Article
Patrick Burns opened his first slaughterhouse in Calgary in 1890. In 1907 Burns & Co built “a large and modern packing plant” in Vancouver, at the foot of Woodland Drive. By the 1940s, the meatpacking industry was dominated by three large...Historical materials
Christine Hayvice Micklewright was a vice-president of the BC Federation of Labour, and a member of the Vancouver Industrial Writers Union. She was an officer of the airlines division of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). A significant portion of the...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
Leila Harding was born into a naval officer’s family in Nova Scotia but moved to Victoria as a child. As a young adult, she moved to Vancouver and worked for Fred Deeley Motors, where she had her first involvement with...Video
Randy Pearson was born in northern BC to a working-class family. He worked in the lumber mills around Prince George as a young man, before traveling, marrying and getting a unionized job with pension benefits at a BC Liquor Store....Article
A strike at the Prince George Canadian Tire store by the Retail Clerks’ Union Local 1518 lasted from December 1983 until May 1986 (27 months). The central issue was union recognition. The store opened in 1982, and the union was...Video
Ivan Limpright was born and grew up in the Fraser Valley. After working for his father driving truck and front-end loaders, he graduated from high school and started working at the Overwaitea warehouse in Burnaby. This interview was conducted by...Video
Brian Nasu, born in Tofino, BC and raised in East Vancouver, grew up in a family deeply connected to the fishing industry. As a young person, Brian started working at an IGA grocery store that was in the process of...Video
Denise Kellahan became active in the Union FASWOC (Food and Service Workers of Canada) while she was working at the White Spot restaurant as a single mother with two small children. She helped shepherd the merger of FASWOC (a primarily...Video
Roger Crowther was brought up in a working-class mining family in Hedley and Hope. His father was active in his union and in the community, which helped to inspire Roger’s activism. In 1972, working at the Bethlehem Copper Mine in...Article
It Was No Holiday! BC’s only union barber reflects on the COVID shutdown of 2020 In March 2020 all personal service establishments in British Columbia were closed by order of the Provincial Health Officer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....Video
Jackie Ainsworth was born in Ontario, attending a year at the University of Carlton before joining the Anti-War Movement and moving out west to Vancouver. She is a founding member of the Association of University and College Employees (AUCE) as...
