Sweatshop strife: class, ethnicity, and gender in the Jewish labour movement in Toronto, 1900-1939

In the first half of the 20th century, many of Toronto's immigrant Jews eked out a living in the needle-trade sweatshops of Spadina Avenue. In response to their exploitation on the shop floor, immigrant Jewish garment workers built one of the most advanced sections of the Canadian and American labour movements. This study examines the development of this movement, its sources of strength, and its limitations, focusing particularly on the …