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Building lor the Future UA Local 170 - 100 vears 01 Cransmanship

A PJO 1

Celebrating ~

YEARS

ofCraftsmanship

1898-1998

United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing & Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada Local 170 Suite 201 - 3876 Norland Avenue Burnaby, BC, Canada VSG 4T9 100th Anniversary History

Message from the General President I am pleased to be able to help Local 170 celebrate this milestone anniversary. Your members can take enormous pride in the accomplishments achieved during the past 100 years. Your local has been blessed with strong leadership and great foresight. Perhaps one of the greatest benefits is the sense of history, fellowship , and pride that this local union has attained. Your commitment today is no less than your predecessors, which is to attain a decent standard of living and improve upon the lives of the members and their families.

It is an honor and a privilege for me to be there to help the officers and members of Local 170 celebrate this 100th year of your existence. With best wishes, I am Fraternally yours,

/~;o/'~ Martin J. Maddaloni General President

Message trom the Prime Minister I am pleased to extend my warmest greetings to all members of Local Union 170 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada, as you celebrate the 100th anniversary of the local. On the occasion of this special anniversary, as members of Local Union 170, you can reflect with pride on its achievements over the past one hundred years. It is also a time to emphasize the remarkable work of members past and present who have dedicated themselves to the movement as staunch advocates for the interests of workers. Please accept my congratulations on one hundred years of accomplishment, and my best wishes for every success in the years to come.

Prime Minister

Message from the Premier As Premier of British Columbia, I am pleased to convey congratulations to the members of Local 170, of the United Association of Journeymen & Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada, on the occasion of the Association's 100th anniversary. B.c.'s building trades unions have a unique history in North America, and each of you, along with the men and the women who went before you, have played an important role in shaping that history. For example, your union was born in the midst of one of our country's major trade union struggles. At that time, working ten hours a day, six days a week, was the normal standard; thus the eight-hour day became a rallying cry for working people across the continent. U.A. members led the fight for clean drinking water, proper sewage facilities, and indoor plumbing. Members also fought for public education for

their children and for libraries, roads and medical services for their communities. During World Wars I and 11, members fought to ensure that when their brothers and sisters came back from the front they would not return to unemployment, poor wages and dangerous working conditions. They also fought for wage replacement and health care services for those injured on the job. Many of these fights continue to this very day. Over the years, the construction industry has changed and grown more complex. What has not changed, however, is the need for progressive and forward-looking trade union voices . . In our prOVince. I am confident that, like the brothers and sisters of 100 years ago who fought for their rights, upheld the craftsmanship and integrity of their trade and created a union for those working in the plumbing and pipefitting industry, you too will leave a legacy of courageous struggle and victory for those who come behind you. Sincerely,

A~ Glen Clark Premier

Contents Early Beginnings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 7 The First 25 Years - 1905 to 1930 ................. 10

Gold Page Tributes ......................... 12

The Depression years ........................... 21 The War Years and the Post-War Boom ........•.•. 26 The Challenges of the 1970s ..................... 39 IS Years of Transition - 1983 to 1998 ..........•... 42 Beyond 2000 ................................... 52

Apprenticeship ................................. 53

Health & Welfare Plan .......................... 56 Pension Plan ................................... 57 Membership ................................... 58

Messages of Support ........................ 59 Acknowledgements ...••.......... Inside Back Cover

Our Proud History The founders of our union believed in the value of hard work, in excellence in our trade, in fairness, and in dignity for all people. That was 100 years ago, and it remains so today. Through its hundred years Local 170 has seen many triumphs and tragedies, successes and failures, good times and bad. Through all of those years it has never betrayed the ideals for which it was established. Our history shares with other trades the agonies of jurisdiction, of coping with technological change, of fighting for work with the non-union sector, and of a wide range of independent-minded sub-skills in the pipe trades which over the hundred years of our history have all joined in under the UA banner. The many thousands of current, retired and past members of UA 170 and their families can look proudly at our history of building this province. That includes routine plumbing work for which we're well known to the general public, but also the industrial, commercial and pipeline work which at times required all the skills possessed by our members, and often heroic dedication to getting the job done under adverse conditions of weather, isolation and danger. That work now forms part of the magnificent economic heartbeat of this province, and much of it is featured in photographs in this book. All members of UA Local 170 past and present should be proud of our history, which gives us the strength and wisdom to face the challenges of the future.

~ou~ Business Man ager UALocal 170 British Columbia

Early Beginnings UA Local 170 celebrated its first hundred years of serving its members and the people of BC on November 18, 1998. On November 18, 1898, 17 plumbers from Vancouver were awarded a charter and became the founding members of the United Association of Plumbing, Gasfitters, Steamfitters and Steamfitter Helpers, Local 170. They were H. Burkholder, A Shead, A. Paton, N.H. Walpole, C. Weeks, A. Green, M.A. Thompson, H . McLuorrie, W.D. Archibald, EJ. McIntyre, P. Moran, J.

7 McLugan, Chas. Paul, B. Weeks, D.A. McDonal, J. Hunt and J. McMurphy. Nothing remains in the record to tell us anything about these men, not even their first names. The International Association was formed in 1888, just ten years before Local 170 received its charter. In July of 1893 a charter was issued to Vancouver UA Local 67, but that local disappeared from the records of the international in July, 1896. The records are sparse from those days, so we can only guess at this fledgling union local's demise, though

it coincides with a depression in BC which particularly affected the construction industry. (The UA local in Brantford, Ontario was subsequently chartered as Local 67.) The only insight to that period comes from a letter written by Richard E Swalwell of that original Local 67, which was published in the UA Journal in April, 1894. It said in part: "The first week in January witnessed the initiation of the only plumber in our city who had hitherto held aloof We have inaugurated a system whereby the number of jobbers in a shop are regulated by the number of journey men employed, and also fixed the rate of wages for m en and jobbers. We are also endeavouring to organize Victoria, B. C. Enclosed y ou will find names of plumbers in principal shops, and I think it would be well to add y our efforts to ours in getting Victoria organized. As it is at present it is a refuge for black sheep. We have two members in that city who will aid in getting things into shape, but they are strangers and Victoria is a conservative city. The trouble in this province is that there are so many small shops and so many without the semblance of a shop who pose as master plumbers and compete not only on work that they can handle, but on work that they cannot possibly

This photo looking north into Stanley Park 'rom Georgia shows the water main on a tresle (behind tree) which carries fresh water from the Capilano River.

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handle, yet dog-in-the-manger like they keep the prices down and it is safe to say that today there is not one plumber in British Columbia making a legitimate profit on his work. Considering the general depression in trade Vancouver has done fairly by its plumbers. They have been kept fairly well employed up to the present. The new year though I am afraid will allow not a few to take a rather prolonged holiday. Prospects of buildings going up during the rainy season are poor, and as far as I can learn outside of a few small dwellings the architects have no work in their offices. The plumbing on the new Parliament Buildings in Victoria has been let to a Victoria firm, but the work is away in the distance yet. In Vancouver we have a plumbing bylaw, a plumbing inspector, a board of examiners who examines all journeymen as to theoretical and practical proficiency in the craft, and who issue certificates to those who obtain not less than seventy per cent of correct answers. .. ," Swalwell's letter goes on to describe the written and practical exams of the period, and ends with an offer to provide any service or information that would help the union. But his observations on the work situation in 1894 bear a scary number of similarities to the situation of the current day, particularly the wholesale price-cutting and under-skilled and unlicensed people practicing the trade . Curiously, Swalwell's name does not appear

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f' UA Local 170's Charter, issued November 18, 1898.

Early Beginnings

A streetcar rolls past the original post office on Hastings Street around 1910.

among the list of 17 men who founded Local 170 just four years later. Aside from the chartering of UA Local 170, 1898 was the year of the Klondike Gold Rush, and the CPR was busy operating two steamships carrying prospectors to Skagway from Vancouver and Victoria. The Boer War was raging and the city was about to give a solemn send-off to a contingent of 17 men to fight on Britain's side. Fully 80 per cent of the city's 20,000 people still lived within a mile of the CPR station. The streets west of Cambie were all roughgraded by the CPR, which owned most of the land on the west side of the city. The city boasted six miles of planked sidewalk, so going downtown was at most a 20-minute walk. One of the attractions was the Hudson's Bay store, built three years earlier at the corner of Granville and Georgia. Earlier in the year the Vancouver Province newspaper was established. Vancouver was on the move. The economy was recovering nicely, the electric streetcar was running along Vanness to New Westminster, and the first -ever passenger train pulled into the CPR station two years earlier to much celebration and fanfare. A pipe was laid across the first narrows, bringing fresh water to the city from the Capilano River. At first, the water lines simply ran to a tap at the street in front of houses, but plumbers were soon hard at work extending the lines indoors and installing sinks and proper bathtubs. A sewer system followed within a few years . •

The First 25 Years - 1905 to 1930 Vancouver was growing up toward the turn of the century. Growth means buildings and buildings require plumbers, gasfitters, steam fitters and all the other building trades. The Post Office at Main and 15th was built between 1905 and 1910; the Dominion Trust Building on Hastings, briefly the tallest building in the British Empire was completed in 1910; and the Birks Building at Georgia and Granville was up by 1913. During this period several other major structures went up which survive to this day. The CPR pier, the CN station on Main, the Carnegie Library at Main and Hastings, and the unique Hotel Europe flat-iron building in

Gastown. From its earliest days Vancouver was split on an east-west basis. The well-to-do lived in the west end, and workers and immigrants lived in the east end close to the sawmills and docks in False Creek and along Burrard Inlet. Politically, 1898 was also a year of success. Three labour candidates won election to the provincial legislature, and held the balance of power in a minority government. That legislature enacted a eight-hour day in metal mines, and in 1902 passed a Workmen's Compensation Act, Canada's first. In 1903, in response to the growing unionism in BC particularly among the

Mule train in front of one of the city's largest prollisioners for the Klondike at 104 Cordolla.

construction trades, the employers formed the Employers Association of Vancouver with the aim of creating 'open shop' companies who could employ both union and nonunion workers. By 1904 they had 103 member-businesses, and stepped up the conflict with unions which led to many strikes over the next ten years. From 1901 to the start of the war, there were 68 strikes in Vancouver alone! Gas Ranges In 1907 the federal government got into the act. The Industrial Disputes Investigation Act provided for the appointment of a conciliation board or imposed compulsory W!lK~~~~ ~~~n~~ A arbitration to resolve The Burnside Gas · d ' Appliance Co. d lsputes, unng wh'lC h 1037.1039 GranviUe Street strikes or lock-outs were !'boDe 3704. prohibited. Significantly, the employerfriendly legislation did not prohibit blacklisting or firing union sympathizers. It could have been worse. In the aftermath of a vicious strike of coal miners on Vancouver Island, a bill was introduced in the Senate to amend the Criminal Code to make nonCanadians subject to imprisonment should they ': .. counsel, incite or urge to induce any strike or lockout, or a rise or fall in wages, or the imposition of additional or differential conditions on terms of employment, or impairing the exercise of industry." The Bill, designed to keep American union

The First 25 Years - 1905 10 1930 representatives from interfering in Canadian labour affairs, received second reading but died without reaching the House of Commons.

A steam shovel excavates for an extension to the Hudson's Bay store at Georgia and Seymour in 1911. The old Birks Building is seen in the background.

Then as now, British Columbia had an export economy. Its vast forest resource, coupled with its world-class ice-free harbour at Burrard Inlet and the Vancouver area's

benign weather, made the concentration of industrial activity around Vancouver a natural. With two railways serving it, the area's growth and success were assured in the long term. Planners looked to promoting Vancouver as a major export centre for prairie grain, and the construction of the Panama Canal, completed in 1914, made it possible for ships to carry grain and lumber to all the world's markets. Collective bargaining in the early years of the union was much different from what we know today. Back then the union would agree among themselves at a general meeting what their wages and working conditions would be. This is very likely the genesis of the term 'collective agreement' - the collective was the union membership. They would then meet with employers to get them to agree. If they did not, members of the union were prohibited from working with that firm . Since the majority of qualified tradesmen were in the union, that process worked surprisingly well. In March of 1910 General Organizer Love of the UA reported on a visit to Vancouver where Local 170 was anticipating full support for a new collective agreement. "All shops are well organized and it devolves upon me to try to bring about the unionizing of the shop of Barr & Anderson." He reported little success in talking to the company, however, so Local 170 members were not permitted to work with that firm. Continued on page 17

Gold Page Tributes We acknowledge with gratitude the support o.the organizations and individuals on the 'ollowing pages, as well as our supporters whose messages appear in the back 01 this book. Their 'inancial support has made it possible lor us to research, write and publish this history, which tells the tale 01 how our union 'ormed, how it has grown, and how it will thrive in its second century.

