Bea Zucco’s Fight for Silicosis Compensation, Podcast Ep. 7
Bea Zucco’s campaign against the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) helped shift provincial policy on silicosis claims and remains a notable example of grassroots advocacy for workers’ health and rights. In this episode of On the Line we recount the remarkable efforts of Bea Zucco, who successfully challenged the WCB after repeated denials of her husband Jack’s claim for silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to silica dust. Through a combination of protest, public pressure, and persistence, Zucco’s actions contributed to legislative reform in the treatment of occupational disease claims.
Publication date: April 7, 2021
Podcast length: 21:53
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
Jack Zucco, a hard rock miner, was diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1949 after years spent working underground in various British Columbia mines. Despite assessments by multiple physicians suggesting he also suffered from silicosis, the WCB repeatedly denied his claim on the basis that X-ray evidence was inconclusive, which was standard practice at the time even though tuberculosis could obscure silicosis on radiographs.
Following years of rejection, Bea Zucco escalated her efforts. In 1956, she staged a sit-in at the WCB headquarters in Vancouver with three of her four children, and later repeated her protest on the steps of the BC Legislature in Victoria. Her signs and statements challenged the Board’s assumptions and drew national media attention. She continued her campaign by visiting mining communities across the province, raising awareness about the inadequacies of compensation policies for occupational disease.
After Jack’s death in 1958, an autopsy confirmed the presence of silicosis, forcing the WCB to retroactively award compensation. Bea received a lump sum and a monthly pension, but described the result as a “hollow victory,” as her goal had been justice while her husband was still alive. Nine months later, the Workers’ Compensation Act was amended to allow for silicosis diagnoses to be considered even in the absence of definitive X-ray confirmation.
The episode incorporates archival audio from Bea Zucco herself, as well as voice portrayals and period music that underscore the social and political context of the time. Zucco’s campaign is presented as a case study in citizen-led advocacy and its ability to influence public policy. Her legacy is recognized not only in compensation jurisprudence, but also in labour education and commemorative initiatives.