Search the Collection
Our labour history resources are open to all. Explore articles, historical documents, videos, teaching plans, and lots more.
Search by word or phrase
Or filter by resource type
Video
The interview covers David Yorke's participation in two pivotal legal challenges, as well as the various labour history projects he has been involved in since his retirement. Two prior interviews by the BC Teachers’ Federation History Project Group cover his...Historical materials
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada has been successfully representing working people in British Columbia since 1948.Audio
Harry Haywood Woodside’s (1890-1973) first work experience was in building the Lake Buntzen diversion tunnel at Coquitlam in 1909. His next job was a miner at Britannia Mine, where he joined the Western Federation of Miners. While at Britannia Mine...Audio
Jack Henderson (1880-1968) was a labour activist and community leader in Vancouver, Canada. Henderson discusses his long involvement in the labour movement, starting when he joined the Amalgamated Society of Railroad Servants in England in 1896. He describes his experiences...Audio
Jack Hanson provides a detailed account of the early history of the Rossland Miners Union (Western Federation of Miners, Local 38) in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Hanson arrived in Rossland in 1899, one year after the union...Audio
John David (Jack) Harrington (1879 – 1970), recounts his long history with the labour and socialist movements in North America, starting with his arrival in Canada around 1904. The interview was conducted in the 1960s by the BC Federation of...Audio
William Arthur (Bill) Pritchard (1888-1981) was a major figure in BC labour and politics. Born in England, Pritchard came to BC at the age of 23. He edited and wrote for The Western Clarion and was active in the Socialist...Video
In this interview Blair Redlin recounts his extensive experience in the labour movement and public service. He was raised in Calgary and attended the University of Calgary in the late 1970s. He studied political science and was involved in student...Video
Stephanie Smith was the first elected woman president of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) in its over 100-year history, holding the post from from 2014 to 2024. Born in Canada and educated in New Zealand, Stephanie attended teacher’s college...Video
In this interview conducted by Sean Griffin, Vi (Violet) Cordoni describes her history of singing for her community. Vi was born in 1938 in Drumheller, Alberta to Hungarian-Canadian parents. She describes her Hungarian family’s experience of immigrating and then having...Video
Irene Lanzinger grew up in Kelowna, B.C. She studied physics at the University of British Columbia and worked as a meteorologist before becoming a teacher. She taught in Japan, Saudi Arabia, Abbotsford, and Vancouver. Irene’s union activism with B.C. Teachers’...Video
Colin was born in northern England in 1940. His working-class consciousness developed at an early age. At 16, he apprenticed as a shipwright and during his apprenticeship participated in a short strike. Colin’s father died in the war, but his...Video
Fred Wilson recounts his life and work in the labour movement, including his early involvement with the Young Communist League, his time as a labour reporter at the Pacific Tribune, his role in the Operation Solidarity movement, and his work...Video
Sucha Singh Deepak was born in 1948 in Punjab, India and immigrated to Canada in 1970, where he worked in lumber mills in Quesnel, B.C. and Fort St. James, B.C. This interview was conducted by Dr. George Davison on Dec...Article
Ken Johnstone made a point of attending the annual Ironworkers Bridge Memorial on each anniversary of its deadly collapse. He was a humble man who would stand quietly at the back. Like many in Vancouver, Johnstone couldn’t forget June 17,...Booklet
Historian Janet Nicol reconstructs the events leading up to the tragic airplane crash that killed 23 workers in 1951.Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in the Bowen Road Cemetery, 555 Bowen Road, Nanaimo. It is immediately west of the maintenance facility. It was developed with the support of the Nanaimo Historical Society and the BC Building Trades Council. It...Audio
For most of the 20th century, garment workers (mostly women) sewed, pressed and wove fabric on factory assembly lines throughout the Lower Mainland, before the domestic industry began to decline with globalization. This episode of On the Line features an...Video
Barbara Stevens grew up in a fishing community on the Fraser River in British Columbia. Her father, Homer Stevens, was a leader in the fishing industry and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Barbara shares stories from her...Video
A poignant tribute to the four carpenters who tragically lost their lives in the Bentall IV tower construction accident in downtown Vancouver on January 7, 1981. The video highlights the victims, the accident, the aftermath and legacy.Video
Produced by the United Steelworkers, a full decade before asbestos was banned in Canada, the video "Asbestos: The Silent Killer" discusses the harmful effects of asbestos exposure on workers, particularly those from the Trail, BC smelter.Video
Produced by the BC Federation of Labour Health and Safety Centre, this video describes the history behind the April 28 Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job, which began in Canada and is now observed around...Video
This 24-minute video documents the widespread unemployment and economic hardship experienced in Canada, particularly in British Columbia, during the Great Depression.Video
This 10-minute video features poignant interviews with workers who survived the catastrophic collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge (now the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge) in 1958. They recount the harrowing moments of the disaster, detailing the sounds, the immediate chaos, and...Video
Jack Munro (1931-2013), a prominent BC union figure, shares his life's journey and career, highlighting his dedicated work in championing workers' rights and enhancing workplace safety within the forest industry.Video
Clay Perry (1934-2015) was passionate about preserving and promoting BC labour history. In 1988 he recorded humourous segments for a television program produced by the BC Federation of Labour titled "BC at Work" that presented issues from the perspective of...Video
This video tells the life story of Lloyd O'Brien. After losing his leg in an industrial accident at 18, Lloyd recognized the critical need for proper emergency medical care, leading him to become a part-time ambulance driver.Video
This 13-minute video chronicles the evolution of safety measures in British Columbia's fishing industry, highlighting the significant challenges and eventual improvements in working conditions for fishers.Video
In 1981, teachers in Terrace, British Columbia, went on a six-day strike, at a time when the right to strike had not yet been achieved. Local teacher associations primarily negotiated wages, with unresolved issues going to binding arbitration; working conditions...Video
Verna Ledger got her first job in 1953 at a plywood mill in New Westminster, BC. She found the working conditions challenging due to the noise, dust, and strong chemical smells from resins that caused breathing difficulties.Video
This 27-minute video chronicles the immense challenges faced by the BC Government Employees’ Union (BCGEU) in the previous decade when public sector unions were under attack from neo-liberal policies of government.Video
This 8-minute video tells the story of the one-day strike by Surrey teachers in 1974 that had a profound effect on public education across the province. With less than 24-hours notice, over 1,000 teachers left their classrooms, travelled to the...Video
This 11-minute video provides a comprehensive overview of the history of the fishing industry in British Columbia, focusing on the evolution of health and safety for shoreworkers.Video
Dire working conditions and unfair treatment fueled a movement to advocate for BC farmworkers’ rights in the 1970s, soon becoming the Canadian Farmworkers Union, a first in Canada.Video
In 2002, BC’s Liberal provincial government broke its promise to healthcare workers by tearing up their collective agreements, paving the way for widespread contracting-out and privatization in health care. This video is part of our Labour Heritage Moments series.Video
In the 1940s, British Columbia's sawmills and logging camps were marked by racial division and discriminatory policies targeting workers of Chinese, Japanese, and South Asian descent, often supported by the labour movement at the time. The International Woodworkers of America...Video
Asbestos is the leading cause of death in today’s workplace. Because diseases such as mesothelioma and asbestosis can take decades to appear, it will continue to be a killer for many more years. This video is part of our Labour...Teaching materials
"Youth, Unions, and You: A Secondary Teacher’s Guide to Labour Studies for BC Schools” (2001) is a resource guide developed as a joint project by the BC Teachers’ Federation and the BC Federation of Labour, with financial backing from the...Teaching materials
This video series offers a comprehensive look into the evolution of workplace health and safety in British Columbia. Designed for audiences such as secondary students and those undergoing union orientation, the focus is on individual workers’ stories and tragic events.Teaching materials
These teaching materials are a case study on workplace health and safety, focusing on two sawmill explosions in British Columbia: Babine Forest Products in Burns Lake and Lakeland Mill in Prince George.Teaching materials
These teaching materials are designed for Social Studies 10 and Social Justice 12, addressing the essential question of challenges women face in unionizing compared to men and how these circumstances have evolved. View Steam Laundries Strike Teaching Materials (PDF)Teaching materials
This teaching resource serves as a curriculum application for Social Studies 9, aiming to illuminate the crucial role Indigenous workers played in British Columbia's early economy.Video
Ginger Goodwin's murder is a cornerstone of BC's labour history, resonating for over a century. Goodwin is remembered as BC’s first labour martyr, a leader who took a principled stand against a war he didn't believe in, advocating instead for...Video
The story of the "Bows and Arrows" Indigenous longshoremen is a prominent part of BC's labour history. A significant portion of British Columbia's early workforce until the late 19th century was Indigenous, excelling in various physically demanding jobs including mining,...Video
In the 1960s, court injunctions became a prevalent tactic used by employers to control labour. This led to frequent jailings of union leaders for defying these injunctions. Sean Griffin humorously recounts a common anecdote of a judge granting an injunction...Video
A deeply personal story is set against a broader historical backdrop of asbestos use and its devastating consequences in Canada. The video implicitly and explicitly touches on a historical narrative that explains why Dave Ford, and so many others became...Video
In this 7-minute video, retired logger Al Lundgren shares his experiences and contributions to health and safety in the logging industry. Al began his career in the woods in 1962, where he notes the initial lack of formal safety training.Video
A tribute to Sarbjit Sidhu, Amarjeet Kaur Bal, and Sukhwinder Kaur Punia, who tragically died in a van accident on March 7, 2007. The crash, which occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway in British Columbia, involved a van carrying 17 farmworkers.Teaching materials
The material begins by establishing the fundamental question of why unions are needed, using interviews with contemporary individuals and historical oral accounts to introduce the idea of collective action. It then delves into the harsh realities faced by early workers...Video
Created in 2013, this video chronicles the history of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in British Columbia (BC).Video
Using archival images and personal stories, this 26-minute video discusses the historical struggles and ongoing importance of unions in BC. It highlights the deplorable working conditions workers faced before unions, including child labor, extremely long hours, low wages, and dangerous...Video
