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This two-part interview is with Rod Mickleburgh, a labour reporter who covered major labour events in British Columbia in the 1970s and 1980s. During his journalism career, he covered the labour beat at the Vancouver Sun, The Province, CBC National...Video
Preserving Our Past, Preparing Our Future records the history of the BC Labour Heritage Centre from its establishment in 2004. The video was produced in 2019 in partnership with WorkSafeBC.Video
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.Audio
Fred Hoppe (1883-1965) was a 61-year member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213 in Vancouver. The interview covers various aspects of Mr. Hoppe's life and career, including his early days as an electrician, starting in Rochester,...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
Fred Wilson recounts his life and work in the labour movement, including his early involvement with the Young Communist League, his time as a labour reporter at the Pacific Tribune, his role in the Operation Solidarity movement, and his work...Video
This 27-minute video chronicles the immense challenges faced by the BC Government Employees’ Union (BCGEU) in the previous decade when public sector unions were under attack from neo-liberal policies of government.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...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...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...Video
Created in 2013, this video chronicles the history of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in British Columbia (BC).Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the New Westminster Secondary School Library at 835 8th St. New Westminster, BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC Retired Teachers’ Association. The...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...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Terrace Sportsplex, 3320 Kalum St, Terrace, BC. It was developed with the support of the Terrace District Teachers’ Union. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located inside the CUPE Local 15 office, 545 West 10th Ave, Vancouver BC. It was developed with the support of CUPE Local 15. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...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,...Historical materials
The Jim Young Union Pin Collection began with a sizable donation to the BC Labour Heritage Centre in 2005. Young was a well-known sports writer, Burnaby city councillor, and for 23 years a union activist in The Newspaper Guild, serving...Historical materials
This collection contains records of the Journeymen Barbers' International Union Locals 120 and 372, primarily consisting of bound minute books from Vancouver Local 120, beginning in 1903.Historical materials
This collection includes textual materials, photographs, meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, circulars and briefs covering the period of 1931 to 1974. The union’s full name is the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators & Paperhangers of America Local 138.Historical materials
Ray Gardiner spent most of his life in Prince Rupert, BC, having arrived during World War II to find work at the shipyards. His union work was mainly in the United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union, serving as northern organizer...Historical materials
The Ray Whitehead fonds contains items spanning the years 1973 to 1987. Whitehead's union career included time with the Marine Workers component of the BCGEU, the BC Government Employees' Union (BCGEU) and most notably, the Canadian Union of Public Employees...Historical materials
The Ron Johnson fonds contains textual records, ephemera, and other items dating from 1959 to 1989, reflecting Johnson’s research and communications career within labour organizations.Historical materials
The Stuart Hodgson fonds is a collection of historical records held by the BC Labour Heritage Centre consisting of union newspapers and labour pamphlets dating from 1948 to 1952.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...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the BCGEU Area 11 office at 500 Quebec St., Prince George, BC It was developed with the support of Unifor Local 2301 and the Kitimat, Terrace and District Labour Council. The plaque was cast...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the former location of King Edward High School at Oak St. and 12th Ave. in Vancouver BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at South Park School in Victoria, BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC Retired Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a...Historical materials
Alice was a BC union pioneer who paved a better path for working women, mostly as a formidable force within the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). In 1979, she became the first woman National Director for BC, Yukon and...Historical materials
Allen Seager is a retired professor at Simon Fraser University. His research interests include Canada, Western Canada, and Labour History, specializing in the history of the coal industry; coal mning communities in Western Canada; Canadian Railway History, Canadian Labour and...Historical materials
Andy Neufeld has authored books on the history of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the International Woodworkers of America.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.Historical materials
The Rossland Evening World was a four-page daily newspaper established on May Day 1901 in Rossland, BC, dedicated to supporting mine workers in the Kootenays. It was one of Western Canada's first daily labor newspapers, owned by Local 38 of...Historical materials
The Hospital Employees' Union's newsletter was launched as a mimeographed publication in 1950 and then reborn as the Hospital Guardian in 1958. The name was chosen after the Manchester Guardian in the United Kingdom. Visit The Guardian digital archive (external...Historical materials
The Industrial World newspaper was published in Rossland, BC from 1899 to 1901. It was the weekly predecessor to The Rossland Evening World. Visit The Industrial World digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The Labor Statesman was a significant newspaper dedicated to labor unity and a higher standard of living for workers. Affordable at just five cents per copy or a dollar for a 20-week subscription, the newspaper aimed to reach a broad...Historical materials
On the Level began as a mimeographed publication in 1961, published by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 452 in Vancouver, BC. Visit the On the Level digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The Pacific Tribune, was a consistent source of reporting and analysis of labour movements and people's struggles in British Columbia. Originally established by the Communist Party of Canada as the BC Workers’ News in 1935, the newspaper began publishing under...Historical materials
The Labour History Association was formed within the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) in 1976. It produced this series of newsletters which remain a valuable source of labour history in British Columbia.They focus on promoting and integrating labour history into the...Historical materials
This item is a single issue of Federation News and Views dated December 12, 1952, Vancouver, BC, a publication of the Federation of Telephone Workers (FTW), a significant labour union in British Columbia, originally chartered in 1944.Historical materials
BC District Union News was published by the BC, Yukon and Northwest Territories locals of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The union was often referred to as "Mine Mill." Visit the District News digital archive (external...Historical materials
