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In this conversation, Colin Gabelmann and Ron Johnson describe the difficult relationship between the BC Federation of Labour and the BC NDP from the 1960s through the 1980s. Gabelmann and Johnson are both retired staffers from the BC Fed, and...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
Explore some of the women in BC’s labour history who created milestones for the movement.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
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
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
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...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...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
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
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...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
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
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
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
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
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...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
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
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
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
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...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...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
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
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
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...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...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...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...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
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....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
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...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,...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...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...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...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
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
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
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
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
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...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...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...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...Article
For over 100 years, fruit from the orchards of BC's Okanagan Valley has fed families across Canada and the hard-working women in the fruit packing plants became known as the “Apple Box Belles”. While much has been written about Okanagan...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
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...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...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
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
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
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...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
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
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...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...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...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
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
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....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...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
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...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...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...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...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...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
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
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
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...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
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...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
Deborah Bourque’s extensive involvement in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), includes serving as its national president from 2002 to 2008. She describes the challenges CUPW faced in negotiating collective agreements and fighting against government legislation that threatened the...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...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
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
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...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...Audio
For over 100 years, the hard-working women in the fruit packing plants became known as the “Apple Box Belles”. While much has been written about Okanagan fruit-growing, the early union history has barely been mentioned.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...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...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
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
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
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
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...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...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
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...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...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...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...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...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
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....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...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
In a follow-up interview, Joy Thorkelson, President of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, speaks to Rod Mickleburgh and Donna Sacuta as she continues to recall the issues and actions taken by West Coast unions in the fishing industry.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...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
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...Article
Patrick Burns opened his first slaughterhouse in Calgary in 1890. In 1907 Burns & Co built “a large and modern packing plant” in Vancouver, at the foot of Woodland Drive. By the 1940s, the meatpacking industry was dominated by three large...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
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...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...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...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...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.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...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
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...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...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
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...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
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...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
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...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...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
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.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...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.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...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,...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,...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...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....Audio
Elroy Robson (1897-1986) was a labour organizer for the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers (CBRT) who held senior offices in other central labour bodies becoming the first President of the Ontario Federation of Labour in 1944. He...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...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...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...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...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...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...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...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...Historical materials
The Ray Whitehead fonds contains items spanning the years 1973 to 1987. Whitehead's union career included time with the Marine Workers component of the BCGEU, the BC Government Employees' Union (BCGEU) and most notably, the Canadian Union of Public Employees...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.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.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,...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...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...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...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
The interview covers Larry Kuehn's extensive involvement with labour and social justice organizations beyond his work with the BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF). His time as president of the BCTF is covered in an earlier interview, available in our BCTF Past...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...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 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...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...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...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
Created in 2013, this video chronicles the history of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in British Columbia (BC).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.Audio
John Murray "Jack" Campbell (1882-1969) came to Canada from Ireland in 1906, working at various jobs including on the Canadian Pacific Railway, on ranches in the Okanagan, eventually settling in Burnaby where he joined the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers...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...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
BC at Work, Episode 2, was first broadcast on September 11, 1988. It was produced by Michael Morgan and Associates and Shane Lunny Productions for the BC Federation of Labour as a public affairs television program comprising 13 episodes. Twelve...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
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...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...
