Horace Mackey Interview: Brotherhood of Railway Engineers
Horace Mackey (1880-1970) was Legislative Chairman and later chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in the BC District. He began working on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1899, retiring in 1948. He was a member of the Regional War Labor Board in British Columbia during the Second World War. Part 1 begins with Mackey reciting the history and development of the Workmen’s Compensation Act in British Columbia. This interview is part of our Oral History Collection.
Mackey discusses the early efforts by railway groups to lobby for the Act, which was passed in 1902 and initially covered industries such as railways, factories, and mines. He describes how a commission was formed in 1914 to review and revise the Act, leading to a more comprehensive law being passed in 1916. Mackey outlines the key provisions of the new Act, including coverage for temporary and permanent disabilities, death benefits, and medical care. He also discusses his own involvement in labor negotiations and the gradual improvements in working conditions through the efforts of organized labor. Mackey touches on his service on the Regional War Labor Board during World War II , which helped maintain wages and prices and improve conditions for workers.
In Part 2, Mackey goes into more details about railway union organizations in BC in the early 20th century. Railway unions were not affiliated to central labour bodies in Canada or the United States. The Vancouver Division of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers was chartered in 1886 by engineers who came to British Columbia to work on construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. These workers had been fired by the Intercolonial Railway in eastern Canada for their union activities. Mackey’s father was a building contractor in Vancouver who went bankrupt and returned to England. The interview concludes with a discussion of union label promotions in Vancouver.