Historical materials
Lillian May Cooper Money (1919-2016) was a life-long political and women's rights activist. She championed many pursuits including the CCF/NDP and the YWCA. In 1941 she was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for possession of alleged Communist literature under wartime...Teaching materialsVideo
There's never a bad time to talk about unions! This 60-second video, produced by the National Union of Provincial Government Employees (NUPGE), is timely and to introduces young people to the importance of unions.Video
Stephen Kelleher recounts the story of his career, from growing up in a non-union family to becoming chair of the British Columbia Labour Relations Board in the 1980s and 2000s. He also discusses his activities since retiring from his position...Video
The interview covers Larry Kuehn's extensive involvement with labour and social justice organizations beyond his work with the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF). His time as president of the BCTF is covered in an earlier interview, available in our BCTF Past...Video
The interview covers David Yorke's participation in two pivotal legal challenges, as well as the various labour history projects he has been involved in since his retirement. Two prior interviews by the BC Teachers’ Federation History Project Group cover his...Video
In this interview conducted by Sean Griffin, Vi (Violet) Cordoni describes her history of singing for her community. Vi was born in 1938 in Drumheller, Alberta to Hungarian-Canadian parents. She describes her Hungarian family’s experience of immigrating and then having...Video
Produced by the United Steelworkers, a full decade before asbestos was banned in Canada, the video "Asbestos: The Silent Killer" discusses the harmful effects of asbestos exposure on workers, particularly those from the Trail, BC smelter.Video
This 24-minute video documents the widespread unemployment and economic hardship experienced in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, during the Great Depression.Video
Using archival images and personal stories, this 26-minute video was created in 2011 by BC Overtime Productions. The film discusses the historical struggles and ongoing importance of unions in BC. It highlights the deplorable working conditions workers faced before unions,...Video
A deeply personal story is set against a broader historical backdrop of asbestos use and its devastating consequences in Canada. The video implicitly and explicitly touches on a historical narrative that explains why Dave Ford, and so many others became...Teaching materials
The material begins by establishing the fundamental question of why unions are needed, using interviews with contemporary individuals and historical oral accounts to introduce the idea of collective action. It then delves into the harsh realities faced by early workers...Teaching materials
"Youth, Unions, and You: A Secondary Teacher’s Guide to Labour Studies for BC Schools” (2001) is a resource guide developed as a joint project by the BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Federation of Labour, with financial backing from the...Video
In 2002, BC’s Liberal provincial government broke its promise to healthcare workers by tearing up their collective agreements, paving the way for widespread contracting-out and privatization in health care. This video is part of our Labour Heritage Moments series.Video
In 1983, the British Columbia Social Credit government announced the closure of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops, BC, a facility housing over 300 residents with developmental disabilities, as part of a broader cut in social services. This video is part...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Langley Teachers’ Association office, 5786 Glover Road, Langley BC. It was developed with the support of the Langley Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Surrey Teachers’ Association office, 9030 King George Blvd, Surrey BC. It was developed with the support of the Surrey Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond...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 Hanne Jensen fonds is a collection of records collected between 1983 and 1984, when she played a central role in the Operation Solidarity movement in BC as a defender of human rights. Access to this collection requires Hanne Jensen's...Historical materials
The Patsy George fonds comprises textual records dating from 1977 to 1984. The collection documents the activities of Patsy George, a social worker who was terminated from her position with the Province of British Columbia due to the 1983 provincial...Historical materials
The Art Kube fonds includes newspaper clippings, flyers, leaflets, research papers, legislation, briefs, speaking notes, press releases, personal notes, photographs, and documents pertaining to Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition.Historical materials
The Collected Materials fonds, spanning from 1913 to 2016, includes items donated to the BC Labour Heritage Centre over its lifetime. The fonds contains a diverse array of records related to the labour movement in British Columbia.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.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...Teaching materials
This comprehensive educational resource explores the origins and evolution of the labour movement in British Columbia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The lesson examines the working conditions, struggles, and achievements of workers during this period, highlighting key events...Teaching materials
Out of the loss of her husband to an occupational-related illness came one woman’s crusade for change. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
Through the story of Won Alexander Cumyow, this film explores the history and early experiences of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia and examines how Won Alexander Cumyow’s struggle to win the right to vote was connected to a wider struggle...Teaching materials
Referencing the pre-existing economy prior to colonization, this film powerfully places in context the significant role that BC First Nations played in the establishment and prosperity of British Columbia. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
In 1983, Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition came together in response to a series of proposed bills by the Social Credit government to stage the largest protest in the province’s history. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Video
Produced by Barna-Alper Productions, this documentary tells the story of the 1983 Solidarity protests in BC. The film follows the mobilization of the Operation Solidarity Coalition, as labour and community groups joined against the Social Credit government's austerity budget and...Teaching materials
Rutledge was a pioneer in Canadian aviation, setting up an all female “Flying Seven” Club in Vancouver. Useful as a case study of the gendered division of labour and summarizes historical obstacles facing women as commercial pilots. This episode is...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
