BC Labour Heritage Centre

Out to Fight Controls | Article Read about the one-day national general strike in 1976 when a million workers brought the country to a standstill.

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. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/o...

Three women standing with sign that reads On Strike C.L.C. - B.C.Fed. - N.U.P.G.E.

In 1977, ferry workers were the Marine Services component of @bcgeu. On April 27, 1979, @bcfmwu became the sole bargaining agent for all ferry workers, including licensed officers. This decision finally brought all ferry workers into one organization. 2/2

Three women standing on picket line. Sign reads Marine Services BCEU On Strike.

October 7, 1977 BC ferry workers defied a government-imposed cooling-off period and went on strike against the 'new' BC Ferries Corporation. The workers stayed out until they had an acceptable negotiating process in place. 1/2

Go behind the seams of Vancouver's garment industry! Join the "Lunch and Learn" Thursday, October 9. The October newsletter has all the goods on sweatshops and radical journalism. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

Episode 10: 'Pins & Needles' - A 1930's Garment Workers' Musical - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers In September 1938, the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) brought their theatrical musical hit “Pins and Needles” to Vancouver, BC, where it played to glowing reviews. Among the…

The cast of "plain, simple, common, ordinary everyday men and women who work hard for their living" were unionized garment workers from New York. 'Pins and Needles' received glowing reviews when this musical was performed in Vancouver in 1938.
www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

Vancouver is not known today for its garment industry but some prominent factories (staffed largely by women), put the city on the map in the early part of the 20th century.
www.tickettailor.com/events/vanco...

Definitely worth listening to this episode on Amazon and Uber organizing in BC.

Episode 1: Joe Naylor - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers At the annual Miners Memorial Weekend held in Cumberland, British Columbia each June, participants lay roses at the grave of the famous labour martyr Ginger Goodwin. Nearby his distinctive headstone,…

An unsung hero of this province's early labour movement, socialist coal miner Joe Naylor took Ginger Goodwin under his wing and the two became fast friends. www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

Butchers pose in meat market.

Headline: Meatless Days Threatened by Packing House Strike

Headline: Rail workers refuse to move cars for Swift's

Headline: Packing plants in 16 cities shut down, meat counters running short

"NO MEAT, NO WORK" With three large packinghouses on strike in September 1947, the Woodworkers and Mine-Mill unions warned that if the strike wasn't resolved, logging and mining camps couldn't operate.

The strike was ended after a few tense weeks. The workers won an 11% raise.

Episode 2: The 1931 Fraser Mills Strike - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers Nearly 90 years ago, in the dark years of the Great Depression, union membership and the number of strikes in B.C. fell dramatically; but every now and then, against all odds, workers took a stand. It...

During a strike almost 100 years ago at Fraser Mills, French Canadian, British, Scandinavian, Japanese, Chinese, and South Asian sawmill workers showed unprecedented solidarity in the face of overwhelming odds, winning some, but not all, their demands. www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

Links to purchase and upcoming launches in the September newsletter. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

The Art of Solidarity: Labour Arts and Heritage in Canada

Leading from the Heart, Judy Darcy

35 Accords

John Horgan in his own words

Four great reads for your autumn bookshelf.

Episode 7: Bea Zucco's Fight for Silicosis Compensation - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers April 28th marks Canada's annual Day of Mourning. Of course, industrial accidents are not the only risk workers face; occupational diseases, brought on by hazardous workplace conditions, have also…

Occupational diseases from hazardous workplace conditions have claimed a terrible toll. In 1956, Bea Zucco fought for (and won) WCB benefits for her hardrock miner husband who was stricken with silicosis. www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

Former BCGEU President Stephanie Smith wanted people to say 'my union' not 'the union,' like it was something completely separate from them." She talks about this, as well as organizing, bargaining, and COVID-19.
See the whole interview here: vimeo.com/StephanieSmith

As the Ironworkers bridge collapsed around him, Ken Johnstone kept working. Read his story and more BC labour history in today's newsletter. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

The Man in the Boat | The Tyee As the Ironworkers bridge collapsed around him, Ken Johnstone stayed on the job and saved lives.

In the extensive media coverage that followed the tragedy of the Ironworkers bridge collapse, Ken Johnstone’s name is mentioned only once.

