Mary LaPlante Interview: Mentoring Women in the HEU

Mary LaPlante July 8 2019.mp4

[00:00:00] All right. It’s July 8th 2019. My name is Patricia. We’re out here with Bailey garden from the Labour Heritage Centre and we’re delighted to interview Mary LaPlante today.

[00:00:11] Thank you for having me. Appreciate that.

[00:00:13] You’re welcome. So. I’d like you to think way back. I’d like. I’m interested a little bit about your early life where you lived and in particular were there any influences during that time that led you to become an activist.

[00:00:29] Actually early on and I mentioned this to my family and I was adopted from the baby and a tiny baby and then I went to pursue looking for my birth mother years after and they opened up the adoption rules and whatnot and she’d passed looking after my brother but I found four siblings. My name is Mary. Her name is Mary. So Mary Sister Mary but my birth mother had named me and my adoptive parents had named me. So when I’m around the family I’m Mary Katie anyway. So when I mentioned them to them last week that I was coming in for this interview and they said is there any history of the family.

[00:01:07] She says Not a bit.

[00:01:09] I mean she and I are almost complete opposites as far as you know anything to do with labour unions. She’s strictly management high tech. And so clearly absolutely nothing to do with family. My father that raised me. He was very proud of what I did when I got involved with HEU but he couldn’t understand it. He was a Social Credit way back and he can not understand how I got involved in the union. And I do remember back. In between high school and university I went up to work in the fish plant Nemo and which is on the west coast of B.C. and I went up there to work for a summer. And I started hearing these stories about what happened in the fish plant in Prince Rupert and you know the struggles and the families pitting me against one another and it was just a horrible situation. And when I was working in the awful hours that they’re putting us through and the working conditions and they started asking them about it and they more or less said you know you’re basically young and and you’re here to work and if you’re not wanting to work we’ll send you back home. OK. So I clammed up and I left it at that. Then I went back to do my first university and went back and I lived in Prince Rupert. And when I went to principal I worked in the fish plant and uh I met some very feisty women and you know they they called and they said come on we’re off on a break. I said What break. She says a beefy break and I said what’s the big break. And she says Well that’s a break that we can just go to the bathroom if you want to go and have a cigarette. When I have a cigarette go to the bathroom do what you want but it’s a break that we kind of imposed on the employer. It’s so. Interesting. And so anyway we got chit chatting away about the working conditions and what they did and how long hours they used to have to work and the benefits. And you know to me a lot of that didn’t make I didn’t care. You know I was up there just trying to make some money. But to them it did. And there was one woman that had a handicapped child and she was trying to make good for both she and her family and trying to make a living wage. And she was having a hard time because she was doing the same kind of work as a filler on the other side of the table. But it was a man. Well those kinds of things sort of got me going and I just said this isn’t right this isn’t fair. So I didn’t go to the hospital and same similar kind of thing we were non-union is the only one of the last remaining hospitals in British Columbia that weren’t unionized to the office. And so I said well hospital Prince Rupert. They had KP In the main hospital but they didn’t have anything in the main main business office. So there are some some women there were very nice women there very strong and they’ve been there for a zillion years. And I mentioned Joan and we should be bringing you the union because they said you know so somebody was denied vacation or somebody who’s denied a shift or something like that and they said it doesn’t matter. Just leave it go and I said well why is that. And I says it’s not fair. And so I said we need to bring in a union sheet. He kind of ignored me and I decided I was going to do it anyway. And I did. I contacted the hospital employees union at that time and they said I want to order. I wanted to organize a clerical and I’m new and very green at that and very young. And they said they’d be happy to help me and give me any kind of resources I needed. And they’re very good. I didn’t need their help. But I can remember standing on top of toilet seats in the women’s washroom trying to sign up codes because I could have got fired if they’d caught me or a boy. So anyway I just got involved in it because I thought you were being treated very poorly and that when you see other counterparts in the rest of the province in the business office and they’re making much more than we were and they had different benefits that were awarded to them because they’re under the Hospital Employees Union or Kewpie. So then I got involved and then I was we formed the Union.

[00:05:34] Oh what year that was that was in.

[00:05:38] I guess in the 70s it was in the 70s because it was clearly before my son was born so it was in the early 70s. I’m thinking.

[00:05:55] I should’ve written it down. But anyway knew I don’t know the exact date but uh no. So this was a pretty strong union town and he certainly was. But the rest of the hospital was union but the clerical was not and I don’t know why they’re missed. I’ve no idea but they were missed and they said well you’re not going to be missed anymore. So um. I kind of got myself into a couple of situations with the employee and I phoned up the union and I said I kind of almost got myself fired and he said What did you do. They said I was standing up for some workers and this is why didn’t you just leave. And I said I couldn’t because the administrator was on one door and the vice administrator was on the second door and I said I couldn’t leave and I said this is this is inhumane. I said How can this happen. So anyway we had a loan issue over that and negotiating their first contract and it was a tough battle because they didn’t want us to be union never did want us to be union. They said you’ll get whatever HEU gets and whatever he gets you’ll get it wasn’t true. So that’s how my early days of kind of organizing started. And then I went on to organize the long term care which was not part of anybody. And it was newly built and I organized him as a as a young activist.

