Unions

Keung, Nicholas. “Legislated Racism Commemorated on Canada Day.” Toronto Star, July 1, 2014. https://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/legislated-racism-commemorated-on-canada-day/article_6dab466c-e2fd-591d-a5a7-46abf739dc59.html

Unions were something that was not very popular in the early days, especially during the building of the Canadas railway. Although there was one attempt. During a 2% tax on workers' wages, hundreds of men stormed Onderdonk's headquarters located in Yale, a gold rush town. Onderdonks was the contractor for the Canadian Pacific Railway. The men did not accomplish much with their efforts sadly, and the demonstration went unnoticed. After the accomplishment of the railway and the separation of the thousands of workers into different parts, they faced extreme discrimination, they worked in extremely back-breaking laborious factories, or lumber or mining. Most work 7 days a week in essentially a sweatshop. That is when they started unions demanding better working conditions and pay. Many joined the unions in hopes of making a difference, and most did. Unions were extremely important for the Chinese workers because, without them, they would not have received everything they deserved. 

“Chinese Railway Workers.” British Columbia - An Untold History.  https://bcanuntoldhistory.knowledge.ca/1880/chinese-railway-workers 

Ng, Winnie. “Early Chinese Worker Militancy in BC: Excavating Narratives of Resistance.” Road to Justice " Early Chinese Worker Militancy in BC: Excavating Narratives of Resistance, 21AD. http://www.roadtojustice.ca/news/early-chinese-worker-militancy-in-bc-excavating-narratives-of-resistance