When Syd Thompson spoke, people listened. His voice was so loud, they had no choice. At the podium, the mic was always turned away from him lest he deafen those in the room. Learn about the formidable labour leader in this month's newsletter. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

On January 24 1996, the @bcfed.bsky.social recognized Corporate Tax Freedom Day representing the date each year when Canadian corporations have earned enough revenue to cover their taxes for the rest of the year. The "Race to the Trough" in 2026 was on January 4.

Although the health impacts of asbestos exposure are well studied, little is known about the long-term effects of living and working in Cassiar. The consequences of asbestos exposure can take 20 to 40 years to fully appear. @amandafollett.bsky.social reports. #bcpoli

When journalist Roger Stonebanks set out to write a book on BC labour hero Ginger Goodwin, he felt that too much already written was "second-hand stuff". So he mailed 50 letters to every 'Goodwin' in the South Yorkshire directory, until he found a relative. mailchi.mp/labourherita...

Meet BC labour hero Ginger Goodwin's Yorkshire family in our latest newsletter.

# History Three more early films have been posted, all from British Columbia. Visit and enjoy! The Moving Past, www.themovingpast.com Archival films made between 1918 and 1930, about life, work and technology from a century ago. Access is free, donations are appreciated. Thank you, David

Learn about the women in Okanagan fruit packing plants where long hours, low pay, occupational disease and accidents pushed them to unionize. The December newsletter is here. mailchi.mp/labourherita... 🍎💪

Meet Alma Faulds and Lydia Bastion, women who built union solidarity in the bountiful fruit packing plants of BC's Okanagan Valley. www.buzzsprout.com/1312528/epis...

The day Led Zeppelin became part of the union. Learn about the historic 1975 Led Zeppelin rock concert co-sponsored by striking CUPE union members at a Vancouver radio station. Welcome back, Robert Plant! www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/t...

Show support for the original fighters against fascism. Organizers of the Mac-Pap Tribute are asking for volunteers to visit the graves of veterans around BC in the days leading up to November 11. If you can help please send an email to [email protected] with your location.

Read about the beloved Black pioneer Abe Mortimer, lumber worker, union man, athlete, soldier, storyteller, and Hall of Famer. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/a...

October 24, 2005, BC Teachers' Federation (BCTF) ended their two-week strike that defied a back-to-work order. Other unions, including CUPE school support workers, had walked off in sympathy. Mediator Vince Ready's recommendations were enough to end the impasse. Joshua Berson photos.

"Your ability to survive as a worker is through the union. There's no other way." - Vince Ready, miner, union organizer and renowned mediator. New to the Oral History Collection. Find it at https://buff.ly/4ghTIqx

The Trade Union Research Bureau was a singular organization in BC, opening its doors in 1945 with roots back to 1920. Created by Bert Marcuse, Eric Bee, and Emil Bjarnason, TURB provided research and advocacy. Fred Wilson worked at the TURB in the 90s. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/.../fred-wil...

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...

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...

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...

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...

"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.

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...

Four great reads for your autumn bookshelf.

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...

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.” 🛶

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 via @thetyee.ca thetyee.ca/Culture/2025...

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.

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.

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.

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!

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...

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...

"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...

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

"You go home after the day, hearing the stuff, and you say 'We cannot have this again. It cannot happen again.'" Colin Snell was on the coroner's inquest jury after the tragedy at the Bentall Tower Centre IV that claimed four lives. You can see his interview at vimeo.com/bclhc/colins...

Wonderful to see the renovated gravestone of #GingerGoodwin at Cumberland Cemetery on#VancouverIsland and proud to represent the Goodwin family in this process. #FamilyHistory #Mining @familytreeuk.bsky.social

Good to be at the archives in #CumberlandBC again. Lots of #GingerGoodwin memorabilia here. Heartwarming conversations with local people whose ancestors knew him. #FamilyHistory #LocalHistory #Mining

Still stops me in my tracks. Fellow family historians will get it - seeing my Great Great Uncle Albert ‘Ginger’ Goodwin immortalised on the wall of a supermarket in Cumberland. A bit faded now, but his spirit lives on! #GingerGoodwin #FamilyHistory #Genealogy #CumberlandBC #LabourLegacy #Mining

So good to see the completed work in person. #GingerGoodwin #FamilyHistory 🌹

Ginger Goodwin's headstone at the Cumberland Cemetery has received a facelift. Unauthorized alterations and vandalism have been corrected, as has the date of Goodwin's death. It will be another 6-8 months before the cleaning process is complete. We expect the sandstone will look like new again. 1/2

The 1919 Prince Rupert General Strike (June 10 - July 4) marked a milestone on the road to building a strong labour movement in northwest BC. The strike was based entirely on support for workers over a thousand miles away.

"We are not just Japanese or Asians, but workers of the world, and we sincerely hope that you will be able to replace exclusion with fraternity." Learn about BC's Japanese Camp and Mill Workers' Federal Union, formed in 1920, excluded by labour until 1927, and destroyed by mass internment in 1942.

"The more forcefully you exclude us, the more we are exploited by the capitalists." Japanese Camp and Mill Workers' Union wanted to be included in the labour movement in order to combat Asiatic Exclusion, but were refused. Learn about this story in our July newsletter. mailchi.mp/labourherita...