This series consists of materials compiled or created by Madeleine Parent and documents the Canadian Textile Council (CTC), the Canadian Textile and Chemical Union (CTCU), and the Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU). Materials speak to Canadian unionism and document the split from American-based international union the United Textile Workers of America (UTWA).
The largest sub-series (C1) documents the CTC, founded in 1952 by Parent and Robert Kent Rowley. Documentation includes correspondence, reports, collective agreements, and union publications. There are several files on the CTC's national conventions, executive board meetings, and labour organizing and disputes for some Locals. Comparatively, there are fewer materials regarding the CTCU (sub-series C2). Nonetheless, various files document the CTCU's activities, including annual conventions, disputes, agreements, and the CTCU's constitutions and by-laws.
The CCU sub-series (C3) includes materials related to its conventions, national executive board meetings, and policies and constitution. There are also several files on member unions and issues of union publications, including Canadian Union News, Confederation of Canadian Unions Bulletin, C.T.C.C. Le Travail, and the CAIMAW review.
Each of the last seven sub-series (C4 to C10) relate to a different company and document the CTC or the CTCU’s activities regarding each respective company. All seven sub-series include information on collective agreements. Sub-series C4 to C8 contain information on the CTC’s application process for certification as the bargaining agent. Some documentation also speaks to the conflict between the CTC and American-led unions. For instance, materials in the Woods Manufacturing Company, Limited sub-series (C5) document the conflict with the UTWA, and materials in the Wabasso Cotton Company Limited sub-series (C8) document the campaign between the CTC and the UTWA.
Among these sub-series, there is also documentation on various strikes. The Dominion Textile Company Limited sub-series (C4) includes materials related to the 1952 strike of workers at Quebec plants and disputes in the 1960s that occurred at the Ste-Anne's mill in Quebec. Sub-series C6 documents the 1971 strike of Texpack Limited workers. Sub-series C7 details the three-month 1956 strike of Harding Carpets Limited workers at the Brantford, Ontario plant. The smallest sub-series, C9 and C10, document the 1973 strike by workers employed at the Artistic Woodwork Company Limited, including the police response to the strike, and the 1978 yearlong strike of workers at Puretex Knitting Company, due to the installation of surveillance cameras in the factory.