Hamilton’s Nine Hour League and the Nine Hour League Parade of 1872

In a time when the average workday could be 10 to 12 hours, six days a week, Hamilton’s Nine-Hour League was Canada’s first working-class organization dedicated to winning shorter hours. The League’s parade in May 1872 was the culmination of its struggle against local employers.

Explore the lives of Hamilton workers during the Industrial Revolution, and the rise and fall of Hamilton’s Nine-Hour League — including its support of other Nine-Hour Leagues across Central Canada. Although the battle was lost in the short term, the efforts of these pioneers marked the birth of Canada’s first real labour movement.