In 1983, the British Columbia Social Credit government announced the closure of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops, BC, a facility housing over 300 residents with developmental disabilities, as part of a broader cut in social services. This video is part...Video
The Great Depression of the 1930s severely impacted British Columbia, leading to a widespread economic collapse and mass unemployment across Canada. Many young men traveled to the West Coast, seeking refuge from the hardship in the milder climate. This video...Video
In 1987, the Social Credit government in British Columbia introduced a new Labour Code that significantly impacted the labour movement. The new Code abolished the Labour Relations Board, replacing it with an Industrial Relations Council that held extensive authority to...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at Barnet Marine Park, 8181 Barnet Rd, Burnaby, BC. It was developed with the support of the City of Burnaby Community Heritage Commission. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located inside the CUPE Local 15 office, 545 West 10th Ave, Vancouver BC. It was developed with the support of CUPE Local 15. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at Quayside Park in New Westminster, BC. It was developed with the support of the Canadian Nautical Research Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the corner of Mt. Seymour Parkway and Northlands Dr. in North Vancouver, BC. It was developed with the support of the Deep Cove Heritage Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Terrace Sportsplex, 3320 Kalum St, Terrace, BC. It was developed with the support of the Terrace District Teachers’ Union. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Surrey Teachers’ Association office, 9030 King George Blvd, Surrey BC. It was developed with the support of the Surrey Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Langley Teachers’ Association office, 5786 Glover Road, Langley BC. It was developed with the support of the Langley Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the New Westminster Secondary School Library at 835 8th St. New Westminster, BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC Retired Teachers’ Association. The...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located inside the CUPE 2950 office at UBC, 6253 NW Marine Dr., Vancouver, BC. It was developed with the support of CUPE 2950 - UBC Support Staff. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located inside the Armstrong Spallumcheen Museum, 3415 Pleasant Valley Rd., Armstrong, BC. It was developed with the support of the City of Armstrong. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located along Dewdney Trunk Road at 248 Street in Maple Ridge, BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Federation of Labour. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond...Teaching materials
Designed for secondary students and union orientation classes, this case study guides participants to identify occupational health and safety concerns at the Stave Lake Quarry leading to the untimely death of a new and inexperienced worker.Teaching materials
Designed for secondary students and union orientation classes, this case study provides a historical perspective on asbestos exposure in British Columbia. Participants are encouraged to consider the ongoing dangers of asbestos for workers and their families and to discuss the...Teaching materials
This unit was developed for BC’s Social Justice 12 course by the Labour History Project, a partnership between the Labour Heritage Centre and the BC Teachers’ Federation with additional support from the BC Federation of Labour and the SFU Labour...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located outside the Kaatza Station Museum at 125 Southshore Rd, Lake Cowichan, BC. It was developed with the support of the Hari Sharma Foundation and the Kaatza Historical Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze,...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located outside the BCGEU office at 151 Oriole Rd, Kamloops, BC. It was developed with the support of BCGEU. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which has operated since 1928....Plaque
This bronze plaque is located on the Main St. overpass near E Waterfront Road in Vancouver, BC. It was developed with the support of the On to Ottawa Historical Society, which merged into the BC Labour Heritage Centre in 2018....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...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located in Burnaby BC, along the Central Valley Greenway near where the incident occurred. It was developed with the support of the City of Burnaby. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in...Historical materials
This collection includes textual materials, photographs, meeting minutes, correspondence, newsletters, circulars and briefs covering the period of 1931 to 1974. The union’s full name is the Brotherhood of Painters, Decorators & Paperhangers of America Local 138.Historical materials
This collection contains records of the Journeymen Barbers' International Union Locals 120 and 372, primarily consisting of bound minute books from Vancouver Local 120, beginning in 1903.Historical materials
The Jim Young BCLHC Union Pin Collection began with a sizable donation in 2005. Young was a well-known sports writer, Burnaby city councillor, and for 23 years a union activist in The Newspaper Guild, serving many terms as Local President.Historical materials
The Hanne Jensen Fonds is a collection of records collected by Jensen between 1983 and 1984, when she played a central role in the Operation Solidarity movement in BC as a defender of human rights. Access to this collection requires...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Barriere Bandshell, on Barriere Township Rd. It was developed with the support of the Lower North Thompson Community Forest Society. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized foundry in Richmond which...Historical materials
The Daniel McLeod Fonds dates from 1976 to 1980 and consists of McLeod’s research, conducted as a student at Simon Fraser University (SFU), primarily focused on the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the organization Teamsters for a Democratic Union.Historical materials
The fonds documents the activities of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Pacific Regional Office. It includes 134 photographs dating from 1953 to 1994, as well as Convention Reports. A significant portion of the materials feature the CLC annual Winter School.Historical materials
Christine Micklewright was an officer of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) Union. A significant portion of the collection relates to her involvement in a 1992 whistleblowing complaint against Japan Airlines (JAL) concerning the practice of racial profiling of passengers.Historical materials
The Bill Shukalak fonds, dating from 1950 to 1990, comprising 166 photographs and various ephemera. Bill Shukalak was a union member who worked in construction camps across British Columbia and Alberta. He was proud of his work and shared stories...Historical materials
The Patsy George fonds comprises textual records dating from 1977 to 1984. The collection documents the activities of Patsy George, a social worker who was terminated from her position with the Province of British Columbia due to the 1983 provincial...Historical materials
Ray Gardiner spent most of his life in Prince Rupert, BC, having arrived during World War II to find work at the shipyards. His union work was mainly in the United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union, serving as northern organizer...Historical materials
The Ray Whitehead Fonds contains items spanning the years 1973 to 1987. Whitehead's union career included time with the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union (BCFMWU), the BC Government Employees' Union (BCGEU) and most notably, the Canadian Union of Public...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at South Park School in Victoria, BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC Retired Teachers’ Association. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the former location of King Edward High School at Oak St. and 12th Ave. in Vancouver BC. It was developed with the support of the BC Teachers’ Federation, the BOAG Foundation, and the BC...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the BCGEU Area 11 office at 500 Quebec St., Prince George, BC It was developed with the support of Unifor Local 2301 and the Kitimat, Terrace and District Labour Council. The plaque was cast...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at the Unifor Local 2301 office at 235 Enterprise Ave, Kitimat, BC It was developed with the support of Unifor Local 2301 and the Kitimat, Terrace and District Labour Council. The plaque was cast at...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located on the Miners’ Walk at Fernie City Hall, 501-3rd Ave., Fernie BC It was developed with the support of the United Steelworkers and the East Kootenay District Labour Council, and was unveiled on September 16,...Plaque
This bronze plaque is located at 1777 Third Avenue, Prince George, BC It was developed with the support of the United Steelworkers Local 1-2017, and was unveiled on December 13, 2016. The plaque was cast at Ornamental Bronze, a unionized...Historical materials
The Stuart Hodgson Fonds is a collection of historical records held by the BC Labour Heritage Centre consisting of union newspapers and labour pamphlets dating from 1948 to 1952.Historical materials
The Ron Johnson fonds contains textual records, ephemera, and other items dating from 1959 to 1989, reflecting Johnson’s research and communications career within labour organizations.Historical materials
The Lardeau Eagle was founded in 1900 by Parm Pettipiece in Ferguson, BC. Pettipiece was one of the founders of Socialist Party of Canada and frequently published his views in the newspaper, including his support for women’s enfranchisement. Visit the...Historical materials
The Labor Statesman was a significant newspaper dedicated to labor unity and a higher standard of living for workers. Affordable at just five cents per copy or a dollar for a 20-week subscription, the newspaper aimed to reach a broad...Historical materials
Founder and leader of the Socialist Party of Canada, E.T. Kingsley edited the Labor Star in Vancouver in 1919. Richard Parmeter Pettipiece was the newspaper’s manager. Its offices were in the Dominion Building in Vancouver BC. Visit the Labor Star...Historical materials
The Industrial World newspaper was published in Rossland, BC from 1899 to 1901. It was the weekly predecessor to The Rossland Evening World. Visit The Industrial World digital archive (external link).Historical materials
These two key newspapers were published in the United States, and were widely read in British Columbia where the IWW had a presence in organizing in several key industries. Visit the Industrial Union Bulletin & Industrial Worker digital archive (external...Historical materials
The Hospital Employees' Union's newsletter was launched as a mimeographed publication in 1950 and then reborn as the Hospital Guardian in 1958. The name was chosen after the Manchester Guardian in the United Kingdom. Visit The Guardian digital archive (external...Historical materials
The Fisherman bi-weekly newspaper documents shore workers and other labourers working in the fishing industry. Canneries, Indigenous peoples, commercial fishing activities, equipment, and processes, union and alliance meetings and demonstrations, protests, and other aspects of the fishing industry in British...Historical materials
The Rossland Evening World was a four-page daily newspaper established on May Day 1901 in Rossland, BC, dedicated to supporting mine workers in the Kootenays. It was one of Western Canada's first daily labor newspapers, owned by Local 38 of...Historical materials
On the Level began as a mimeographed publication in 1961, published by the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, Local 452 in Vancouver, BC. Visit the On the Level digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The Pacific Tribune, was a consistent source of reporting and analysis of labour movements and people's struggles in British Columbia. Originally established by the Communist Party of Canada as the BC Workers’ News in 1935, the newspaper began publishing under...Historical materials
