International Trade Unionism: The United Mine Workers in Eastern Canada, 1900-1920

The Provincial Workmen's Association (PWA) in Canada was a successful labor organization for much of its existence. However, it began to lose member support when it was unable to effectively advance the miners' interest in the face of the changing character of the Nova Scotia coal industry. As an alternative, the United Mine Workers (UMW) proposed methods of collective agreement negotiating and business unionism instead of methods of political representations and legislative enactment. The active and growing efforts of the UMW split worker support between the UMW and the PWA, but neither organization was able to firmly organize the industry. After years of conflict, both organizations participated in moves to unite. The efforts resulted in a reestablished District 26 of the UMW. In the end, the workers endorsed the philosophy and the methods of trade unionism.