Assignment Paper

Write an essay on the virtues and shortcomings of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour and unions in general.

This essay should be based on Provincial Solidarities: A History of the New Brunswick Federation of Labour by David Frank. This is not a book review; that is, you need to craft your own line of arguments. The book should provide you with ideas and facts to hammer out your arguments; once this is done, organize and support your arguments with empirical facts. Researching other materials that speak to the essay topic is an option but not a must.

Your essay should address the following facets:

Which unions belonged to the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, and which groups of workers were organized in these unions?
Which unions did NOT belong to the New Brunswick Federation of Labour, and which groups of workers were organized in these unions?
What were the reasons for unions joining, or not joining, the federation?
What were the federation’s goals? What did the federation do?
What was the federation’s relation to electoral politics and provincial governments?
With regard to all of the above facets, consider how they changed over the federation’s history.