Project News was a publication of the Relief Project Workers' Union (RPWU) The RPWU was successor to the Relief Camp Workers' Union, a creation of the Workers' Unity League which had led the 1935 strike that culminated in the On-to-Ottawa...Historical materials
The Collected Materials Fonds, spanning from 1913 to 2016, includes items donated to the BC Labour Heritage Centre over its existence. The Fonds contains a diverse array of records related to the labour movement in British Columbia.Historical materials
The Art Kube fonds includes newspaper clippings, flyers, leaflets, research papers, legislation, briefs, speaking notes, press releases, personal notes, photographs, and documents pertaining to Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition.Historical materials
The Art Gruntman [Grundmann] fonds offers a valuable glimpse into the history of labour activism and the pulp and paper industry in British Columbia. Gruntman, who rode the rails from Alberta to Vancouver in the 1940s, became a prominent figure...Historical materials
Andy Neufeld has authored books on the history of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union and the International Woodworkers of America.Historical materials
Allen Seager is a retired professor at Simon Fraser University. His research interests include Canada, Western Canada, and Labour History, specializing in the history of the coal industry; coal mning communities in Western Canada; Canadian Railway History, Canadian Labour and...Historical materials
Alice was a BC union pioneer who paved a better path for working women, mostly as a formidable force within the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). In 1979, she became the first woman National Director for BC, Yukon and...Historical materials
Newsletters produced by the Labour History Provincial Specialist Association of the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) between 1977 and 1982 are digitized. They contain valuable articles and lesson ideas for classroom teachers. View issues of Labour History Association newsletters. Labour History...Historical materials
The Red Flag was launched by the Socialist Party of Canada (SPC) in 1918 when The Western Clarion was banned by the government. The ban was lifted in 1920. Visit The Red Flag digital archive (external link).Historical materials
This item is a single issue of Federation News and Views dated December 12, 1952, Vancouver, BC, a publication of the Federation of Telephone Workers (FTW), a significant labour union in British Columbia, originally chartered in 1944.Historical materials
The Western Clarion was a pivotal publication in Canadian labour and socialist history. From 1903 to its final issue in 1925, it served as the official organ of the Socialist Party of Canada, offering a unique window into the revolutionary...Historical materials
The Waterfront Worker was a newsletter published by an anonymous group of rank and file longshoremen from 1932-1936 which galvanized support for the new militant unionism on the waterfront.Historical materials
The Voice of the Federation was the newspaper for the Maritime Federation of the Pacific, a consortium of unions that formed in the wake of the 1934 Pacific Coast waterfront and maritime strikes. The paper briefly served as the official...Historical materials
The Dispatcher has been the essential lifeline for members of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) since 1942. It is the trusted source for ILWU news, information, and a unified voice during a pivotal time for the ILWU.Booklet
This handbook compiles advice from multiple sources into a usable document for smaller organizations seeking to preserve their historic records.Booklet
This document provides a comprehensive bibliography and resource guide for the "On to Ottawa Trek" and related events during Canada's Great Depression. It was compiled by David Yorke for the On to Ottawa Historical Society prior to its merger with...Booklet
"The March to Ballantyne Pier" by Janet Mary Nicol, provides a detailed account of a pivotal event in Vancouver's labour history: the longshoremen's strike and the subsequent violent confrontation at Ballantyne Pier on June 18, 1935.Historical materials
Solidarity Times published nine editions between October and December 1983. The newspaper was financed by Operation Solidarity and the BC Teachers’ Federation. It also published paid advertisements from a variety of unions and businesses. At its peak it sold 3,000...Historical materials
BC District Union News was published by the BC, Yukon and Northwest Territories locals of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The union was often referred to as "Mine Mill." Visit the District News digital archive (external...Historical materials
District 18 organized and negotiated collective agreements in the coalfields of BC, Alberta, and Saskatchewan and had a membership of 6,000. The District Ledger, the newspaper of United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) District 18 was founded by Frank Sherman,...Historical materials
The Commentator was the official organ of the Trail and District Smelter Workers, Local 480 International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Union (IUMM&SWU). The newspaper was published in Trail, BC between November 1938 and December 1954. Visit The Commentator...Historical materials
The Canadian Farmer-Labor Advocate was published weekly in Vancouver, BC between 1925 and 1926. It began publishing after the British Columbia Federationist folded. Farmer-labour movements were growing and challenging the existing economic and social order. Visit the Canadian Farmer-Labor Advocate...Historical materials
The British Columbia Labor News was the official organ of the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council (VTLC) and its affiliated unions in 1921 and 1922. The masthead established itself as being "Devoted to the interests of the international labor movement.”...Historical materials
Originally started in 1907 by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council as the Western Wage Earner, the British Columbia Federationist was a weekly labor newspaper published in Vancouver, BC. Visit the British Columbia Federationist digital archive (external link).Historical materials
The BC Trades Unionist was a newspaper published by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council (VTLC) in 1908 and 1909. It served as an important voice for the organized labor movement in Vancouver during a period of significant activity. Visit...Historical materials
The BC Teachers' Federation has produced a regular publication each school year since 1919 to highlight news, events and stories relevant to BC teachers and their profession. The title and format of the newspaper has changed over time. Visit the...Historical materials
The Lumber Worker collection comprises digitized newspapers from 1938-2006, published by the International Woodworkers of America (IWA), the most prominent forestry union in Western Canada. Visit The Lumber Worker digital archive (external link).Booklet
This booklet describes the history of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 15 in Vancouver, BC. The union began as the Vancouver City Hall Employees' Association (VCHEA) in 1918. Over the decades VCHEA expanded its scope to include...Booklet
An explosion at the No. 3 Mine at Coal Creek, BC on April 5, 1917 instantly killed all 34 men working underground. The disaster profoundly affected the community. Investigations into the cause of the explosion yielded no clear explanation, and...Booklet
This booklet chronicles the significant contributions of Charles Howard Webb (1896-1977) to the labour movement in Prince George and the Interior region of British Columbia. Webb began his career as a sawmill worker.Booklet
The document, "Canada's First Teachers' Strike: Victoria 1919," by Tony F. Arruda, details the historic two-day teachers' strike in Victoria, British Columbia, in February 1919. On Monday, February 10, 1919, 169 teachers from the Victoria and District Teachers' Association (VDTA)...Booklet
This 640-acre area was a military training ground, then a Great Depression relief camp, later Vancouver’s main training facility during World War II. The Blair Rifle Range is now an unsafe urban wasteland.Booklet
In 1981, Terrace public school teachers participated in a six-day strike that significantly contributed to the BC teachers' struggle for full collective bargaining rights, which were not officially achieved until 1987. The strike, considered "illegal" at the time, was prompted...Booklet
The "Langley Affair" of 1939-1940 details a significant struggle by Langley teachers, primarily women, to enforce an arbitrated salary award against their school board. This event is a key part of the history of BC teachers' quest for full bargaining...Booklet
This booklet explains the reasons for New Westminster teachers' strike in 1921, its impact on students, parents and schools, the outcome and its relevance to the history of bargaining rights for teachers province-wide.Booklet
Darshan Singh Canadian was an organizer for the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) in BC from 1941-1947 working to overcome fear and misconceptions about unions among South Asian workers.Booklet
A devastating coal dust explosion while the SS Queen of the Pacific was being loaded with coal in Nanaimo, BC on July 29, 1886 caused the deaths of 9 longshoremen and seamen. The immediate suspect for the blast was highly...Booklet
In 1974, the Association of University & College Employees (AUCE) Local 1 at the University of British Columbia (UBC) made Canadian history by securing fully funded maternity leave in their first collective agreement.Booklet
This booklet examines the explosion on board the SS Green Hill Park, a Canadian merchant vessel, in Vancouver, BC harbour in 1945, killing two seamen and six longshoremen, and the Inquiry in the aftermath.Booklet
This booklet delves into the 1931 Barnet Millworkers' Strike, offering a detailed account of the labour dispute that unfolded at the Barnet Lumber Company in Burnaby, BC. It examines the working conditions and wage reductions that led 360 workers to...Booklet
This booklet describes the details of a landmark one-day strike by the Surrey Teachers’ Association in 1974. With just 48-hours notice, 1,000 teachers voted to take their dispute with the Surrey School Board to the legislature in Victoria.Booklet
This booklet discusses the dire economic period of the 1930s in Canada, and the critical social crisis that emerged with widespread unemployment. As a response, the government established remote Relief Camps where single, unemployed men were forced to work for...Booklet
A strike by longshore workers in 1935 was a show of solidarity with other waterfront unions in Vancouver, Powell River, and Port Alberni in response to the Shipping Federation's refusal to negotiate.Booklet
Joe Naylor (1872-1946) was an often-overlooked but profoundly influential figure in British Columbia's labour history, remembered as a radical union leader and a committed socialist.Booklet
A work train carrying Japanese labourers derailed near Burnaby Lake, BC, on November 28, 1909 resulting in a devastating loss of life. The unheated boxcar, carrying 43 passengers, plunged into a ravine after the ground beneath the tracks washed away...Booklet
"Grant's Law," tells the story of Grant De Patie, a 24-year-old gas station attendant who was killed in March 2005 during a "gas-and-dash" incident in Maple Ridge, BC. Grant was struck and dragged to his death after attempting to record...Teaching materials
This comprehensive educational resource explores the origins and evolution of the labour movement in British Columbia during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The lesson examines the working conditions, struggles, and achievements of workers during this period, highlighting key events...Teaching materials
Out of the loss of her husband to an occupational-related illness came one woman’s crusade for change. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Audio
In this episode we tell the story of the "conductorettes" - the women who worked as streetcar conductors in Vancouver during World War II when many men were overseas fighting fascism. The conductorettes were part of a strong union: the...Teaching materials
Through the story of Won Alexander Cumyow, this film explores the history and early experiences of Chinese Canadians in British Columbia and examines how Won Alexander Cumyow’s struggle to win the right to vote was connected to a wider struggle...Teaching materials
