“The best workers they had” – le bûcheron québécois in Maine's north woods

Abstract

It was a widely held belief, including among many Americans, that les bûcherons québécois were the best workers in Maine's north woods. Referred to by some as “hassle-free employees”, they were considered by many to be extremely productive and willing to work longer hours for less pay than their American counterparts. At times, they also helped to fill a void created by high worker turnover—or “quit”—rates among American loggers and an unwillingness on the part of many Mainers to work far from home in the state's remote logging woods. However, resentment soon spread among Maine woods workers over the belief that these immigrant woodsmen and bonded labourers were receiving preferential treatment from northern Maine's large industrial forest landowners. This resulted in cross-border tensions and organized labour actions, as well as questions about the future of the region's logging work force, that persist today.