Episode 16: The Union Archive That Almost Didn't Make It
07/05/22 • 27 min
In 2019, former members of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) along with community historians opened the IWA Archive in Lake Cowichan BC. Located at the Kaatza Station Museum, the IWA Archive is near the home of the first IWA local in the province. The Museum also houses the fabulous Wilmer Gold Photo Collection.
The founding convention of the IWA took place in Tacoma Washington in 1937. Its first President was Harold Pritchett from British Columbia, who was also the first Canadian to lead an international union.
John Mountain, Al Lundgren, Pat Foster and Terry Inglis tell the story of how the collection began, was almost lost, and with the help of Archivist Henry John, continue to preserve the records of what was once BC's largest and most powerful union.
Bikram (Vic) Berar, whose father Jaswant Singh was an interpreter for South Asian lumber workers and also a Local 1-80 Vice President, explains how important the IWA and the Archive is to his family.
FEATURED MUSIC: Theme song: "Hold the Fort" - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992. Part of the "On to Ottawa" film produced by Sara Diamond.
"Talking IWA" written and performed by Joe Glazer, 1977.
Hjalmer Bergren (12:32-12:52) and Ernie Dalskog (13:17-13:27), "These Were the Reasons": Stories of Union Organizing in BC, BC Overtime, 2011. https://youtu.be/NFwpDcBUPlw
RESEARCH: Research and script for this episode by Patricia Wejr & Rod Mickleburgh. Production by John Mabbott.
- Follow us https://www.facebook.com/LabourHistoryInBC/
- Browse https://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/
- Find us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/bclhc.bsky.social
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bc_lhc/
- Send your feedback [email protected]
- Thanks for listening!
In 2019, former members of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) along with community historians opened the IWA Archive in Lake Cowichan BC. Located at the Kaatza Station Museum, the IWA Archive is near the home of the first IWA local in the province. The Museum also houses the fabulous Wilmer Gold Photo Collection.
The founding convention of the IWA took place in Tacoma Washington in 1937. Its first President was Harold Pritchett from British Columbia, who was also the first Canadian to lead an international union.
John Mountain, Al Lundgren, Pat Foster and Terry Inglis tell the story of how the collection began, was almost lost, and with the help of Archivist Henry John, continue to preserve the records of what was once BC's largest and most powerful union.
Bikram (Vic) Berar, whose father Jaswant Singh was an interpreter for South Asian lumber workers and also a Local 1-80 Vice President, explains how important the IWA and the Archive is to his family.
FEATURED MUSIC: Theme song: "Hold the Fort" - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992. Part of the "On to Ottawa" film produced by Sara Diamond.
"Talking IWA" written and performed by Joe Glazer, 1977.
Hjalmer Bergren (12:32-12:52) and Ernie Dalskog (13:17-13:27), "These Were the Reasons": Stories of Union Organizing in BC, BC Overtime, 2011. https://youtu.be/NFwpDcBUPlw
RESEARCH: Research and script for this episode by Patricia Wejr & Rod Mickleburgh. Production by John Mabbott.
- Follow us https://www.facebook.com/LabourHistoryInBC/
- Browse https://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/
- Find us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/bclhc.bsky.social
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bc_lhc/
- Send your feedback [email protected]
- Thanks for listening!
Previous Episode
Episode 15: Smelter Wars
The workers at the lead-zinc smelter in Trail, British Columbia have a long history of overcoming formidable obstacles to unionization. Contentious politics, a company union and two World Wars are some of the issues discussed in this episode.
We talk to Ron Verzuh whose new book Smelter Wars: A Rebellious Red Trade Union Fights for its Life in Wartime Western Canada (University of Toronto Press, 2022) has just been published. We also listen to archived interviews with two men who worked in the smelter in the early 1900s and remembered Ginger Goodwin who led a strike there in 1917.
Originally members of the Western Federation of Miners, who became the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, the workers at the Trail Smelter (Cominco) are now represented by United Steelworkers Local 480.