Thank you.

Greetings and Congratulations to the Officers and Members of Local 170 On this. the 1ooth Anniversary of Local Union 170, it is my pleasure and privile~e to extend to all of you on behalf of the General Officers of the United Association our warmest con~ratulations and very best wishes on this momentous occasion. Local Union 170 was chartered on November 18. 1898 by several dedicated trade unionists.

of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada

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We who represent the labour movement have come a l on~ way to~ether and many benefits have been ~ained for our members over the years. but not without sacrifice and dedication. If the lon~-standin~ members of your Local would taRe the time to pass on to your youn~er members the history of the labour movement durin~ its early development. I am sure there would be a ~reater appreciation of the accomplishments of both the Local Union and the United Association. Today. because of the deep interest and coura~e of those who petitioned the United Association for a charter and those who followed in their footsteps. Local Union 170 has ~rown into one of the most respected and prosperous Local Unions of the United Association. To~ether .

we must continually strive to maintain our hard - fou~ht monetary and worRin~ conditions. Today, as it was a century a~o , we must continue to worR intelli~ently and dili~ently to overcome the many obstacles that confront us. If we as UA members remain true to our principles and rededicate ourselves. we will not only retain those conditions we have achieved at ~reat sacrifice on behalf of our members. but will continue to advance the cause and a~enda of the labour movement. ~ains

In c1osin~ . I would liRe to thanR Brother Dou~an for his support. dedication and cooperation. Con~ratulations and my very best wishes in all your future endeavors. ~olidarity . Geor~e

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Proud Past-A Bold Future"

Direct

L eservier, of Canadian Affairs. UA from the Officers and Staff of the UA Canadian Office . ..

Martin J . Maddaloni General President

Thomas H. Patchell General Secretary-Treasurer

Director of Canadian Affairs ........................... .................. International Representative ........................................... International Representative .................. ... .. .................... International Representative ...... ............ .. ....................... International Representative .... .. ..................... .. .............. Special Representative .................................. .. .................

Georqe Meservier Michel Grenier Gerald S. Bentley Bryan Stron~ Michael Zan~ari Budrow Tozer

UA LOCAL 170 of GraJIsmanship 1<59<5 -/99<5

Gele6rating/OO Years

7he insighfs your founding members are jus! as re/evanl andpoweIjul now on fhe eve fhe new mIllennium as fhey were in fheir own lime. 7heir ageless and invaluable Ideas became Ihe Ileblood fhe organizalion .. . 7heir voices speak 10 Ihe hearls and minds Jufure generalions upon which Q/:7J Bocal170 confinues 10 grow. %ay allyour members remain sleac(/asf ... and confinue fo bUild on fhaf which has endured.

KNIGHT, BAIN, SEATH

& HOLBROOK

CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

GOflgraiuiaiions /rom ihe OJJicers, !llrem6ers & c5ia/f of

UA LOCAL 516 .73urnaby, :JJF1iish Columbia

Congratulations on your 100 year Anniversary. We appreciate our relationship with members and wish you success in your second century.

Mechanical Contractors Association of British Columbia

(PARTNERS FOR A CENTURY'

Mechanical Contractors Association of BC congratulates United Association Local 170 on the occasion of your celebration of one hundred years of representing plumber, pipefitter and sprinklerfitter mechanics and apprentices in British Columbia.

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF LOCAL 170 ON YOUR 100TH ANNIVERSARY From your Pension Plan Board of Trustees, Administrator and Staff

Our shared history provides many opportunities to recognize and celebrate successes the result of which is a well-trained and qualified membership which ensures the British Columbia Construction Industry of the security of a skilled workforce for the next century.

HAPPy ONE HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY LOCAL 170

223-3989 Henning Drive Burnaby, BC V5C 6N5 Phone: (604) 205-5058 Fax: (604) 205-5075 Internet www.mcabc.org

PLUMBERS LOCAL 170 PENSION PLAN BOARD OF TRUSTEES Rich O'Brien, Chairman Gcrald Boc Anne St. Eloi Bill Farlcy John Demos Gerald Forcicr Bcmic MulIigan Rick Pongracz, Administrator

LA) ABo

ur.

SHORTT, MOORE &ARSENAULT BARRISTERS

SOLICITORS

800 - 688 West Hastings Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B IPl TeI: (604)669-4447 Fax: (604)669-4737

UALOCAL 170 Celebrating 100 years of Craftsmanship 1898 - 1998 A Proud P aJt , A Bold F u ture

Congratulations from

Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd.

PROUD TO BE OF SERVICE TO THE U.A., LOCAL 170 FOR 28 YEARS AND TO JOIN IN THE CELEBRATION OF THE U.A. LOCAL 170'S 100TH ANNIVERSARY

CONGRATULATIONS!

The First 25 Years - 1905 to 1930

A month later Love reported that as a result of a half-day strike, the shop owners agreed to a wage increase from $4 to $5 for an eight-hour day. That year, the international was working hard to establish a half holiday on Saturday. At the UA convention that year one of the vicepresidents representing Canada was A.T. Ironsides from Local 170. In 1911 the BC Federation of Labour came into being, and Broadway Printers opened for business. By 1913 Local 170 had 75 members. At a membership meeting on Oct. 8 that year they voted in favour of double time for all overtime. That fall the members agreed that sprinklerfitters should be admitted to the Local Union. Corking pipe at Vancouver Engineering Works in 1926.

The flatiron Hotel Europe at the corner of Water and Cordova, shown here under construction around 1911, stands guard at the entrance to the Gastown area to this day.

18 In 1914 Local 170 formed a committee of three to explore with the electricians, trimmers and ironworkers about forming a metal trades alliance.

Immigrant Labour During this period one of the major contributing factors to work shortages was the importation of immigrant labour. With a plentiful supply of workers ready and eager to take jobs, employers were in a favoured position in choosing men and in setting the

rates of pay. In many instances union members were forced to quit the trade in favour of mining, forestry or other businesses in Vancouver just to make ends meet. Shortly after the start of the First World War in 1914 there was a serious decline in work due to a lengthly strikellockout. It got to the point that Local 170 had to layoff its business manager due to lack of funds. They also gave up their office for a time, and rented space for their regular meetings at the labour temple. At one point they cancelled

the local's telephone. In 1916 the local accepted an offer of $4 for 8 hours of work per day, and the strikellockout ended. Beginning in 1916 the ship-building industry was becoming a major part of Local 170. In April, 1917 wages for shipbuilding plumbers and marine pipefitters would be 56 114 cents an hour for a 44-hour week (a half-day on Saturday), and all overtime was double time. On June 22, 1917 Local 170 advised their contractors that wages for plumbers and steam fitters were going up to 62 1/2 cents an hour. In 1918 Local 170 endorsed a motion from the carpenters supporting a six-hour day after the end of the war. Interestingly, Ginger Goodwin was leading the fight in Trail for an eight-hour day when he suddenly found himself reclassified fit for military duty by the Canadian Army. Rather than be conscripted, Brother Goodwin headed for the hills in Central Vancouver Island, where he was hunted down and shot by a policeman on July 18, 1918. His death was termed murder by union members across the province, who voted for a one-day general

A ship slides into the water in 1917 from J. Cough/an and Sons shipyard. Wartime ship-building prolfided a great deal of work for Local 170 members.

The First 25 Years - 1905 to 1930 strike. The strike was broken up by returning soldiers organized by city businessmen. By 1919, union membership in BC had climbed to 40,000, up from 11,000 during the war years, but there were still 10,000 unemployed in the city. War industries, including ship-building, shut down and the world entered a post-war depression just as thousands of soldiers returned from the war to a hero's welcome - but no jobs! By 1922 the country was on the road to economic recovery once again, only now it was on the right side of the road. Up to that time in BC the cars drove on the left. The US had declared prohibition in 1920, and Canadians got into rum-running big-time. The vacuum cleaner had just been invented, and traffic lights were first beginning to spring up downtown as Model-Ts and McLaughlins chugged back and forth in front of the Royal Bank Building, the Stock Exchange Building, and the Marine Building which was the tallest and finest office tower in the city. In 1925 the much-delayed Point Grey campus for UBC officially opened, and gas stations began to pepper the urban environment. At Local 170 just after the war, a general membership meeting discussed the advisability of licensing and certifying plumbers in BC. That same year the local struck Cochrane's Shipbuilding after long but unsuccessful negotiations. In the earliest known form of negotiations, a committee of the Master Plumbers Association (the plumbing shop owners) was

granted admittance to a membership meeting on April 8, 1921 to speak about the general conditions of the industry. Following the presentation the members agreed to extend the agreement at the existing scale of wages, and that members would be urged to voluntarily accept a 10 per cent reduction in wages from May 1 to June 30 of that year. The minutes of the membership meetings

of this era carry references to holding a vote in the local on whether to support the concept of One Big Union. Brother Chris Pritchard spoke at considerable length on

Looking south on Burrard in 1931 the skeleton of the Hotel Vancouver dominates the skyline across Georgia Street from the medical building. The hotel was finally completed in 1939.

20 this subject. A vote on the matter was held, and it passed by a narrow majority. The minutes also note a complaint that there was some gambling going on in the Business Agent's office in the Labour Temple. The membership ordered the communication to be filed, presumably in the round file. By 1929 Local 170 was holding welding classes for Steamfitters, at a cost of $3.00.

People 01 note Some people of note in this period included Brother F. W. Welsh, who served on a wide range of committees and executive positions during the war years, and resigned as President in 1919 to take on the position as Business Agent. He went on to establish one of the leading contracting companies in our industry. In 1921 the local decided to combine the office of Business Agent and Financial Secretary, a situation which survives to this day. Fred Welsh won election to the position. He later also served as an alderman on Vancouver Council, and was instrumental in having a plumbing bylaw enacted for the city. In 1924, Angus McInnis, a social reformer and at that time a Vancouver School Trustee, wrote that "knowledge is essential for universal progress but fatal to class privilege." McInnis, who was later to serve in the federal parliament, also said "education's function was no more and no less than the emancipation of the working class." And Sam Smylie, who held almost every office in Local 170 during the 20s, was elected by all the Canadian locals as the

Ninth Vice-President of the UA for the years 1926 to 1938. He died in 1973. Membership meetings were mandatory in those days, and a member who repeatedly missed meetings could expect a fine of up to $10, a considerable sum for the period. To get into the meeting you needed a password. Everything wasn't always sweetness and light. At various times the local had to cut back the Business Agent to half-time because of the budget; there was a constant need to revise the dues because the local was operating at a deficit. In 1926 the question of a new wage rate was raised. The union was pushing hard for a rate of $9.00 a day for an 8-hour day, 5 112 days a week. The employers offered $8.40. In the end the local agreed to $8.50 a day for 8 hours.

Laying the cornerstone of the Science Building at IIBC in 1923. Students began classes at the new campus two years later.