The images of talented logging and working life photographer Wilmer Gold provide a powerful record of the lives of Vancouver Island’s loggers and fallers. This film captures the challenges he faced in documenting their lives. How effective is photography in...Teaching materials
Named after the famous song written by IWW singer and activist, Joe Hill, this film is inspired by his words and IWW organizing efforts amongst railway workers in the interior of BC. What values, if any, do you or our...Teaching materials
Highlights the 1912-1914 Big Strike in Vancouver Island coal mines where miners and mine owners clashed over worker safety. The film highlights the methods used by both sides to resolve the conflict including the use of police, militia and violent...Teaching materials
An historical look at female telephone operators in British Columbia and some of their early activism with specific reference to the first strike in the Canadian telephone industry. What role did the women operators play in the success of the...Teaching materials
A short profile on Ethel Johns, an important figure in the history of nursing in British Columbia. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
Referencing the pre-existing economy prior to colonization, this film powerfully places in context the significant role that BC First Nations played in the establishment and prosperity of British Columbia. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
In 1983, Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition came together in response to a series of proposed bills by the Social Credit government to stage the largest protest in the province’s history. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Video
Produced by Barna-Alper Productions, this documentary tells the story of the 1983 Solidarity protests in BC. The film follows the mobilization of the Operation Solidarity Coalition, as labour and community groups joined against the Social Credit government's austerity budget and...Teaching materials
During the Great Depression, unemployed men took to the rails, with the intention of arriving en masse in Ottawa. While they did not reach their destination, this protest lives on in memory. Students are introduced to the economic and political...Teaching materials
The story of company towns and their unique role and legacy in the economic and social fabric of the province, with a specific focus on the west coast town of Ocean Falls. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Teaching materials
‘Dunsmuir’ is an infamous name in British Columbia, particularly related to coal mines on Vancouver Island, this film presents a snapshot of working in Dunsmuir-run coal mines in the 19th century. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans...Teaching materials
An important and often unknown story of the town of Paldi, located on Vancouver Island, and the history of Indo-Canadian workers in BC’s forest industry. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
The life and images of early photographer Mattie Gunterman, both capture the lives as lived by ordinary and pioneering peoples in British Columbia. Her extraordinary life turns on its head the preconceived notions of woman’s work of that time. How...Teaching materials
Rutledge was a pioneer in Canadian aviation, setting up an all female “Flying Seven” Club in Vancouver. Useful as a case study of the gendered division of labour and summarizes historical obstacles facing women as commercial pilots. This episode is...Teaching materials
This film captures pieces of working life at North Vancouver’s Burrard Dry Dock during WWII, when women entered the workforce in previously unheard-of numbers. Students will explore the role of women in wartime industry, the effect of the wartime production...Teaching materials
This film highlights the work undertaken by Helena Gutteridge, a tailor, suffragette, politician and advocate for working-class women. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
Gold Rushes attracted people from around the world to British Columbia. Although hopes were high, very few struck it rich. How did the Gold Rush affect the development of British Columbia? See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans...Teaching materials
This film looks at an important figure in BC labour history whose life and death continue to cause debate today. Ginger Goodwin’s early activism started in the coal mines of Vancouver Island and continued with the smelter workers of Trail...Teaching materials
In the 1970s, more women entered into the workforce and sought ways to become organized. One union that formed in British Columbia—the Service, Office, and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada—is the subject of this film. Students gain an appreciation of...Teaching materials
A series of strikes rocked the fishing industry in Steveston, BC in the early 1900s. This story examines the context and the efforts made to unite fishers across racial lines. What were the qualities of the leaders of the Fisher...Teaching materials
This film examines the working lives of “Canada’s Forgotten Workers,” the farmworkers whose labour fell outside much of the protective labour legislation. Provides an overview of their living and working conditions in the 1970s and invites students to compare with...Teaching materials
On June 17, 1958, the bridge under construction at Second Narrows collapsed. In memory of the workers killed, the bridge is now known as the Ironworkers’ Memorial Second Narrows Crossing. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
In 1939, Connie Jervis, 24 year old President of the Langley Teachers’ Association, led a successful fight for improved system of wages and compulsory arbitration. See the rest of our Working People Lesson Plans here.Teaching materials
Young children have always been part of the work force in British Columbia. Through the story of the explosion at Coal Creek mines in Fernie, this film examines the issue of child labour. See the rest of our Working People...Teaching materials
A snapshot of work in early canneries through images and song. This vignette is in the style of a visual essay with historical photographs providing backdrop to the lyrics of the song. See the rest of our Working People Lesson...Teaching materials
The subject of this film is Tatsuro “Buck” Suzuki, a fisher and early environmentalist on the Fraser River in British Columbia who also played a key role in the return of interned Japanese Canadians to the coast after the Second...Teaching materials
This film powerfully links the working lives of Indigenous union activities along Burrard Inlet, while examining the early social justice and collective organizing of Local 526 of the Industrial Workers of the World, the “Bows and Arrows”. Assess the economic...Teaching materials
While documenting the events of the 1938 Relief Camp Workers sit-down strikes and occupations in downtown Vancouver, this film presents their reasons for the protest, and the radically differing reactions to their collective protest by the three levels of government:...Teaching materials
This vignette provides insight into the role that steamship transportation played in the lives of workers in the early years of transportation. Not only was the steamship important to resource workers to get to the job, but for many isolated...Audio
This recording contains a 1964 interview with Hachiro Miyazawa and his son Joe Miyazawa about the Camp and Mill Workers Union which Hachiro helped to organize in the 1920s to represent Japanese lumber mill workers in British Columbia. The interview...Audio
This is a joint interview with Charles McGregor Stewart (1891-1968) and Peter Campbell Munro (1887-1971), who were active in the Street Railwaymen’s Union in Vancouver, British Columbia in the early decades of the 20th century. They discuss the impact of...Video
The learning curve was steep for Gary Johnson. As a young man he learned the ropes for leadership in the trade union movement starting at age 18. Before he was 20 years old he was president of Local 454 of...Article
The fight against apartheid in South Africa was long, arduous and often violent, costing many lives. Starting in 1976, until the first free election in 1994, B.C. union members worked tirelessly in support of those fighting to end South Africa’s...Audio
The fight against apartheid in South Africa was fought on many fronts with the solidarity of anti-apartheid groups around the world. BC unions and activists were a proud part of this global movement. In this episode of On the Line...Audio
H.R. (Harry) Neelands (1881-1974) was born in Ontario and came to BC as a child. He apprenticed as a printer in Victoria and moved to Vancouver in 1905 to work at the Daily Province. He was Secretary of the International...Article
BC labour led a four-year boycott of non-union American grapes between 1966 and 1970. The United Farm Workers’ (UFW) strike began in 1965 near Delano, California but soon spread. The strike became a struggle for justice and human rights that...Audio
Christopher Pritchard (1894-1973) joined the Plumbers’ Union (United Association of Journeymen Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Steam Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpers of the United States and Canada) in 1918 in Winnipeg. He moved to British Columbia in 1925. This interview provides...Audio
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...Video
Bob Waghorn grew up in North Vancouver. In this interview, he shares memories of accompanying his Teamster father, the last milkman in Vancouver to deliver milk by horse. He trained as a mechanic and his early jobs were as a...Video
Lorna Waghorn-Kidd was born in Prince Rupert but grew up in various towns throughout northern British Columbia. She moved to Prince George in 1976 where she got a job as a typist at an employment insurance office, then with the...Video
Terry was born and raised in Prince George, British Columbia. As a young man, he was in the Air Force for a couple of years and worked in various mills. He became a provincial government employee when he started working...Video
Wayne Mills is a second-generation operating engineer with decades of involvement in the labour movement. In this interview, Wayne discusses his early training and work experiences operating large cranes on various construction projects across British Columbia, including dams and mines....Video
Born in a small farming community is Northern Saskatchewan, Frank ventured to Quesnel in 1971. He was 18 years old when he arrived and was looking for work in the forest industry. The first job was in a planer mill...Audio
Robert (Bob) Smeal (1920-1976) describes his experiences as a young unemployed man during the Great Depression in the 1930s in Vancouver. He details his involvement with various unemployed organizations, including the Single Unemployed Protective Association (SUPA) and the Relief Camp...Audio
Allan Coleman (1907-1974) was Secretary of the Journeymen Barbers’ International Union, Local 120 in Vancouver. In this 8-minute interview interview he covers the union’s origins including its unique structure that included both journeymen and barber shop owners in its membership....Audio
Horace Mackey (1880-1970) was Legislative Chairman and later Chairman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in the BC District. He began working on the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1899, retiring in 1948. He was a member of the Regional War...Video
Terry Engler recounts his experiences growing up in a working-class family in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and his involvement with the Local 400 union, which represents tugboat workers on the West Coast. He describes the day-to-day work of a tugboat cook,...Audio
Dan Radford (1902-1977) was a Nanaimo coal miner who held held many union positions, including President of the BC. Federation of Labour, director of the Canadian Congress of Labor, and the Canadian Labour Congress. The interview was conducted in the...Audio
Barney McGuire (1916-1995) was a hardrock miner, born and raised in Alice Arm, BC In 1933 he began working in mines throughout BC, the Yukon, Northwest Territories and later in eastern Canada after being blacklisted for his union activity. In...Audio
Charles Grant MacNeil (1890-1976) was a veteran of the First World War. Upon his return to Canada, MacNeil became secretary of the Great War Veterans Association and advocated for other returning soldiers. He was elected in 1935 as Member of...Audio
