II
Millard was initially critical of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
- in December 1939 he was arrested under the Defence of Canada Regulations
Defence of Canada Regulations
The Defence of Canada Regulations were a set of emergency measures implemented under the War Measures Act a week before Canada's entry into World War II in the fall of 1939....
after telling workers in Timmins that "[we] should have democracy here in Canada before we go to Europe to defend it." As a result Millard was jailed and the Canadian offices of the CIO being raided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
.
Creation of the Canadian Labour Congress
In the mid-1950s, Millard played a role in negotiating the merger of the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL) with the rival Trades and Labour Congress of CanadaTrades and Labour Congress of Canada
The Trades and Labour Congress of Canada was a Canada-wide central federation of trade unions from 1883 to 1956. It was founded at the initiative of the Toronto Trades and Labour Council and the Knights of Labor...
becoming vice-president of the new body, the Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Labour Congress
The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in English Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated.- Formation :...
, at its founding in 1956. In the late 1950s he was also director of organizing for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions was an international trade union. It came into being on 7 December 1949 following a split within the World Federation of Trade Unions , and was dissolved on 31 October 2006 when it merged with the World Confederation of Labour to form the...
in Brussels, Belgium.
Political career
He served in the Legislative Assembly of OntarioLegislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
as a CCF Member of Provincial Parliament for the Toronto area riding of York West from 1943 to 1945 and again from 1948 to 1951 and was also the party's vice president through much of the 1940s. In the early 1960s, he supported the creation of the New Democratic Party
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
as a party with formal affiliation with the Canadian Labour Congress. He was a candidate for the federal CCF
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation
The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was a Canadian political party founded in 1932 in Calgary, Alberta, by a number of socialist, farm, co-operative and labour groups, and the League for Social Reconstruction...
in the 1953 federal election and for the federal NDP in the 1962 and 1963 federal elections but failed in his bid to become a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons.
Religious views
A Christian Socialist, Millard was involved with the United Church of CanadaUnited Church of Canada
The United Church of Canada is a Protestant Christian denomination in Canada. It is the largest Protestant church and, after the Roman Catholic Church, the second-largest Christian church in Canada...
and the Religious Labor Foundation