Construction Projects As the world moved into the depression, there were a large number of major projects planned or under way which would strain the resources of the union to provide manpower. The Marine Building was completed in 1930, as was the Stock Exchange Building on Howe, ironically following the stock market crash of'29. The Hotel Vancouver and the Medical Dental Building across the street from it were under construction during this period, and the union was advised that the plumbing on the Woodwards job was going to be done by Local 170 members. The Business Agent reported that the employer at the Essondale job would prefer to pay the men nine hours for eight hours work, the extra hour being transportation time . •

The Depression For most of the world the stock market crash of 1929 which brought on the Great Depression was a story of economics. But the depression years in Vancouver and British Columbia was a period of social and political turmoil, with the unions, the socialists, the communists, the politicians and the business elite dominating the newspaper headlines of the day. Workers were injured by the excesses of the First War, by the treatment accorded Ginger Goodwin, by the Winnipeg General Strike, an~ by their own struggles to eke out a living amIdst the bustle and prosperity they saw all around them during the 20s. Vancouver was a Mecca for Canada's unemployed because of its favourable climate and its place as the end of rail for Canada's two national railways. While the war solved the unemployment problem, after the war prices rose much more sharply than wages. And the repressive post-war federal legislation concerning censorship, sedition and even loafing fed the flames of worker dis.content. The post-war period saw many stnkes of short duration - 10 days on average - which sowed the seeds of bitterness and discontent between business and labour. As the depression set in, many more men traveled to Vancouver from the prairies and the interior of BC looking for work. They found none. They camped in 'jungles' in the Great Northern Railway yards, along the harbour, and under the Georgia Viaduct, and ate at church-sponsored soup kitchens. They

21 Distributing food to unemployed men living in a 'jungle' at the east end of False Creek in 1931.

marched and paraded to demonstrate their plight to a civic government unable and unwilling to provide relief, and a federal government who saw it as 'a Vancouver problem'. The Vancouver Unemployed Workers claimed to have 1,000 members among the estimated 14,000 unemployed men in the city in 1931. In that year Local 170's finances were in such a state that they laid off the business agent, reduced the financial secretary's pay to $25 a month, cut back on their office space, and canceled the phone. The local did without a phone until 1940. The employer was demanding a wage rollback and the local was pondering the problem of dues from members who hadn't worked in a year or

more. As late as January, 1940, membership in local 170 stood at 156 members, 23 of whom were "out of order", meaning in arrears. In June of 1933 Local 170 went on record as supporting the CCF as the only party able or willing to adequately represent the interests of working people and the poor.

Reliel Camps The provincial government established road camps to provide jobs for the unemployed, but they were ill-organized and under-funded. The federal Relief Camps followed, and were no better. In 1932, the government cut men off relief if they refused to go to the Relief Camps. In protest, 4,000

22 men formed a Hunger March. By 1935 relief camp workers had organized a union, and the union went on strike. That led to the OnTo-Ottawa Trek, which left Vancouver on June 3 to protest the very existence of the relief camps. The trek was eventually derailed in Regina by the federal government, and back in Vancouver strikers paraded through the Hudson's Bay store and other parts of downtown, provoking Vancouver Mayor Gerry McGeer to read the Riot Act. The strikers generated a great deal of public sympathy, and raised considerable sums through tag days on city streets to support the strike. On a tag day union members would be on the streets asking for public

Unemployed men on the march along Hastings East of Main Street in 1938.

Police haul sit-down protesters from the post office on Bloody Sunday in 1938.

The Depression donations. Those who supported the union's appeal were given a small card with a string which they tied over a button expressing their support for the union. But the strike had the desired effect. The work camps were closed, and replaced with railway maintenance work and other winter works. Still, unrest continued, and when the provincial government offered nothing more than a ticket out of town, demonstrations and occupations continued. After strikers had occupied the city post office and art gallery for a month in 1938, Prime Minister Mackenzie King ordered the police to evict them by force. But he wanted to limit the disruption and publicity which would result from this police action so the cops moved in

UA 170 members prepare sprinkler system stock at Walsh Construction in 1937.

Striking relief camp workers march in the 1935 May Day parade on Hasting street.

24 before 6 in the morning swinging their clubs. When the city woke up on that Bloody Sunday and heard about the brutality of police, public sympathy developed for the strikers. Ten thousand people met at the Powell Street grounds and demanded the resignation of the provincial government of Premier Duff Patullo. The premier managed to convince the federal government to set up a proper relief scheme for the thousands of unemployed. Ultimately, the Vancouver strike by relief

workers led to the creation of the federal unemployment insurance scheme which was introduced in 1940. This legislation finally dealt with the issue of the city and the province having to provide financial assistance for large numbers of unemployed men who moved here from other parts of the country. By the end of the decade unemployment had decreased significantly. The beginning of World War Two ended it completely. On the labour front, the decade prior to

the war ravaged the membership of all unions, and Local 170 was no exception. On the international front, the schism deepened between the craft unions and the industrial union advocates. As a result the craft unions broke away from the American Federation of Labour and formed the Congress of Industrial Organizations. In Vancouver, the Trades and Labour Council grew to more than 12,000 affiliated members, an increase of 50 per cent from the beginning of the decade.

In 1939 the view from the north side of the Hotel Vancouver shows only one major building west of Burrard -- the Marine Building built in 1930. The west end was private dwellings, low-rise apartments and rooming houses. Today, the waterfront is dominated by office buildings, hotels and residential highrises.

The Depression

Construction Projects During the '30s building continued in Vancouver, but on a smaller scale. Some of the major projects completed during this time had little to do with the plumbing industry. The Burrard Bridge was completed in 1932, and the Lion's Gate Bridge was completed in 1938. The current Hotel

Vancouver was left uncompleted during the '30s, and was rushed to completion in time for a visit from King George VI in 1939. The Vancouver Art Gallery was completed in 1931 and UBC's main library was completed in 1935. Mayor Gerry McGeer officiated at the opening of the new City Hall in 1936, and the Orpheum Theatre opened in 1937. The main construction downtown was mid-

size office buildings, many of which remain a part of the skyline to this day. Local 170 members found work when and where they could, and everyone hoped for a brighter day. •

During the war many women were employed as helpers in shipyards and fabrication shops.

The War Years and Ihe Posl-War Boom The war certainly brightened the prospects for work in Vancouver, particularly in the shipyard where Local 170 members were busy building Victory Ships for war duty. By 1943 the shipyards alone employed an estimated 25,000 workers of all trades. By war's end in March of 1946 there were a total of 1215 members of Local 170, not including apprentices. Years of work to establish a proper apprenticeship system paid off, when the provincial government established an apprenticeship board in 1935. At a membership meeting on August 23, 1940, Brother Emmett White was received by the local with hearty congratulations when he became the first Local 170 apprentice to receive his certificate. The union also had a strong early record on human rights issues. In 1942 the local went to bat for a woman helper in the shipyards. They passed a resolution that she be granted a permit to work at the full union rate, dearly expressing the principle of equal pay for equal work. Local 170 also hung tough when various shipyard operators balked at paying Chinese helpers the full union rate. The union prevailed in the end. Beginning late in the '20s the union discussed a six-hour work day. At one point they supported a BC-wide resolution calling for the six-hour day, chiefly as a means of creating more work for more people, but also in recognition of the social, family and recreational needs of workers. In 1943 the six-hour day was back on the

negotiating agenda, along with a call for $9.00 a day for a six-hour day ($7.00 for helpers), one week's holiday with pay, minimum four-hour call-out, and paid holidays on Remembrance Day and Boxing Day. In the end they had to settle for a straight increase in the hourly rate. In June of 1942 Local 170 agreed to support a separate local for refrigeration mechanics. They also responded to a call from plumbers on the north coast for With war declared In Europe, Vancouver men boarded ships to join the war effort.

The War Years and the Post-War Boom assistance in forming a separate local to handle work in their region. In 1946, the Regional War Labour Board, set up to regulate union negotiations during wartime, granted Local 170 a wage of $1.35 an hour. As the war industries wound down union membership began to slip, and nonmilitary work was slow in taking up the slack.

Major Projects Major projects during the war years included the major mills at Ocean Falls, Powell River and Woodfibre, a new airport and support buildings on Sea Island, and smaller projects throughout the Lower Mainland. The hurry-up style of ship-building, and the general growth and maturity of the

would no longer install any material that was made by non-union labour.

Carlisle dies in plane crash

UA shop fabrication sticker

industry caused Local 170 members to be concerned about the quality of their materials. In 1940 the local first raised concern about the need to use materials carrying the union label. At a meeting in May of 1948 the local passed a motion that they

In late 1952 disaster struck the local when two elected officers died when the light plane they were flying in crashed on the way to Kitimat. Dead were Business Manager Frank Carlisle and Vice-President Robert Watson. A third passenger, identified in minutes of the time only as Brother McHugh, was apparently a member of another union traveling with Carlisle and Watson. The pilot was the only survivor, but Watson's body was

World War Two meant lots of work for Local 170 members at shops like Leek & Company, left, and Walsh Construction, below, in 1943.

28 never found. The local posted a $100 reward for anyone finding the body. The local paid one month's wages to the wives of the dead officers, and resolved that union officers would in future fly on regular scheduled airlines, or be adequately insured when flying in light aircraft. In 1953, Local 170 appointed its first fulltime dispatcher. The job went to Brother Archie Matheson. Up to then the Business Manager handled dispatch duties along with his other responsibilities. Vancouver was growing up. The post-war period saw construction of thousands of modest homes, mainly east of Cambie and in the southern reaches of the city. After 1950 it became apparent that single-family dwellings alone would not meet the need, and public housing on a major scale was developed, beginning with the Little Mountain Housing Project in 1953. It was also time for public works projects,

including the Granville Street Bridge, the Cleveland Dam, a new post office on Georgia Street, the new Central Library at Burrard and Robson, and Empire Stadium on the PNE grounds, built in 1953 for the British Empire Games. Downtown commercial towers built in this period included the BC Hydro Building and the Burrard Building in 1955, and many smaller office and industrial structures throughout the city. All of this construction contributed to the continued high number of jobs for Local 170 members in the post-war period. It was also a time of some significant labour disputes. In November, 1962 demonstrators and police dogs clashed in Vancouver during a strike at Allied Engineering Ltd. on Granville Island.

Local 170 members appreciated good accommodations in the camp. Pipelitter Mickey Rasmussen, right, and welder Len Wheatley, share a lew brews in their room at the Royalite camp in Kamloops in 1953.

Pulp Mill at Powell River in 1949 (left) and pipe racks through the tank farm at the Royalite Refinery in Kamloops in the winter of 1953 (right) .

The War Years and the Post-War Boom Demonstrators were arrested on charges of unlawful assembly for protesting against the use of police with police dogs to escort scabs into the strike-bound plant. A similar strike at Lenkurt Electric in 1966 also ended up with criminal charges against union leaders. In both cases the courts issued injunctions against picketing. These are but two of the examples of the new issues unions had to deal with in their efforts to protect the jobs, security and human rights of their members, and to protect the right to organize, to strike, and to otherwise operate in the best interests of their members. Two other major sectors began to provide much of Local 170's work: the conversion of the sleepy west end of Vancouver into a highdensity high-rise area, and the rapid development of infrastructure for resource industries including pulp mills, gas plants and pipelines. But the biggest project of them all was the Kemano Project at Kitimat, which involved creation of a dam on the Nechako River and construction of a large tunnel to bring water to

Crew hard at work at Burrard Dry Dock in 1956 are, from left: unknown, Belt Phillips, Don Archibald, Glen Archibald, Harry Phillips and Ray Hutchison.

feed a hydro-electric plant for the Alcan Aluminum Smelter at Kitimat. This massive project employed thousands of construction workers beginning in 1950 and stretching into the '60s, but it was anything but smooth sailing for Local 170. In 1958 Local 170 declared a strike against all

employers who had not signed the new memorandum of understanding. The strike was resolved after five months on the picket lines. The minute books from that era show many instances of members being assessed fines for working on that job without Continued on page 34

Local 170 annual banquet at the Hotel Vancou"er in 1945. Recognize anyone?

The War Years and the Post-War Boom

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Loca/170 picnic on Bowen Island in August, 1947.

The War Years and the Post-War Boom

34 permission, of working with a non-union person, working Saturdays at straight time, and so on. By 1956, however, many of these problems were resolved as the need for Local 170 members on the project escalated. By April of 1956 the Executive Board adopted an eight-point program developed by Business Manager Russ St. Eloi regarding work at Kemano.

The Gas Plant in Chetwynd needed some special pieces, which were fabricated in the Lower Mainland and shipped north. Standing proudly in front of their work are Wally Bruggencate, Vic Brownjohn, Waiter Gotowiec and Joaq Mendonca.

Major Projects Other projects in this period were the Harmac Mill on Vancouver Island starting in 1955, the Taylor Flats Gas Plant project in '59, the Port Alberni Pulp Mill in '63, along with Elk Falls, Crofton and Hooker Chemical the same year.In 1965 Local 170 members were working on the Prince Rupert Pulp Mill and Pacific Coast Hydrocarbons in

Fabrication for the Gas Plant project in Chetwynd called upon al/ the skills and teamwork of a large Local 170 crew in Vancouve~ as these scenes demonstrate. At left is Ron Qual/y.