Many women worked in BC’s once numerous canneries and fish processing plants; for some this was a stepping stone to working on the fish boats. We examine the gendered dimension of labour in this industry through interviews with activist Barbara...Article
400 miners, 100 police, two navy ships and a machine gun Anyox was a small, isolated company-owned coastal community in northwestern B.C. without road or rail access. It was mined between 1914-1935 for its copper and other precious metals by...Audio
Arthur J. Turner (1888-1983) was a socialist and trade unionist who came to Canada from England in 1913. He was a member of the International Association of Machinists at the shipyards in Victoria, before relocating to Vancouver. He joined the...Audio
Percy Trerise (1886-1965) was born in Cornwall, England and arrived in Canada around 1908. He initially worked as a granite cutter. He describes a jurisdictional dispute between granite cutters and stone cutters as the industry adopted pneumatic drills. The dispute...Video
Vince Ready is a legendary labour relations practitioner who has arbitrated and mediated several thousand disputes across Canada in all types of industries. Vince was born in Renfrew Ontario and lived on a farm with his parents and siblings until...Audio
Take a deep dive into the historical and contemporary roles of women in BC's fishing industry. Today, the industry has largely disappeared due to economic shifts, free trade, and declining salmon stocks. In this episode of On the Line, we...Article
Before British Columbia had modern labour laws, government and the courts frequently used their powers to keep unions under their thumbs, and out of their workplaces. One of their favourite tactics was the use of court injunctions. A steady stream...Video
Sandra Banister was born and raised in Vancouver; her mother was a stay-at-home mum and her father was an IBEW lineman. Sandra got an undergraduate degree in political science and then a law degree at UBC, articling with John Laxton...Article
As early as 1989 the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) had successfully negotiated medical benefits for same-sex partners into collective agreements. Without legal protection, however, recognition of these relationships was up to each employer or benefits provider. A 1991 legal victory...Video
This interview with Leo McGrady, a prominent labour lawyer in British Columbia, covers his extensive career and involvement in the labour movement. He describes his early life and upbringing in an Irish Catholic family, and how social justice issues influenced...Article
On February 18, 1918, two hundred oil refinery workers at Ioco, BC — 30 kilometres east of Vancouver — walked off the job. Provincial constables were immediately dispatched to Ioco for special duty, even though newspapers noted that no disorder...Video
Garry Worth was a red diaper baby whose father joined the Labour Progressive Party (a front for the Communist Party) in 1946. Garry was born and raised on Vancouver Island where his father worked in logging. When he finished high...Video
Neil Menard was born in Nipawin, in northern Saskatchewan. Neil joined the navy and served as signalman on the HMCS Fraser and the HMCS St. Laurent. When he returned from the navy, Neil worked a few years alternating between hockey...Video
Jackie Campbell was born and raised in Vancouver, but it was in Sointula that she became acquainted with the fishing and shorework industries. Jackie packed salmon roe for a small business, shared childcare with her cooperative community, and was introduced...Article
How a childhood union button collection played a part in an epic Supreme Court of Canada decision. David Yorke began collecting union buttons at the age of 11, when his mother brought home membership pins from her work at the...Video
In this interview, Dan Miller reflects on his varied and influential career. In his youth his family moved often, and he figures he attended 12 or 13 different schools. Graduating high school in North Vancouver, Dan briefly worked on tugboats...Audio
Elroy Robson (1897-1986) was a labour organizer for the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers who also held senior offices in other central labour bodies becoming the first President of the Ontario Federation of Labour in 1944. He...Audio
A short-lived union at the IOCO (Imperial Oil Company) oil refinery near Port Moody from 1918-1921, the Oil Refinery Workers affiliated with the OBU (One Big Union). The Union held a two-week strike in 1918 which resulted in large wage...Video
Roger Stonebanks grew up in a conservative family in England and attended boarding school. He learned the value of organizing when, as a young boy, he organized a boycott to demand better food at school. The boycott failed, but the...Video
Laird Cronk, a former president of the BC Federation of Labour, begins this interview with a memory from his junior high school days when his father, an electrician and business representative for the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) woke...Video
In this interview, Shan O’Hara describes his experiences in the construction industry as a floor layer and union organizer. He discusses his early life, particularly the tragic death of his father in an industrial accident, which shaped Shan’s outlook on...Video
Gayle Nye was born and raised in Victoria, BC, as were her parents and grandparents. The earlier generations worked in the fishing industry, but a family tragedy inspired Gayle’s father to leave fishing and join the public service. Gayle’s started...Video
Russ Leech is from a family of strong trade unionists. His parents organized the Machinists’ Fitters & Helpers Industrial Union local in Victoria during World War II. Given his family’s history, it’s not surprising that when Russ got a job...Video
Amber Hockin was born in Brantford, Ontario. She attended elementary school in Kitimat, BC and attended high school in Ontario. Amber left home at 16, and soon after that her interest in travel led her to become a flight attendant....Video
Chris Allnutt’s deep desire to fight for people who can’t fight for themselves and make the world a better place led him to work in the labour movement. This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh on May 7, 2024 in...Article
The Postman is a 16-foot tall carved granite bas relief by Vancouver sculptor Paul Huba and installed in 1956. An anti-Nazi deserter from the Hungarian army, Huba came to Canada in 1954. His wife and two sons joined him shortly...Audio
A 1966 wildcat strike by 400 mostly women members of the Electrical Workers’ union was a turning point in the province, at a time when courts regularly jailed and fined union members during disputes. In this episode of On the...Video
This interview with Joey Hartman covers her extensive history as an activist and labour leader in British Columbia. Joey discusses her upbringing in Vancouver and her early work experiences in early childhood education. A particularly formative experience was the mentorship...Video
Progressive lawyer Jim Quail first worked for legal aid organizations in BC helping farmworkers and tenants in the late 1970s and 80s. He successfully fought Bill Bennett’s attempt to eliminate tenants’ rights, was a leading participant in the Solidarity Coalition...Article
The early 1900s was a time of rapid industrialization in Canada and around the world. Clothing production became mechanized, and garment workers, largely women, often immigrants from Europe, were subjected to inhumane conditions in assembly-line factories. The 1911 fire at...Video
Sean grew up in Burnaby where he began his political activism early as a paperboy delivering Pacific Tribune newspapers for Harold Pritchett. Sean’s father was the longtime editor of the Pacific Tribune and Sean’s mother was also politically active. Due...Article
The first edition of The Labor Statesman hit the streets in Vancouver, BC on April 25, 1924. It would publish continuously for 45 years, ceasing publication in 1969. Initially published by the Vancouver, New Westminster and District Trades and Labor...Video
In this far-reaching conversation, Lee Loftus discusses his experiences as a third-generation insulator, and union member and executive with the Heat and Frost Insulators Union Local 118 in British Columbia. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on March 19,...Video
David Fairey’s parents were working class immigrants from the U.K. His father was a carpenter and cabinet maker and his mother worked in domestic service, sewing at home, and in furniture and aircraft factories. After he finished high school, David...Audio
Hear about the extraordinary 1952 Peace Arch Park concert where Paul Robeson, a Black American artist and activist, sang across the US-Canada border after his passport was revoked. This episode of On the Line revisits the historic event, highlighting Robeson's...Article
Miners’ Union Hospitals were a radical response to the critical need for inclusive health care in B.C.’s mining communities more than 100 years ago. At least six local unions of the Western Federation of Miners established their own hospitals in...Video
John Rogers was raised in Kamloops, BC. His father was the local welfare officer and John remembers some of the cases his dad was involved in. He also recalls the First Nations community on the other side of the river....Audio
From union organizing in Steveston to postwar civil rights and environmental advocacy, “Buck” Suzuki’’s contributions spanned decades and sectors. A foundation in his name continues his legacy today. In this episode of On the Line, we celebrate the life of...Video
Bill Routley was born in 1948 in Chatham, Ontario. He was the son of two ministers who raised him in Duncan, on Vancouver Island. The treatment of employees at a shoe repair business in Victoria kindled his interest in workers’...Video
Sy Pederson was born into a logging family of fallers in Courtenay and followed the family tradition when he turned 21. Falling was a dangerous job and Sy recognized the hazard posed by the piecework system. He organized fallers in...Video
George Heyman was born in Vancouver to parents who were survivors of the Holocaust. They were assisted by the Japanese Consul in Lithuania, Chiune Sugihara, to escape Poland. George attended high school in Vancouver, working the night shift at Safeway,...Audio
Against all odds, pioneering truck driver Diana Kilmury rose through the ranks of the Teamsters union battling corruption and sexism to eventually be elected as international vice-president. In this episode of On the Line, host Rod Mickleburgh profiles Kilmury: one...Video
Leila Harding was born into a naval officer’s family in Nova Scotia but moved to Victoria as a child. As a young adult, she moved to Vancouver and worked for Fred Deeley Motors, where she had her first involvement with...Video
John Bowman grew up in the north end of Winnipeg and went to the University of Winnipeg studying labour history and journalism. He became active in progressive issues. John edited the student union newspaper while taking a full course load....Article
Frances Foxcroft probably saved the life of Vancouver Trades and Labor Council Secretary Victor Midgely on the afternoon of August 2, 1918. Despite her heroism, Foxcroft has received little historical attention. A rampaging mob of angry ex-soldiers had descended on...Video
Tom Dufresne was born and grew up in Montreal. When he was about 15, he started working in a variety of jobs in Montreal including at lawn chair and ladder factories, delivering pop, and roofing. In 1969, he headed to...Article
On August 26, 1936 the Sheet Metal Workers International Union Local 280, won grand prize in the “Parade of Progress” marking the 75th anniversary of the Canadian Pacific Exhibition and the Golden Jubilee of the City of Vancouver. Their parade...Audio
Darshan Singh Sangha made a huge contribution to the early organizing efforts of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and campaigned relentlessly for justice for South Asians in the 1940s. In this episode of our On the Line podcast we...Video
Elsie Dean, 99 years old at the time of this interview, grew up in Saskatchewan during the 1920s and ‘30s. She describes the impact of the Depression on her family’s livelihood. Educated to Grade 8 in a one-room school, Elsie...Video
Stan Shewaga was born in St. Boniface and grew up in the north end of Winnipeg. After working in Louisiana for a while, he joined the American Army in the fifties, when he was about 17. After he left the...Article
