This Locomotive Engineers Mutual Insurance Certificate was issued to Emery O. Tyler, in 1871. He worked on the old Canada Southern which was taken over by the Michigan Central, and his terminal and home were in St. Thomas.

Until Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald changed the rules in 1872, it actually was illegal for Canadians to join a trade union. Even after the rules were changed, employers could dismiss workers who attempted to organize.

Nevertheless, the first Canadian chapter of the International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen was formed in Toronto in 1865.
The Brotherhood had been founded August 18, 1863, in Detroit Michigan, as The Brotherhood of the Footboard. In the 1860s, engineers were very poorly paid, and had little protection from exploitation. Working conditions were very poor. The job was difficult, dirty and dangerous. Insurance companies refused coverage to engineers, as the work was considered too high risk. There were numerous fatalities.
In the 19th century, many Canadian workers faced appalling conditions—long hours, few holidays and minimal rights. ‘Captains of industry’ ruled the economy, and leaving a job could be a criminal offence for a worker, punishable by imprisonment under the Master and Servant Act. Workers' ability to form unions and take collective action was severely constrained by the law - unions were seen as unlawful conspiracies.
In response to public pressure, Prime Minister John A. Macdonald introduced a bill in Parliament to make trade unions legal. Parliament passed the Trade Unions Act on June 14, 1872, with Macdonald calling himself the “working man’s friend”.
Many unions have amalgamated over the years, and some railroaders now belong to Teamsters Canada.