The War Years and the Post-War Boom Squamish, Northwood Pulp and Intercontinental Pulp, as well as a number of mines. Local 170 crews were continuing expansion work at Harmac and Powell River as well. It was also a time of public enterprise. The Peace River and Columbia River power projects were built during this period, and the BC Ferries fleet saw dramatic expansion. In the 15 years following 1955, the province spent $l.5 billion on highways and on building a total of 528 bridges, including the Port Mann, the Okanagan floating bridge, the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing (1958), the Oak Street Bridge

Hooker Chemicals, North Vancouver, 1960.

Cast/egar Pulp Mill, 1960.

36 (1957) and the Deas Island tunnel. It was a time of significant employment for the local, and at just about every meeting the Executive Board processed applications for membership. In 1966 Brother St. Eloi submitted his resignation as business manager, having taken on the job as UA western organizer. He was replaced by Assistant Business Manager Bill Weir until an elec~ion could be held.

officers of Local 170 be increased to the Business Manager and five Business Agents, including one for the new Metal Trades Division. Metal Trades membership over the years has ranged from a high of 1,300 members to a low of 770 members.

Prince George merger Effective August 1, 1969 local 238 in Prince George merged with Local 170, ending

Metal Trades Division formed In 1968 Local 170 formally moved to establish the Metal Trades Division, which would include warehousemen, truck drivers, labourers, office employees, counter men, light oil burner mechanics, members working in gas distribution and for Terra Irrigation and Pacific Irrigation. Brother Norm Fadey drafted a document laying out the areas of jurisdiction for the Metal Trades which was presented and passed by the membership and signed on November 17, 1969. Over the next four years with newly elected Local 170 Business Manager Les Andrew, a number of meetings were held to give more autonomy to the Metal Trades Division. This included electing their own Business Manager and having their own Executive Board and Finance Committee. At this time Brother Norm Fadey was elected the first Business Manager of the Metal Trades Division. Local 170 remained a combination local with two separate divisions and this was approved by General President Martin J. Ward on November 27, 1973. In 1970 the Executive Board recommended that the paid

several decades of concern in the north regarding the service they were getting from the local. Under terms of the merger agreement a BA working out of the Vancouver office will have responsibility for serving the north from 100 Mile House to Fort St. John, east to McBride and west to Kitimat. It was also agreed that northern members would get first crack at commercial work in their area, but they would share the

The War Years and the Post-War Boom same board with other members for industrial work anywhere in the province.

Labour bodies unite On the labour front, the divisions in the US house of labour were resolved with the merger of the American Federation of Labour and the Congress of Industrial Organizations, to form the AFL-CIO. Credit for accomplishing this merger goes to George Meany, a plumber from a New York City UA local. In Canada, the Trades and Labour Congress and the Canadian Congress of Labour merged in 1956 to form the Canadian Labour Congress. The CLC soon formed close ties to its American counterpart, and the union movement at the international level began to show some cohesion. On the political front supporters of the CCF had reason for optimism. BC's Coalition Government, an unholy alliance of Liberal and Conservative supporters, was hanging on for its very life. When it appeared certain that the coalition would break apart they introduced a complicated preferential ballot system, hoping that one party or the other would get the second choice votes, keeping the dreaded socialists out of office. W.A.c. Bennett, a former coalition member, seized the moment and took over leadership of a fringe group in the province, the Social Credit Party. He won a narrow victory in the 1952 election and consolidated his power in another election the following year. One of his government's early initiatives was a new Labour Relations Act, which

included a Mediation Commission act. This legislation represented a direct attack on organized labour in the province. WAC's battles with the union movement would continue until his defeat by Dave Barrett and the NDP 20 years later. In 1967 - the year of Canada's 100th birthday - the Building Trades Council was formed to represent the interests of local 170 and other unions in the construction industry. Two years later, Construction Labour Relations Association was formed as a united front of employers in the construction industry. In 1969 they provoked major unrest in the entire industry by locking out seven trades. Two weeks later they locked out Local 170, and a week later the carpenters. In 1972 CLRA locked out the entire industry. The Minister of Labour gave the parties seven days to end the dispute or face binding arbitration under the new Mediation Commission Act. Several weeks later, the RCMP raided twenty union offices across the province, seizing records and files. This was followed by court proceedings and threats of fines and jailings. After a three-month shutdown of the industry, a settlement was reached. The bargaining council of the Gi\'en under my hand this I trade unions and CLRA Otn day July, '956 • VOl'lCovver, in '''e Prov; , nee of BrItish Columbia. continued to lock horns for the WIUIMI FRASER N.I. -EVERY EMPLOYEE Returning Officer. • next 25 years . • IN THE UNIT IS ENTITLED TO VOTE WH of

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ETHER 11 MEMBER OF THE UNION OR NOT

Local 170 members prepare to start the job at the McLeod Lake Compressor Station in April, 1968.

Local 170 rigger on natural gas pipeline across the Fraser at Queensborough in 1956.

Bridge River pipeline, 1959.

Purv Smith and Chris Pritchard, two of Local 170'5 early leaders.

The Challenges ollhe 70s The best news for Local 170 in the decade of the '70s was the election of the NDP government of Dave Barrett. The first NDP Minister of Labour was a union member, Bill King of Revelstoke, who worked for the railroad. He introduced a new and much fairer labour code, and while it wasn't all clear sailing under a New Democratic Party government, members of Local 170 had high hopes that the years of battling for justice and fair play were about to payoff. The first negotiations conducted under the new code were tough, and a nine-week strike against the CLRA employers was required to eventually reach agreement on a two-year package. In 1975 the Barrett Government fell

to the Socreds under the leadership ofWAC's son Bill Bennett, who continued much in the tradition of his father. Negotiations with CLRA led to a lock-out. Former Building Trades President Jim Kinnaird was appointed Industrial Inquiry Commissioner and resolved the impasse. But one week later, Local 170 resumed strike action and CLRA imposed another lock-out. Ultimately, after

39 the Building and Construction Trades Council formed a Common Front Industry Bargaining Structure, settlement was reached. But the federal government by then had put in place the Anti-Inflation Board to regulate wages and prices. The AIB rolled back this settlement by 12 cents an hour. They did the same the following year when they rolled back a bargained collective

Apprentice nick-named Hop Sing takes

a break while cleaning up the beads on big SS els being fabricated in 1980.

TRIUMF, built at USC.

40 agreement by 15 cents an hour. Despite the rollbacks and stiff opposition from CLRA, collective bargaining in the trades was producing negotiated settlements. During this period the trades developed the Jurisdictional Assignment Plan to resolve jurisdictional disputes without disrupting

work. The bargaining council system set up under the Building and Construction Trades Council was producing significant two-year agreements, with gains in wages and such items as extensions to the non-affiliation clause, a major item for Local 170.

Member Jamie MacAlister works on 72·inch pipe at Annacis Island Sewage Treatment plant.

loco Refinery, 1978.

It's a long way down for Local 170 members who worked on the flare tower at the lOCO plant in 1978.

The Challenges of the 70s

Don Currie and Ernie Anderton at certificate presentation ceremony.

Local 170 members in Dynamics lunch shack at loco in 1978 include from left, Wayne, Tommy Hoy, Emmet Fleming, AI (The Star) and Rodger Hudson. Crew at Be/kin Paperboard plant in Burnaby in 1973.

Crew at Stanley Humphries Secondary School site in Castlegar are, from left: Waiter Konkin, Joe Troyan, Jack Jory, Ciiff Wilson, El/en Moore, Business Manager John Wynne, Pete Kinakin, Derrin Hackman, and Business Agent Alex Sim.

These settlements, coming along with a construction boom in the province, produced a period of high employment and high earnings, even though runaway inflation in the '80s was under-cutting those gains and CLRA was doing everything in its power to undermine the agreements. During this period Local 170 had its ups and downs, triumphs and disappointments. The volume of work fluctuated very quickly. In January of 1971, 804 members out of a total of 3100 were working. By December of that year the local had a total of 5,300 members working; one year later there were 900 unemployed in the local. In 1973 Local 571, the railroad local, amalgamated with Local 170, and plans were under way to join . ..... with other unions at BC Rail to bargain jointly to finalize a collective agreement. The cooperative spirit was . " 'iIiiiJ!f:!"od still alive three years later :'i:JO"'l'i<·h l\ ';" ' -1 when Local 170 agreed to bargain with other UA locals in BC under the auspices of the BC Provincial Pipe Trades Council, and to join with other mechanical trade unions to engage in joint negotiations if the need arose . •

-----

15 Years 01 Transition - 1983 to 1998 The '80s brought about the most dramatic shift in the fortunes of BC's construction trades since the boom following the Second World War. The NDP's labour code still stood, but the government of Bill Bennett slowly whittled away at labour's rights. The building trades were a particular target. The government was under pressure from Socred supporters who were pushing the 'right to work' philosophy which was dominant in much of the United States. It wasn't the best of times for Local 170 members. In June of 1984 the Executive Board recommended an assessment on building trades members of 25 cents an hour to develop a food voucher program for Local 170 members. To qualify for food vouchers a member must have exhausted his UIe and be in need; had to apply in writing; and the initial payment would be $50 a month. The following year a 10 cent per hour levy for the food voucher program was recommended, stretching to April 30, 1986. These were tough times for some of our members. Following the 1983 election Bennett introduced the Restraint Program which produced major cuts to public services and threatened teachers and other public service workers. Labour's Operation Solidarity was in full swing, and rallies, demonstrations and a threat of a general strike forced the government to back off somewhat. The tension was high between labour, management, government and the rising non-union sector.

A large crew of Local 170 pipefitters worked on the Ocelot Industries methanol plant which was built near Kitimat in the early 60s.

15 Years 01 Transition - 1983 to 1998

The Pennyfarlhing dispute Then Pennyfarthing happened. This project in False Creek began as a union job, but its second phase was given to Kerkhoff Construction, one of the more aggressive and high-profile non-union construction companies. The decision to switch to non-union labour drew the attention of the Building Trades, and soon the project was halted by pickets and a demonstration that lasted for

three weeks. In the end the courts intervened to end the impasse. Shortly afterward, serious issues arose on the Expo 86 site. The Building Trades had cut a deal with Jim Pattison to have the world fair site built as a union project. But the Social Credit government scuttled that agreement, leading Pattison to recommend that the fair be canceled to avoid a catastrophic labour impasse. Instead, the government passed legislation declaring the

project an Economic Development Project, which meant the unions' non-affiliation clauses could not be used. The result was that some of the major buildings on the site were built union, but most of the smaller jobs were done non-union. The non-union side gained valuable experience from this work, which led them into larger projects in the years that followed. Bill Bennett retired and Bill Vander Zalm took over the helm of government, leading a large contingent of anti-union Socred candidates to victory in 1987. The Vander Zalm government then introduced Bill 19, which attacked labour, particularly the building trades. Building Trades workers picketing at Pennyfarthing in 1986.

A truck runs the picket line at the Pennyfarthing site.

44 In the face of massive opposition from labour with strong leadership from Local 170, the government finally backed off on some of the more onerous provisions of Bill 19, particularly provisions which would destroy the union hiring hall system. But the rest of Bill 19, along with the Industrial Relations Council which it created, was still anti-building trades. During the last few years of the '80s Bill 19 fostered the growth of the non-union sector in construction, and placed serious roadblocks in the path of union organizing drives, making it even more difficult for unions to fight back. Among the road-blocks was the rise of the 'Rat Unions', most notably Canadian Iron and Steel (CISIWU) established by Frank Nolan, a former official of Ironworkers Local 7l2, and the General Workers Union led by Rocco Salituro. These organizations called themselves unions and the courts more or less considered them so, but they were not affiliated with the house of labour and did not appear to serve the interests of their members. They were management-oriented organizations designed to subvert legislation. For instance, provisions in employment standards legislation are

binding on all workers unless they are represented by a union and a collective agreement varies one of the Act's provisions. Rat unions use this loophole to avoid paying overtime, vary the hours of work, set aside minimum standards, freeze wages, and other abuses. They rarely have meetings, there are no functional committees dealing with grievances, safety issues or bargaining, and their wage packages are much lower than union-negotiated rates. Their employees rarely have their TQ or any form of certification. A variation of the Rat Unions is the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). It is outside of the house of labour and as a wall-to-wall union puts itself in the employer's grip in terms of keeping the company profitable. In parallel with the development of Rat Unions came the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA), which speaks and lobbies for the 'open shop' nonunion side of the construction industry. It has made powerful alliances with business organizations and the free enterprise political parties in BC. These forces - governments hostile to labour, the rat unions, the ICBA and the growing number of construction firms dedicated to the principle of 'right to work' - came together in the '80s. They have one purpose, which is to make as much money in construction by keeping wages as low as possible, thereby driving union contractors out of business.

