Early Reviewers

How migrant workers, with the support of unions, won justice in a landmark court decision.

"An intimate, human-scaled history of a landmark Canadian labor rights campaign, A Fight for Justice offers a prescient perspective on the turbulent overlap between immigration and labor rights. The book excels in humanizing the string of legal back-and-forths it covers. A clear, potent work of modern labor history." - Foreword Reviews

"Readers are taken on a roller-coaster ride of victories and set-backs." - Pacific Northwest Labor History Association newsletter

In April 2006, forty-two Latin Americans landed in Vancouver to excavate tunnels for the subway extension in time for the 2010 winter Olympics. They thought they'd won the lottery with promised wages far above what they would earn at home. But the reality was miserable wages, unpaid overtime and inadequate living conditions. And so began their fight for justice.

In 2008, the tribunal delivered a triumphant decision, a landmark case in the evolving issue of global migration. Workers were awarded $2.4 million to compensate for discrimination based on country of origin, lost wages and inferior accommodations and meals.

Author Joe Barrett, fluent in Spanish, shares his unique insider perspective as he became a liaison between workers, union officials and lawyers throughout the court battles.