The Union Archive that Almost Didn’t Make It, Podcast Ep. 16
The International Woodworkers of America (IWA) Annex Archive opened in 2019 in Lake Cowichan, BC: home of the first IWA local in the province. It is a proud achievement and crucial repository for the history of BC lumber workers. In this episode of our On the Line podcast, we change focus from the union battles and labour breakthroughs we typically discuss, to tell the story of an incredible archive and the herculean effort it took to make it a reality.
Publication date: July 5, 2022
Podcast length: 27:27
Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh
Production by: John Mabbott
The International Woodworkers of America, founded in Tacoma, Washington, in July 1937, quickly became a powerful union in British Columbia under the leadership of Harold Pritchett, its first Canadian president. With 25,000 newly organized members in BC, the IWA was a formidable force. The union soon became embroiled in political conflict; Pritchett and other leaders were Communists, but anti-Communist factions wanted to move the union in a different direction. This bitter struggle created difficulties in accessing documents that told the complete story of the union.
Fortunately, several IWA leaders and activists recognized the critical importance of preserving and sharing the union’s history. John Mountain, a dedicated trade unionist who began working in sawmills in 1977 and later moved to the IWA’s Head Office, played a crucial role in rescuing the archives. When the union moved to cheaper offices in Burnaby due to declining membership, much of the historical material was nearly discarded. Mountain, along with Norm Garcia, rescued boxes of documents and artifacts that were on the verge of being thrown into a dumpster. These rescued materials were stored in various temporary locations, including a parkade room where some suffered water damage during a flood, and later in a “bunker” underneath the building’s front sidewalk until 2014. The dream was always to find a permanent home.
The search eventually led them to the Kaatza Historical Society, which oversees the Kaatza Station Museum in Lake Cowichan. It was a great fit, although a great deal of fundraising and volunteer labour had to happen before the doors could open and archival work could begin. The IWA Archive Annex officially opened in May 2019, a testament to the dedication and collaborative spirit of all involved.