Norm Farlev dies in oHice Tragedy struck Local 170 in September, 1988 when Business Manager Norm Farley died in his office at the union hall. Brother Norm Farley represented the Metal Trades from 1968 to 1984, first as an Organizer then as a Business Agent and finally as Business Manager. In 1985 he became UA Local 170 Business Manager until his untimely death. He was replaced on an interim basis by Brother Bill Holmes until the international office installed Brother Bill Weir as trustee. John Wynne was elected Business Manager the following year.

Non-union gains ground Elsewhere in the province the non-union sector was making new ground. TNL, sometimes in joint venture with Ledcor, were grabbing up industrial work in the north. They began with a West Coast Energy plant at Taylor in the early 90s, then a Louisiana Pacific mill in Chetwynd and other projects in the Cariboo. In the winter of '93 TNL was awarded another West Coast Energy project, the Pine River Gas Plant. Ledcor had a piece of that project as well, and both companies had agreements with CISIWU and GWU. Local 170 and most of the building trades saw this

15 Years 01 Transition - 1983 to 1998 project as a significant one, and launched a major organizing drive to unseat the Rat Unions and win certification of the more than 600 men working on the project. The challenge was significant; they had to try to unseat another 'union' in a certification vote, knowing full well that the Rat Unions and the companies would use every legal trick in the book to fight them. The rat unions organize on a wall-to-wall basis, which meant they represented all trades. The building trades had to coordinate their activities to sign up members to force a certification vote. Though they signed a lot of workers they were not successful in the certification vote.

Then came Pori Alberni But a bigger battle was looming. For generations MacMillan Bloedel had contracted with building trades contractors

for their construction and expansion work. Suddenly in Port Alberni, the union contractor for their NexGen plant let a drywall contract to a non-union firm. The Vancouver Island Building Trades affiliates walked off the job. M -B then took the contract back from the original union contractor who had submitted the low bid, and gave it to TNL. The building trades, with substantial leadership from UA Local 170, responded with a large number of members picketing and protesting the loss of this work. Through the last months of '94 and into '95, Local 170 and other building trades continued to picket and demonstrate, calling attention to the injustice of the situation. Many members were arrested, however in the end the building trades prevailed, and secured an

Pre-dawn picket lines at Port Alberni (above) and in front of M-B headquarters in Vancouver (below).

46 agreement with MacMillan Bloedel for completion of work on this project.

Regaining our Work Since 1986, when the Pennyfarthing and Expo 86 controversies swirled around the construction industry, there was a slow but steady move by clients of construction to go with the low bid. Non-union contractors had developed a full bag of tricks to take advantage of obvious weaknesses in the bidding process. They cut their labour costs

to the bone by bid-shopping, by hiring unqualified workers, by short-changing on wages, overtime and benefits, and by high charges for 'extras' which resulted from rigid interpretations of the initial contract. Vancouver city council under the leadership of Mayor Gordon Campbell swept aside its previous fair wage policy in favour of a strict low-bid philosophy. The building trades protested in the strongest terms and appeared with pickets before city council on several occasions, to no avail. In an attempt to stop the slide of work to the non-union sector many building trades unions began to 'enable' jobs cut a special labour rate with a bidder to enable him to under-bid non-union contractors. But Local 170, along with the IBEW and some other building trades, did not participate in enabling, in the belief that a worker was worth his full rate. Instead, Local 170 developed a market recovery program based on some highly successful models in the United States. Under Local 170's MIAP program, working members pay $1 per hour into Cominco's Slag Fuming Plant in Trail, caught in the photographer's fish·eye lens.

~_..._ _ _ _ _~

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Local 170 pickets outside Vancouller City Hall when the council abandoned its fair wage policy for cillic work. Holding signs areNorm Russ Farleyand St. Eloi, Richard O'Brien, other UA Local 170 members.

the program, and that money is used to reduce a contractor's bid cost on a given project. In the first four years of the program from 1994 to 1997, more than $46 million was generated in wages and benefits for Local 170 members. Along with the market recovery program the local also developed an aggressive

15 Years of Transition - 1983 to 1998 organizing program based on the COMET model pioneered in the US. A big part of organizing is the salting strategy where a Local 170 member works on a non-union job and reports back to an organizer. Over time the salts will help a great deal in organizing those shops. The new organizing approach represented

TMP plant in Port Alberni.

Local 170 members at work for Kamyr Construction, working on the Ahlstrom Fiberline Project at Weyerhaeuser pulp mill in Kamloops in 1994.

48 a significant departure from past practice in the union on two major fronts. First, the union no longer considered non-union workers as the enemy. Rather, they are viewed as working men and women who are victims exploited by the low-bid system. And second, the union was now urging members to work non-union, taking the needed wages and reporting to an organizer as to the state of preparedness of the company to be organized. Through much of its early history Local 170 and all building trades unions fined and punished members for working non-union. These two changes in the fundamental philosophy of unionism were hard for some members to accept because they represented such a sharp departure from the past. But as the union sector continued to lose work to an increasingly well trained non-union workforce and more sophisticated non-union contractors, it was plain that their very existence was at issue. Together with the BC Federation of Labour and the Building Trades, Local 170 stepped up its lobbying activities and its active support for labour-friendly candidates for elective office. With the return to power of the NDP in 1991, there was a more sympathetic government in Victoria. But they still needed to hear the strong voice of labour if progressive legislation and government policies were to be developed. Local 170 was a major participant in the lobbying efforts to achieve needed changes to Continued on Page 50

Some Local 170 ingenuity solves the problem In the fall of 1992 Brother Bruce McVicker and I were working on the same crew for Kamyr on the Celgar Expansion Project. Bruce was trying to figure out how to accurately shoot 12 sets of 6-inch flanged nozzles through the 20-inch steam line.

'1 '

The problem was that the 20-inch was out of round from the bending process, thus ruling out a protractor. Also, the stainless nozzles installed on the drum by the Boilermakers were at various angles instead of the 45° they were supposed to be set to. After several hours of study by ourselves and the engineers, I am proud to say my invention (see drawing) did the job. It is a simple device made of 3/4-inch threaded rod and proves once again that the best answer is sometimes the easy one. Brother Dan LaPierre

15 Years 01 Transition - 1983 to 1998

Ed Fontaine and Ken Hallgren both worked on the AWA project.

Gleaming stainless steel pipework is a feature of the AWA (since renamed Sterling Pulp Chemicals), plant built in North Vancou/ler in 1990. It's the largest sodium chlorate cell line in North America.

Grizzley Valley Pipeline, 1995

50 the labour code and more recently, action on the leaky condos issue. In addition to formal briefs and presentations, the lobbying was aimed at individual MLAs from all parties, at public servants at various levels, at cabinet ministers and the premier. Our objective was to create a high level of pressure to achieve the changes our industry required. This same level of lobbying took place when the New Democrats were first elected, in order to achieve the Fair Wage Act and the Employment Standards Act. Employment standards legislation has proved to be very valuable tool in the hands of our organizers because non-union workers do not have the protection of a collective agreement when they face abuses from their employers. None of this important legislation would be in place if Local 170 and other unions hadn't had the foresight to lobby and push for its implementation. As a result of these efforts we now have a new labour code including recent amendments which recognize the unique nature of the construction industry. We also have a Fair Wage Act for government-funded projects, and increased vigilance under the Employment Standards Act. These and other measures brought some semblance of fairness and balance to labour legislation in BC, representing significant movement toward a more level playing field for the building trades in their battle for fairness and justice in the workplace .•

BA John McKnight and welder Gary 5teuart in front of spindle of gasline pipe on board ship.

UA 170 crew (below) welded sections of gas pipeline in Richmond, which was then rolled onto the large drum on a special ship brought over from Denmark. The pipe was later laid on the ocean floor to Vancouver Island.

15 Years of Transition - 1983 to 1998

Paul Koodrin at Port Mellon Size Press Project in 1994, watching his fitter at work.

Pipefitter Todd Keepence working on the PacifiCat in 1998.

Ideal Welders fabrication shop put together this dehexanizer column for the Husky Oil Project in Prince George in 1998.

Beyond 2000 As Local 170 moves into its second century it is appropriate and important to look forward to anticipate the future which awaits us all. Someone once said "to predict the future you must look at the past". UA Local 170's past, as outlined in these pages, is characterized by struggle. Struggle against those who see the union as a threat; against those who have lost their faith in the union; against those who cannot see that they must change to keep up with a changing world; and the most important, struggle against that part inside all of us which can only see despair and defeat ahead. The founders of our union fought hard, went to jail and at times spilled their blood for the right of working people to have fair wages, safety at work, decent conditions and dignity on the job. They fought for pensions, for unemployment insurance, for medical coverage, workers compensation, and training. Nobody handed these things to our union - union members who went before us fought for each and everyone of them, and they won. Our Union's struggle demonstrates that we have always faced adversity head-on, and through the solidarity of our membership, have built a strong and vibrant union in the face of many challenges. Our Union has always had enemies working hard to block our path, but we have always persevered. There were times in our history when we faced threats from both federal and provincial governments as well as employers, a hostile press and anti-union groups in our society. We have prevailed. We now face a threat from the 'Rat Unions' in the 'Open Shop' sector but already we see signs that the trade union movement is overcoming many

of these obstacles. In recent years our union has re-thought some of its policies and programs in view of the changed economy in which we operate. As a result we have adopted the COMET program, have instituted a market recovery plan, and have placed a great deal of emphasis and considerable resources into orgamzmg. Where once we believed that our skills and professionalism alone would sustain us in an open market, we now realize we have to become pro-active in that market through the MIAP; where once we thought we had to restrict the number of members in our union to protect the work we had, we now believe that all workers who work in our trade belong in Local 170. Our organizing program now brings in members from nonunion work sites, and urges out-of-work members to take non-union work as salts for the union. The organizing program is the key to our continued presence in the construction industry and other sectors. In addition to signing up new members and contractors, organizers must work hard to create a positive image, lobby municipal and provincial politicians, and coordinate with other trades. We no longer control the provision of training and certification of our trade as we once used to. With respect for our predecessors, we are compelled to protect the legislated safety and employment standards that they fought for through collective bargaining. As Welder Fred Bourgeois works on new PacifiCat aluminum ferry.

well, we must look to new ways to market our services and to re-build our command of the market. We need to be focused on our strengths as we gain the edge on new technology and adjust to local and global economIC pressures. Apprenticeship and training, including journeyman upgrading, is an important component of our future success. As an example, the photo on this page shows a UAtrained welder working on the new PacifiCat ferry in North Vancouver. Our ability to provide this new aluminum welding expertise is key to rebuilding our once-proud ship-building industry. Without trained welders in BC, this project would likely have been built offshore. We need a re-commitment from all members of Local 170 to begin to think in collective terms again. Clearly, we cannot clear the hurdles we will face if we're only looking out for ourselves. Unity is our strength, and that strength will make Local 170 prevail into the next millennium .•

Apprenticeship and Training In 1898, when local 170 was founded, journeyman plumbers had the assistance of helpers on the job. Helpers, often referred to as 'boys' because they were often very young and very green, did the bidding of the plumbers on the job and did much of the dirty work - carrying pipe, fetching tools, digging trenches - and worked with the plumber in moving pipe into place, holding things steady for fastening, and generally helped the men they worked for. The UA recognized this problem in its very early years. In 1897, one year before Local 170 was formed, the UA inserted a provision in its constitution, saying "the term helper shall not be used in connection with the term apprentice by the United Association." As Local 170 developed agreements on wages and hours of work with their employers, the helper's rate was also negotiated, often being two thirds of the journeyman's rate. Although the printing trade had introduced an industry-wide system of apprenticeship during World War One, the first mention of apprentices in UA Local 170 was in the minutes of February, 1922, although there is no evidence from that era that there was a formal training program or certification process. In 1925, the building trades and the contractors organized the Vancouver Apprenticeship Council, in an effort to improve the status of apprenticeship in the city. In 1934 the local determined that an apprenticeship would be five years long, at a

The most recent pre-apprenticeship class from the UA School are, from left: Instructor Don Bruce, Plumber Jason Leavel/, Steamfitter Tyler Rosman, Steamfitter Jeremy McAllister, Sprinklerfitter James Matheson, Steamfitter Jackson Robb, Sprinklerfitter Bryan Johnston, Plumber Derek Pont, SprinklerfiUer Erik Sundstrom, and Sprinklerfittter Aaric Hansler.

daily wage of $10. That wage would rise $1 every six months during the apprenticeship. In 1930 Barr & Anderson paid a first-year apprentice $8 a day for a 44-hour week. Finally, in 1935, the provincial government proclaimed "An Act respecting the Training of Apprentices", with four objectives: • Establish a regulated system of apprenticeship in such industries dependent on skilled help. • Set regulations to ensure proper training and opportunity to become skilled craftsmen under uniform and fair conditions.