The Lumber Worker collection comprises digitized newspapers from 1938-2006, published by the International Woodworkers of America (IWA), the most prominent forestry union in Western Canada. Visit The Lumber Worker digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The BC Teachers' Federation has produced a regular publication each school year since 1919 to highlight news, events and stories relevant to BC teachers and their profession. The title and format of the newspaper has changed over time. Visit the...Historical materials
The BC Trades Unionist was a newspaper published by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council (VTLC) in 1908 and 1909. It served as an important voice for the organized labor movement in Vancouver during a period of significant activity. Visit...Historical materials
Originally started in 1907 by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council as the Western Wage Earner, the British Columbia Federationist was a weekly labor newspaper published in Vancouver, BC. Visit the British Columbia Federationist digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The Canadian Farmer-Labor Advocate was published weekly in Vancouver, BC between 1925 and 1926. It began publishing after the British Columbia Federationist folded. Farmer-labour movements were growing and challenging the existing economic and social order. Visit the Canadian Farmer-Labor Advocate...Historical materials
The Commentator was the official organ of the Trail and District Smelter Workers, Local 480 International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Union (IUMM&SWU). The newspaper was published in Trail, BC between November 1938 and December 1954. Visit The Commentator...Historical materials
District 18 organized and negotiated collective agreements in the coalfields of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and had a membership of 6,000. The District Ledger, the newspaper of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 18 was founded by Frank Sherman,...Booklet
This handbook compiles advice from multiple sources into a usable document for smaller organizations seeking to preserve their historic records.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 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
This booklet describes the history of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 15 in Vancouver, BC. The union began as the Vancouver City Hall Employees' Association (VCHEA) in 1918. Over the decades VCHEA expanded its scope to include...Booklet
This booklet describes the details of a landmark one-day strike by the Surrey Teachers’ Association in 1974. With just 48-hours notice, 1,000 teachers voted to take their dispute with the Surrey School Board to the legislature in Victoria.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...Video
Terry was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. As a young man, he was in the Air Force for a couple of years and worked in various mills. He became a provincial government employee when he started working...Audio
Barney McGuire (1916-1995) was a hardrock miner, born and raised in Alice Arm, BC In 1933 he began working in mines throughout BC, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and later in eastern Canada after being blacklisted for his union activity. In...Audio
Many women worked in BC’s once numerous canneries and fish processing plants; for some this was a stepping stone to working on the fish boats. We examine the gendered dimension of labour in this industry through interviews with activist Barbara...Video
Garry Worth was a red diaper baby whose father joined the Labour Progressive Party (a front for the Communist Party) in 1946. Garry was born and raised on Vancouver Island where his father worked in logging. When he finished high...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
Roger Stonebanks grew up in a conservative family in England and attended boarding school. He learned the value of organizing when, as a young boy, he organized a boycott to demand better food at school. The boycott failed, but the...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...Audio
A 1966 wildcat strike by 400 mostly women members of the Electrical Workers’ union was a turning point in the province, at a time when courts regularly jailed and fined union members during disputes. In this episode of On the...Article
The first edition of The Labor Statesman hit the streets in Vancouver, BC on April 25, 1924. It would publish continuously for 45 years, ceasing publication in 1969. Initially published by the Vancouver, New Westminster and District Trades and Labor...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...Video
Stan Shewaga was born in St. Boniface and grew up in the north end of Winnipeg. After working in Louisiana for a while, he joined the American Army in the fifties, when he was about 17. After he left the...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
In this fascinating and wide-ranging interview with Patricia Wejr, she describes her long career in communications, nursing, reproductive health, and the labour movement. Patricia attended Simon Fraser University for Communications, and while there took a co-op position at Co-Op Radio,...Video
In this interview, Bonnie Pearson talks about growing up in Saskatchewan and the early influence of her activist parents. Bonnie details her early union involvement as a national representative with CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) in 1980s; the Devine...Video
Diana Kilmury was born in Montreal and moved to Vancouver in 1954 when she was about eight years old. She married and dropped out of school when she was 16. By the time she was 19, she was divorced and...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
The International Woodworkers of America (IWA) Annex Archive opened in 2019 in Lake Cowichan, BC: home of the first IWA local in the province. It is a proud achievement and crucial repository for the history of BC lumber workers. In...Article
During World War II, at the age of 16, Alice West joined tens of thousands of other BC women who went to work, doing industrial jobs that were normally filled by the men fighting overseas. She started work at Vancouver...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...Audio
The International Woodworkers of America (IWA) defied deep-seated racism in BC’s forest industry by hiring Asian organizers. Their efforts helped integrate thousands of workers into the union.This episode of our On the Line podcast highlights the pioneering efforts of Roy...Audio
In one of the earliest victories of its kind, a newly certified independent union negotiated a contract guaranteeing that new mothers would receive a full wage top-up, as well as job and seniority protection. This episode of our On the...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...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
As a founding Board Member of BC Labour Heritage Centre, Mervyn Van Steinburg recounts his story of a worklife spent in service to BC’s unionized community. In this interview, Brother Van Steinburg recounts his union beginnings as an electrician member...Video
At the time of this interview, Audrey Keely was over 100 years of age. She spent her early life with her family in the Cariboo and shares some of those experiences and personal tragedies. This interview was conducted by Patricia...Article
Explore some of the women in BC’s labour history who created milestones for the movement.Video
Cliff Andstein is a seasoned activist with over 30 years’ experience in the trade union movement. He moved to BC as a young man, leaving his home province of New Brunswick where he had encountered the dangers of working as...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
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
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
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...Video
Clive Lytle was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1937. He went to University for his Bachelors of Arts degree, and was recommended to apply for a research position at the BC Federation of Labour. This interview was conducted by Ken...
