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Pam Smith, a professional genealogist from Yorkshire, England, had no idea she was related to a celebrated activist in Canada until author Roger Stonebanks came knocking. She knew that her great-grandfather George had a brother who went abroad, but the...Video
This nine-minute video is a tribute to the life and legacy of Jack Munro (1931-2013), a powerful and iconic figure in the British Columbia labour movement.Video
Stephanie Smith was the first elected woman president of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) in its over 100-year history, holding the post from from 2014 to 2024. Born in Canada and educated in New Zealand, Stephanie attended teacher’s college...Video
Irene Lanzinger grew up in Kelowna, B.C. She studied physics at the University of British Columbia and worked as a meteorologist before becoming a teacher. She taught in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Abbotsford, and Vancouver. Irene’s union activism with B.C. Teachers’...Video
Barbara Stevens grew up in a fishing community on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Her father, Homer Stevens, was a leader in the fishing industry and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Barbara shares stories from her...Video
Jack Munro (1931-2013), a prominent BC union figure, shares his life's journey and career, highlighting his dedicated work in championing workers' rights and enhancing workplace safety within the forest industry.Video
Verna Ledger got her first job in 1953 at a plywood mill in New Westminster, BC. She found the working conditions challenging due to the noise, dust, and strong chemical smells from resins that caused breathing difficulties.Video
In the 1940s, British Columbia's sawmills and logging camps were marked by racial division and discriminatory policies targeting workers of Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian descent, often supported by the labour movement at the time. The International Woodworkers of America...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located outside the Kaatza Station Museum at 125 Southshore Rd, Lake Cowichan, BC. It was developed with the support of the Hari Sharma Foundation and the Kaatza Historical Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze,...Teaching materials
This unit was developed for BC’s Social Justice 12 course by the Labour History Project, a partnership between the Labour Heritage Centre and the BC Teachers’ Federation with additional support from the BC Federation of Labour and the SFU Labour...Historical materials
The fonds documents the activities of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Pacific Regional Office. It includes 134 photographs dating from 1953 to 1994, as well as Convention Reports. A significant portion of the materials feature the CLC annual Winter School.Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at 1777 Third Avenue, Prince George, BC It was developed with the support of the United Steelworkers Local 1-2017, and was unveiled on December 13, 2016. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized...Booklet
The "Langley Affair" of 1939-1940 details a significant struggle by Langley teachers, primarily women, to enforce an arbitrated salary award against their school board. This event is a key part of the history of BC teachers' quest for full bargaining...Booklet
This booklet chronicles the significant contributions of Charles Howard Webb (1896-1977) to the labour movement in Prince George and the Interior region of British Columbia. Webb began his career as a sawmill worker.Booklet
Darshan Singh Canadian was an organizer for the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) in BC from 1941-1947 working to overcome fear and misconceptions about unions among South Asian workers.Booklet
Joe Naylor (1872-1946) was an often-overlooked but profoundly influential figure in British Columbia's labour history, remembered as a radical union leader and a committed socialist.Teaching materials
A short profile on Ethel Johns, an important figure in the history of nursing in British Columbia. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
This film highlights the work undertaken by Helena Gutteridge, a tailor, suffragette, politician and advocate for working-class women. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
This film examines the working lives of “Canada’s Forgotten Workers,” the farmworkers whose labour fell outside much of the protective labour legislation. Provides an overview of their living and working conditions in the 1970s and invites students to compare with...Teaching materials
In 1939, Connie Jervis, 24 year old President of the Langley Teachers’ Association, led a successful fight for improved system of wages and compulsory arbitration. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Audio
This recording contains a 1964 interview with Hachiro Miyazawa and his son Joe Miyazawa about the Camp and Mill Workers Union which Hachiro helped to organize in the 1920s to represent Japanese lumber mill workers in British Columbia. The interview...Article
BC labour led a four-year boycott of non-union American grapes between 1966 and 1970. The United Farm Workers’ (UFW) strike began in 1965 near Delano, California but soon spread. The strike became a struggle for justice and human rights that...Audio
