[4][5] The 6th World Congress of the Communist International held in summer 1928 adopted a militant political line, opposed to reformism and compromise with the moderate left.

The Comintern believed global capitalism had entered a 'Third Period', which would be marked by economic collapse, leaving the working class ripe for radicalization.

[6] The first action of the Workers' Unity League was a walkout in the National Steel Car Company factory in Hamilton, Ontario.

A major difficulty faced by the WUL was that the depression made jobs hard to come by, and although conditions were bad, organizing with a union ran the risk of losing what little they had.

Additionally, many workers were wary of communism- a fact only bolstered by the WUL's portrayal as a Soviet puppet in the media.

Sam Scarlet, veteran union organizer and member of the Industrial Workers of the World, said that the WUL was the "only home for a serious class fighter".

[11] This includes the bloody walkout by Estevan, Saskatchewan miners in which the police killed three strikers, and the strike of furniture workers and chicken pluckers in Stratford, Ontario which was put down by calling in the Canadian army.

The rise of fascism in Europe urged Stalin to call for a Popular Front of Communists and non-Communists against the extreme right wing.

Following the Popular Front strategy, the Worker's Unity League merged into the Congress of Industrial Organizations, a faction within the TLC.