CLC 50th Anniversary Marked with Commemorative Stamp

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is 50 years old! It was on April 23, 1956, at a convention in Toronto, that the Canadian Labour Congress was born from the union of the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour.

"In fifty years, we have accomplished so much yet there is much more to be done," says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. "Everyone who works for wages, one day or another, comes to realize that a union means better pay, benefits and pensions. Over the last 50 years, in their daily struggle for fairness, equality, and opportunity, the unions of the Canadian Labour Congress have improved the quality of life of all Canadian families."

Over the years, the Canadian Labour Congress has been instrumental in helping to bring to all Canadians many benefits that were first bargained in collective agreements.

In a show of public recognition of this record of accomplishments and of service to Canadian working families, on April 20, Canada Post is issuing a commemorative 51-cent stamp celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Canadian Labour Congress. There is an unveiling ceremony in Ottawa on April 19. The design, created by Steven Spazuk of Montreal, is one of visual symbolism.

"The illustration shows two hands holding the globe, with the Americas in view", says Spazuk. "One hand is masculine, the other feminine. One hand is white, the other black. Behind the globe, which serves as the logo or symbol of the CLC, is a tapestry showing the many benefits that unionized Canadian workers have received over the past 50 years."

The Canadian Labour Congress is the national voice of the labour movement. It represents over three million unionized workers and brings together the majority of national and international unions in Canada, and 12 provincial and territorial federations of labour and 135 district labour councils.

The CLC can trace its roots back to 1872 when the Canadian Labour Union was formed by groups that had promoted the Nine Hours Movement. It evolved and grew over the years as mergers and reorganizations took place.

Between 1883 and 1956, it operated under the name the Trades and Labour Congress (TLU). In 1939, the TLU expelled members affiliated with the US-based Committee for Industrial Organizing (CIO). The expelled members set up the Canadian Labour Council. In 1956, the Trades and Labour Congress merged with the Canadian Labour Council to become the Canadian Labour Congress.