[00:07:14] So we’re working that’s all the while you were.

[00:07:18] I was I was I was working in the business office at the time and and just went on my own time to go and organize the workers because I said you know you don’t have any doubt. And to have a home you need to have a union. And you know the more I read about unions the stronger was and it was incredible just incredible. I loved it when I got the job at HEU and I’m diverting a bit. I said it’s not a job it’s a career it’s a lifetime it’s a dream. I loved it. You know I worked with my accounting because that’s my background. I work with a membership which is my love. I just loved it. So when I retired it wasn’t because I had to. It was because I thought it was time. But anyway that’s diverting it a bit.

[00:08:05] So were you a shop steward. Yeah

[00:08:09] I was a shop steward and I was going to say when we elected the first local I was elected as vice chair and then the chairperson had some serious attitude problems. So they kind of booted her out and they made me chair and I went to my first uh very very first wage policy conference in nineteen eighty one in Vernon. And uh you know I mean it in the northern and as a husband playing in the provinces divided into different regions and the North was a very small region but we had you know it was a vast majority popular you know area wise. So there is a woman that took me under her wing and uh. Come on. You know in here we off we go. And her name is Alberto Val and she still lives today. She’s 92 and I got chatting to her and they’re looking for people to run for the bargaining team and I want to do this. I mean it does. And she says look you can’t do this your son’s only 5. And she says you know you don’t know the number of hours and days you’re gonna be spending away from from home to become part of the bargaining team. And I said well I want to do it and she says just back off and wait until the convention the following year and if you’re still interested in the union join the provincial executive. So that’s how I sort of got involved in the union. I was completely adamant about the union. We had meetings everything was run by the book. We had education we’re trying and learning and it was just just a grand experience for everybody because everybody was in the same particular as me.

[00:09:51] You know we all knew HEU has got very good education for it rights activists.

[00:09:59] Heu. Yes HEU. When I was here an officer I thought. We’ve got to put into comparison the dollars coming in and the money going out and where it all goes. And I did a calculation way back a number of years ago about the dollars coming in and there was a boat. I know it sounds very high but it’s still about ninety two ninety three cents in the dollar went back to membership whether or not it was in rebates legal education. Conferences conventions all of that and the remainder was for staff and that was a few for them too because we didn’t overpower ourselves with staff. And as you know we choose offices just over there. And I was one of the three women that built that building. With a project manager. But yeah we’re big on education because we figured that if you’ve got education you’re going to have strengths and if you have strengths you can have a bit of solidarity. And even the last convention because I’m an honorary member of HEU of there. And the slogan for the convention was power of solidarity. And that’s exactly what it was. But the labour movement these days or is is weakening. It’s it’s not as strong and vibrant as it used to be. And because they don’t have the fights that we used to have. And. Believe me we had to fight.

[00:11:23] Yeah. So I was just gonna. Your first was. Was that an elected position. Fine.

[00:11:28] So you were first elected. I was a financial secretary in nineteen eighty four. You were a bit of a groundbreaker. I was a bit of a game breaker because I was uh I took the position. From a man and he’d only been in there a couple of years and he didn’t know anything about money. He didn’t know anything about books. He relied on staff and when I was on the provincial executive I didn’t mean to but I ask too many questions I guess. And he was way out of his league and he’d taken the position over from another man who had been sitting in that seat since the beginning of time a man by the name and Joe and John Darby. And uh I took it over and you know everybody so deep pockets and whatnot. Well I said I’m a woman and I can do it too. And I don’t need affirmative action I can do it because I’m strong and and I got sort of shunned by some of the staff. Because I was young and I can remember being sent to a meeting of the trades and there is a staff person there and I went in and sat down at the head of the table. This and who are you. And I said I’m the acting Financial Secretary and I was acting for about six months. Until a convention. And he just says what’s this world coming to any kind of fused papers all over the place. I know that really. And I were quite offended that I’m not. So you’re not you’re just staff not to say staff are bad but how come you’re treating me like that. I didn’t appreciate it. And so anyway I had a sit down talk with him through through another officer. So anyway I said Yeah just because I’m a woman and I’m young doesn’t give you the right to talk to me like that. And he said OK all right I’m sorry I apologize. And it took a while for him to sort of start respecting me because I was a woman and he just kind of said you’re being put in that chair.

[00:13:34] And I said No I think the members will decide in October. And this went on for me to October and from then on I’ve gotten the respect and dignity and everything I needed from all of the offices all the staff. Everybody is perfect. I love them and they love me. It showed at the end of the day.

[00:13:57] So you were mentioning earlier fights that you went through and I and I saw in your final speech to the final convention you mentioned three big campaigns and they were all bills. Maybe we could go in chronic or chronological order. So the first one I think was. Bill three which goes way back to Bill Bennett and that that’s. That was all the solidarity. Action so right.

