Ontario Labour Relations Board, Ontario Federation of Labour (1912-1989)
Born in Scotland, David Archer came to Canada at age seven. He had trouble getting a job during the 1930s and worked for a while as an unpaid organizer for the CCF. During World War II, David began working in a textile plant, but was fired for trying to organize a union. He then became an organizer for the Canadian Congress of Labour and was later assigned to the Textile Workers’ Organizing Committee. He worked for the United Packinghouse Workers and the Retail, Wholesale, and Department Store Union before being appointed to the Ontario Labour Relations Board in 1948. He was secretary of the Toronto Labour Council (CCL) from 1947 to 1953, serving as its president from 1953 to 1956. He later became secretary of the Ontario Federation of Labour and ultimately, its president from 1958 until 1976.