Interview with Fred Wilson

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 with the CEP and later Unifor.

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 the CEP and the CAW. Fred emphasizes the need for labour law reform, especially the need for sectoral bargaining. He explains these attempts to reform labour law in BC and in Ontario. He also discusses the challenges facing the labour movement, such as the decline in private sector union density, the need for union renewal and broader-based bargaining, and the importance of the labour movement's relationship with environmental issues. He emphasizes the need for labour leaders to take bold action and stand up for their members, rather than hiding behind them, in order to build a stronger, more progressive labour movement.