[00:14:29] Yeah. I can talk a little bit about that. That was when I first became became involved and I think that was probably around the days when Operation Solidarity was formed. Yes. The employees union was not part of the House of labour. We were. And then then we there was a big falling out long before I got involved. And so we weren’t in the House of labour. So that’s when during all of this kerfuffle all of the upheaval. What’s going on. They actually got a Solidarity Coalition together for the unions that weren’t part of the B.C. fed or this EOC so that we could be involved and there is a few unions that were in that same situation but we wanted to help with. We saw what was going on. We saw what was going on with their Bennett and. Our union. We kind of you know you had you know boots came running and. And so what are you doing. We said well we’re beating the bushes to bring up the information about Bill Bennett and we hired a bus and you know we were all around the province trying to say you know what Bill Bennett is doing is wrong. You know he’s taking jobs you take more job security you take away everything that rates the workers. And that was that was a huge huge fight that was in early days. And I can’t remember a lot more than that.

[00:15:54] There was a group called the Women Against the Budget.

[00:15:57] I think I know I wasn’t part of that one. I could have been but I wasn’t dealing with that.

[00:16:04] Those were I think was mainly that was a community coalition this community.

[00:16:10] Yeah it could have been. I mean I got faced as I got onto it but I know that’s uh that’s not part of it but I can remember you know going the organ organ and walking over the bridge and you know we’d be you know chanting stuff about Bill Bennett. And it was just you know it just those days that it was just a horrible horrible person. And they said how can one person sleep at night after doing this to so many workers and cutting jobs and you know just doing all the rest of it just didn’t just didn’t make any sense. Well

[00:16:44] there certainly was a huge mobilization. Absolutely. It it is it’s it’s a bit disappointing in a way sometimes when mobilizations starts and then something happens which I know that has happened.

[00:16:58] It did happen to us.

[00:16:59] It did on several occasions I think and then the night that you mentioned of course was Bill 19 under Vander Zam. Where were you.

[00:17:09] I was uh. And were you in the fed by that and yes I think we were because we joined forces and became the health care call. So the husband placing the health call it helps. I’ll get it right. For heaven’s sake set where the health division of Kewpie right. And that’s how come we got in and that was even getting in and making ties and negotiating with Kip BBC and keeping national. You know that uh you know with some there were some issues and tough issues that we had to get over to uh just sort of get back into the house of labour. We knew we needed to get back and we want to get back in. And it was a you know a proper way for us to get back in who’s going to keep it. So we’re back in the House of labour when Bill 19 and Bill 20 came and 20 works for the teachers but Bill 19 effective so many other people know of public sector unions everything from the cutbacks and you know just everything was just huge and I’m trying to say to you that that was but I can’t.

[00:18:13] Eighty seven thirty seven really K and you know what I mean. Maybe seven and you know we’re fighting the government you know because they they don’t like public sector unions they don’t care about public they don’t care about patients they don’t care about residents. And I don’t know if we had a strike then or not. I don’t think so. Not in those days. You had a bigger one in 2004 eliminate it all.

[00:18:44] I know this was my brother in law was a family support worker and you know and all of those positions were eliminated.

[00:18:52] Oh I know. And you know it’s in particular you know some of the uh. And I can remember people coming from the laundry and losing your jobs and people in housekeeping and losing their jobs and they they just didn’t understand why. Why them. I mean they were family they’ve been there for years and years and could not understand why the government was doing this to us and them no matter that the members felt the more agitated they were that just gave us the ability to take on the fight stronger. And that’s exactly what we did. And I think we called it the three bad bills. And I think with Bill Bennett them at the time I think and there is a bill 19 Bill 20 bills Bennett and we said three bad bills and you know that’s when we did I think zero campaign that was a zero budget campaign that our Union did and the green hospital funds and cut back from closures. Am I getting ahead of myself.

[00:19:51] That might have an end to it.

[00:19:53] Yeah we’ve been in the can the worst.

[00:19:55] I think we can probably move on to 2001. Nine. Yeah. Which I.

[00:20:02] Oh yes. Uh yeah I’m probably moving on. This is probably more to my recollection. When we had a staff person go in and consult Uh Gordon Campbell said Do you have any intention of whipping up a collective agreement. And Gordon Campbell clearly said no that’s not my mandate. That wouldn’t do that. That’s not fair. And he turned around did it and we could not could not understand and believe that one power one man has that kind of power to destroy lives. Of the people that were affected by this by that privatizing of care. It was just horrible. And. Our union really had got mobile and we were very very active and both politically and you know our members were upset. They’re mad they’re crying. You know a lot of people would all our members would come and talk to me and say Mary I can’t handle this is too hard on me. I’ve got to. I’m a single mom. You know I. I’m not going to be tossed it out or I got a wee on my own John.

[00:21:12] And you know we fought Gordon Campbell tooth and nail and there was a couple of instances I can remember when I was up in rebel Stoke. And when our members were at part they were given their notice that they were going to be closing the door. And this is a seniors care that looked after. I’m guessing about 50 or 75 business and we’re going to close the door. And so myself and some other members of the provincial executive. We went up and we said no we got to stop this this is just not gonna happen. It’s just nonsense. And so here we were up there and you know we were trying to make a difference. We tried to do flyers we did leaflets we did buttons we tried to show the community the community was on our side but they couldn’t do anything because it’s small levels too. We were so it’s just a small community. And you know we didn’t letter writing we did petitions on the long term care and it is well it is it is. And you know I went up there and it is a nice little place and very friendly very homely and you know just the staff knew other residents they just treated me like me it was a second home but it wasn’t like an institution and it was just really nice.