FEATURED MUSIC: Theme song: "Hold the Fort" - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992. Part of the "On to Ottawa" film produced by Sara Diamond.
“Ode to the Union Smelterman” (1907), author unknown. Performed by Jeff Burrows.
RESEARCH: Research and script for this episode by Patricia Wejr & Rod Mickleburgh. Production by John Mabbott.
Andrew Waldie interview, RECORDED: 1975-12-18 by Howie Smith. ©Royal BC Museum
Ed Provost interview, RECORDED: 1975-12-20 by Howie Smith. ©Royal BC Museum
Cominco History – Rossland Museum & Discovery Centre retrieved at https://www.rosslandmuseum.ca/cominco
- Follow us https://www.facebook.com/LabourHistoryInBC/
- Browse https://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/
- Find us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/bclhc.bsky.social
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bc_lhc/
- Send your feedback [email protected]
- Thanks for listening!
Next Episode
Episode 17: Asbestos - A Lethal Legacy
This episode looks at the grim toll taken by exposure to carcinogenic fibres of asbestos. Because it often takes decades for diseases such as mesothelioma - a cancer caused by asbestos exposure - to develop, its legacy is ongoing. We’ve known about these dangers for decades, yet the widespread use of asbestos continued long after its lethal properties were beyond dispute. It routinely found its way into a startling range of construction materials and, ironically, safety products.
In September 2022, the BC Labour Heritage Centre officially dedicated a remarkable memorial to the victims of asbestos. The Asbestos Memorial is located on the Vancouver waterfront as part of the Vancouver Convention Centre's Art Program with a commanding view of Burrard Inlet, where workers once loaded asbestos onto cargo ships.
Lee Loftus, a third-generation member of the Insulators Union Local 118 talks about his role in raising awareness and understanding the risks of asbestos exposure.
Tracy Ford, co-founder of the Asbestos-Related Research, Education & Advocacy Fund (AREA), recalls how the disease caught up with her father.
Dave Pritchett, a longshoreman who worked at the Cassiar Asbestos dock in North Vancouver, explains how he and fellow longshore workers were on the front lines of handling asbestos.
Linda Brace, widow of a smelter worker in Trail BC, recounts Cominco's response to her husband's death from mesothelioma at the age of 53.
FEATURED MUSIC: Theme song: "Hold the Fort" - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992. Part of the "On to Ottawa" film produced by Sara Diamond.
"More Than a Paycheck" written by Ysaye Barnwell and performed by Solidarity Notes Labour Choir, from the CD "A New World for Our Heirs".
"Sit Down" written by Maurice Sugar and performed by Manhattan Chorus.
Tracy Ford, "A History of Asbestos in BC", BC Labour Heritage Centre and WorkSafeBC, 2015. https://youtu.be/uEOgZt2y1_I
Dave Pritchett, Oral History interview, BC Labour Heritage Centre, 2018.
Linda Brace, "Asbestos - The Silent Killer", United Steelworkers Local 480, 2008. https://youtu.be/H9IkIr3Jm5Y
RESEARCH: Research and script for this episode by Patricia Wejr & Rod Mickleburgh. Production by John Mabbott.
- Follow us https://www.facebook.com/LabourHistoryInBC/
- Browse https://www.labourheritagecentre.ca/
- Find us on Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/bclhc.bsky.social
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bc_lhc/
- Send your feedback [email protected]
- Thanks for listening!
On the Line: Stories of BC Workers - Episode 16: The Union Archive That Almost Didn't Make It
Transcript
Rod Mickleburgh [00:00:00] Welcome to another edition of On the Line, a podcast that aims to shine a light on BC's rich labour heritage. I'm your host, Rod Mickleburgh. Today we are focusing on something a little different. Rather than a union battle or significant labour breakthrough, we take a look at some special people who helped make it possible to tell all those stories, stories that might otherwise remain unknown to the public. That's the goal of the BC Labour Heritage
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