Christopher Pritchard Interview: Plumbers Union, WCB
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 an overview of the early history and activities of the Plumbers’ Union Local 170 in British Columbia.
The interview was conducted in the 1960s by the BC Federation of Labour in anticipation of the publication of No Power Greater: A Century of Labour in BC (1967). Interviewers were author Paul Phillips and UBC student Bill Piket. The original tapes were digitized by the BC Labour Heritage Centre in 2024.
Christopher Pritchard, 1959
Pritchard discusses the Plumbers’ Union’s involvement in establishing the five-day work week, wage negotiations, jurisdictional disputes, political affiliations, and Pritchard’s experiences as a business agent and later as a member of the Workmen’s Compensation Board. Pritchard also explains the union’s efforts to improve plumbing regulations, establish a central heating system, and mandate sprinkler systems in public buildings.