[00:22:34] I’ve been to most of the facilities around B.C. and that was that were clearly one of the best ones that I think was on that same trip. And we’d heard it and we knew that Gordon Campbell was going to be making an announcement on the varying the scale. So OK we’re gonna go up and confront Mr. Gordon Campbell. And so I park the car and it’s in the middle of winter and it’s cold and snowy out I guess. And I got to but you know Campbell was coming up in his entourage of cars and I says you’re not going be me up to the top. So I went flying up the hill to ploughing through all this snow. I’m going to get you and I’m waving this letter in front of the face as the car is going by. I want to talk to you. I said I need to talk to you about what you’re doing. And he wouldn’t stop. Wouldn’t you open his window wouldn’t do anything. And he goes on and it gets up on the platform and you know he just says how good he is. Anyway I’m chasing him up there and I’m talking to you about this and you don’t want anything to do with me. Absolutely nothing to do with me. And I’m waving this Adam and I said okay I’ll calm down.

[00:23:50] I said if you just talk to me and he just treated me like a piece of garbage you just walk right by me open door closed it up. I thought you’re disgusting. So we got in I found the plane in Cologne. I’m near the back and uh hang on. There was a short flight and I suddenly minded me about this one the other day and I’ve forgotten about it. But the staff came up to me or somebody came up and told me that Gordon Campbell was up in the first row of the same plane. Really. Oh really. So anyway I waited for the plane to land and you know because I didn’t want to get any into any federal laws and I hightailed it out before anybody else got out of their seats and these bullies just stood there in the aisle and you know blocked their arms at me. You’re not going anywhere and they’re going to call federal law and order all doing this stuff. And I said listen you know I’m here I’m allowed to do this. And we’ve landed four wheels on ground or whatever. I said I want to talk to Gordon and they wouldn’t have anything to do with me. Absolutely nothing to do with me.

[00:24:57] And you know I’m trying to. Lying to them about what he’s just done with mobile park. And he didn’t care. He just didn’t care he had no heart no soul. And the plane landed and then you still are still chasing this guy through the Vancouver airport and everybody said go get married and I’m more that they’re yelling at me and I’m I’m I’m chasing this guy down down a quarter of the Vancouver airport. I don’t care I want to talk to this guy and tell him to rescind what he’s doing. And it was just disgusting. He was a disgusting man and that’s what he was going do he is going to whip things up and tear things apart. And he didn’t care. And we always said that we when we had any kind of job action we want to have the least impact on residents care most of its patients and care but we want to have the most impact on the employer. And we’ve done that in a couple of different strokes and job actions that we’ve done and that way it did hurt the employer because they had to actually pitch in and see what a worker does on a work shift and how long the work shift does and why they needed to go from a nine hour day or whatever it was down to you know. We were down to a seven to half hour a day but we wanted to get it lower. But we didn’t win that. It’s taken away. And you know when you think about some of the other things that Gordon Campbell did in his time and ten tenure I thought you know he doesn’t care about anything except what he thinks to be a dollar and cents. When you got contracts that are awarded to Sodexo or the likes of Aramark they turn around and the. And they hire the staff at a much less wage than what they would be making when when they’re unionized. The hiring. We organize and we get them a contract and then the contract gets sold out cancelled. Flip them. And we have to start all over again. And these workers are they’re sad. I mean I’ve never seen so many women you know just affected so poorly because of you know contracts being ramped up privatizing services. And when they do work for a company like FedEx or Aramark they are working for the company that has a huge turnaround because nobody wants to stay. So of course the quality of care goes down. People say Oh yeah. Hospital food well hospital food used to be good. But now when they turn they turn over they try and do everything look quality and just don’t do it by volume. It doesn’t work.

[00:27:39] Now there’s another incident. Another had a little brush with the law in April.

[00:27:50] Again the government. And Campbell is clearly not a friend of mine. He was trying to privatize our laundry services and taking laundry to go to Alberta and our staff were coming back and telling us and me that they’re finding syringes in the sheets sheets and bedding weren’t dry. And they said they’re taking away our jobs and or other people’s jobs they took them away and look at the kind of service that they’re getting. And we said you know I mean we’re hearing these horror stories one after another rocket they did they had to truck it from they put it in a warehouse in the phrase Valley. And they would truck it to Alberta and then wash it and bring it back. But it wasn’t coming back clean it was coming back soiled. And again our members have lost all their jobs because they privatized so we decided as a union not just employees union we just said Well let’s turn slow this process down. So we decided to do a blockade out in the warehouse out to work. Well. We did. And we had bales of hay and stopping trucks from coming in or going out and we said you know we need to stop this privatizing of laundry services. They can get better quality done whisks the members of our union compared to sending it off to somewhere in Alberta and coming back. And so we did the blockade and yeah we got we got arrested for it. And myself and two other officers and. You. Know. I said OK you’ve done it this time. Because they got me in a squad car and they just pulled up and around the corner and just me because they had to get me separated and I’m in a squad car and if plexiglass and the plastic covers on the sheets on this on the seats and a mirror you really do this time you have only had a really dead this time. And so anyway went in there did the paperwork. And I thought I was ready to go. And then there is a woman obviously standing in the doorway and she’s snapping a rubber gloves. Oh no you’re not. Don’t know what I did wasn’t that bad. And she just wanted fingerprints. But I thought oh OK. But that was something that. I told my uh my partner at the time and and said. Just blockade just a block. I said I won’t get into any trouble. And then it happened. But you know what. I don’t regret it at all. If I had to do it again I’d do it again. So we were released and we did a rally out at the site that night. And I just I just couldn’t get the words out of my mouth fast enough that night. I was so mad and so angry at what was happening with our laundry services what was happening was membership. Numbers are the strength of our union.

