Ben Legere was a union organizer for the IWW and OBU within New England & Canada during the life of those labor groups.

He was a member of the Socialist Party's industrial union wing and aided Connecticut textile workers during the spring of 1912.

He was quickly arrested on trumped charges, spending a year in jail until release.

[2] At some point he ended up being deported to the United States by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for his beliefs but continued to advocate for the OBU.

After those wage cuts, he came to Lawrence, Massachusetts (the same time he formally split) to organize for a strike.