For almost five decades Syd Thompson (1914-1992) was a formidable force in BC’s labour movement. President of the large Vancouver local of the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) and the Vancouver and District Labour Council, Thompson didn’t often mince words or offer subtle opinions. When he spoke, people listened — they had no choice.

This podcast episode pulls from two recorded interviews with Syd Thompson in which he traces his experiences in the Great Depression, including periods he spent in jail for his efforts to organize relief camp workers. He took that fighting spirit to the bargaining table with leaders of BC's forestry companies.

Explicit language.

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music:

"Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" music and lyrics by Gorney, Jay, and E.Y. Harburg (1932), performed by Bing Crosby.

"Roll the Union On", music and lyrics by John Handcox and Lee Hays, performed by The Almanac Singers With Pete Seeger (1955).

Sources:

Bostwick, Colleen. (1978). Syd Thompson Interview [Audio Recording]. Royal BC Museum and Archives, Item AAAB3922

Mickleburgh, Rod. (c. 1980). Interview with Syd Thompson [Audio Recording]. BC Labour Heritage Centre Archives (2024.1.6)

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The hard-working women in the Okanagan Valley's bountiful fruit packing plants from the 1920s to the 1970s became known as the “Apple Box Belles”. While much has been written about Okanagan fruit-growing, the early union history has barely been mentioned. In this episode we hear from Alma Faulds and Lydia Bastian, two fruit packers who were active in their unions, the United Packinghouse Workers and the Fruit and Vegetable Workers. They discuss the hard seasonal work, long hours, occupational disease and accidents they endured. Faulds worked 35 seasons in the packing plants, sitting on the union executive and later becoming union business agent. Stories of union battles and workplace solidarity combined with a performance of Apple Box Belles, by Tiller's Folly, makes a compelling episode documenting their legacy.

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music:

“Apple Box Belles”, music and lyrics by Bruce Coughlan, performed by Tiller's Folly, 2025. https://youtu.be/5xZ9LgWLQKk?si=WAyDyBfitam3r_7-

Sources:

Apple Box Belles – A Colourful Tale from British Columbia’s Fruit Culture retrieved at https://stirringupghosts.ca/apple-box-belles

October 28, 1937. “Mrs. Isobel Stillingfleet Awarded First Honours in Packing Competition” Kelowna Courier.

Community Stories: Applebox Belles: The Women of Lake Country’s Packinghouses – an exhibit produced by the Lake Country Museum & Archives retrieved at https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/applebox-belles/story/71-2/

Research and writing by Patricia Wejr

Hosted by Rod Mickleburgh

Technical production by John Mabbott

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For most of the 20th century, garment workers—mostly women—sewed, pressed and wove fabric on factory assembly lines throughout the Lower Mainland, before the domestic industry began to decline with globalization. This episode features an interview with Anne Marshall, a garment worker who became an organizer and business agent for the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) in Vancouver beginning in the 1940s. We also hear from Esther Peters who worked at Vancouver's West Coast Woolen Mills. She became a shop steward and then president of the Textile Workers Industrial Union of BC.

Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.

Episode music:

“Look for the Union Label”, lyrics by Paula Green, music by Malcolm Dodds. International Ladies' Garment Workers Union, 1975. https://all-together-now.com/story/the-ilgwu-in-canada/

"Bread and Roses" (traditional) - performed by So-So-So Solidarite, Justice! (Compact Disc). Canadian Union of Postal Workers, n.d.

Sources:

Anne Marshall. Audio interview by Sara Diamond, Women's Labour History Project. 1979. Courtesy VIVO Media Arts Centre and SFU Archives.

Esther Peters. Video interview by Geoff Peters. 1981. (personal collection)

Cornell University IRL School The ILGWU in Canada. The Kheel Center ILGWU Collection. https://ilgwu.ilr.cornell.edu/announcements/27.html

Research and writing by Natasha Fairweather and Patricia Wejr

Hosted by Rod Mickleburgh

Technical production by John Mabbott

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• Send your feedback info@labourheritagecentre.ca
• Thanks for listening!