He was praised for being “directly responsible for saving three men.” Elsewhere he is identified only as “the boatman.” 🛶

Episode 18: How Many Deaths Will It Take? Remembering the Canadian Farmworkers Union - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers This is the inspiring tale of a group of dedicated individuals who took up the cause of BC’s Fraser Valley Farmworkers who toiled in dreadful, unregulated conditions in the 1970s and ‘80s. It is a…

The Canadian Farmworkers Union was as much a social movement as a union. The historic founding convention took place on April 6th, 1980. It was a joyous occasion.Ten days later, bat-wielding thugs attacked the Vice President's home.

The Man in the Boat | The Tyee As the Ironworkers bridge collapsed around him, Ken Johnstone stayed on the job and saved lives.

The Man in the Boat via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...

Episode 3: The 1983 Tranquille Occupation - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers On July 19, 1983, members of the BC Government and Service Employees Union, better known as the BCGEU, learned that the large Tranquille Institution in Kamloops, British Columbia would be shut down.…

Nearly 40 years later, the historic 22-day occupation of Tranquille institution in Kamloops BC stands as one of the most radical, inspiring examples of workers using direct action and collective bargaining to protect not just labour rights, but human rights too.

Episode 1: Joe Naylor - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers At the annual Miners Memorial Weekend held in Cumberland, British Columbia each June, participants lay roses at the grave of the famous labour martyr Ginger Goodwin. Nearby his distinctive headstone,…

Joe Naylor did not leave a legacy of speeches and fiery actions against the ramparts of capitalism. But during the second decade of the 20th century, he was the most radical union leader on Vancouver Island.

Five people pose in front of a plaque

Close up of plaque surrounded by flowers

Two people stand, one holding a bouquet of flowers

Three people stand at podium.

This weekend, we gathered in Nanaimo to unveil a plaque remembering the 23 workers who were killed in 1951 when an airplane taking them home from the ALCAN project in Kitimat crashed. It was an event that shook the entire province. With gratitude to those who shared this solemn occasion.

New plaque unveiled to honour Mt. Benson plane crash victims NANAIMO - In place at the Bowen Rd. cemetery for several months, a new memorial dedicated to one of the countr...

A new permanent bronze plaque is being unveiled today in Nanaimo, honouring the victims of one of Canada's worst air disasters.

#Nanaimo

nanaimonewsnow.com/2025/08/16/n...

The BC Labour Heritage Centre has publish another “On The Line” podcast. This time about BC garment workers.

bsky.app/profile/bclh...

Good morning! Is the sky really bluer here? Let's find out!

BC's Worst Aviation Disaster Kills 23 Workers: Heritage Plaque Unveiling, Saturday: August 16, 2025 | Simpli Events Sponsored by BC Labour Heritage Centre, Nanaimo Historical Society, BC Building Trades Council. Pay tribute to 23 workers whose deaths on October 17, 1951 are a stark reminder that there is always a h...

Co-sponsored with Nanaimo Historical Society & BC Building Trades. Join this free public event, a reminder of the human story behind workplace tragedy. Details & RSVP here. simpli.events/e/heritage-p...

Hand holding a cell phone displaying newsletter. Headline reads It's Here.

Read about the Nanaimo airplane crash that killed 23 workers in 1951. The passengers and crew were returning to Vancouver from the ALCAN construction project in Kitimat. The crash will be remembered with a new heritage plaque on August 16. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

Ep 32: Behind the Seams - Garment Workers in BC - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers 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 gl...

"That was when I first heard the word 'scab'." In 1924 Anne Marshall was a waitress and striking longshoremen sparked her interested in unions. Learn about organizing garment workers in BC. www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

The Ginger Goodwin General Strike - Working People Built BC by Rod Mickleburgh Originally published in the Mickleblog August 2, 2018 At 12 o’clock sharp on Aug. 2, 1918 – one hundred years ago today –Vancouver transit operators stopped their streetcars in mid-...

This excellent article by Rod Mickleburgh described what happened after the shooting of #GingerGoodwin #FamilyHistory #LocalHistory #VancouverBC

www.labourheritagecentre.ca/the-ginger-g...

@bclhc.bsky.social

Coln talks about that experience in his oral history interview, and he brought in this copy of the B.C. Building Tradesman magazine for us to see.