She Never Was Afraid
The Biography of Annie Buller, by Louise Watson

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
About women

From her earliest years Annie never suffered from the fears and bogies so prevalent among women years ago, and to some extent still today, as to what they should or should not do, what they should or should not say, how they should behave toward husband and family, and even how they should think. She had a human and logical code of ethics and lived by it. If a job needed doing, and she was available and capable, she would do it, never questioning whether it was a so-called "women's" job or not. It was just something to be done. She didn't do it with any sense of flouting convention but simply as a natural course of action.

She knew that these taboos, imposed on women for hundreds of years, were the bonds which held them back from taking their rightful place as human beings in the productive and cultural life of society. They were the means, too, whereby working women were subjected to the cruelest exploitation. Annie's experience in the tobacco factory points this up with vivid clarity. "Girls like me, as well as older women, had to speed up in order to keep the job. They worked, with faces pale, looks haggard, bodies which lost their shape, and eyes deadened with grief. They rushed to produce more and more under the constant threat that the boss could always get new hands. They worked under inhuman conditions, but their minds were so steeped in the traditional idea that it was `unseemly' for women to protest their lot in life that union organization was never talked about. There was no one to help them understand that the power to improve conditions lay in their own hands."

Only the strongest and most courageous women were able to break out of this type of bondage. There were many who did, and of these Annie was one. As the scope of her reading became ever wider, and her understanding of Marxist-Leninist theories deepened, the realization came that only in a socialist society would women be free to exercise their strength and intelligence in the construction of a better life for all, and organization was one of the basic rungs on the ladder.

While over the years her organizational work was of a general character, she never failed to pay attention to the special problems of women workers, whether in the home, office, or factory. At Party conventions she always made a stirring appeal for greater attention to the question of work among women, and articles flowed from her pen for various publications at frequent intervals.

While in New York, Annie met her American counterpart, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. Elizabeth was of Irish extraction, and had all the fire, wit and determination of her Gaelic forebears. She was the subject of Joe Hill's song "The Rebel Girl", and lived up to that title in the fullest sense. She made a profound impression on Annie, and on the occasions when she visited Canada they would get together for long discussions.

Like Annie, almost all of Elizabeth's life was spent in the many battles of American workers on strikes, or in demonstrations against imprisonment of them. She was a powerful speaker, and writer as well, and her efforts on behalf of Tom Mooney and Bill Haywood went a long way toward eventually effecting their release.

It is of interest that the first public speech she made was in 1906 at the age of 16 in Harlem, and guess what the subject was — "Women under Socialism."

When Annie, Becky and others, were campaigning against conscription in Quebec, Elizabeth with her pen and her voice was denouncing the war throughout the United States.

When the arrest and trial of Sacco and Vanzetti was attracting worldwide attention, Elizabeth was lending all her efforts in the fight for their release. Likewise in Canada Annie was speaking, writing, organizing protest demonstrations against their imprisonment. Lil Ilomaki remembers that as a girl of 14 she accompanied Annie on one such demonstration in front of the American Embassy in Toronto. As always the police moved in swinging their clubs and creating an incident. Both Annie and Lil were arrested.

When Elizabeth's 62nd birthday came around it was during the period of the "witch hunts" and she was brought to trial on charges relating to her activities in the fight for peace. Annie wrote to her on that occasion: "How well I remember the First World War, and how eloquently you gave expression to feelings of those of us in Quebec who fought conscription and denounced the imperialist war. Today it is no accident when you and your comrades are brought to trial because you are a fighter for peace. What a parody of justice when you, who have given 46 years of your life to unceasing struggle and devotion to the cause of the working class of America should have to be subjected to answering the 'testimony' of hired stool pigeons. We have all watched with pride the magnificent defence of the 16 who are being tried by the promoters of war. Just as you have made history in the past 46 years, just so are you making history today that will eventually call a halt to the would-be exterminators of mankind."

It was a sad day for Annie and for workers all over America when in 1964 Elizabeth died in Moscow at the age of 74. She was accorded a tremendous funeral, with officials of Communist Parties from many countries in attendance,, who spoke of the tremendous contribution she had made throughout her life to the cause of the working class. She was buried in the Kremlin Wall alongside other international working class heroes.

There was also a young woman for whom Annie had a great deal of affection, and of whom she spoke often and lovingly — Jeanne Corbin. As her name implies, Jeanne was French, born in the north of France. As a young girl she came with her parents to Canada and settled on a farm near Tofield, Alberta.

Jeanne had ambitions to become a teacher, and did. Her first appointment was in one of the Anglo-French schools north of Edmonton. Her class was made up of poor farmers' children. The poverty and hardship of the parents of these children also affected the teacher, for her meagre salary was not always forthcoming. It was a natural consequence that Jeanne became interested in the farmer and labour movement, and it was not surprising that she supported the struggle of the Edmonton miners in their strike for improved conditions. It was in Edmonton that Annie first met her. She was teaching in a school there. Annie felt inspired with her earnestness and desire to find a solution to the evils of the profit system. She made you feel that fame was given only to a few, but service was possible by all of us. She was 18 when she joined the Communist Party of Canada. She had much to give, and gave it in full measure.

In 1927 Becky was directing a Workers' Summer School in Sylvan Lake, Alberta, and Jeanne was a student. Becky felt she had a contribution to make to the Canadian Labour Movement. She and Annie sort of took Jeanne under their wing, and in 1929 Becky persuaded her to come to Toronto. She became very active in writing and in work for the French labour paper in Quebec, as well as being manager of The Worker in Toronto for a time.