[00:30:52] And they’re just being depleted demoralized and it was disgusting. And I just let all fire and brimstone that night because I I just said you know can we you’re just not going to be getting away with this. And you know we we we fought we fought a big hard long fight. And. And you know getting arrested wasn’t something that I wanted to do it wasn’t in the intent. When we started out the morning but you know what if you know you if you feel strong enough about protecting your membership you’re going to do what you gotta do. And I did feel strong and I did so again but I was the only female so was a little different.

[00:31:31] Now a positive thing that happened during during all of that contracting out which I don’t know if you were involved at all was the the laundry and the cooties that Christmas mazurka which was the financial officer. He allowed the workers to to develop a plan that proved that they could do it as well correct.

[00:31:51] Yes that’s correct. Yes. I was still there and. And we said yeah we’ll prove to him that we could do it more efficiently and we did it everything from time from you know transportation to to washing to folding to drawing and delivering you know besides you know all of the you know all of the stuff that goes involved with it. And they were quite impressed because they’re gonna contract out those services in the in the interior. And because of that that happened in in the companies they put a hold on. He says OK well you’re showing that you know it does work. And of course we said it works and we stood by our decision that our members work is profitable. And it is meaningful. And. You know it was a huge victory. I mean besides the bill. Twenty nine victory but that was a nice victory to say you know we’re not telling you tales it does really work. And if we could prove it to them and yeah those have forgotten about that but. Yeah. And then they kept trying trying and trying to do Interior Health and trying to get the laundry. And again we said I said send me out there they’ll do a blockade I don’t care you know because I mean if you’re going to continue on with this bizarre behaviour you know we got to tell you somewhere that it’s got to stop. And so anyway that day the interior house was really on again off again but because of the kidney area they really did a fantastic job to show that I mean this work does count. You know HEU around that time I mean that was a great victory that HEU certainly got slammed. During the contract negotiations and was it two thousand and.

[00:33:47] Four thousand four and I mean I imagine I often think about you and your role in the union. First of all unbelievable rollback which went about 15 percent.

[00:34:01] Yeah you remember though that there was a reduction in dues and also fine. I mean that if I recall that was the biggest fine a union had ever.

[00:34:11] It was it was the biggest fine that a union could receive and we got it. And. You know it wasn’t just to find a union that’s one thing and hitting us hard but to take a rollback for our membership that’s what really hurt me myself as an officer I took the rollback to. And you know that you know it really hit the entire Union’s budget. And whatever. But I mean again it’s two part. You know the membership lost it. And and so did you know the union lose it and dues when they’re trying to fight the good fight. That strike was an ugly ugly ugly strike. I mean we’re out on the picket line and our straight. It works for a week and you have to do so many hours of pick a time to be able to be eligible for a straight pay. And so everybody go and do the amount of time they do it to you know do 10 hours here in 10 hours every day. Time’s up. Then you know we. Didn’t have to come back to the picket line. Some did. Many did. But we had to keep those lines strong. So we kind of bumped up the incentive for strike pay. So we said OK it’s now into week two. But you know after you do so many hours we’re gonna pay for that. And uh I kept a line strong because our members were into this fight. And. But they needed. They knew that they were in for the fight but they also needed to have some money. So I know that we doubled up on the strike pay and I know I signed each and every one of those straight checks and uh you know sign saying every single one of them and proudly actually. And. When I think about you know the night that it all happened and we’ve been in negotiations a couple of different times with the government and we’re ready to try and calm the vessel of and we went for setting up a general strike. And we know that it’s hard to do. Everybody knows it’s hard to do. General strike is not something you can put off for off overnight. We’re in negotiations and we’re at the Hilton in Burnaby. And a lot of unions were brought together to find out where the sport was. Uh because of course everything was escalating and the teachers and everything was going on at that time. And we said you know we needed everybody’s support.

[00:36:38] You know we’re not going to go back to work unless we get a settlement. And. That’s when we had various different things that we negotiated with the government about how many cutbacks and how many closures and that was also very hard. It brought tears to my eyes when I had to go and report it out just horrible. About how many people can get laid off and oh. Just disgusting was. One of the hardest things I have ever had to do with promoting you know we we’ve got to get more and and here I am trying to talk them into saying oh this is the best we can do. But all this upheaval was happening and the teachers and us in the public sector. And we wanted to get together with the other unions and find out if we had support to pull off a general strike because it had to be all it did. And. Then the government was involved and there trying to get their turn to get us back to the table. And we did the best we could that night were there hours and hours and hours trying to negotiate trying to figure out whether or not we can do something better something different something. Creative to get the government to back off what they’re doing. And we couldn’t. And uh. So we negotiated what we thought was best that we could do. I thought how many layoffs about all the closures. And uh. That it kind of ended about midnight or so maybe a little bit later and uh. So in the morning um members were back on the picket line strong and heavy heavy and we are having the town pull the lines down. And they didn’t understand. They’re angry they’re upset they’re mad. You know. And look. This is what’s happened. This is why we did it. Does what we got is the best we could do we couldn’t mobilize an entire general strike you just couldn’t. It’s just too hard. And uh. Members got really angry really upset and they actually occupied our office and uh anyways we talked to them and we said. Had the clerk gone the other way round had that it happen at 6:00 in the morning it might have been a little easier to swallow but it happened overnight. And so when they come up to get ready on the picket line. Thing solidarity and all these you know we’ll hold the line and. Finding out that they couldn’t. And I know that I was sent over to Richmond because I lived there and they said pull down the lines pulled over lines and I’m trying to explain it to them and everybody’s angry and frustrated and screaming at me. And I said well because we can’t get any better than that. And here anyway there were system awful horrible horrible.