In the 1970s, more women entered into the workforce and sought ways to become organized. One union that formed in British Columbia—the Service, Office, and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada—is the subject of this film. Students gain an appreciation of...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
Young children have always been part of the work force in British Columbia. Through the story of the explosion at Coal Creek mines in Fernie, this film examines the issue of child labour. See the rest of our Working People...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
The subject of this film is Tatsuro “Buck” Suzuki, a fisher and early environmentalist on the Fraser River in British Columbia who also played a key role in the return of interned Japanese Canadians to the coast after the Second...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...Audio
The fight against apartheid in South Africa was fought on many fronts with the solidarity of anti-apartheid groups around the world. BC unions and activists were a proud part of this global movement. In this episode of On the Line...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...Video
Vince Ready is a legendary labour relations practitioner who has arbitrated and mediated several thousand disputes across Canada in all types of industries. Vince was born in Renfrew Ontario and lived on a farm with his parents and siblings until...Video
Sandra Banister was born and raised in Vancouver; her mother was a stay-at-home mum and her father was an IBEW lineman. Sandra got an undergraduate degree in political science and then a law degree at UBC, articling with John Laxton...Video
This interview with Leo McGrady, a prominent labour lawyer in British Columbia, covers his extensive career and involvement in the labour movement. He describes his early life and upbringing in an Irish Catholic family, and how social justice issues influenced...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
Chris Allnutt’s deep desire to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves and make the world a better place led him to work in the labour movement. This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh on May 7, 2024 in...Video
Progressive lawyer Jim Quail first worked for legal aid organizations in BC helping farmworkers and tenants in the late 1970s and 80s. He successfully fought Bill Bennett’s attempt to eliminate tenants’ rights, was a leading participant in the Solidarity Coalition...Video
In this far-reaching conversation, Lee Loftus discusses his experiences as a third-generation insulator, and union member and executive with the Heat and Frost Insulators Union Local 118 in British Columbia. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on March 19,...Video
John Rogers was raised in Kamloops, BC. His father was the local welfare officer and John remembers some of the cases his dad was involved in. He also recalls the First Nations community on the other side of the river....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...Video
John Calvert was born in Oshawa, Ontario and grew up in London, Ontario. In his late teens, he obtained a commercial pilot’s license, which meant that he could help pay for his post-secondary education by working as a bush pilot...Video
In this 2023 conversation, Colleen Fuller talks about growing up in a politically active family and her life of political and labour activism. She was born in the United States to parents active in the Communist Party and the labour...Video
Kristina Vandervoort was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She moved to British Columbia with her parents when she was eight and they settled in North Vancouver. After high school, Kristina started her first job at Lions Gate Hospital and that is...Video
Judy Darcy started out as an enthusiastic public speaker and leader in her kindergarten days in Sarnia, Ontario, and has never looked back. Judy was very active in the student movement and in the women’s movement, including being on the...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...Video
Carmela Allevato was born in a small town in Southern Italy in 1962. Her family emigrated to Canada when she was 11 years old and settled in Toronto where her parents worked in manufacturing and factory jobs. After graduating high...Article
Tom Berger (1933-2021) is remembered as a legal groundbreaker and social justice advocate for Canada’s Indigenous people. Less well-known is that Berger got his first taste of fighting against injustice as a young Vancouver labour lawyer in a case that...Audio
Bea Zucco's campaign against the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) helped shift provincial policy on silicosis claims and remains a notable example of grassroots advocacy for workers’ health and rights. In this episode of On the Line we recount the remarkable...Video
Warren Williams’ labour activism came to him through his family, who has a deep connection to Canada’s Black community. Warren’s uncle, Lee Williams, fought for equal employment rights for Canadian sleeping car porters, and the formation of the Order of...Audio
In 1921, 88 public school teachers (most of them young women) initiated a five-day strike to demand recognition of their union and the right to arbitration in salary negotiations. Their unprecedented action was only the second recorded teachers’ strike in...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,...Video
Mary LaPlante was introduced to unions when she worked at a fish plant as a summer job. She later worked at the Prince Rupert Hospital where most staff were unionized, but not the administrative staff where she worked. Mary organized...Video
In this compelling oral history, former BCGEU Director Gary Steeves recalls his formative years, the occupation of Tranquille residential institution in Kamloops, and 25 years of his union’s remarkable evolution. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on October 4,...Video
Colin Gabelmann came to Canada as a child in 1947 from London, England. He was influenced by his family’s ties to social democratic parties in Europe which continued in Canada where they were strong supporters of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth...Video
Mike Dumler’s union career in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) included many elected and staff positions. After coming to Canada from the United States as a Vietnam War veteran, Brother Dumler joined CUPE in Nanaimo. He became President...Video
Carolyn Askew was a lawyer and the first Legislative Counsel for the BC Federation of Labour, beginning in 1972. She explains she was one of only a few women law school graduates and women had difficulty getting articles with firms....Video
Hans Brown worked for the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) in BC for 13 years, taking the lead on pay equity and classification between 1974 and 1987. He is best known for his connections to BC’s New Democratic Party (NDP). This...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
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...Video
Peter Burton was born in Pembroke, Ontario, and worked for the Georgia Straight in Vancouver before going into the resource industry in northern BC. Peter was President of the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers (CASAW) in 1976, when...