Later on Jeanne went to Timmins and acted as secretary of the CLDL. There she also played an active role in helping to organize the miners and bush workers. Being fluent in both French and English helped a great deal in this work. In 1934 while helping the bushmen and miners who were on strike in Noranda, Quebec, she was arrested, and given a prison sentence. While serving her term in jail she contracted tuberculosis, and was later sent to the London Sanatorium, where she died in May of 1944 at the age of 35.

While in the San, Jeanne read, wrote letters to her dear friends, enjoyed her chats with the other patients, and visits from the friends who came to see her as often as possible. In most of her letters she had something to say about the speed with which we must defeat Hitler. She was very much concerned about world affairs. She never surrendered to despair or self-pity. The benefits gained by workers today are a tribute to Jeanne's efforts. Until the very end she was sustained by her confidence in the people, and in the Party.

In her last letter, a few days before her death, she wrote: "I feel I have had wonderful friends in the labour movement, and seeing I have to quit early, I feel very glad that I joined when very young. One thing is heartening, the whole world is on the march, and thousands of new hands are appearing to carry on the work. Long live the People's Victory."

One of the many fine articles Annie wrote for National Affairs was in January of 1945. She had made an exhaustive study of the role Canadian women played in the war years, and the change which took place in their attitudes and thinking, and which of necessity changed their position in Canadian society.

As Canada's involvement in the war became greater, and manpower lessened, industry had to call upon Canadian women to take on the job of keeping munitions and supplies flowing. They became very conscious of their tremendous contribution to the war effort, and the skills they had mastered. This was a profound change in the status of women, and never again would they take a back seat in the productive and administrative life of their country.

They realized, of course, that this would not come about without a vigorous fight on their part against the reactionary elements who when the war was finished would send the women "back to the kitchen".

Annie quoted the figure of 1,200,000 women wage earners in 1945, of whom 26 per cent were women between the age of 14 and 64 inclusive, engaged in remunerative work. There were 235,000 in war industry alone, or one woman in every four workers. In industry generally, the ratio was one in every three. In the forces there were over 41,000 women, although those who became officers did not receive equal status with men.

A quotation from the Labor Gazette of 1944 states in part, "26,499 women had been enrolled in training schools up to January 31, 1944, and 1,837 in part time training."

This great influx of women into industry and administrative work brought corresponding changes in labour policies and other status areas, particularly in Quebec where for the first time women were granted the vote in provincial elections. The greatest increase in trade union membership was also in that province.

When these women workers found that they could — and did — perform the same work as men in most operations, they began to press for the same rate of pay. This was a very logical demand, and one which most unions took up, since lower rates for women workers would depress the whole wage scale. Hence contract negotiations usually included the demand for "equal pay for equal work".

The care of children became of paramount consideration, and the campaign began for extension of day nurseries and day care centres. There was a woeful lack of these facilities, only 27 nurseries in the whole of Canada accommodating only 1,100 children. In Ontario there were 25 centres for the care of school age children, which took care of only 2,000 children.

Under the pressure of necessity, the federal government entered into an agreement with the provinces to provide for the upkeep of day nurseries on a 50-50 cost basis. Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta signed the agreement.

In Toronto the Women's Council of the Labour Progressive Party presented a brief to Dr. Vivian, Minister of Health, pointing out that in the Greater Toronto area 136,000 women were working, and of this number 46,000 were married women with children, and existing war-time nurseries accommodated only 600 children. There was a very long waiting list of mothers who would gladly enter industry if they knew their children would be safely looked after.

The brief made the point that, "Nursery Schools cannot be regarded only as a war-time measure. Society cannot forget the great contribution Canadian women have made to victory. If women are to retain their position in industry after the war, then nurseries must become a permanent part of the community."

Annie remarked that, "As a happy coincidence the Ontario Government signed the agreement on the same day the LPP interviewed Dr. Vivian."

The brief also stressed that more nurseries must be opened up, and there must be extension of facilities for hot meals at noon, planned recreation, and supervision after school hours. "... It is agreed by all forward-looking people that what nurseries we have, though few in number, have been a great help to the war effort, and will be equally important in peace. ... For nurseries are not merely places where working mothers may safely leave their children. They are training and educational establishments as well."

The situation in industry was the same on the farms. The vast shipments of foodstuffs to the armies and to our allies overseas, would have been impossible without the help of women in agriculture.

The government, recognizing this help, in May of 1943 entered into an agreement with the provinces to set up camps for farm workers. In Ontario and British Columbia thousands of women worked on farms during the season, and thousands more in canning and food processing plants.

"Women have formed definite opinions" says Annie "about things they want ... They want equal pay for equal work; they want to extend their training, and have the opportunity to choose the work they are best fitted for; they want legislation that will reduce the age for old-age pensions; they want equal educational opportunities, maternity allowances, and additional nurseries and child care."

At the Constituent Convention of the Labour Progressive Party in August of 1944, the program embodied these sections. ... "Women must have the right to work at any job they choose, and for which they feel themselves best suited. Those barriers against women which have been dropped must not be re-erected. The best guarantee that we will reap the fruits of victory is to stimulate the tremendous advance toward equality between men and women which this war has brought about, and go forward as a united nation to build the postwar world."

In the closing part of the article Annie said "... The position of the LPP on the role of women in the war and in the peace that will follow is not a patronizing one. Our Party fights for the complete social and political equality of women and men." and further, "The people who made victory possible will fight to shape the postwar world. Our women must be vigilant, lest reaction defeat their progressive aims, which are those of the Canadian people as a whole."

continued

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