Among the most ardent advocates of municipal ownership were the local trade unions. Followed by the machinists, the first labour organizations were the railway brotherhoods of engineers, conductors, firemen and trainmen, all of whom were organized before the turn of the century. In 1903, the leadership of volunteer organizer Harry Bryan of the American Federation of Labor resulted in the formation of several locals of construction and other non-railway trades, as well as attempts to unionize unskilled immigrant labourers. Through the collective bargaining process and many strikes, often mediated by civic leaders, and through such activities as public affairs, labour politics. and the social gospel movement, labour quickly became a recognized force in the life of the community. As reflected in the Times-Journal's account of Fort William's first Labour Day parade in 1903, the response of local citizens to trade unionism was nothing less than exuberant: "on every corner crowds of people cheered the men and congratulated them on their first organized attempt to celebrate Labour Day." One reason for this enthusiasm was the leadership
unions gave in the struggle for municipal ownership against the combined forces of the Bell Telephone Company and its ally, the Canadian Pacific Railway.
Until the 1960s Labour Day continued to be celebrated annually with parades such as one of 1912 shown in this photograph. Thunder Bay today has a higher than average proportion of the local labour force organized, with forty percent union membership compared to the national average of only thirty percent.
