Migration Law

This document provides an overview of Migration Law, including the recruitment of immigrant workers, ethnic segregation, and the role of the Industrial Worker of the World (IWW) labor union. It also discusses the challenges faced by migrant workers and the efforts made by the IWW to improve working conditions. References are provided for further reading.

Migration Law

Table of Contents
Question 1.............................................................................................................................................2
Question 2.............................................................................................................................................2
Question 3.............................................................................................................................................4
Question 4.............................................................................................................................................4
Question 5.............................................................................................................................................4
Question 6.............................................................................................................................................4
Question 7.............................................................................................................................................5
Question 8.............................................................................................................................................5
Question 9.............................................................................................................................................5
Question 10...........................................................................................................................................6
Question 11...........................................................................................................................................6
Question 12...........................................................................................................................................6
Question 13...........................................................................................................................................6
Question 14...........................................................................................................................................6
Question 15...........................................................................................................................................7
References.............................................................................................................................................8
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Question 1
The rapid expansion of IWW in Canada depicted migrant worker, foreign-born and an
unskilled worker who was known as blanketstiffs. They are male who tramped from job to
job holding their possessions on their backs in blankets. There were 50000 blanketstiffs in
1914 which is an important component of the labor force in the region (McCormack, 2002).
Question 2
Nationality The time period during which
they were main low-status
workers and reasons recruited
Factors that prevented the
continuation of their
recruitment
Chinese Chinese were recruited after
1905 in the beginning of large
scale railway construction.
The lack of adequate safety and
isolation of the wages of the jobs.
Irish The Irish people were employed
in the railway construction work
in 1904.
The isolation of the jobs and an
increase in the demand for wages.
British/Welsh The British workers, mainly
Welsh at the beginning of the
boom were employed in the
Crow's Nest Pass line in the CPR
in 1897.
The officials of the company
became skeptical about the
suitability of the workers in the
grade for the tougher jobs.
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Eastern
European (Slavs,
Russian, Austro-
Hungarian, etc.)
The Easter European became the
major source of the unskilled
workers in 1905. The individuals
were best suited for heavy
works. Thousands of unskilled
Slavic workers also entered
when the construction fully got
underway.
The immigrants were being
exploited by the employment
agencies and agents. The
government regulated the
agencies.
Italian (also
called the
Mediterranean)
The Italian workers entered into
Canada after 1905 when the
construction of the railway got
fully underway.
The jobs have become isolated
because the works were being
carried out by either railway itself
or the head contractors.
Question 3
The employers preferred unassimilated immigrants because they were considered to be a
stable and cheap workforce. The employers wanted to maximize their profits by hiring and
ruling the unassimilated immigrants.
Question 4
The immigrants were being distributed by the most infamous element in a commercial
network that connects home villages to the Canadian jobs employment agencies(Grady &
Macmillan, 2007). It is often associated with European brokers and steamship companies
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basically contracted with construction organizations, railways, logging operations, mines, and
large farms. The federal government of Canada started to regulate the agencies because they
defraud itinerant workers.
Question 5
The process of purchasing jobs from the employment sharks was the source of persistent and
bitter complaints from the workers claiming that they were defrauded regularly. The workers
are provided a job with certain information and when they start work then different jobs were
asked to do.
Question 6
Andrew Cordasco was not put out of operation by the government because his service was
essential and important to the labor-intensive industries. These padrones provided reliable
and regular supplies of the preferred labor.
Question 7
In the GTP camps of British Columbia, a missionary working found that 80% of the
congregation consisted of foreigners. The labor force in the early twenties consisted of 32%
Slavic, 25% Scandinavian, 20% British, English Canadian and America, 7% Italian, 11%
French Canadian and sprinklings of other nationalities.
Question 8
Ethnic segregation was very typical in the camps. The group identity determined roles and
status in Canadian society and also on the frontier jobs where there was an absence of
conventional behavioral restraints. The process was most brutal and blatant. It is seen that
the foreigners also herd together and the English speaking people do not care about them.
Segregation was being carried over the occupation(Quayson&Arhin, 2012).
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Question 9
Blanket stiffs used to stay crowded cheap hotels and boarding houses. Workers were being
treated like a slave and racial discrimination was also at its highest level. Most of the time,
they did not have any job as they were unskilled labors. These workers used to work with
construction companies, mines, logging operation consisting of higher risks.
Question 10
These workers went on strike to deal with extreme exploitative conditions under the guidance
of the IWW. The largest strike was fought in Canada in the month of March. The IWW
identified that the strike must be nonviolent in order to win. In the third week of April,
strikers were asked to return to their respective work which was denied by them. In action,
police tore down the camps, closed the IWW halls and many workers had been arrested.
Question 11
The annual cycle used to begin in spring when workers started working at a large building
site or in railway grade. Many workers preferred working in wheat fields in early autumn as
the farmers required labor to harvest their crops and in winter season some workers used to
work in woods.
Question 12
The Industrial Worker of the Word (IWW) was a labor union and it was established in 1905.
Unskilled labor was the main focus of the IWW. It was a union which was made to destroy
the capitalist system by accumulating all works of the state(Ross & Savage, 2012).
Question 13
The IWW was funded by the members of the Socialist-led Western Federation of Miners and
different groups in Chicago. They fought for shorter working hours, an increment in pay and
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safer working place. They were against labor contract and electoral politics which was being
used to resolve the problems of poor workers.
Question 14
The workers were struggling with the capitalist system. The IWW played a very important
role they unite all unskilled workers under one union and made them realized with their
rights. It's fighting against the American Federation of Labor. A strike was called by them to
fight for shorter working hours, an increment in pay and safer working place for the workers.
Question 15
The IWW got full support from the workers as the strike was made to acquire better working
condition for the labors. The Canadian Northern and its contractors were not happy for taking
help from the B.C. government in their fight with IWW. In these conditions, it was easy for
the B.C. government to go to the aid of its political railways. The superintendent of police
received an order from the Canadian government to deal with the strike. Many workers were
arrested and 250 Wobblies were in the jail of BC.
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References
Grady, P., & Macmillan, K. (2007). Inter-provincial barriers to labour mobility in
Canada (2nd ed.). Ottawa, Ont.: Industry Canada.
McCormack, A. (2002). Reformers, Rebels, and Revolutionaries (1st ed.).
Winnipeg, Canada.
Quayson, A., &Arhin, A. (2012). Labour migration, human trafficking and
multinational corporations (2nd ed.). Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Ross, S., & Savage, L. (2012). Rethinking the politics of labour in Canada (2nd
ed.). Halifax, N.S.: Fernwood Pub.
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