Hamilton workers took to the streets to march for labour rights

On May 15, 1872, more than 1,500 workers took to the streets of Hamilton in a peaceful protest.

Led by an immigrant machinist named James Ryan, the workers marched for something extremely radical in those days - a workday of nine hours instead of as many as 12.

The Nine-Hour Movement, as it was known, failed.

The protest was the high point of a campaign to standardize shorter working days that petered out within six months. But, the nine-hour pioneers in Hamilton fostered chapters of the movement in other cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Halifax that gave further profile to the issue of work hours and other working conditions.

While the nine-hour workday was not realized for many years to come, labour historians note the protest set the stage for future gains by organized labour.

By that June of 1872, Sir John A. Macdonald's government passed the Trade Unions Act that gave workers the right to be a part of labour unions. That led to the formation Canadian Labour Union (1872-1878), an initial effort of a centralized organization to represent labour unions in Canada.