Christopher Pritchard (1894-1973) joined the Plumbers’ Union (United Association of Journeymen Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Steam Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpers of the United States and Canada) in 1918 in Winnipeg. He moved to British Columbia in 1925. This interview provides...Audio
In 1976, simmering discontent at the Alcan smelter in the northern community of Kitimat launched a full-scale revolt. A few union members staged a wildcat strike; they were soon joined by 1,800 others. 150 RCMP officers in riot gear and...Audio
Robert (Bob) Smeal (1920-1976) describes his experiences as a young unemployed man during the Great Depression in the 1930s in Vancouver. He details his involvement with various unemployed organizations, including the Single Unemployed Protective Association (SUPA) and the Relief Camp...Audio
Allan Coleman (1907-1974) was Secretary of the Journeymen Barbers’ International Union, Local 120 in Vancouver. In this 8-minute interview interview he covers the union’s origins including its unique structure that included both journeymen and barber shop owners in its membership....Video
Amber Hockin was born in Brantford, Ontario. She attended elementary school in Kitimat, BC and attended high school in Ontario. Amber left home at 16, and soon after that her interest in travel led her to become a flight attendant....Audio
From union organizing in Steveston to postwar civil rights and environmental advocacy, “Buck” Suzuki’’s contributions spanned decades and sectors. A foundation in his name continues his legacy today. In this episode of On the Line, we celebrate the life of...Audio
Against all odds, pioneering truck driver Diana Kilmury rose through the ranks of the Teamsters union battling corruption and sexism to eventually be elected as international vice-president. In this episode of On the Line, host Rod Mickleburgh profiles Kilmury: one...Audio
Darshan Singh Sangha made a huge contribution to the early organizing efforts of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and campaigned relentlessly for justice for South Asians in the 1940s. In this episode of our On the Line podcast we...Audio
BC’s unionized building trades led a valiant effort in the 1980s to fight off the anti-union Social Credit government. It all came to a head in the run-up to Vancouver’s World’s Fair, Expo 86. The provincial government wanted to open...Video
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...Audio
The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike is widely commemorated as a landmark moment in Canadian labour history. In Vancouver, 10,000 workers joined a sympathy strike, staying off the job for nearly a month. In this episode of the On the Line...Video
On November 24, 2022, Rod Mickleburgh and the BC Labour Heritage Centre introduced Ray Haynes to the 60th BC Federation of Labour Convention in Vancouver BC. It was an emotional moment that traced Ray Haynes' leadership in the labour movement for...Audio
The Canadian Farmworkers’ Union (CFU) was a grassroots champion for BC's Fraser Valley farmworkers, who toiled in dreadful, unregulated conditions in the 1970s and ‘80s. The story of this union is about a social movement as much as an organizing...Audio
In the early 20th C, the large, exploited workforce of the smelter at Trail was ripe for organizing. Those efforts were contentious and the politics formidable. Company unions versus legitimate unions, communist union leaders versus anti-communist union leaders, International unions...Audio
During the dirty ‘30s, thousands of single, unemployed men were forced into federally run relief camps: isolated, militarized work sites where they worked under punishing conditions for just 20 cents a day. In this episode of On the Line, we...Audio
The Social Credit government launched an all-out assault on social services in July 1983. When the staff of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops learned they were to be shut down, they fought back. In this episode of On the Line,...Article
The 1912 recession was difficult for all BC workers, but it was especially hard on women. Suffragist and tailor Helena Gutteridge, head of the Women’s Employment League and executive member of the Vancouver Trades & Labor Council, organized a toy...Video
Dave Pritchett served on the ILWU 500 executive for about 25 years. He is the grandson of IWA founder, Harold Pritchett and son of Craig Pritchett, the first president of the Canadian region of the ILWU. This interview was conducted...Video
Jess Succamore arrived in Canada from England in 1952. He worked in a variety of jobs around British Columbia. He is best known for leading the campaign for independent Canadian unions. In this lengthy interview, Succamore recalls his relationships with...Video
Ken Georgetti’s life as an elected union representative spans over 40 years. Beginning as a proud member of Trail, BC’s United Steelworkers Local 480, Brother Georgetti rose through the ranks to become Local Union President, President of the BC Federation...Video
Art Kube was born in Poland where he attended a socialist kindergarten. He joined the Metalworkers Union in 1949 and became a member of the socialist faction of the Metalworkers Union. This interview was conducted by David Yorke, Ken Novakowski,...Video
This is the first of two interviews with Ray Haynes. Ray Haynes was born in Point Grey, Vancouver, BC in 1928. He was introduced to the labour movement through work at a sawmill; his first experience representing workers was at...
