Vince Ready Interview: Labour Arbitrator & Mediator

Vince Ready is a legendary labour relations practitioner who has arbitrated and mediated several thousand disputes across Canada in all types of industries.

Vince was born in Renfrew Ontario and lived on a farm with his parents and siblings until he left home at age 15. Soon after that he started working in mining. The second day he went underground at the Bancroft uranium mine, Vince got involved with the union. Like many men of the time, he travelled around the country working in mines. He was working at the Granduc Copper Mine in Stewart, B.C. in February 1965 when an avalanche killed 28 workers. Vince is the last living survivor of that avalanche.

In the mid-sixties he became an organizer for the Mine Mill union (International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers). After Mine Mill merged with the United Steelworkers in 1967, he worked as an organizer, staff representative, and troubleshooter for the Steelworkers. Vince says he learned his mediation skills working as a troubleshooter.

In 1978, Vince left the Steelworkers and began working as a mediator for Labour Canada. A few years later, he became a mediator for the B.C. government. In 1982, he set up his private arbitration and mediation practice.

In the interview Vince shares his experiences and views on many events and labour relations topics including:

• Labour leaders that he has known and worked with such as Al King and Harvey Murphy
• The 1974 Cominco strike in Trail
• Mediating the Operation Solidarity general strike
• The restructuring of the B.C. healthcare system
• Changes in the labour movement over his working life
• Canada’s labour movement compared to other countries
• The current challenges of organizing
• His approach to mediation and collective bargaining

Throughout the interview, Vince demonstrates passion for labour relations, as well as his ability and skill to navigate complex disputes.