A hand-painted union flag fashioned from a bed sheet became a symbol of solidarity and determination during the 1983 Tranquille Institution occupation in Kamloops, BC.Video
Randy Pearson was born in northern BC to a working-class family. He worked in the lumber mills around Prince George as a young man, before traveling, marrying and getting a unionized job with pension benefits at a BC Liquor Store....Audio
BC’s unionized building trades led a valiant effort in the 1980s to fight off the anti-union Social Credit government. It all came to a head in the run-up to Vancouver’s World’s Fair, Expo 86. The provincial government wanted to open...Article
Charles S. Sager called out racism in an open letter to Prince George city council in 1921. "We are forced to bear the full responsibility of our race, forced into the lowest of menial occupations and then despised for doing...Video
Jim Sinclair was born and raised in Ontario, where his early work experiences brought him into conflict with employers and demonstrated the need to advocate for workers. He moved to Vancouver and worked there for Co-op Radio and the Union...Article
A strike at the Prince George Canadian Tire store by the Retail Clerks’ Union Local 1518 lasted from December 1983 until May 1986 (27 months). The central issue was union recognition. The store opened in 1982, and the union was...Video
In this fascinating and wide-ranging interview with Patricia Wejr, she describes her long career in communications, nursing, reproductive health, and the labour movement. Patricia attended Simon Fraser University for Communications, and while there took a co-op position at Co-Op Radio,...Article
The weather forecast for Thursday, July 7, 1983 in Prince George, BC was for heavy thunderstorms in the evening. No one expected a political tornado would be unleashed earlier that day when the newly re-elected Social Credit (Socred) government introduced...Article
With a population of 2,479 in 1931, the city of Prince George, BC had hundreds of unemployed. That year, a branch of the communist-led National Unemployed Workers Association (NUWA) was established in the Prince George District. Under the watchful eye...Video
Colleen Jordan was born and raised in southern Alberta. Through her early jobs she saw several examples where union members made more money than non-union, but where men were included in the unions and women were excluded. She studied at...Video
Ivan Limpright was born and grew up in the Fraser Valley. After working for his father driving truck and front-end loaders, he graduated from high school and started working at the Overwaitea warehouse in Burnaby. This interview was conducted by...Video
Geoff grew up in Toronto and Ottawa and had a comfortable middle class upbringing. He became interested in left wing politics when he attended the University of Toronto, where he worked on the university paper and at the student radio...Video
Mark Gordienko was born and raised in Victoria, BC, and this is where he began longshoring at age 18. He worked in Victoria at Ogden Point in longshoring for eight years. After getting married, and due to the shortage of...Video
Brian Nasu, born in Tofino, BC and raised in East Vancouver, grew up in a family deeply connected to the fishing industry. As a young person, Brian started working at an IGA grocery store that was in the process of...Video
Anne Harvey was born in a tenement in Manchester, U.K. Her father made patterns out of wood for casting metal parts, and her mother sewed clothes piecework as he built his pattern making business. Anne moved to Canada with her...Video
In this interview, Bonnie Pearson talks about growing up in Saskatchewan and the early influence of her activist parents. Bonnie details her early union involvement as a national representative with CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) in 1980s; the Devine...Video
Harold Steves was born in Vancouver in 1937 and grew up on his family’s farm in Steveston. It was a diverse farming and fishing community of Japanese, Chinese, Ukrainian, and First Nations families. An early memory of Harold’s just before...Video
John Calvert was born in Oshawa, Ontario and grew up in London, Ontario. In his late teens, he obtained a commercial pilot’s license, which meant that he could help pay for his post-secondary education by working as a bush pilot...Video
Patrice Pratt was born in Ohio in 1948 and grew up in Arizona in a staunchly Catholic family with five children. She attended Catholic schools and moved to San Francisco to attend the University of San Francisco, a Catholic Jesuit...Video
In this 2023 conversation, Colleen Fuller talks about growing up in a politically active family and her life of political and labour activism. She was born in the United States to parents active in the Communist Party and the labour...Video
In this wide-ranging and interesting interview, Blair Redlin asks Judy Cavanaugh to describe the experience and identify the important outcomes and lessons learned through the many working experiences in her life. This interview was conducted by Blair Redlin on May...Video
Andy Ross was born in Newcastle, England. Growing up he was surrounded by unionized workplaces, from coal mines to industrial enterprises. Emigrating to Canada, he became a bus driver in Vancouver and was a member of the bus drivers’ unions,...Video
Marion Pollack and Micki McCune both started working for Canada Post as mail sorters in the 1970s. While both were initially impressed with the union wages they were earning, they soon became union activists, given the working conditions at Canada...Article
In 1947, youth in Chemainus and Ladysmith, BC led the first ever children’s strike. It was a protest against the rising cost of chocolate. The price of a typical bar had ballooned suddenly from five cents to eight cents.Video
Denise Kellahan became active in the Union FASWOC (Food and Service Workers of Canada) while she was working at the White Spot restaurant as a single mother with two small children. She helped shepherd the merger of FASWOC (a primarily...Video
Kristina Vandervoort was born in Stockholm, Sweden. She moved to British Columbia with her parents when she was eight and they settled in North Vancouver. After high school, Kristina started her first job at Lions Gate Hospital and that is...Video
Judy Darcy started out as an enthusiastic public speaker and leader in her kindergarten days in Sarnia, Ontario, and has never looked back. Judy was very active in the student movement and in the women’s movement, including being on the...Video
Dave Wilson grew up in Winnipeg. He was influenced by his grandfather who was active in the Winnipeg General Strike. This interview was conducted by Phil Legg on April 19, 2023 in Burnaby, BC. It is part of our Oral...Video
Diana Kilmury was born in Montreal and moved to Vancouver in 1954 when she was about eight years old. She married and dropped out of school when she was 16. By the time she was 19, she was divorced and...Audio
The 1919 Winnipeg General Strike is widely commemorated as a landmark moment in Canadian labour history. In Vancouver, 10,000 workers joined a sympathy strike, staying off the job for nearly a month. In this episode of the On the Line...Video
Peter Cameron was chief shop steward at the Phillips Cables plant in Vancouver, the first plant certified with the Canadian Electrical Workers, which merged with CAIMAW (Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Electrical Workers) in 1969. He served on the...Video
The interview begins with George’ s early life, apprenticeship, and reasons for moving from the east to the west coast, moving on to a more general discussion of the Canadian shipbuilding industry and his experience of labour organizing in that...Article
While the history of South Asians at Golden, BC is reasonably well known, little or nothing has been written about their early presence in the West Kootenay. They were employed in sawmills at various places around that time, including Nakusp,...Video
Barry O’Neill’s unionism began on Vancouver Island where he worked for several school districts and was rooted in workplace health and safety. He went on to hold elected positions in CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) locally, provincially and nationally....Video
Roger Crowther was brought up in a working-class mining family in Hedley and Hope. His father was active in his union and in the community, which helped to inspire Roger’s activism. In 1972, working at the Bethlehem Copper Mine in...Article
Despite police predictions that it would be a “dismal failure”, 6,000 men, women and children descended on the Powell Street grounds (now Oppenheimer Park) in Vancouver on February 22, 1932 for a “Hunger March”, organized by the Communist Party of...Article
The intense class struggle of the first two decades of the twentieth century in BC included a small but strong group of women. Many showed their mettle during early strikes. An example was the gutsy strike by Vancouver laundry workers...Audio
Working conditions for women in the early 20th century were already grim, but the Spanish Flu epidemic added another frightening layer. Against this backdrop, women laundry workers led a five-month long strike. In this episode of the On the Line...Video
On November 24, 2022, Rod Mickleburgh and the BC Labour Heritage Centre introduced Ray Haynes to the 60th BC Federation of Labour Convention in Vancouver BC. It was an emotional moment that traced Ray Haynes' leadership in the labour movement for...Audio
The Canadian Farmworkers’ Union (CFU) was a grassroots champion for BC's Fraser Valley farmworkers, who toiled in dreadful, unregulated conditions in the 1970s and ‘80s. The story of this union is about a social movement as much as an organizing...Article
The summer of 1910 was a hot one for labour across North America. In the first couple of weeks of July, more than fifty thousand garment workers went on strike in New York in a dispute that would eventually draw...Article
On Thanksgiving, October 14, 1975, fretting over sky-high inflation and soaring wage increases, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau announced Canada’s first peacetime wage controls. Although prices were also to be controlled, wages were the chief target. Over the next three years,...Video
Carmela Allevato was born in a small town in Southern Italy in 1962. Her family emigrated to Canada when she was 11 years old and settled in Toronto where her parents worked in manufacturing and factory jobs. After graduating high...Audio
Unions have been fighting since the 1970s for strict regulations in the use of asbestos and decent compensation for those ill and dying from its deadly fibres. People are still getting sick from exposure decades ago. In this episode of...Article
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 these parades excluded large segments of the community. Participants were mainly...Video
Wayne Peppard grew up in Castlegar, BC, working for a short time at the Cominco smelter in Trail. His introduction to the labour movement was with the United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & PipeFitting Industry of...Audio
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...Audio
In the early 20th C, the large, exploited workforce of the smelter at Trail was ripe for organizing. Those efforts were contentious and the politics formidable. Company unions versus legitimate unions, communist union leaders versus anti-communist union leaders, International unions...Video
Paul Ramsey was born in the United States in 1944. His father was an engineer and a Democrat, who served as a council member for 16 years in the suburb where Paul grew up. Paul aspired to be an academic...Video
Michele Alexander was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba. She moved to the United States in the early sixties after her parents divorced and her mother married an American. She returned to Canada in 1992 seeking a better life. At the...Video
John Burrows was born in 1954 in Victoria BC. His career started at Victoria Plywood where his interest in unions was quickly ignited. John soon transitioned to the City of Victoria, progressing over the years from a casual role to...Video
Born in Newfoundland, David Gellately made his way to BC in the early 1970s. He became a provincial government employee in northern BC and an activist in his union, the BCGEU. This interview was conducted by Patricia Wejr and Donna...Audio
In the heyday of train travel, Black men were hired to cater to overnight travellers. Turned away by the major unions, they formed the Order of the Sleeping Car Porters, the first Black labour union in North America. In this...Audio
