Jim Sinclair Interview: Representation and Solidarity

Jim Sinclair was born and raised in Ontario, where his early work experiences brought him into conflict with employers and demonstrated the need to advocate for workers.

He moved to Vancouver and worked there for Co-op Radio and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and in Nelson for the Nelson Daily News. Jim then organized workers and bargained collective agreements for fishers and shore workers in the fishermen’s union and worked on their paper. Jim was committed to improving health and safety among them.

From the end of 1999 to 2014, Jim provided strong leadership as the president of the BC Federation of Labour. He involved young workers who had often been ignored before. Jim showed the people of B.C. that the labour movement stood for improvements for the entire working class, especially using health and safety as the example. Advocating for farm workers’ safety was but one example of standing up for the disadvantaged. Another significant campaign was for protection for gas station attendants who were forced to work alone at night. Campaigning to raise the minimum wage is another.

A confirmed internationalist from his early days, Jim has been involved with solidarity work with workers in Latin America and South Africa.

Since leaving the Fed in 2014, Jim wrote a history of the B.C. construction unions, and currently chairs the SFU Labour Studies Program Advisory Committee and Fraser Health.