• To correlate technical education with practical training in industry. • To eliminate unfair practices in employment of youth in industries suitable for apprenticeship training. Plumbing and steam-fitting was one of only six trades which came under the new act. The others were carpentry, painting, plastering, sheet metal and electrical. A committee was established to advise the minister of labour, and an inspector was appointed to gather data on each trade and to obtain the views of employers and labour on the direction apprenticeship should take.

54 In 1938 the Executive Board raised the matter of three-month probation for apprentices which was being authorized by the provincial government. The board wrote the government to protest this type of probation on the basis that boys were being exploited by it. In November, 1939 the minutes record that Clare Doyle and a Mr. White were accepted as apprentices of Local 170, but up to the Second World War not much happened in apprenticeships. The following year the Executive Board recommended that helpers who wanted to apply for fitter status had to write an examination. Their application would then be approved if they had the necessary time in as apprentices. The production needs of war industries accentuated the urgent necessity of developing an apprenticeship system throughout Canada. The federal government

• NEW GUY, EH?"

encouraged more occupational training, particularly through the War Emergency Training Act of 1940. At that point only BC and Ontario had formal apprenticeship programs, and the federal government proposed all other provinces follow suit. The federal government followed up with funding for these programs, on a cost-shared basis with the provinces. BC took advantage of the infusion of funds to improve the educational aspect of their program, but also increased the calibre of the

Students are hard at work learning their trade in Local 170'5 first Trade School.

people entering trades. In 1948 the Joint Conference Board informed employers that apprentices are to receive a percentage of the journeyman's rate. The employers subsequently agreed that apprentices would receive from 40 per cent to 60 per cent of the journeyman rate. This principle has remained in collective agreements to this day. By 1949 the annual report of the Ministry of Labour stated: "It is now fairly well recognized that in order for an apprentice to graduate from

Apprenticeship apprenticeship to a fully skilled journeyman and meet the demands of modern industry, not only must they have a practical knowledge and ability in a trade, but they must also be able to absorb and retain the theoretical knowledge that can only be obtained in technical training classes coordinated with training on the job." In 1955 BC needed a new act with broader powers for determining the qualification of practicing tradesmen and to enlarge the score for apprenticeship training, including designation of certain trades as compulsory. In 1956, Business Manager Russ St. Eloi (referred to by many as 'The Saint') negotiated a 50 per cent rate for apprentices as part of the agreement on the Kitimat project. The percentage would increase at sixmonth intervals. The executive also recommended that all apprentices be indentured to Local 170 rather than to the

U.A. PIPING INDUSTRY APPRENTICESHIP BOARD

TRADE SCHOOL

BY THE

r::-'~JS :~~O:';STKy

APPRENTICESHIP BOARD ~....~~ ,JOINT TRAINING COMIIfTTll

contractor, so that continuity from job to job could be assured. In 1967 plumbing became a compulsory trade in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. After provincial hearings on the matter in 1974, the BC government decided to extend it to the rest of the province. Brother Bill Weir argued the case before the Provincial Apprenticeship Committee, which held public hearings throughout BC. Brother Weir was heavily involved with apprenticeship, having been Local 170's Director of Apprenticeship and Journeyman Training. He was later appointed by the UA as its Training Coordinator for Canada.

Training School The local has always had a strong orientation to training and journeyman upgrading, and in 1980 established its first

school on Rumble in Burnaby. By 1995 the school had outgrown this building, and moved to larger quarters at 1329 Cliveden on Annacis Island, where it offers a full range of upgrading courses, including working with fiberglass, a computer lab, and training in new technologies. As early as 1990 the school began teaching aluminum welding, which was needed for such clients as Cominco for their oxygen plant construction project. So the school was well set up to accommodate needs of the new PacifiCat aluminum ferry construction project, which required additional welders trained in aluminum. The excellence of their training programs is well recognized. In 1998 it was the only training centre in western Canada which was training people in computerized orbital welding, having bought a $100,000 orbital welder for the purpose . •

The speaker is assistant deputy minister of Labour Bob Gray at the official opening of the UA/PIAB Trade School. With him are Jack Riley, Ken McMillan, Ron Fitgerald, Don Currie and Russ St. Eloi. This location served the industry from 1980 to 1995, when the school moved to its larger location on Annacis Island.

Health &Welfare Plan Since its inception Local 170 has always concerned itself with the individual health and welfare of its members, even before there was a benefits plan in place. The minutes report a case in 1924 where a member turned very ill. The membership instructed the business agent to work with the member's wife to secure medical assistance. Despite the union's help the man died, and the members gave the executive board power to provide financial assistance to the family as required. The Sick Committee was also called in to assist. There are frequent mentions of the Sick Committee in the early days of the local. Shortly after the First World War there is mention of paying two weeks of sick benefits to one member, and one week to another. In 1944 a sick benefit fund was made compulsory for all journeymen and optional for helpers and apprentices. The monthly assessment was 25 cents, and the benefit was $5 a week to a maximum of 13 weeks. There was also a Death Benefit Fund which paid $300 to the beneficiary in the case of death of a member in good standing with the union. That benefit was raised to $400 in 1949, and $750 by 1954. The fund was supported by periodic assessments on all members. Finally, in the fall of 1966 the Health and Welfare Plan was established, at a beginning contribution level of 7 cents an hour. Founding members of the committee of trustees were Ben Taylor (chairman), Les Andrew, Norm Farley and Ray Gerrard. Employers were represented by Bob Hole,

Hugh McConaghy and Nick Prochnicki. The initial plan included all UA Building Trades members along with men working on pipelines and those employed at Burrard Dry Dock. Six months later members of Allied

Through good times and bad. Lot:a1170 has given steady support to Camp Jubilee. The cabin above carries a sign demonstrating loca/17D's support. which continued when the camp was totally re-built and modernized, as we see in the new cabin below.

Health Br Welfare Ship Builders and BC Marine Ship Builders also joined the plan, which now also covered apprentices while they were attending monthly day school. The plan in its initial years included the following benefits: $5,000 life insurance; weekly indemnity of $40 a week; basic medical coverage including maternity and surgical services; physiotherapy and special nursing; dental coverage of up to $100 for injuries to teeth; psychiatry up to $345 a year; and chiropractic services up to $50 a year. The plan instituted an hour bank, and members required 300 hours in the four months prior to membership. The plan withdrew 150 hours per month for coverage, and members could accumulate up to 600 hours to cover periods of unemployment, illness or vacation. Hours above the 600 were added to the general fund. If a member slipped below 150 hours he could make a cash contribution of 7 cents an hour LO bring his bank up to 150 hours. In 1968 the plan allowed members to selfpay if they were out of work because of an industrial accident or serious injury. And by 1969 the plan would cover a member for up to three months if he was involved in a strike or lockout. The plan also added 50% dental coverage purchased from CU&C. In that year the BC Medical Plan kicked in. By 1972 the plan entered into reciprocal agreements with 15 other UA local union health and welfare plans. At that time there were more than 1,500 UA travel card members working in the local, creating a

one-sided situation where administrative costs were falling heavily on the Local 170 plan. In 1973 the life insurance rose to $4,000 and the weekly indemnity was $96 a week. Dental plan coverage was changed to full coverage for basic dental services, and 50 per cent on major services. The hour bank maximum was also increased to 720 hours. By 1975 members were having trouble accruing 300 hours for initial coverage, and the trustees reduced that requirement to 200 hours. In 1976, in recognition that members quite frequently spent large parts of the year working out of province, the trustees negotiated with

cu &C to pay dental claims and extended health care claims out of the province as though the member were still in BC. By 1980 the plan had concluded a reciprocal agreement with Boilermakers Lodge 359. The next year benefits were increased across the board: life insurance of $25,000; accidental death and dismemberment $25,000; Weekly Indemnity $189; dental coverage increases to 50% to 80% for part B services; 100% of prescription drugs paid; and eye glasses and contacts covered up to $150 every two years. By 1991 the extended health benefits maximum was increased to $1,000,000 for each member of the plan . •

Pension Plan The members of Local 170 had been talking about starting a pension plan for a long time, but it was not until the Collective Agreement was signed in April, 1964 that provided for a Pension Plan contribution of seven cents an hour to start the plan October 1, 1966. With this level of contribution the plan was able to provide a past service benefit of $2.85 per months for each year of past service to a maximum of 15 years. It was possible to grant $3.00 per month for each year of current service for a member working

at least 1,500 hours. No disability benefits were granted unless the member was age 50 with 15 years of credited service. The member was required to have 10 years of credited past service, and five years current service, in order to qualify for a pension at age 65. A full 15 years was required for early retirement. Vesting or 'locking in' was not granted until age 55 with 15 years of service. After the first year of operation the Pension Plan was valued at $359,808 and today our asset value is approximately $240 million.

58 Over the years, the Pension Plan Board of Trustees have granted increases or made improvements to the Pension Plan each time the contribution rate increased, no matter how nominal. From 1966 to date, the surplus in the Pension Plan has made it possible to increase a member's pension benefit by 105 per cent. Now that the plan has been operating for 32 years and we reflect back to the original goals and expectations of the Board of Trustees during the 1960s and 1970s, it is very evident that we have reached, and in a very real sense surpassed, all of them. In 1966 a member received $2.85 for each year of Past Service. With a number of increases, that Past Service has now appreciated to $11.41 for each year of Past Service. In 1966, a member received $3.00 accrued benefits for each plan year that he or she worked a minimum of 1,500 hours. Today a member receives $91.20 each plan year he works 1,600 hours. In 1966 a member was deemed to be Vested after 15 years of credited service. Today a member is deemed vested into the pension plan after two years of working at least 300 hours in each year. Members can take early retirement at age 59 with no reduction if they have 21 years of service. Members with 15 years of Credited Service can take early retirement at age 60, with no reduction. Those between the ages of 55 and 64 can retire with two years of vested service, with an actuarial reduction . •

UA Membership Membership in the early days fluctuated in the 10 to 25 range up to 1928, when this graph begins. These numbers include all members, including journeymen, helpers and apprentices, and are based on numbers provided by the International Office.

