A meeting of twenty-four journeymen printers at the York Hotel in Toronto in 1832 marked the birth of Canada's earliest and still continuing labour organization. This case study of the printers of Toronto traces the development of the union which began as the Toronto Typographical Society. Through a close examination of this Canadian local's relations with its eventual parent organization in the US, Zerker reveals the 'domination' and brings into question the advantages of an international connection.

In 1866, under pressure from the American federation of printing unions, the...