[00:39:31] Event to say that this is what we had to do here. And I remember saying well we’ve been out on the picket line for 10 days. I know that. Um that’s all you can do. Well yes. And at the time that’s all we could do. We negotiated the best we could. And it was just. It was the best we could do. But man was had a tough go. You know remember he said you know we’re screaming at me that you used to come up and give me a hug and a. Shake and you know they’re mad. They’re angry. We want to stay on the line. Count because we’re going to start being imposed even more fines. The fines were it they did the worst of it. They’re still going to be more layoffs more cutbacks more closures more of the rest. All of the bad stuff that was gonna be happening was going to still continue to happen. And so we had a convention that year and I was tempted not to run because I was an elected officer. And I said I’m not going to be like this. I’m just not going to see this one through. And so we kind of diverted our agenda for a convention off so we could sit down and do a one on one with our membership. And we did. And they’re still angry and really upset. And we just explained to them what happened and then they calm down a little bit but they were still hurt. You know after being on the picket line they wanted more and they didn’t get more. We weren’t able to get more. It was just a awful time. Just a terrible time. So I uh we tried to settle everything down and it never really went away. I mean the hurt was still there and people were still trying to recover from some of these bad things that had been going on but. We couldn’t do any more than that. And so I ran in that election and I won but I said the next year I left in a good position and that’s when I did retire. Because.

[00:41:40] It certainly didn’t help or hurt the people that lost their jobs. But at least Bill 29 ended up victory.

[00:41:50] When they went to court and the Supreme Court of Canada and myself and a few other officers went to a provincial executive went down to Iowa in the wintertime and I know I’ve been a Supreme Court. And it was very prim very proper very time very very precise to whatever. The judges were lined up in this last judge is not numerous judge fish. And anyway they’re you know they had counsel for their side and counsel for either side. And this counsel for the employer side. I’m sitting at the very back in the guest section and I have a water bottle in my hand and the employee side got up and was starting to explain about you know the reasons why they tore up the contract and why they ripped it up and why they think contracting it. And I told Judy Doty that I behave when I was there and I had this water bottle and I said Honest to God if this employer doesn’t shut up and start telling the truth I’m going to chuck it because you’re telling a lie. It wasn’t the truth. And I I sat there and I’m in a flaming red suit and I says You bastard. I said you know you’re lying to your teeth and you know I sighed and then went after him and he then buckled down and realized that what he said wasn’t quite true. But I was so upset and I’m I’m listening to this thing. Oh my God. Know how can you know you seem to be saying these things you know and still live to see another day. And anyway that was it the day that it went to court and then the day that we won that victory. Unbelievable. I mean I remember got some money they got some education they got some some surfers. But you know to try and distribute that I was wasn’t one of them but it was it was still the hurt was done. Yes it was a victory.

[00:43:49] Yeah it made sense to take on the government and saying you’re not allowed to do that and don’t you try again. And and and I just said you know a great victory. But again it was a huge hurt. It was just a huge hurt. But anyway the government got slapped and. And. You know to tell anybody I guess but it was the victory was was awesome. But like I said the uh the money that members were out of pocket and yes we gave them money but it wasn’t enough to cover it.

[00:44:22] And it was never enough. Now when you see how many members were affected by everything that it was done you know everything from contracting out and then you see the bumping chain. This person would bump into that and that person would bump into that. It’s like a chain reaction. So the whole hospital the facility was all up in upheaval. Are you qualified to do this. Well yes you are. So you’re going to go here and it was just terrible. So just terrible and how it affected people’s lives. People that used to work you know street shift and there is fixed. There was a mix shift and people that were just standard shift and then they got thrown on weekends and nights just because that was the only job to have. It just was you know pretty sad.

[00:45:12] It was really sad and HEU had I mean up until that point. Your members have living wages. Who did. And then after that point yeah we did.

[00:45:22] Gone it was gone and our union uh is is part of a living wage campaign as you know and uh you know we’re trying to support that but it’s really hard when you get these contracting companies that are coming in there and taking away jobs and then saying okay we’re going to hire you back but we’re going to start paying even less. And how do they do that. So it just means a kiss and a promise when you’re going through a war trying to clean it and it’s not right because they haven’t got the time they haven’t got to go. You know they haven’t got the the um well they were no longer part of the team.