CONGRATULATIONS TO

UA LOCAL 170 ON YOUR

lOaTH ANNIVERSARY PLUMBERS

and

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA PIPE TRADES DISTRICT COUNCIL

PIPEFITTERS LOCAL UNION 170

Congratulations on

100 years of Craftsmanship

UA LOCAL 46 TORONTO

congratuCations to the officers andMembers if

CONGRATUlATIONS TO ALL THE

Loca(170

ON YOUR lOOm ANNIVERSARY

in cerebration ifyour

MEMBERS OF LOCAL 170 From your Welfare Plan Board of Trustees, Administrator and Staff

~ ([j) ([j)1tf£ Anniwtf§mry Business Manager

SEAN O'RYAN President

ALEX CRAIG Financial Secretary-Treasurer

DONALD B. HOGARTH Vice-President

ROBERT McANULTY Business Representatives

JIM BOYLE DAVECLARK JAMES E. HOGARTH DANIEL C. McBRIDE BILL SIGNAL

UA LOCAL 46 TORONTO 936 Warden Avenue, Toronto Ontario M 1L 4C9

PLUMBERS LOCAL 170 WELFARE PLAN BOARD OF TRUSTEES Ray Callard, Chairman Russcll St. Eloi Jack Basford Alan Cookc Ross Hall Tom McKinlc~ Jack Riley Rick Pongracz, Administralor 1J1~ 1l # 15

CONGRATULATIONS OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF

LOCAL 170

ON YOUR ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY

Congratulations Local 170 The Quality Control Council on behalf of it's affiliates wish to congratulate the officers and members of Local 170, both past and present, for 100 years of service they have provided to Industry and the development of the British Columbia Trade Union Movement.

SASKATCHEWAN PROVINCIAL Local 170 was one of the founding affiliates of our Council and has been instrumental in its success over the past 25 years.

Pipe Trades Association

We thank you for your continued support and wish you all the best for your next century.

AND AFFILIATED LOCAL UNION

179 INDUSTRIALAND COMMERCIAL SECTORS q~M~ President

~~~

RICK DIEDERICH

Secretary

PRESIDENT

~ ~

GEORGE A. PELLERIN

SECRETARY - TREASURER

\Ne've had a healthy relationship lNith British Columbians for over

Fifty Years.

Robert BI2kdy - Pmidmt Don McLt!nnan - VP

Peter Balanchuk - TnQJ,m,

R ob Kinsey - BM

Emie Clark - Ref. Suntary

Hank BI2kely - BA

Ron McCanily - lnsitk Gllard

Tom Smyth - BA

Cam Sti/weD - Otgano/

Roy Auger - BA Liury Matychuk - BA

ITV Anderson - Pipeline

Paul Walzack - Refrigeration

For over 50 years, Pacific Blue Cross has been there for British Columbians by providing the best possible dental and extended

hea~h

programs that

now include psychological benefits on a self-referral basis. Our subsidiary, BC Life, has been supplying life and long-term protection since 1981 . As a not-for-profit organization, Pacific Blue Cross has only one interest-

CONGRATULATIONS

to deliver the services, products and prices that benefit you .

V .jI. £ oca[Vnion # 170 - V ancouv er fHe

PACIFIC •

BLUE CROSS " FORMED BY THE MERGER OF MSA AND CU& C

PACIFIC BLUE CROSS IS THE REGISTERED TRADE NAME OF PB C HEALTH BENEFITS SOCIETY

tpUVt

1ootli jInniversary!!!

FREO WELSH L TO.

MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR

MECHANICAL & ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

Proud to be signatory to

congratu(ations

UA Local 170 for 67 years.

from

On behalf of all our employees,

United Association Local 740 St. John's, NF on

we congratulate you on your 100th anniversary.

100 Years of Excellence in the Piping Industry Business Manager Cal Jones

3755 WAYBURNE DRIVE, BURNABY, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA V5G 3L4 TELEPHONE: (604) 294-3100 FACSIMILE: (604) 294-3132

Business Agent Frank Brenton

Training Department and Staff

UNITED ASSOCIATION PLUMBERS & STEAMFITTERS

Congratulations to UA Local 170 on your 100th Anniversary from UA LOCAL 67 Hamilton

Johaftftessoft McWilliams Chartered Accountants 1052 Richards Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 4Y6 Tel: 685- 1351 Fax: 683-4398

would like to take this opportunity to wish

IJ~'JI!J"" 'OO"ft ~JMJ",,,eB~~~" to the members and Officers of Business Manager, Neil McCormick Business Agent, Howie Murray

UA Local 170

LOCAL 71

Congratulations to Local 170 on your 100th Anniversary

Ottawa &Hull Congratulations and Happy looth Anniversary to U.A. Local 170 Ronald Maisonneuve Busi ness Agent

Claude Bedard Busi ness Manager ot~U#15

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Sedgwick Noble Lowndes We offer expertise in pension administration, asset and pension consulting, group insurance services and human resource strategies.

Fred

s. Melnyk -

'CI()NII3Il 2Alr lU l1 Alr l '( )NS lr l() lrlH I~ ~tllJ\ll3 l~l?S

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IU.• A\.• IL I()CA\IL 117J 1fj t( )N yl()U 12 l 'U'Ulr lH

ANN IIVI~Il2SAIl2Y

Managing Executive

Fred Soronow - Senior Consulting Actuary Toby Jesso - Systems Consultant

VI JSSIELL r= A,(76

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66 D.T. (Terry) Calrd

INDUSTRIAL NONDESTRUCTIVE TESTING LTD.

ird

echanical ontractors Ltd.

8955 Fraserwood Court. Bumaby, BC V5J 5H7 Phone: (604)439-1711. Fax: (604)439-1906

Phone: (250) 383-6595 Fax: (250) 383-6510

The management, staff, and all employees of INDT extend our sincere

#2 - 929 Ellery Street Victoria. B.C. V9A 4R9

From our management and staff we would like to congratulate UA Local 170 on their 1Oath Anniversary.

CONGRATULATIONS TO U.A. LOCAL 170 ON THEIR 100TH ANNIVERSARY Working Together in Harmony

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• •• • 4

••

•

UA Local 170

•• •

•

~ 100 }fears }fouw!~ •4 •

;

Congratulations!

from the membership of

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Construction Labour Relations Association of BC

•• ••• • • ~

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.................................

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Local 787 REPRESENTING WORKERS IN THE HEATING, VENTILATING, AIR CONDITIONING, AND REFRIGERATION INDUSTRY IN THEPRO~CEOFONTARIO

Congratulations UA Local 170 on your 100th Anniversary and Best Wishes for Continued success in the future! ! 419 Deerhurst Drive., Brampton, Ontario, L6T 510

Congratulations UNITED ASSOCIATION LOCAL 170 on your

100th Anniversary BEST WISHES FOR THE FUTURE from

CANADA METAL ~ACFIC)

CUSTOM METAl DIVISION

• PACIFIC DIECASTING DIVISION

LMl"£O

664 Oerwent WfroJ. Annacis Island. Delta. S.C. V3M 5P8

Manufacturers of: TEL: (604) 525·0471 FAX: (604) 540-3651 RES: (604) 538-6665

SINCE 1954

rchie ohnstone PLUMBING

TO ALL THE MEMBERS OF UA LOCAL 170 CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR

ANNIVERSARY

HEATINQ LTD.

Congratulations to UA Local 170 on their IOOth anniversary Tel: 754-2232 Fax: 754-2811 150 Wallace St., Nanaimo

COAST TESTING BACON DONALDSON DIVISIO S OF C ANSPEC [Ne.

Suppliers of Nondestructive Testing and Welding Engineering Services 12271 HORSESHOE WAY, RICHMOND, B.e. , V7A4V4 PHONE (604) 275-3800 FAX (604) 274-7235

68 Business Manager John Telford

LOCAL 221 PLUMBERS -

STEAM FITTERS -

WELDERS

INDUSTRIAL & COMMERCIAL GAS INSTALLATION & SERVICE PROCESS PIPEWORK / FABRICATION

Recording Secretary AIWebb

NLET MECHANICAL SERVICES LTD. BUILD FOR THE FUTURE

BUILD WITH PRIDE

ANDYSLOMAN #3 - 1301 KETCH COURT COQUITLAM, B.C. V3K6W1

BUS: 525-0288 FAX: 525-2965

BUILD UNION President - Wayne Carson

We"done!

Vice President - Rick Stephenson Treasurer - Gord Keogh Executive Board - Paul Gurney, Barry OeWolfe, Fred Meens, Bill Cadeaux

25 Terry Fo}( Drive, Kingston, Ontario K7M 7K5

Congratulations to U.A. Local 170 on your 100th Anniversary 1141 Richards Street Vancouver, BC V6B 3E8

Tel.: 683-2321 Fax: 683-2320

DAVIDSON BROS. CONGRATULATIONS FROM V.A. PLUMBERS AND GASFITTERS LOCAL UNION NO.l

Mechanical Contractors Ltd.

DONALD SCLAFANI ..•.•..•..•...••••• BUSINESS MANAGER GEORGE W. REILLY FINANCIAL SEC'Y-TREASURER

JIMMYHART ASST. BUSINESS MANAGER

?HONE: 522-4798 FAX: 522-9587

809 DUBLIN SIHE:ET NEW WESTMINSTER. BC V3M 2Y5

BUSINESS AGENTS DA VID A. AGINSKY - NICHOLAS ALOISI - KEVIN BRADY , SR. DONALD DOHERTY. JR. - DOMENICK GOFFREDO DUDLEY KINSLEY - EDWARD KOZIARZ - PAUL MARTELLO THOMAS PARRELLA - JOSEPH SANTORO FREDERICK THIELE ... ... . ...... .... .. ... .. ... PRESIDENT THOMAS KEMPF .. ... . . . . . . ..... .... .. .. VICE-PRESIDENT JOHN J. MURPHY ... . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . .... RECORDING SEC'Y

Priority FIRE SYSTEMS LTD.

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Proud 10 work Union

IIII2IEII) K PH

Kelth PlumbIng & Heating Co. Ltd. 1 - 40 Gostick Place North Vancouver, BC V7M 3G2 PH: 604-980-4891 FX: 604-980-4756

MECHANICAL GENERAL CONTRACTORS On behalf of our staff we extend our

CONGRATULATIONS TO:

UA LOCAL 170 On their 100th Anniversary Working together in Harmony

erne Mellon CIBC Mellon Global Securities Services Company is a leader in pension trustee and global custody services in Canada. For more information, please contact: R.E. (Ted) Wormworth, Relationship Manager 1177 West Hastings Street, Mall Level Vancouver, BC V6E 2K3 Tel: (604) 891-3015 Fax: (604) 688-0354

CONGRATULATIONS TO U.A. LOCAL 170 ON YOUR 100TH ANNIVERSARY 'B'ESTWIS3PES :FROM TJ-f'E M'EM'B'E'RSWP.:A;N1J STAff Of SJ-f'E'ET M 'ET.A£. WORX'E'RS ' LOC.A£. l1:NION NO. 2 80

Congratulations and Best Wishes on your 100th Anniversary

UDELlNE INSTALLATIONS LTD. MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS Total Piping Installations P.O. BOX 336. GIBSONS. B.G. VON 1 VO

James R Scheetz Business Agent

Matthew 1. Buczolich Business Manager

Bue. : (804) 888-8572 Fax.: (604) 884·5392 Home: (604) 886·7787

B.F. (Bern le) Mulllgan

BUS. (604) 273·7480

The Officers and Members of South Bend Plumbers & Pipefitters Local No. 1 72 South Bend, Indiana

R. A. OAKLEY LTO. MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS

RON OAKlEY President

NEW BRUNSWICK " PIPE TRADES ASSOCIA TION BATHURSf

* FREDERlCTON * MONCfON * MlRAMJCHI * SAINT JOHN CONGRA TULATIONS

UNIT 8 . 12800 BATHGATE WAY RICHMOND , B.C. V6V lZ4

BRYMARK INSTALLATIONS (1983) L TO. 1648 Broadway Street, Port Coquitlam , B .C . V3C 2M8 Bus: (604) 944·1206 Fax: (604) 944 - 1236

Brymark congratulates UA Local 170 on their 100th Anniversary.

UNITED ASSOCIATION LOCAL 170 100 YEARS OF DEDICATION AND ACHIEVEMENTS BEST WISHES FOR THE FUTURE

L __..

Barry McManus, Business Manager Local 213 Peter Melanson, Business Manager Local 512 Brad Brinston, Business Manager Local 694 Jim MacOonald, Business Manager Local 772 George Estey, Business Manager Local 799

GLOBAL AIR DRILLING SERVICES __

\=-~~E§.jl....

Best wishes on your lOOth annIversary

Phone: Mobile: Fax:

:';.

955-7331 991-7272 955-7362

~TUl.. L 0 C A LAI

170

on the celebration

of your

;

Serving the Local 170 Pension Trustees for 28 Years

CLARK,WILSON

anniversary

BARRISTERS & SOLICITORS Patent & Trad. ·Ma .k Agents

I ... Li CL8 DC7 s !l3 SILICON VALLEY

SAN JOSE, CA

Fraternal Greetings and Best Wishes from V.A. Local 682, Sydney, N.S. The Officers and Members of Local 682 wish to take this opportunity of extending our sincere congratulations to V.A. Local 170 on attaining a milestone in your history, your lOOth Anniversary.

Our Best Wishes for continuing Success in your future developments. a-~,

o/.~ ~, PAU<>i1U"A6 ~

~ C

Alpha Mechanical Contracting Ltd. PlllmbinR • Ht'1I1inK • Ventila tion · Air Conti;r;oninK • Fire Protf crion

ConfjralulalionJ 10

lUofocat 170 on ';lour 1OOlh Aniverjar';l

8180 Winston Street, Bumaby, RC. V5A 2H5 Phone (604) 420-5341 Fax : (604) 420-4741

efHTU!..~~~~::: H::~:.l:, &.

BOILERMAKERS

Custom Sheet Met.1 • Blow Pipe Work Mechanical Contractors

LODGE 359

c. CHILLIWACK : VANCOUVER : RESIDENCE:

(BOB) BIVAR

4514 Dawson Street Burnaby, B.C. V5C 4C1 Phone: (604) 291-7531 Fax: (604) 291-9265

45742 YALE RD_ W . P _O . BOX 4 CHILLIWACK , B .C _

795 -9171 534- 7644 795- 7062

echan i c~1

Ltd.

1840 OUlnn Street. P:inea George . S.C.

PhOM 250-564·2883

V~N

lXS

Fax 250-SS2-S953

Industrial Mills . PIping. Millwrighting Repair & Maintenance Storage Tanks , Structural Steel erecting

ComltOck ,...~

U.A. LOCAL 463

Comstock Canada Ltd. is proud to have been a service to the Construction Industry for over 80 years. We continue to value our relationship with the United Association of Plumbing and Pipefitting.

·THE LAKESHORE LOCAL· 3-26 CARISTRAP STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3Y7 TELEPHONE (905) 623-1666

CONGRATULATIONS

!J 0 U'"L

700th c::I!-nniUE'"L1.a

B EST WI SHES O N BEH A LF OF THE O FFICE RS , M EMBERS AN D STAFF OF U .A. LO C A L 4 63

Tom Cameron Customer Service Manager, B.C. Power Generation Segment

LARRY CANN B usiness M anager

MICHAEL BATTYE President

ALLEN McDONALD Busi ness A gent

DON RANSBERRY Vice-President

GARTH COCHRANE Busi ness A gen t

GERRY CROUGH Financia l Secretary

UNHEO ASSOCIA nON Of .JQlhIEVMEN _ _ ENnCES Of THE PlUM8lNG NIO PlPEATTlNG IttlUsmv Of THE Ulfreo SfA res _

CNWJA

All

Asea Brown Boveri Inc. 1600-3731 North Fraser Way Burnaby, B.C. Canada V5J 5J2 Tel: (604) 433-2226 Tel : (604) 412-2851 (Direct) Fax : (604) 433-2773 Cell : (604) 818-5602 E-mail : tom .h.cameron@caabb .mail.abb.com

:= MULVIHILL CAPITAL

MANAG E M E NT

INC

The secret of success is constancy of purpose.

- Benjamin Disraeli

Investment Managers Pension Funds Health & Welfare Funds

Escom congratulates UA Local 170 on 100 years of service to members. Thank you for letting us serve your pension & benefit software needs. We look forward to a successful relationship through the next 100 years.

Foundations

MemberPlan'"

High Net Worth Individuals

The union and fund administration solution.

Please contact Sandy Boyd : (416) 681-3950 (800) 725-7172

~~£a&z£UJRJ 1/;cu1170 onjPJur 100d~d~

member plan@escom.ca

Escom So ft w a re Services Ltd . (604) 438 7361

CONGRATULATIONS ON 100 YEARS

lA = -~

FED

"What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all." Angela Schira

Kenneth V. Georgetti

John R. Mo ore, BUSINESS M ANAGER, Wm. F. Leake, BUSINESS A GENT, Officers, Staff and Members of Local 254.

Secretary- Treasurer

President

4279 Canada Way, Burnaby, B.C. V5G 1H1 (604) 430 -1421 www. bcfed .c o m bcfed@bc.sympatico.ca ~2

VOYAGES

W. E.

:t; ~U"TION~L :t

TRAVEL

Installations Ltd. Congratulations on your 100th Anniversary.

Book your next business trip or vacation with Canada's first union travel agency and save.

AUTOMATIC FIRE PROTECTION - MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS GUARANTEED QUALITY & SERVICE 12 178 · 861h Avenue. Surrey. BC . V3W 3H7 - Telephone : 591 ·6371 , Fa. 591 ·2691

Air • Hotels • Conventions • Cruise • Package Holidays

,.,.

"Serving the building trades since 1971." Canada and US Toll Free: 1-800-663-4703 1943 East Hastings Street, Vancouver, BC V5L 1 F5 Phone: 253-5585 Fax: 253-5586

~ UP CU.dl se~ 170 MI/ 100tlo,.dl~~

L,.INDUS I RA Ceo~~~eration Best wishes on your your 100th anmversary.

40 I Salter Street New Westm inster. B.C. Canada V3M 5Y I 604 521-3322 Fax: 604 521·3057

Emergenc( 604 298·0300 AN AMERICAN ECO CORPORATION

Tel : 520-0362 Fax : 520-0372

9J0M/l/

Pine Mechanical Ltd. Mechanical Contractors

BAUNO KLAMMEA

*206· 1525 CLlVEDEN AVE . DELTA. B .C . V3M 6L2

PACIFIC FLOW CONTROL LTD. C)UMn/ tIuv ~ tLI'Ui ~

of tIuv

<fJJ~ &- C)itWr;s; CU.dl se~

675

~3.%~,3tt.

~~ ~/C)ittanciat 3~

PROVIDING HOT TAPPING SERVICES TO WESTERN CANADA SINCE 1980 19147 - 90th Avenue

Surrey, 8.C. V4N 3X2

(604) 888-6363 Tull Free 1-800-585-TAPS (8277)

On behalf of

Local 324, we extend

our sincere congratulations to UA Local 170 on their 100th Anniversary.

CONGRATUlATIONS LOCAL 170 ON ACENTURY OF SERVICE

Sharing your proud history as pioneers in Canada; Commonwealth with its origins in 1907, has been working with Local 170 since 1963.

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR 100TH ANNIVERSARYI

Commonwealth A Full Service Industrial Contractor Burnaby, B.C.

iMI(IT}6~

j~~<0S \...~Phon.e(250)365-2922

..6\..

S'\.

~(jt( ~ \<0

.c:z:. r..'c. 1>~'

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Fax(250)3~5 -7566

E-Mad landmark~kootenay.net

The Officers and Delegates of the Pacific Region Maintenance Council wish to congratulate UA Local 170 on its 100th Anniversary. Local 170 has been instrumental in the formation and success of our Council and we are proud to have them as an affiliate.

IUHB~ Presi d ent

