A Timely Account of an Important City Builder

‘More Than We Bargained For’ is John Stefanini’s autobiographical account of the formation and development of Laborer’s International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 183, a Toronto based local that organized much of the ethnically diverse building trades in postwar Ontario. Stefanini’s text primarily focuses on his work at the local level, but includes discussion of his participation in various labor councils over his four decade career. The author offers a detailed examination of the grassroots nature of labor organizing, as well as the interpersonal relationships and antagonisms that are part and parcel of the business side of union work. For a general reader, this aspect of the book can be somewhat monotonous, as many of the names are lesser known historically and familiar only to those with a familiarity with organized labor circles in Toronto specifically, and Canada more broadly. However, the book also provides an excellent overview of the detailed negotiations required to sustain vibrant union activity and the difficulties faced by members holding competing economic and political interests. Stefanini succeeds in untangling these webs of interest and making them accessible to a general audience.

Of particular interest is Stefanini’s frequent criticism of Canada’s ‘points’ immigration system. The author contends that this short sited policy, intended to appease a francophone political base in Quebec, has resulted in limiting immigration from non-French and non-English sending countries. It has also decreased immigration from sending countries that provided the bulk of unskilled and semi-skilled labor in the construction trades, mainly Italy and Portugal, by imposing education quotas. Stefanini is fond of pointing out that major captains of industry in Canada, such as Frank Stronach of Magna International, would not have qualified to enter Canada under the points system, depriving the nation of thousands of jobs. While Stefanini’s point has some economic merit, it is underdeveloped in the text and appears as much a product of his personal distaste for Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau as a fully articulated position on national policy.

Throughout the text, Stefanini maintains a cheery, conversational tone. The author is quick to share success and is keen to recognize the humanity and basic goodness of friend and foe alike. Indeed, a strength of the work is that it highlights the need for mutual respect and dialogue in organized labor, an environment often fraught with fierce personal and political divisions. As the author observes, you can have fierce disagreement with an opponent at the bargaining table and still maintain a convivial and respectful relationship with people outside of the negotiation process.

Those interested in learning more about John Stefanini, as well as the immigrant communities that shaped much of the construction trades in Toronto, are encouraged to explore the City Builders project, an on line archive created by the Robarts Center for Canadian Studies and York University in Toronto.

https://toronto-city-builders.org/