Interview with Stephanie Smith

Stephanie Smith was the first elected woman president of the BC General Employees Union (BCGEU) in its over 100-year history, holding the post from from 2014 to 2024.

Born in Canada and educated in New Zealand, Stephanie attended teacher's college at age 16 and subsequently worked in the unionized childcare system . At the time, her union was trying to achieve wage parity with the elementary school teachers, which became her first experience with activism.

When Stephanie returned to Canada and B.C. in 1988 she eventually found work in a unionized childcare center, of which there were very few at the time. Her experience in government-funded New Zealand childcare shaped her views on the inequalities of childcare in B.C., both for the workers as well as the families.

Stephanie was involved with her union at the time they merged with the BCGEU. Over the years, she was elected to various positions at BCGEU, from steward, to provincial executive member, to treasurer, until finally president.

She reflects on her experience in organizing the union both internally (through training activists and empowering members), and externally (through organizing the unorganized), during her tenure. She sees BCGEU as an effective social justice union, whose gains lead to broad community benefits. This orientation led to an effective response to workplace health and safety during the COVID-19 epidemic. BCGEU members suffered all the extremes: some were designated essential and were exposed on the frontlines, others had a sudden pivot to remote work, and many were immediately laid off.

Workers did, however, begin to realize that they are the ones keeping the lights on and the wheels moving, and this growth in empowerment helped BCGEU to be successful in achieving a Cost Of Living Allowance in the 2022 round of bargaining. This was a major achievement in public service negotiations in Canada.

Stephanie is proud of the work that she, the members, and the staff of BCGEU accomplished during her presidency.