“No free man shall be distrained to make bridges.” Tom Berger’s first fight against injustice as a young Vancouver labor lawyer by Rod Mickleburgh The recent passing of Tom Berger brought an outpouring of tributes and accolades for his long, unparalleled career as a legal groundbreaker and social justice advocate Read more…
There is May Day and there’s the “First of May”. Let’s not confuse them. Written and researched by Donna Sacuta Labour’s May Day (sometimes called International Workers’ Day) on the “First of May” has been held around the world for over 120 years. In many countries May 1 is a Read more…
Prince Rupert’s Fight Over Labour Rights, 110 Years Ago Written by Bailey Garden, BCLHC Project Manager; Research by Bailey Garden & Rod Mickleburgh The Industrial Workers of the World, otherwise known as the IWW or the Wobblies, were the most radical labour organization North America has ever seen. They weren’t Read more…
An Irish-Marxist BC Labour Leader written by Donna Sacuta A fiery Irish-Catholic who lost both parents before he turned 12, Jack Kavanagh came to Vancouver in 1908 after serving in the British Army in South Africa during the Boer War. Upon arriving in BC, Kavanagh took up the tile-laying trade Read more…
Written and researched by Bailey Garden, BCLHC Project Manager Much of the colonial history of this province has centered the perspectives of white male settlers who came in search of gold and glory. While gold miners tended to work on their own claims, some of the earliest labour organizing in Read more…