Workers' School

TMI’s Workers' School was launched in 1949 in collaboration with provincial trade unions and the Quebec Federation of Labour. It was the first of its kind to provide educational courses exclusively to union members in Quebec. The program was headed by 2 TMI directors, Eileen (O’Brien) de Neeve, who shared an interest in economics, and Marc Lapointe, a local labour lawyer. Over its 6 year span, 45 courses were offered on topics like the rise of the labour movement in North America, labour laws in Quebec, and procedures in collective bargaining. It drew enthusiasm and sustained involvement from local labour lawyers, organizers and key individuals in the Trade and Labour Congress of Canada and the Canadian Congress of Labour.

In 1950, 70 unionists from 12 different unions enrolled, namely from the United Steelworkers of America, and the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees and Other Transport Workers. Though interest remained high for a number of years, registration began to dwindle, together with previous support from the Quebec Federation of Labour, and in 1956, TMI decided to end the Workers' School.