On Friday, June 14, at the Market Gallery (95 Front St E, Toronto, ON M5E 1C2) Heritage Toronto unveiled a plaque commemorating the labour rights leader Jack White.
John Edgar (Jack) White was the first Black representative for the Ironworkers Local 721 and the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE) in Ontario. White worked at the Canadian National Railway(CNR), where he became the first Black union steward in 1944.
Jack White later moved to Toronto and joined the subway construction crew working on the Prince Edward Viaduct. In 1964, White was laid off by the subway contractor, an event that sparked a major labour disruption.
For two and a half weeks, in solidarity, his crew stopped working, resuming only when White was rehired.
In the 1970s, White was the director of social services for the Ontario Federation of Labour. He was pivotal in the Ontario Black Trade Unionists organization, which named a scholarship after him.
White became a much-sought-after injury and disability claims consultant with a reputation for successfully fighting for workers’ compensations, benefits, and entitlements.
Learn more here:
spacing.ca/toronto/2023/02/27...