United Steelworkers’ Myles Sullivan on Kirkland Lake and Worker Power

United Steelworkers (USW) International Secretary-Treasurer Myles Sullivan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to connect today’s bargaining fights to a defining chapter of Canadian labor history: the 1941-42 Kirkland Lake gold miners’ strike. Sullivan traced how thousands of miners endured a brutal winter, government pressure and retaliation, then helped spark reforms requiring employers to bargain in good faith after workers organized.

He also discussed the USW’s later battles in Sudbury, including the 361-day strike involving Local 6500, and argued that education, engagement and strong union density remain central to protecting workers’ rights on both sides of the border.

• United Steelworkers' history shows how a lost strike can still bring lasting rights when workers force legal reforms that require employers to bargain.
• USW solidarity in Kirkland Lake and Sudbury underscores the cost of retaliation and the long-term value of member education and engagement.
• Union density and labor law enforcement remain decisive in whether workers can defend benefits, pensions and bargaining power.

The United Steelworkers’ story is often told through furnaces, mills and mines, but its most enduring victories are not only measured in tonnage or production. They are measured in rights that did not exist until workers demanded them, held the line, and forced governments and employers to recognize collective bargaining as a basic standard.

That was the throughline of a wide-ranging conversation on the America’s Work Force Union Podcast with Myles Sullivan, the USW’s International Secretary-Treasurer. Sullivan, a longtime union activist with deep roots in Canada’s mining communities, used the interview to link present-day workplace fights to a pivotal strike that reshaped labor law: the Kirkland Lake gold miners’ strike of 1941–42.

Sullivan also reflected on the legacy of former USW President Leo Gerard, the union’s cross-border structure and the importance of education and political engagement for workers navigating a rapidly changing economy.

Leo Gerard: A Union Leader’s Roots

Sullivan described Leo Gerard as a leader whose identity was never separated from the mining communities that shaped him. Gerard’s reputation for directness and clarity, Sullivan said, was not a style choice. It was a reflection of where he came from and how working people expect leaders to speak.

For the USW, that kind of leadership matters because it reinforces a core principle: credibility is built through consistency. Members respond when they believe their leaders understand the job, the risks and the community realities that surround a workplace.

Canadian Labor Law: Federal and Provincial Power

Sullivan explained that Canada’s labor framework is split between federal and provincial jurisdictions. Federal rules generally cover industries that cross provincial boundaries, while provinces regulate most workplaces within their borders.

That division can create uneven conditions across provinces, but Sullivan emphasized that the Kirkland Lake strike became a national reference point. Even though it unfolded in Ontario, the lessons and the pressure it generated helped shape reforms that would later be recognized across Canada.

Why the Kirkland Lake Miners Walked Out

The Kirkland Lake strike began after tensions over organizing escalated into mass retaliation.

Sullivan said miners sought representation through the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers Union Local 240, the union they viewed as their choice for collective strength. In late 1940, the conflict reached a breaking point when dozens of miners were fired in a single day after a union card was discovered underground, and no individual worker stepped forward.

The firings were not simply a personnel decision. They were a signal to the workforce that union organizing would be punished, and that message landed in a town where mining families had long depended on one another for survival.

4,000 Miners Across Eight Mines

When the strike began on Nov. 18, thousands of miners across eight mines refused to report for the night shift. Sullivan described a workforce that was organized, disciplined and anchored by Local leadership at each site.

The scale of the action mattered. A strike of that size in a town of roughly 20,000 people meant the entire community felt the impact immediately. It also meant the employers could not treat the dispute as isolated.

Sullivan emphasized that the miners’ solidarity was tested not only by economic pressure but by the environment itself. Northern Ontario winters can be punishing, and the strike occurred during an extreme cold spell. Holding a picket line in those conditions required more than resolve. It required community support.

When Companies Would Not Bargain

A central element of Sullivan’s account was the legal reality of the era: employers could refuse to recognize a union and refuse to bargain.

Even after government involvement and a supervised vote indicating support for strike action, Sullivan said the employers remained united against bargaining. In practical terms, workers were left with a narrow set of options: accept the refusal or withhold labor to force recognition.

The Kirkland Lake miners chose to strike.

Policing a Strike

As the strike continued into the winter, Sullivan said the provincial government deployed a significant police presence into the town. The effect, he said, was not to resolve the dispute but to intimidate the workforce and fracture the community.

Instead, Sullivan described a response that strengthened resolve: women, children and families publicly supported the miners, reinforcing that the dispute was not only about a contract but about dignity and community control.

A Strike Ends, a Law Changes

The strike ended on Feb. 12, 1942, after more than three months, when union resources were depleted, and workers returned without a collective agreement.

Sullivan did not present that outcome as a clean victory. He described retaliation and long-term consequences for union supporters, including workers who were not rehired unless they were viewed as loyal to the company.

Sullivan said his own grandfather, a union supporter, was not rehired immediately and had to seek work elsewhere to support his family.

Yet Sullivan argued that the strike’s lasting impact was legislative. In 1944, reforms required employers to sit down and bargain when workers organized. That change represented the real win: the creation of enforceable bargaining rights that would shape Canadian labor relations for decades, he said.

Local 6500 and the Vale Strike

Sullivan’s historical discussion was not confined to the 1940s. He also referenced his work in Sudbury, Ont., where he served as a staff representative and supported USW Local 6500 during a 361-day strike.

Sullivan described the dispute as a clash over concessions, with the employer seeking major changes to pensions and benefits. The conflict, he said, reflected a broader pattern in which multinational ownership pressures local standards by comparing workers’ compensation across borders.

For the USW, the lesson is consistent: bargaining power depends on member unity, strong strike preparation and a clear understanding of what is at stake.

Union Density: Why It Matters

Sullivan argued that Canada’s higher union density—well above 30 percent across public and private sectors—helps workers push back when governments attempt to weaken labor laws.

He also noted that labor conditions vary by province depending on political leadership and legislative priorities. The USW’s approach, he said, is to mobilize members, educate workers and defend core rights regardless of jurisdiction.

Education and Engagement: Building Power Long-Term

Sullivan described education as a practical tool, not a slogan. He credited member-to-member training with preparing workers to lead, bargain and advocate.

He also emphasized the importance of civic engagement for workers. Bargaining strength can be undermined if laws restrict organizing or weaken enforcement. For that reason, Sullivan argued that unions must help members understand how policy decisions affect workplace rights.

He said he is also seeing more union activists step forward to run for local and regional offices, including school boards and municipal positions—an approach that brings worker experience directly into public decision-making.

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