Historical materials
Donald (“Don”) Peter Garcia (1926-1995) had Indigenous, Filipino and Hawaiian heritage. He served multiple terms as the President of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canadian Area and Local 502, a career which spanned 45 years. Garcia also served...Historical materials
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada has been successfully representing working people in British Columbia since 1948.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...Teaching materials
This teaching resource serves as a curriculum application for Social Studies 9, aiming to illuminate the crucial role Indigenous workers played in British Columbia's early economy.Video
The story of the "Bows and Arrows" Indigenous longshoremen is a prominent part of BC's labour history. A significant portion of British Columbia's early workforce until the late 19th century was Indigenous, excelling in various physically demanding jobs including mining,...Video
In the 1960s, court injunctions became a prevalent tactic used by employers to control labour. This led to frequent jailings of union leaders for defying these injunctions. Sean Griffin humorously recounts a common anecdote of a judge granting an injunction...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at Quayside Park in New Westminster, BC. It was developed with the support of the Canadian Nautical Research Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since...Booklet
"The March to Ballantyne Pier" by Janet Mary Nicol, provides a detailed account of a pivotal event in Vancouver's labour history: the longshoremen's strike and the subsequent violent confrontation at Ballantyne Pier on June 18, 1935.Historical materials
The Dispatcher has been the essential lifeline for members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) since 1942. It is the trusted source for ILWU news, information, and a unified voice during a pivotal time for the ILWU.Historical materials
The Voice of the Federation was the newspaper for the Maritime Federation of the Pacific, a consortium of unions that formed in the wake of the 1934 Pacific Coast waterfront and maritime strikes. The paper briefly served as the official...Historical materials
The Waterfront Worker was a newsletter published by an anonymous group of rank and file longshoremen from 1932-1936 which galvanized support for the new militant unionism on the waterfront.Booklet
This booklet examines the explosion on board the SS Green Hill Park, a Canadian merchant vessel, in Vancouver, BC harbour in 1945, killing two seamen and six longshoremen, and the Inquiry in the aftermath.Booklet
A devastating coal dust explosion while the SS Queen of the Pacific was being loaded with coal in Nanaimo, BC on July 29, 1886 caused the deaths of 9 longshoremen and seamen. The immediate suspect for the blast was highly...Booklet
A strike by longshore workers in 1935 was a show of solidarity with other waterfront unions in Vancouver, Powell River, and Port Alberni in response to the Shipping Federation's refusal to negotiate.Teaching materials
A snapshot of work in early canneries through images and song. This vignette is in the style of a visual essay with historical photographs providing backdrop to the lyrics of the song. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Teaching materials
This film powerfully links the working lives of Indigenous union activities along Burrard Inlet, while examining the early social justice and collective organizing of Local 526 of the Industrial Workers of the World, the “Bows and Arrows”. Assess the economic...Teaching materials
This vignette provides insight into the role that steamship transportation played in the lives of workers in the early years of transportation. Not only was the steamship important to resource workers to get to the job, but for many isolated...Video
Terry Engler recounts his experiences growing up in a working-class family in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and his involvement with the Local 400 union, which represents tugboat workers on the West Coast. He describes the day-to-day work of a tugboat cook,...Audio
Take a deep dive into the historical and contemporary roles of women in BC's fishing industry. Today, the industry has largely disappeared due to economic shifts, free trade, and declining salmon stocks. In this episode of On the Line, we...Video
Jackie Campbell was born and raised in Vancouver, but it was in Sointula that she became acquainted with the fishing and shorework industries. Jackie packed salmon roe for a small business, shared childcare with her cooperative community, and was introduced...Video
Tom Dufresne was born and grew up in Montreal. When he was about 15, he started working in a variety of jobs in Montreal including at lawn chair and ladder factories, delivering pop, and roofing. In 1969, he headed to...Video
Mark Gordienko was born and raised in Victoria, BC, and this is where he began longshoring at age 18. He worked in Victoria at Ogden Point in longshoring for eight years. After getting married, and due to the shortage of...Audio
Unions have been fighting since the 1970s for strict regulations in the use of asbestos and decent compensation for those ill and dying from its deadly fibres. People are still getting sick from exposure decades ago. In this episode of...Audio
For decades, members of Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and other Nations formed a core part of the port’s workforce, passing down their skills through generations and helping build the province’s economy. This episode of On the Line delves into the powerful legacy...Article
Born October 29, 1926, in New Westminster, BC, Donald (“Don”) Peter Garcia served multiple terms as the President for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canadian Area and his union local, a career which spanned 45 years.Article
Gordon J Kelly was known as a calm, kind and fair-headed longshore leader. When the Spanish Flu pandemic killed him in 1918, thousands came to his lavish funeral.Article
William Fitzclarence “Fitz” St. John's long, remarkable life began in Barbados, stretched from the age of sail to man walking on the moon, before coming to an end at the ripe old age of 94 in 1970 in North Vancouver....Article
Clarence Clemens moved to British Columbia from Edmonton sometime in 1937. He soon found work on the docks as a longshoreman employed by Empire Stevedoring and settled into the predominantly Black neighbourhood of Strathcona in East Vancouver. The heart of...Article
The Coast Seamen’s Union was established in 1885 in San Francisco; the first Canadian branch was founded in Victoria BC in 1891. The same year, shipowners formed an Employers’ Association and declared open war against the union. Union organizing was...Video
Brian Hamaguchi worked in fish canneries in the lower mainland and was a shop steward and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Previous generations of his family also worked in the fishing industry and were...Video
In this 1.5 hr conversation, Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta interview Joy Thorkelson. Joy is a resident of Prince Rupert and held positions as organizer and president of the UFAWU (United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union). This interview was conducted...Video
Ken MacLean was a member of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 505 located in Prince Rupert for 25 years and never missed a union meeting. He held the position of Secretary Treasurer/Dispatcher for 12 years. This interview was...Video
At the time of this interview, Glen Edwards was President of Local 505 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in Prince Rupert BC This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta on September 5, 2019 in...Article
Labour Day parades in Vancouver, BC which began in 1890, featured numerous such examples of floats constructed by unionized workers. This article is reprinted from the May 2019 Vancouver Historical Society newsletter. Bob McDonald, one of BC's leading historians, passed...Article
When the Winnipeg General Strike began on May 15, 1919 unions across Canada soon followed Winnipeg’s lead. In British Columbia, the heroic Vancouver sympathy strike and Victoria’s four-day stoppage are often cited as examples, yet lesser known strikes occurred in...Article
The International Longshore Association disappeared from the waterfront in BC following their 1923 strike. The union was broken by employers in the Shipping Federation of BC, and a company union was put in place. Favouritism in hiring was rampant. As...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...Article
Late in the night on April 13, 1903, labour organizer and longshore worker Frank Rogers was walking home from dinner and stopped by the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks at the foot of Abbott Street in Vancouver, to check on picketers...Video
An East Van boy, Ken Bauder initially worked in construction before ending up in longshoring. He was Secretary Treasurer of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada from 2004-2010. He was instrumental in a project called (Re)claiming the New Westminster...Video
Arnie Nagy has Haida heritage on the maternal side of his family, and grew up in Prince Rupert. He worked in the fish canneries and was an active UFAWU member. He recalls the years when the fishing industry was booming...
