Jackie Campbell Interview: Breaking Barriers on the Waterfront

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 to unionism when the IWA boat the Laur Wayne came by. When that job ended, Jackie started working at Seafood Products in Port Hardy, and after a few more moves, the Prince Rupert Fishermen’s Co-Op (later called High Wave) in Vancouver.

At the time, in the 70s and 80s, there was a two-tiered wage system in the industry. Group One work was physically difficult and better compensated than Group Two work, but only men were eligible for Group One. Jackie and other women successfully fought for the right to work in cold storage doing Group One work. She cites this as one of her proudest achievements. She explains that a lot of battles had to be fought within the union itself, but that the fact that they were able to make these changes speaks well of the UFAWU and their processes.

Political decisions through the 1990s, like NAFTA and the Mifflin Plan, had catastrophic consequences on the fishing industry. Jackie talks about the protests at the time, and the outcomes for the workers. Federal money allowed the union to open retraining centres, and it was through this program that Jackie moved into environmental stewardship and education with the T Buck Suzuki Foundation.