[00:45:56] They wouldn’t be on the team at all because the team just was split. I mean everybody was just gone. I mean it didn’t matter. I mean people you know were. Disintegrating and you know then they couldn’t find people to work in in those positions because of working conditions and the hours were deplorable and just getting sort of into a contract that started building up their wages and then they flip on and they you know they threatened you and members who you know even know that they’re strong. There’s only so much you can go through you know. And those those those fights I remember any that might be over now.

[00:46:40] I think those days me I like the current government maybe.

[00:46:45] Yes.

[00:46:45] Oh yes the current government yes and yes. You think about what the current government has done compared to previous governments and realize that the previous government said you know the problem is that this government is now committed to. I mean it is a remarkable change. It’s actually livable.

[00:47:10] HEU did a remarkable job reorganizing over and over and over and over and over again.

[00:47:17] For him it was and it also was very difficult on the budget. You know myself as a financial officer you know. I mean how much money do we have to fight these campaigns. How much money do we have that we can sort of offer to assist the membership. And we tried and but you know just get them to you know what. And then they’d swapped contracts all over again. And. When you think about the. Contract you know the privatizing of the different services and what’s left you know I mean our union was it. Was basically everybody including trades except you except the islands but then the uh the peons went to the nurses union and so were you know you know our union was simply cut in half by the loss of the Europeans and then the contracting out was even more devastating. Obviously affected the uh uh the bank account of the Union because we had a little less lesser income. And we still had to fight fate. And I know that uh when I first got involved in the union a political education fund it was used for political fund and we’d use it for anything and everything and I said Well you know what we better start calling a strike fund and put money aside because you’re going to need some time but then later in the year and all of this was going on. When the money was being depleted music or we’re going to get the money from. Well we did. You know you know. I can’t say volunteer because we didn’t volunteer but members just stepped up and says you know we’re here today to take on the fight. And and they did they. They did very well. And the union fought very hard and we fought wisely. And we regained some of. Our steps. And to do that it you know they’ve done very very well. They’ve done well but it’s taken a long time. And again you know we’ve got a current government that is sympathetic to our year. End. Yeah. Can I say.

[00:49:37] Something. I was going to go back to a few of the interesting and more positive. Things.

[00:49:45] That HEU doing and why. One thing that I was very.

[00:49:51] Interested in your approach when you did the theatre where the play in the heart of health care health care is Heidi.

[00:49:59] Well done. Under the sanctioning of our provincial executive because we wanted to do it so that we could get the message out to our members to their families on what they do in their lives. And. How tough it is to do those kinds of jobs. And uh when I think of a heart of health care and you know the words to those songs so you know going to hand tied behind your back I mean that’s exactly what it was. Um. And you couldn’t do everything that you could but the heart of health care and that was in the days of. Um.

[00:50:39] She was a premier for a very short period time and her name is just escape me with me. And so we had a script. And it was all about Rita and the you know the guy kind of took off with the wig and put it another way. But. It was a way to bring families together to say.

[00:51:02] That the whose work counts and they did. And so a provincial executive said well we’ll do it one in every region and and then when the other members said no we’ve got to do it all over the place. So then we thought oh my god some more money or whatever but you know every time I saw that show and then the skits and the comedy and the political undertones as well I think holy you know it was it was well done. And I heard the healthcare of the song Heidi saying it was very powerful powerful and you’ll hear you start humming in a way and memories will now still chime in today and say. Oh. Lord. It was about. You. But again you know I can remember the provincial executive saying well you know we can’t just stop here we’ve got to go on them to go Oh my God we’re where we’re going to get the money. You know we’ve got to put it on in the provincial executive want to go to every single show. OK. More wages more this more that. How are we going to do all this. They said it. They called it. And we did what we did but it was if it was a funny way of putting political action into focus.

[00:52:17] And it was. And on another very positive thing. Heu created an award in your name. Yes it did. What a lovely honour.

[00:52:30] That was a true honour. No. We we get all of the resolutions and constitutional changes into ours and they get printed up exactly. Verbatim as it comes in from the local. And there is one constitutional amendment in there to put my name forward for this system Mary the plant Award and the constitutional amendments committee. They did it as a giggle. OK. They they said no. Well. Anyway the membership started started up and. How dare you do this. Why are you doing this to me. And they did it just to get people going. And the award was. Created because of the work I do with women and trying to mentor women trying to bring women into more of a focus to say you can do it. And that’s why I brought Rosie because we can do it as women we can we can be there and we can we can we can fight strong still have a family still have a jobs still have our husbands. And still do it. We need to do but a lot of women when. When I was mentoring them I’d sit and talk to me. I said well how come you can’t get involved in the executive. Well I don’t have time soon so I’ve got to take talking and so-and-so has got to go to this panel and. They said this is for you. This is not just for you. That’s gonna just stop here. You’re your family is going to help everybody because you’re going to be bettering everybody because you’re being a strong woman. And you know Mary I can never be like you and I said yes you can. And you just talk to her and just give them a bit of strength and power and freedom and then the willingness to want to go on. And you know I didn’t push me. I just wanted to get them involved because of course our unions is very strong you women about 90 percent women and 80 percent women I guess. And you know when you’re trying to say well why won’t you support women. And I’m seeing women officers and executive members nominate a man. For a job that you know Shipman quite likely given to a woman. And you know. OK. Talk about affirmative action. Talk about pay equity and work for equal pay work for equal value. I got all those reasons. You know what. Women are their own worst enemies. I mean they just don’t want to sort of take on those two goes on my husband like it. You know what sometimes you need to do it for you. My husband at the time that I was married to my job and as you probably are. And I said I’m quite proud of that actually. I mean. I walked away from him. But you know I just didn’t like what was happening to my son with him. But. You know I’ve gotten power to. To stand up for what I believed in. I got other women to stand up for what they believed in. And you know if you do that you you’re not just saying words you can make those words come true. And you know to become a woman in. Today’s standards you need to fight because uh you know women haven’t got the same rights as others and.

