Date: 2017-03-28
Name(s): Garden, Bailey, Griffin, Sean, Walker, Cathy
Description: Cathy Walker was born in Vancouver, BC in 1949 and grew up in Burnaby. Her father was a member of the Machinists Union which influenced her perspective while growing up. She attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) during a time of fervent political activism by students and became involved in the Young New Democrats (YND) during the same time. She left school to pursue a working-class experience and began working at Cascade Electronics where she quickly became involved with the union, then the…
Date: 2018-11-08
Name(s): Andstein, Cliff, Novakowski, Ken
Description: Cliff Andstein is a seasoned activist with over 30 years' experience in the trade union movement. He moved to BC as a young man, leaving his home province of New Brunswick where he had encountered the dangers of working as a high rigger. While pursuing further education in Vancouver, he briefly worked as an instructor at BCIT where he was a member of the BCGEU. He was then hired by BCGEU General Secretary John Fryer, joining a group of bright young staff people who worked with the elected…
Date: 2016-07-11
Name(s): Bauder, Ken, Garden, Bailey, Lytle, Clive
Description: Clive Lytle was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1937. He went to University for his Bachelors of Arts degree, and was recommended to apply for a research position at the BC Federation of Labour. He went on to hold various roles in the labour movement, producing communication and educational material for a number of organizations, including developing a Labour Studies program for Simon Fraser University. Clive passed away on October 27, 2016.
Date: 2018-03-29
Name(s): Gabelmann, Colin, Johnson, Ron, den Hertog, Johanna
Description: Colin Gabelmann came to Canada as a child in 1947 from London, England. He was influenced by his family's ties to social democratic parties in Europe which continued in Canada where they were strong supporters of the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) and the NDP (New Democratic Party). Gablemann became politically active at a young age, living in the Okanagan and moving to Vancouver to attend UBC. His involvement in the UBC NDP Club introduced him to the BC labour movement. After being…
Date: 2025-02-18
Name(s): BC Labour Heritage Centre, Mickleburgh, Rod, Snell, Colin
Description: Colin was born in northern England in 1940. His working-class consciousness developed at an early age. At 16, he apprenticed as a shipwright and during his apprenticeship participated in a short strike. Colin's father died in the war, but his stepfather was a miner and Colin played soccer with a colliery team.
Colin learned to ski in Scotland, and it was his love of skiing and his friendship with a fellow skier that led him to Canada. He wanted to ski in Canada and his friend Les, who had…
Date: 2023-05-23
Name(s): Fuller, Colleen, Novakowski, Ken
Description: In this 2023 conversation, Colleen Fuller talks about growing up in a politically active family and her life of political and labour activism. She was born in the United States to parents active in the Communist Party and the labour movement. Blacklisted in the U.S., they moved to B.C.'s Sunshine Coast. Colleen recalls the racist attitudes toward Indigenous people.
She talks about her early work experiences on a freighter and the fight for the rights of women working on the ship. She was…
Date: 2023-06-21
Name(s): Jordan, Colleen, Reynolds, Keith
Description: Colleen Jordan was born and raised in southern Alberta. Through her early jobs she saw several examples where union members made more money than non-union, but where men were included in the unions and women were excluded. She studied at the University of Alberta where she got involved in anti-apartheid protests. Colleen turned down a fine arts scholarship, got married and moved to back to B.C. She went to UBC to qualify as a school librarian and ended up working at the Burnaby School Board in…
Date: 2020-01-21
Name(s): Garden, Bailey, Novakowski, Ken, Walker, Darryl
Description: Darryl Walker, of the BC Government and Service Employees Union (BCGEU), served as Provincial Vice President (1999 to 2008) and President (2008 to 2014). In this interview Walker describes his working-class background and his introduction to unions and social justice organizations in Canada and England. He was mentored by former BCGEU Presidents John Shields and George Heyman, and speaks about his experiences with public sector bargaining, strikes and protests. In 2018, Walker was elected Mayor…
Date: 2018-05-22
Name(s): Garden, Bailey, Griffin, Sean, Keeton, Dan, Pritchett, Dave
Description: Dave Pritchett served on the ILWU 500 executive for about 25 years. He is the grandson of IWA founder, Harold Pritchett and son of Craig Pritchett, the first president of the Canadian region of the ILWU. As a young boy, Dave learned about Cold War labour issues in the company of the labour leaders and activists of the time during their visits to his grandfather's home, his home, and travelling around BC with his father. He was an IWA member when he worked in logging as a young man. A proponent…
Date: 2019-09-06
Name(s): Mickleburgh, Rod, Sacuta, Donna, Smith, Dave
Description: Dave Smith worked for Canada Post in Prince Rupert until he retired. He became President of his local of the Letter Carriers Union until it merged with the Canadian Union of Postal Workers in 1989. He also served as President of the Prince Rupert Labour Council—one of B.C.'s oldest—for over 15 years. Brother Smith recalls some picket lines and labour disputes during his years as a union activist. He reflects on the realities of the labour movement in a small "union town" with humour and candor.
Date: 2023-04-19
Name(s): Legg, Phil, Wilson, Dave
Description: Dave Wilson grew up in Winnipeg. He was influenced by his grandfather who was active in the Winnipeg General Strike. He apprenticed as a lineman with the Manitoba Telephone System and soon after starting there he became the shop steward for apprentices in his local of the IBEW. He eventually became president, and then assistant business manager of the local. In 1975, he left Manitoba to get a job at Okanagan Telephone (OK Tel) in Kelowna, which eventually merged with the B.C. Telephone Company…
Date: 2024-03-07
Name(s): Fairey, David, Keeton, David
Description: David Fairey's parents were working class immigrants from the U.K. His father was a carpenter and cabinet maker and his mother worked in domestic service, sewing at home, and in furniture and aircraft factories. After he finished high school, David started an apprenticeship in Toronto as a wood pattern maker in a medium-sized heavy manufacturing plant.
During his apprenticeship, he had his first experiences with unions. He became active in Local 28 of the International Molders and Allied…
Date: 2022-04-18
Name(s): Gellately, David, Sacuta, Donna, Wejr, Patricia
Description: Born in Newfoundland, David Gellately made his way to B.C. in the early 1970s. He became a provincial government employee in northern B.C. and an activist in his union, the BCGEU. David was elected as Regional Vice President for northwestern B.C. and was at the master bargaining table during the negotiations in 1983 when the province came close to a general strike during Operation Solidarity. When he became a staff member of the union he lived and worked in Terrace, Kamloops and Prince George…
Date: 2025-04-22
Name(s): BC Labour Heritage Centre, Novakowski, Ken, Yorke, David
Description: The interview covers David Yorke's participation in two pivotal legal challenges, as well as the various labour history projects he has been involved in since his retirement. Two prior interviews by the BC Teachers' Federation History Project Group cover his earlier life and career, and those can be seen in our BCTF Showcase.
David Yorke discusses his role in assisting the Hospital Employees' Union with their Supreme Court case on collective bargaining rights, as well as the BCTF's…
Date: 2025-04-29
Name(s): BC Labour Heritage Centre, Bourque, Deborah, Redlin, Blair
Description: Deborah Bourque's extensive involvement in the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), includes serving as its national president from 2002 to 2008. She describes the challenges CUPW faced in negotiating collective agreements and fighting against government legislation that threatened the union's right to strike.
Bourque also highlights CUPW's successful efforts to organize and gain voluntary recognition for rural and suburban mail carriers, a major accomplishment during her tenure.…
