Interviewed by Rod Mickleburgh Henry van der Wiel first came to Prince Rupert in 1963 to work on a fish boat, and relocated permanently in 1966. He eventually bought his own gillnetter. When he became a member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) he had never belonged […]
Interviewed by Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta In this 1.5 hr conversation, Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta interview Joy Thorkelson. Joy is a resident of Prince Rupert and held positions as organizer and president of the UFAWU (United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union). Joy describes how she came to Prince […]
Interviewed by Patricia Wejr Mary LaPlante was introduced to unions when she worked at a fish plant as a summer job. She later worked at the Prince Rupert Hospital where most staff were unionized, but not the administrative staff where she worked. Mary organized them into the Hospital Employees’ Union […]
Interviewed by Rod Mickleburgh September 6, 2019 Arnie Nagy has Haida heritage on the maternal side of his family, and grew up in Prince Rupert. He worked in the fish canneries and was an active UFAWU member. He recalls the years when the fishing industry was booming on the north […]
Carpenters in Aprons, Metalworkers in Tin Hats and Morticians in Black by Donna Sacuta, BCLHC Executive Director Underlying Racism Excluded Many Parades – particularly Labour Day parades – were big attractions in the early years of British Columbia. While a venue for unionized workers to assert their place in society […]