During the dirty ‘30s, thousands of single, unemployed men were forced into federally run relief camps: isolated, militarized work sites where they worked under punishing conditions for just 20 cents a day. In this episode of On the Line, we...Audio
A fierce 1938 strike made history when mine workers faced extreme retaliation for organizing with the International Woodworkers of America (IWA). Despite 30 years of wretched working conditions there had never been labour issues at the mine, until an obstinate...Article
During World War II, at the age of 16, Alice West joined tens of thousands of other BC women who went to work, doing industrial jobs that were normally filled by the men fighting overseas. She started work at Vancouver...Audio
We are exploring the history of Chinese-Canadian market gardeners in Armstrong, BC, a community once known as “The Celery Capital of Canada.” Moving beyond traditional union stories, this episode of our On the Line podcast highlights the vital contributions of...Article
The 1980s kicked off in British Columbia with an inspiring example of workers using new tactics to cope with an aggressively anti-union employer. The BC Telephone Company was US-owned and had put the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) through a difficult...Article
On August 30, 2021 the provincial government of BC under the New Democratic Party (BC NDP) announced that dietary and housekeeping workers in the healthcare industry would be brought back into the public domain after 20 years of privatization and...Audio
We are reviving Pins and Needles, a wildly successful musical revue with progressive politics and an unlikely origin from the factory floor. The Broadway show was created and performed entirely by members of the garment workers’ union: factory workers, cutters,...Audio
For decades, members of Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, and other Nations formed a core part of the port’s workforce, passing down their skills through generations and helping build the province’s economy. This episode of On the Line delves into the powerful legacy...Audio
The International Woodworkers of America (IWA) defied deep-seated racism in BC’s forest industry by hiring Asian organizers. Their efforts helped integrate thousands of workers into the union.This episode of our On the Line podcast highlights the pioneering efforts of Roy...Article
Under close police surveillance, the 1936 Vancouver May Day parade announcer mocked passing effigies of local white nationalist Tom MacInnes and Mayor Gerry McGeer. “Volunteers to throw Tom and Gerry into the bay?” the announcer taunted the crowd in his...Article
Tom Berger (1933-2021) is remembered as a legal groundbreaker and social justice advocate for Canada’s Indigenous people. Less well-known is that Berger got his first taste of fighting against injustice as a young Vancouver labour lawyer in a case that...Article
Labour’s May Day (sometimes called International Workers’ Day) on May 1 has been held around the world for over 120 years. In many countries May Day is a statutory holiday that celebrates international solidarity and the long history of labour...Audio
Bea Zucco's campaign against the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB) helped shift provincial policy on silicosis claims and remains a notable example of grassroots advocacy for workers’ health and rights. In this episode of On the Line we recount the remarkable...Article
The Industrial Workers of the World, otherwise known as the IWW or the Wobblies, were the most radical labour organization North America has ever seen. They weren’t interested in reforming capitalism. They wanted to wipe it out completely, putting an...Article
A fiery Irish-Catholic who lost both parents before he turned 12, Jack Kavanagh came to Vancouver in 1908 after serving in the British Army in South Africa during the Boer War. Upon arriving in BC, Kavanagh took up the tile-laying...Audio
In one of the earliest victories of its kind, a newly certified independent union negotiated a contract guaranteeing that new mothers would receive a full wage top-up, as well as job and seniority protection. This episode of our On the...Article
Much of the colonial history of BC has centered the perspectives of white male settlers who came in search of gold and glory. While gold miners tended to work on their own claims, some of the earliest labour organizing in...Video
Warren Williams’ labour activism came to him through his family, who has a deep connection to Canada’s Black community. Warren’s uncle, Lee Williams, fought for equal employment rights for Canadian sleeping car porters, and the formation of the Order of...Audio
In 1921, 88 public school teachers (most of them young women) initiated a five-day strike to demand recognition of their union and the right to arbitration in salary negotiations. Their unprecedented action was only the second recorded teachers’ strike in...Audio
Miners had long struggled to unionize against coal barons, facing loss after loss. In 1911, the United Mine Workers of America were invited to make a final attempt to challenge the mine owners. What followed was explosive. This episode of...Article
In September 1938, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) brought their theatrical musical hit “Pins and Needles” to Vancouver where it played to glowing reviews. The cast were all ILGWU members from New York garment factories, or as The...Article
Hilda Harvey Kavanagh died in second wave of 1919 Spanish Flu British Columbia experienced three waves of the “Spanish Flu” epidemic in 1918-19. As many as 1,000 people died in Vancouver alone over 15 months of the influenza. Health officials...Audio
The Social Credit government launched an all-out assault on social services in July 1983. When the staff of the Tranquille Institution in Kamloops learned they were to be shut down, they fought back. In this episode of On the Line,...Audio
In the dark years of the Great Depression, workers at the Fraser Mills lumber plant in what is now Coquitlam put aside their differences and fought for fair wages and dignity. In this episode of the On the Line podcast,...Article
It Was No Holiday! BC’s only union barber reflects on the COVID shutdown of 2020 In March 2020 all personal service establishments in British Columbia were closed by order of the Provincial Health Officer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic....Audio
Joe Naylor: miner, socialist, pacifist, and comrade to Ginger Goodwin. In this episode of our On the Line podcast we shine a light on a remarkable yet overlooked figure in BC’s labour history. Less well-known than Goodwin, it was Naylor’s...Article
With the end of the Great Depression, labour’s long hostility towards Asian workers slowly began to change. The International Woodworkers of America led the way by hiring three non-Caucasian organizers to break down the barriers of race and unite workers...Article
On September 2, 1965, 75-year old Abe Mortimer (1889-1969) bellowed “Pl-a-a-y B-a-a-w-w-l” before an audience of more than 2,500 at Capilano Stadium in Vancouver to kick off a two-inning Old-Timers’ baseball game. Abe had broken his leg in three places...Article
Born October 29, 1926, in New Westminster, BC, Donald (“Don”) Peter Garcia served multiple terms as the President for the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canadian Area and his union local, a career which spanned 45 years.Article
Gordon J Kelly was known as a calm, kind and fair-headed longshore leader. When the Spanish Flu pandemic killed him in 1918, thousands came to his lavish funeral.Article
This article is based upon a conversation between Pam Moodie, a volunteer at the BC Labour Heritage Centre, and Aime Antoshchuk. Pam and Aime met at a Burnaby assisted living facility where the 83-year old Antoshchuk lives. We are fortunate...Video
As a founding Board Member of BC Labour Heritage Centre, Mervyn Van Steinburg recounts his story of a worklife spent in service to BC’s unionized community. In this interview, Brother Van Steinburg recounts his union beginnings as an electrician member...Article
William Fitzclarence “Fitz” St. John's long, remarkable life began in Barbados, stretched from the age of sail to man walking on the moon, before coming to an end at the ripe old age of 94 in 1970 in North Vancouver....Article
Clarence Clemens moved to British Columbia from Edmonton sometime in 1937. He soon found work on the docks as a longshoreman employed by Empire Stevedoring and settled into the predominantly Black neighbourhood of Strathcona in East Vancouver. The heart of...Article
The Coast Seamen’s Union was established in 1885 in San Francisco; the first Canadian branch was founded in Victoria BC in 1891. The same year, shipowners formed an Employers’ Association and declared open war against the union. Union organizing was...Video
Darryl Walker, of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU), served as Provincial Vice President (1999 to 2008) and President (2008 to 2014). This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski On January 21, 2020 in Burnaby, BC. It is...Video
Mae Burrows details her early life and influences, and then her work with the Labour Environmental Alliance Society (LEAS) which brought together trade unionists and environmentalists at a time when logging companies were instigating the “war in the woods.” This...Video
Born in 1932 in a small Saskatchewan town, Sheila Pither came to Vancouver with her mother after the death of her father. Sheila’s husband was a millwright in Vancouver, and she became active in the International Woodworkers of America (IWA)...Video
Brian Hamaguchi worked in fish canneries in the lower mainland and was a shop steward and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU). Previous generations of his family also worked in the fishing industry and were...Article
In November 1944 and again in 1945 — as the Second World War neared its end — two art exhibitions celebrating labour took place at the Vancouver Art Gallery. The first exhibition included 150 works; in 1945 there were over...Video
At the time of this interview, Audrey Keely was over 100 years of age. She spent her early life with her family in the Cariboo and shares some of those experiences and personal tragedies. This interview was conducted by Patricia...Video
In a follow-up interview, Joy Thorkelson, President of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, speaks to Rod Mickelburgh and Donna Sacuta as she continues to recall the issues and actions taken by West Coast unions in the fishing industry.Video
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...Video
Des Nobels lived and worked in the fishing industry on the north coast of BC his entire adult life, from being a crew member to a vessel owner. This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh on September 6, 2019 in...Video
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). This interview was conducted...Video
Dave Smith worked for Canada Post in Prince Rupert until he retired. He became President of his local of the Letter Carriers Union until it merged with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in 1989. This interview was conducted by...Video
Bill Smith was born in Jackson, Mississippi, and grew up in Dallas, Texas. He moved to British Columbia in 1970 and subsequently spent more than 40 years working as a commercial fisherman in Prince Rupert and the North Coast. In...Video
Ken MacLean was a member of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 505 located in Prince Rupert for 25 years and never missed a union meeting. He held the position of Secretary Treasurer/Dispatcher for 12 years. This interview was...Video
At the time of this interview, Glen Edwards was President of Local 505 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) in Prince Rupert BC This interview was conducted by Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta on September 5, 2019 in...Article
Throughout his 50 years in Prince Rupert, BC George Casey (1876-1962) was a steadfast representative of the working class and its union organizations. Casey headed to the United States as a young man where he spent time as a “hobo”,...Article
Labour Day parades in Vancouver, BC which began in 1890, featured numerous such examples of floats constructed by unionized workers. This article is reprinted from the May 2019 Vancouver Historical Society newsletter. Bob McDonald, one of BC's leading historians, passed...Video
