The miners went on strike on February 13, 1949. In the first several days, the work stoppage affected 2,250 miners in the town of Asbestos. Within a short time, the number of strikers reached 5,000 when other asbestos miners in the area walked off the job. The event made headlines in only a few newspapers. Among Quebec's major newspapers, only Le Devoir in its February 15 issue carried the headline, "GrΦve gΘnΘrale de l'amiante" (general strike of asbestos workers). This newspaper followed the entire conflict closely and took an editorial position in favour of the strikers. Gerard Pelletier, representing the newspaper in Asbestos sent in daily reports about developments In the conflict. On February 18, L'Asbestos, a small weekly, produced locally but published in Sherbrooke, also carried an article entitled "The asbestos industry is on strike." This newspaper was very moderate throughout the dispute and took no position for either side.
Courtesy: National Library of Canada Photograph by Pierre Gaudard