[00:56:04] Haven’t got the same pay as men. And uh in fact I think I’d heard the other day about the soccer baseball or something that they were. The women were being paid less than the men for winning and I said Well where did that come from. And so I’m I’m thinking that you know women have strong voices and those voices just need to be heard. And we need to help them bring out those strengths and. Some of those weaknesses aside. So I’ve always mentored women have always tried to help them along. And when I was presented to them it did go to the floor and it did pass of course I was honoured clearly and absolutely honoured to have a name award in my name because of my mentoring of women. But it’s something I believed in. And if you believe in something stronger if you’re going to fight for it than I did. It was. Very strong. And.

[00:57:03] That took you up to 2006 but you haven’t exactly been sitting around doing nothing since you so-called retired. Well um I sit on Pacific Blue Cross board and uh. Um have for quite a number of years and I sit on the investment lending and uh. Um and the audit.

[00:57:27] In the foundation board. Uh yeah. That’s all there. And then I also sit on that community Savings Credit Union Board which is a unions credit union. That’s what our or our motto was a slogan. Our unions come in and they protest protested on that board. And I was kind of selected even though it’s an elected board I was selected to put my name forward. And I’m very focussed on those two boards. But during that one time on blue cross border was a strike. To keep KP staff and I supported that could be strike uh completely but I couldn’t go and walk a picket line because we were under charges that were brought forward to us on us. Because myself and six other union directors were named in a lawsuit to say that we had an unwarranted unwelcomed unwanted meeting. And it wasn’t a meeting it was a conference call to try and find out how we can settle the strike because the information that we’re being fed. By the CEO and I don’t mind saying the then CEO wasn’t accurate and he caused the strike and the strike was an awful strike. And it was just caused also to tension and. Morale was down and you know it when you think about BlueCross it’s not for profit. They should have ever been into that kind of a situation. Never ever. And we couldn’t stand up for ourselves because we had to go and get a lawyer because of all these charges they wanted to uh not allow us to vote on anything to do with a collective agreement. And uh we fought it and won. Thank the Lord. Um in Blue Cross we thought that they had to pay for the lawyer fees but I had to sit on the other side of that table and it wasn’t a nice feeling. And uh two years ago or a year and a year ago now um my term was up for re-election and I went to the chair of the Kibby local. And I said uh. Uh do you want me here. And I said uh I need to know because I said if you don’t want me here I won’t put my name forward because. My term is up this term. And so anyway she got back to me she says I’m welcome. And so I ran and I won and uh I will still sit on that board as long as they want me because I do believe in it and it keeps me busy. Uh I enjoyed doing what I’m doing. Um being with uh you know all of the communities at the foundation. Because again the foundation helps people as well uh give money to different organizations for you know further work on the you or for others organization. But the were coming was a big one. Um I mean the credit union. And uh and I was sitting in my strata council. Um and then I dig to the books for a seniors organization. Uh volunteering. Um yeah. Kept me busy. And then I went to work for a printing company where my. It. Is. Completely out of the blue. And so I just go in there when they needed help and 62 and a murder there were six in the morning due to the new base here. And you know I love them and they love me in the end. The company went into receivership. And my husband was a tradesman. So he went somewhere else. Long story short so that I could I wanted to do something so now I work at a printing company. Just two days a week keeping it just something to do during the day so I work Tuesday two days a week doing quality control for a large printing company here in Burnaby. So we are keeping busy. I like it.

[01:01:22] You’ve got quite an interesting working life haven’t you.

[01:01:26] I’ve loved it. I’ve loved it. I mean you know there there’s some some days that you know you can chew nails and spit roast but you know these most days that are really really rewarding. And I saved a lot of my retirement cards.

[01:01:43] I saved them all. And I read them when you asked me to come today and I was reading them. People said thank you for remembering my name. And thank you for your fight on this. And thank you for this. And I fought back and I really did all those things and it wasn’t work it wasn’t hard. You know. I’d try and get members more mobilized in the front of a picket line and you know trying to get the members to come and join me on their own on the line and you know. Come start chat with me and it’s cause a little ruckus and they really were there and the members gave me strength for sure. I know that. When you’re trying to crunch numbers all the time and hey thank God members you know you you’ve taken a beating so much how can I help. So I’d say OK I’m going up to visit a local. And that’s exactly what I do and they give me a lot of strength and a lot of solidarity and a lot of willpower to continue on with what I was doing.

[01:02:49] And it was very worthwhile and I do it all over again all over again today if I did that. It was rewarding. For sure. So. I don’t know if there’s anything else I can add to you. I think that’s fantastic.