Working People: A History of Labour in BC

“Working People: the History of Labour in British Columbia” is a powerful documentary made up of thirty ‘vignettes,’ each story containing photographs, archival film footage and songs.

Some of the stories have already made the history books, others have not.

One vignette, which I helped research is called “By Women, For Women” and tells the story of the SORWUC bank workers’ union organizing drive in the 1970s.

“Working People” previews March 20 on BC’s Knowledge Network TV.

The complete series will be posted on the Labour Heritage Centre website soon–and distributed to schools throughout BC.

(Photo: CIBC at Victory Square in Vancouver. Workers at this branch were the first to join the bank workers’ local of SORWUC.)

***

Now on magazine stands (March, 2014) is a featured article I have written in Women and Environments International Magazine based on research for the Working People vignette “By Women, For Women” and called “Women must do it for themselves: Organizing Working Women into SORWUC (1972-1986).” The article concludes, in part, “SORWUC shook up some of the toughest industries to organize–including banks and restaurants–and challenged the union movement’s complacency, holding up the ideal of independent unions, controlled by its membership.”   Here’s the link- http://www.yorku.ca/weimag/BACKISSUES/images/WEI%20scan%202013%20iss%2092-93%20part%201_2.pdf

Also check out this wonderful graphic arts version of the SORWUC story – on line at

Preview #8: An Entirely Different Kind of Labour Union: The Service, Office, and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada

Tags: BC labour history; SORWUC bank drive; Working People tv series