The Kitimat Wildcat Strike of 1976, Podcast Ep. 29
In 1976, simmering discontent at the Alcan smelter in the northern community of Kitimat launched a full-scale revolt. A few union members staged a wildcat strike; they were soon joined by 1,800 others. 150 RCMP officers in riot gear and flanked by dogs and shotguns arrested the union’s leaders, charges were laid and fines levied against the union. It was the first major job action in Canada against federal wage controls, and left the community bitterly divided, even decades later. This episode on On the Line features vintage recordings with people who were there, including our own Rod Mickleburgh who covered the strike as a labour reporter.
Publication date: December 11, 2024
Podcast length: 28:22
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
Initiated in response to federal wage controls and a company-imposed contract, the strike unfolded without official union sanction, yet it drew widespread participation and became a defining moment in British Columbia’s labour history.
Host Rod Mickleburgh, who reported on the strike at the time, reconstructs the events using archival audio, including field interviews by Jim Sinclair (then of Co-op Radio and later president of the BC Federation of Labour) and firsthand testimony from union leaders Peter Burton and Jim Brisebois. Workers described oppressive heat, dust, and gas exposure in the smelter, combined with company policies that raised housing rents and equipment costs during a period of wage restraint. This atmosphere of coercion sparked a spontaneous walkout that quickly grew into a full work stoppage.
Despite court injunctions and orders from the Labour Relations Board, a majority of Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers (CASAW) members repeatedly voted to remain off the job. The strike escalated with the barricading of the smelter’s access road, prompting a large-scale police operation involving riot gear and arrests. The episode includes detailed accounts of the RCMP’s pre-dawn intervention and the subsequent charges of criminal mischief against 32 union members.
The strike ultimately ended with a narrow union vote and significant consequences. While the union leadership and members faced lawsuits, terminations, and fines, several charges were later dropped or mitigated, including the acquittal of Peter Burton. Notably, a brief show of solidarity from fellow Alcan workers in Arvida, Quebec, underscored the potential for national unity among independent unions.
The episode situates the Kitimat wildcat as both a protest against federal wage restraint policies and a test of labour autonomy in a company town. It examines the broader implications of industrial relations, local media alignment with employers, and the legal vulnerabilities of independent unions. Nearly 50 years later, the strike remains a striking example of spontaneous worker resistance under high-pressure conditions.