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Marion Pollack and Micki McCune both started working for Canada Post as mail sorters in the 1970s. While both were initially impressed with the union wages they were earning, they soon became union activists, given the working conditions at Canada Post. These included sexual harassment and other forms of harassment, sexism, racism, and arbitrary and unfair management. As feminists, they advocated for the formation of women's committees in unions and engaged in many campaigns to advance the…

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…

Jim Sinclair was born and raised in Ontario, where his early work experiences brought him into conflict with employers and demonstrated the need to advocate for workers.
He moved to Vancouver and worked there for Co-op Radio and the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and in Nelson for the Nelson Daily News. Jim then organized workers and bargained collective agreements for fishers and shore workers in the fishermen's union and worked on their paper. Jim was committed to improving health and…

Mark Gordienko was born and raised in Victoria, B.C., and this is where he began longshoring at age 18. He worked in Victoria at Ogden Point in longshoring for eight years. After getting married, and due to the shortage of work in Victoria, he decided to relocate to Prince Rupert to continue longshoring there.
Mark worked in Prince Rupert for 10 years. At the time, the Prince Rupert local, Local 505 of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), was a very small local,…