Lenkurt Electric: Turning the Tide, Podcast Ep. 26
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 Line, we trace the roots of this action to explain why members walked off the job without the approval of their union, and how this accelerated the movement toward independent Canadian unions.
Publication date: April 30, 2024
Podcast length: 30:05
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
Workers, mainly women, at Lenkurt Electric in Burnaby were members of Local 213 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW). Tensions were already high due to difficult contract negotiations and the company’s insistence on mandatory overtime, which greatly affected the workers, many of whom were single mothers. When their business agent was fired by the International for slandering an international representative, local members were ready to blow.
The strike began spontaneously when workers, angered by the reimposition of mandatory overtime, walked off the job and headed to the union hall. The company responded by firing all striking workers and placing ads for replacements, attracting 1300 applicants. This hard-nosed approach galvanized support from other unions, leading to massive picket lines that defied court injunctions.
The conflict escalated with arrests and confrontations. The IBEW International then intervened, suspending local leaders who refused to order workers back to the job, with suspensions ranging from 3 to 30 years. These suspensions meant they could no longer work at any operation where the IBEW was certified. The strike culminated in a negotiated agreement that largely mirrored an earlier rejected proposal, with many striking workers not being rehired. The repercussions included fines for 15 workers and jail sentences for prominent labor leaders. Jailing labour leaders for picketing was a practice that continued until the NDP government ended it in 1973.
For suspended leader Jess Succamore, the betrayal by the International and the government’s collusion with the employer solidified his belief in the need for Canadian-controlled unions. This led to the formation of the Canadian Electrical Workers (CEW), later known as CAIMAW, which championed rank-and-file control and challenged international unions for over two decades.