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...Video
George Brandak is a key figure in the archival history of labour in British Columbia. This interview was collected by Allen Seager on May 30, 2019 in Burnaby, BC. It is part of our Oral History Collection.Article
When the Winnipeg General Strike began on May 15, 1919 unions across Canada soon followed Winnipeg’s lead. In British Columbia, the heroic Vancouver sympathy strike and Victoria’s four-day stoppage are often cited as examples, yet lesser known strikes occurred in...Video
John Radosevic was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy. As a teenager he worked on an uncle’s ranch in Alberta and in the dangerous job of tie-up man in seine fishing in BC...Article
In April 1935 thousands of single unemployed men organized by the Relief Camp Workers’ Union went on strike to demand “Work and Wages” as the Depression wore away at the country. “Snake parades” through city streets were frequent during the...Video
Diane Wood spent many years as a union activist starting in Duncan where she organized the School District clerical workers and led her first strike. She then moved to northeast BC where she began her activism in the BCGEU. This...Article
Explore some of the women in BC’s labour history who created milestones for the movement.Article
Emmitt Holmes (1924-2005) came to British Columbia in the 1940s from Saskatchewan and was the only black member of the Vancouver Local of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA Local 1-217) when he joined in 1944. Holmes incorporated his trade...Article
On February 1, 1975 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), at CKLG-AM Radio (known as “LG73”) in Vancouver went on strike for a first contract. The disc jockeys and news staff walked out, locked the doors and...Video
Rod Hiebert became President of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) in 1991. During his time as a union leader he was present for many pivotal issues affecting members, including pension funds, technological change and pay equity. He discusses the union’s...Video
Cliff Andstein is a seasoned activist with over 30 years’ experience in the trade union movement. He moved to BC as a young man, leaving his home province of New Brunswick where he had encountered the dangers of working as...Article
The 1912 recession was difficult for all BC workers, but it was especially hard on women. Suffragist and tailor Helena Gutteridge, head of the Women’s Employment League and executive member of the Vancouver Trades & Labor Council, organized a toy...Article
The On-to-Ottawa Trek in 1935 is a fabled part of Canada’s labour history. Thousands of unemployed men, frustrated with the lack of compassion from government to their plight, hopped atop freight trains in Vancouver with a plan to confront Prime...Video
In this compelling oral history, former BCGEU Director Gary Steeves recalls his formative years, the occupation of Tranquille residential institution in Kamloops, and 25 years of his union’s remarkable evolution. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski on October 4,...Video
This interview covers the intense period in 1983 when Operation Solidarity and the Solidarity Coalition brought the province to the brink of a general strike. This interview was conducted by Jum Sinclair and Darryl Walker on September 5, 2018, in...Article
At 12 o’clock sharp on August 2, 1918, Vancouver transit operators stopped their streetcars in mid-route, drove them to the barns and walked home. The city’s normally bustling waterfront fell silent, as 2,000 burly stevedores and shipyard workers streamed from...Video
Ken Isomura began working in the forest industry at 17. He credits growing up, living and working in Revelstoke with his later involvement in unions and community organizations because it gave him a sense of community. After relocating to the...Article
The International Longshore Association disappeared from the waterfront in BC following their 1923 strike. The union was broken by employers in the Shipping Federation of BC, and a company union was put in place. Favouritism in hiring was rampant. As...Article
With high unemployment and a recession in full swing, the Asiatic Exclusion League (AEL) was formed by the Vancouver Trades and Labor Council in August 1907, with the aim of “keeping Oriental immigrants out of British Columbia”. It is a...Video
Dave Pritchett served on the ILWU 500 executive for about 25 years. He is the grandson of IWA founder, Harold Pritchett and son of Craig Pritchett, the first president of the Canadian region of the ILWU. This interview was conducted...Video
Lloyd Edwards came to BC from Trinidad in 1953 and got his first teaching job in 1957 on Texada Island. He taught in several BC communities before settling in Surrey. As President of the Surrey Teachers’ Association in 1974, he...Article
The thousands of Chinese immigrants who endured so much helping to unite Canada by rail left little record of their ordeal. But we do have one personal account written by former railway worker Wong Hau-Hon in 1926. Following are some...Article
Late in the night on April 13, 1903, labour organizer and longshore worker Frank Rogers was walking home from dinner and stopped by the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks at the foot of Abbott Street in Vancouver, to check on picketers...Video
Colin Gabelmann came to Canada as a child in 1947 from London, England. He was influenced by his family’s ties to social democratic parties in Europe which continued in Canada where they were strong supporters of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth...Article
In the summer of 1954, racist signs on the women’s washrooms at the Namu fish cannery divided the facilities between “Whites” and “Natives”. They had been there for years, but despite demands from both the United Fishermen and Allied Workers...Article
Vancouver’s Strathcona neighbourhood was a vibrant and diverse community in the 1930s, a mix of Black and Chinese families, businesses and entertainment venues. Opportunities were few for Black workers looking for employment in the city after high school or university,...Video
Mike Dumler’s union career in the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) included many elected and staff positions. After coming to Canada from the United States as a Vietnam War veteran, Brother Dumler joined CUPE in Nanaimo. He became President...Video
Jess Succamore arrived in Canada from England in 1952. He worked in a variety of jobs around British Columbia. He is best known for leading the campaign for independent Canadian unions. In this lengthy interview, Succamore recalls his relationships with...Video
Grace Stevens was born in Saskatchewan to Finnish and Norwegian parents, moving to Webster’s Corners in BC as a girl where her parents farmed and fished the Fraser River. Growing up in the Depression years, she learned to fight for...Video
Bernice Kirk began her union career at the Coquitlam School Board, and became the Secretary-Treasurer and President of CUPE BC, as well as a Vice President of the National CUPE Board. This interview was conducted by Ken Novakowski and Blair...Video
In this second of two interviews, Hans Brown discusses his management of BC NDP (New Democratic Party) election campaigns from 1972 to 1996.Video
Carolyn Askew was a lawyer and the first Legislative Counsel for the BC Federation of Labour, beginning in 1972. She explains she was one of only a few women law school graduates and women had difficulty getting articles with firms....Video
Hans Brown worked for the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) in BC for 13 years, taking the lead on pay equity and classification between 1974 and 1987. He is best known for his connections to BC’s New Democratic Party (NDP). This...Video
Ken Georgetti’s life as an elected union representative spans over 40 years. Beginning as a proud member of Trail, BC’s United Steelworkers Local 480, Brother Georgetti rose through the ranks to become Local Union President, President of the BC Federation...Video
George Hewison grew up in Campbell River where he learned his unionism and politics at “the kitchen table” during the Cold War years. He was an organizer and executive member of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) for...Video
Gary Kroeker spent over 35 years as an activist and executive member of Local 115 of the International Union of Operating Engineers as well a term as President of the BC Building Trades Council. This interview was conducted by Jim...Video
Cathy Walker was born in Vancouver, BC in 1949 and grew up in Burnaby. Her father was a member of the Machinists Union which influenced her perspective while growing up. She attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) during a time of...Video
An East Van boy, Ken Bauder initially worked in construction before ending up in longshoring. He was Secretary Treasurer of International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Canada from 2004-2010. He was instrumental in a project called (Re)claiming the New Westminster...Video
Muriel Overgaard was born in Elbow, Saskatchewan in 1920. She went on to become the first female President of CUPE BC, serving from 1976-1980, and ran as an MLA for the NDP. She played a significant role in establishing CUPE’s...Video
Jackie Ainsworth was born in Ontario, attending a year at the University of Carlton before joining the Anti-War Movement and moving out west to Vancouver. She is a founding member of the Association of University and College Employees (AUCE) as...Video
Peter Burton was born in Pembroke, Ontario, and worked for the Georgia Straight in Vancouver before going into the resource industry in northern BC. Peter was President of the Canadian Association of Smelter and Allied Workers (CASAW) in 1976, when...Video
John Shields was born and raised in New York City by Irish Catholic parents who were both union members. He pursued a life in the Catholic church clergy, but left after disagreement with the direction of the church. He moved...Video
Kate Braid is a carpenter and a poet, writing about her experiences as a female working in the male-dominated construction trades. She was born in Calgary, AB and was elected to the executive of the BC Regional Council of Carpenters....Video
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...Video
Clive Lytle was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1937. He went to University for his Bachelors of Arts degree, and was recommended to apply for a research position at the BC Federation of Labour. This interview was conducted by Ken...Video
This is a secondary, follow-up interview with Ray Haynes. Ray provided the BCLHC with a number of materials (photos, newspaper articles, etc.) to digitize and archive, which much of this interview is based upon. In this interview, Ray reflects on...Video
Jef Keighley was born in Vancouver, BC in 1950. He spent time working in Jamaica through the Canadian University Service Overseas. He worked in the automotive and construction industries before becoming involved in the Canadian Association of Industrial, Mechanical and...Video
Bill Zander was born at home in the small town of Myrtle, Saskatchewan in 1934, but spent his childhood in Vancouver, BC He started working in a lumber mill after returning from the Royal Canadian Airforce, and became a plant...Video
Sharon Yandle was born in 1941 in Vancouver, BC Raised in the East Side of Vancouver, Sharon spent the majority of her career as a freelance negotiator for various unions across the province, specializing in arbitration and “duty to accommodate”....Video
John Jensen was a Danish-born union and community activist in Northwestern BC He was an active member of the Carpenters’ Union and a delegate to the Kitimat and Terrace District Labour Council for 50 years. This interview was donated to...Video
Art Kube was born in Poland where he attended a socialist kindergarten. He joined the Metalworkers Union in 1949 and became a member of the socialist faction of the Metalworkers Union. This interview was conducted by David Yorke, Ken Novakowski,...Video
This is an audio-only interview with Nick Carr. Nick was born in Croatia (former Yugoslavia) before moving to Canada as a young boy, where he spent his career as a fisherman. He became President of Local 1 of the United...Video
This is the first of two interviews with Ray Haynes. Ray Haynes was born in Point Grey, Vancouver, BC in 1928. He was introduced to the labour movement through work at a sawmill; his first experience representing workers was at...