Interview with Mary LaPlante

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 them into the Hospital Employees' Union (HEU) and soon became Local Chair. This led her to increased activism and election to the union's provincial executive. In the interview Mary discusses her early years, her challenges as a woman in leadership, and the many challenges the Union experienced with privatization, anti-union governments, the terrible impact on members, and a major union win at the Supreme Court of Canada. When she retired as Financial Secretary, the HEU established the Sister Mary LaPlante Award to recognize her mentorship of women in the union.