Book details strike at the former INCO in 1958

Tony Ryma interviews Elizabeth Quinlan about her book, ‘Standing Up to Big Nickel: The Story of the Mine, Mill and Smelters Workers Strike.’

A University of Saskatchewan professor has written a book about the INCO strike in Sudbury in 1958.

Elizabeth Quinlan’s book, ‘Standing Up to Big Nickel: The Story of the Mine, Mill and Smelters Workers Strike,’ is a deep dive into the first legal INCO work stoppage.

“The title reflects the sentiment of the workers when they downed their tools on Sept. 24, 1958, and walked out on strike against one of the largest monopolies in the world -- and certainly the biggest and the most powerful in the industry of mining,” Quinlan said.

When negotiations started, she said union leaders believed the agreement would fall in line with all the previous agreements since 1944. Workers were fighting for better wages, better health and safety conditions and better benefits.

No increase in wages

“It became clear in 1958 that there would be no increase to be had in wages from INCO,” said Quinlan.

“There was no movement on the provision of workers having a say on safety, and stack that up on the huge profits the company had been making.”

The strike lasted 13 weeks and the labour dispute took a toll on families. Quinlan discovered that it also changed the family dynamics at home.

“Families had to make many sacrifices,” she said.

“Women who had never been in the paid labour force before and stepped out to the world of work for the first time.”

Male strikers, for the first time, were responsible for child care.

“This was unheard of in the 1950s,” Quinlan said.

“There were sacrifices economically, sacrifices in terms of the level of uncertainty, and you never know the outcome.”

Quinlan said she drew from accounts from union leaders, workers, their families and community members in writing the book.

She said her father, Lukin Robinson, was the research director of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The work is dedicated to his memory.