A rare hand-held fan donated to the Museum of Vancouver holds the signatures of roughly 35 Canadian volunteers who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War (1936–1939) — most from British Columbia, and 13 of whom never came home. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/s...

Signatures from Spain, Podcast Ep. 36

Learn about a rare folding fan holding signatures of roughly 35 Canadian volunteers who fought fascism in the Spanish Civil War.

labourheritagecentre.ca

It's Miners Memorial Weekend in Cumberland, BC and we've just published a new article by freelance writer Janet Nicol on BC's infamous labour martyr Ginger Goodwin. Download your FREE copy of "The Story of Ginger Goodwin". www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/t...

The Story of Ginger Goodwin | Article

Download The Story of Ginger Goodwin (PDF)

labourheritagecentre.ca

Vince Ready (yes, that one) remembers a massive avalanche that struck the remote Granduc copper mine camp in 1965. Twenty-six of the 150 workers on site were killed. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/t...

Vancouver's Labor Temple at 411 Dunsmuir Street was opened to much fanfare on May 1, 1912 until it was sold in 1920. Find out why it is still important to the labour movement, and learn about a special event to recognize it as a "Place That Matters". mailchi.mp/labourherita...

AU Press author Ian McDonald discusses his new book and the 1966 Lenkurt strike with @bclhc.bsky.social's On the Line podcast. Tune in for a special song about the infamous wildcat strike written especially for this episode!

Lenkurt Electric: Turning the Tide | Podcast Ep.

Publication date: April 30, 2024 Podcast length: 30:05 Hosted by: Rod Mickleburgh Research and writing by: Patricia Wejr and Rod Mickleburgh Production by: John Mabbott Workers, mainly women, at…

labourheritagecentre.ca

In 2005, contract talks between the @bctf.bsky.social and BC Liberals fell apart. Rather than negotiate, the government imposed a collective agreement, freezing wages and providing no support for classroom conditions. The teachers were ready, and other unions stepped up.

"Shortly after 11:00 at night, as snow fell on the streets the Mac-Paps completed the final leg of their long journey home." Guest author Kayden Russell Black describes the crowd of 9,000 at Vancouver's train station in 1939. www.labourheritagecentre.ca/collection/s...

Solidarity City: The Mac-Paps Come Home | Article

Learn how the Mac-Paps, volunteer soldiers in Spain's fight against fascism, were received when they returned home to Vancouver.

labourheritagecentre.ca

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

A Mining Town Scattered Residents, and Asbestos, to the Wind | The Tyee

Cassiar exposed residents to asbestos for 40 years. But little has been done to follow their health outcomes.

thetyee.ca

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.

January 2026 Newsletter

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# 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...

Ep.33 - Apple Box Belles - On the Line: Stories of BC Workers

The hard-working women in the Okanagan Valley's bountiful fruit packing plants from the 1920s to the 1970s became known as the “Apple Box Belles”. While much has been written about Okanagan fruit-grow...

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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 macpaptribute@gmail.com 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...

Abe Mortimer: Black athlete, storyteller | Article

Learn about the beloved Black pioneer Abe Mortimer, lumber worker, union man, athlete, soldier, storyteller, and Hall of Famer.

labourheritagecentre.ca

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...

Interview: Fred Wilson, Creation of Unifor | Video

Fred played an active role in the anti-globalization movement. He tells the story of the New Union Project and his role in it, which created the Unifor, largest private sector union in Canada, from…

labourheritagecentre.ca

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...

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.

labourheritagecentre.ca

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...

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…

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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...

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,…

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"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...

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...

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