I had the privilege of sitting down with labour activist and historian Ed “Fast Eddie” Thomas to talk about Hamilton trailblazer Norma Berti.
Norma grew up in poverty in Cape Breton, the daughter of a coal miner, learning early about unsafe work and labour struggle. During WWII she sewed uniforms and parachutes, then made aircraft-carrier cables at Greening Wire. After the war, like so many women, she was pushed out of industrial work.
She fought for years to get into Stelco. In 1950 she entered the tin mill, one of roughly 200 women among 12,000 workers at Hilton Works. She later made labour history as the first woman elected to the executive of USW Local 1005, confronting sexism in workplace and union movement.
At home, Norma and her husband Leo raised their family, including their daughter Linda, who was born without lower limbs. Norma’s income helped pay for Linda’s medical care, treatments and artificial limbs.
Norma fought for women, workers and people with less power. Even after retiring from Stelco, she kept organizing. In 1976 she became the first woman honoured in the tradition that became the @ywcahamilton Women of Distinction Awards. Nearly fifty years later, I received that recognition in 2024. That connection means something profound to me.
Norma forced open doors for women in industrial labour and union leadership. I want to carry that spirit forward for those still pushed furthest to the margins: poor, disabled, racialized and immigrant workers; queer and trans workers; sex workers; precarious workers; and everyone told their voice is inconvenient or strident.
Eddie is now fighting to ensure Hamilton remembers her: a recreational field on the Stelco lands named for Norma, an entrance street bearing her name, and a bronze bust with a QR code connecting future generations to her story, photos and contributions.
That is the kind of mayor I intend to be: pro-labour, unafraid to challenge power, stubborn enough to keep going when the answer is “no,” and determined that Hamilton remembers the people who built it.
Petition: