The Great Coal Strike 1912-1914, Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in Dallas Square, in downtown Nanaimo, BC. It was developed with the support of the Nanaimo, Duncan, & District Labour Council.
The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928. It was unveiled in 2020.
This is one of many Plaques around the Province, a project of the BC Labour Heritage Centre which aims to recognize events, actions, episodes, movements, or experiences that played a significant role in the history of the labour movement and working people in all regions of British Columbia.
The Great Coal Strike 1912–14
The plaque reads: After decades of attempts to organize unions in Vancouver Island’s murderously unsafe coal mines, thousands of miners from Ladysmith to Cumberland went on strike in 1912 under the banner of the United Mine Workers of America. The strike was the fiercest labour dispute in BC’s history. Parades, a riot and mass meetings garnered support for the miners from local communities and around North America. Strikebreakers, special constables, the militia and arrests pummeled the workers. By 1914, the odds were insurmountable, and strikers were forced to return to work amidst a relentless blacklist. Their two-year strike laid the foundation for later generations as Vancouver Island miners finally won union recognition in 1938. BC Labour Heritage Centre 2020 Union Made Nanaimo, Duncan & District Labour Council