~~~ Secretary

CONGRATULATIONS!!

U.A. LOCAL 170 ON YOUR lOOth ANNIVERSARY

On Behalf of All LandIllark Employees

Amos Avitan, P.Q.S. PRESIDENT

LOCKERBIE & HOLE CONTRACTING LIMITED Congratulates UA 170 for 100 Years of Success and Service to our Industry

~KINGSWAY

FLORIST

Roww FM Aet OcwieKa CUSTOM DESIGN

Betty Tawse Suite 1200, 1500 West Georgia Street

Vancouver, B.C. Phone: (604) 609-2090

V6G 2Z6 E-Mail: I&hvanOlockerbie.bc.ca

Fax: (604) 609-2044

Congratulations V.A. Local 170 Vancouver On Your tooth Anniversary Year Our Best Wishes for a Prosperous future From the Officers and Members

of U.A. Local 552 Windsor Ontario D/CK ?earn. lJus/ness ./Ihna{7er

4938 Joyce St.,Vancouver, BC V5R 4G7 Tel :(604)435-8151 Fax:(604)435-1020 Toll Free: 1-800-665-5766

OTEU 15

110 Ridgetop Road, Scarborough,C>ntuno M1P 2J9 ~":'-=-"71nc. Phone (416) 293 8018 Factory Direct, Canadian Made Fax (416) 2935468 Jackets, Caps & ~ . Toll Free Canada/USA Sportswear 1-800-867-7396

TOP POINT SERVICES Computer Service & Installations

KANDARP PATEL (KEN) Service Representative TOP POINT SERVICES LTD. 2236 Sorrento Drive Coquitlam; B.C. V3K 6P3

Pager: (604) 570-4281 Res.lFax: (604) 931-2256 Email : kanpatel@direct.ca

\' " ~ :-.

; :\ . \ \ \ , \ • •1 '

V.A. LOCAL 853 Al McBride

Business M anager & Fi nancial Secretary T reasurer

Busi ness Agent

60 Shields Court, Markham, Ontario L3R 9T5 Phone (905)477-6022 Fax (416)498-5141

Integrl~ Success Service ...

FIRE PROTECTION LIMITED

SPRINKLER FIITERS OF ONTARIO Don Crichton

I" I ~

S PRINKLER

S YSTE M

DES I GN

E STA BLI S HED

I N S TA LL ATI O N

1976

43775 Industrial Way, Chilliwack, RC. V2R 4L2 TOLL FREE: 1-877-792-1640 (24 Hr.)

We wish UA 90 the best on their continued excellence over the next IOO years and we would like to encourage programs designed to level competition, like Organizing and Market Recovery.

Congratulations On Your tOOth Anniversary

Just a few words to sum up our commitment 10 (ine quality printing.

Thunderbird Press Ltd. "Proudly Un ion for over 30 years"

160- 11451 Bridgeport Rd., Richmond, B.C. V6X 1T4 Fax 604 - 278- 3424 Ph. 604 - 278 - 3131

e-mail: print@tbirdpress.com

Local Union 170 United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry

ROYAL BANK

Broadway & Cambie Business Banking Centre Te1 : (604) 665-6941

~STERN

INSTRUMENTATION ELECTRONIC •

SYSTEM CONTROLS LTD. SERVICING PNEUMATIC

•

CONTRACTING HYDRAULIC

#103,3677 Hwy 97N. Kelowna, B.C. V1X 5C3 Phone (250)491 -5000 Fax (250)491-3222 Website: WWW.wsC.ca E-mail: wsc@silk.net

Congratulates U.A. Local 170 On Its Centennial Anniversary

Working in harmony with Local 170

Switchboard: (604) 687-6948

/Etna

Fax: (604) 687-7572 Toll Free N0: 1-800-663-0344 www.aetna.ca 1177 West Hastings Street, Suite 450 Vancouver, B.C. V6E 2K3

A Proud Partner For 25 Of Their 100 Years.

Aetna Life Insurance Company of Canada

... 1

CANADIAN - - . - DEWATERING LTD. Pump and Generator Rentals, Sales and Service

P. G. SMITH 19sn - 94th Avenue

EXTINDS TO THI UNITID ASSOCIATION Of THI JOURNIYMIN & APPRINTlCIS Of THI

Surrey, B.C. V4N 4E6

Phone: (604) Fax: (604) Res: (604) Cell : (604)

MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS

888-0042 888-0054 420-6862 290-1922

542-4361

PlUM81NG & PIPlfI",ING INDUSTRY OUR HIARTlIST CONGUTULATlONSI

ArieMunts

Ron Brown Limited

AI' THI 81ST IN THI NIXT CINTURyl 915 Kat lake Rd., Ve rnon, B.C.• Fox 542·1334 VlT 6V4

Banister Pipelines Inc.

Congratulations to

VA Local 170 on your 100th Anniversary from everyone at

Extends Congratulations to UA Local 170 on their 100th anniversary

part of the eommunitM! Rich in history and steeped in tradition, United Civic Savings is proud to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of United Association Local l70!

AUNITEDCMC

~;:.;~ "';'"

SAVINGS

c,..dit

unlDn

3010 Main Street, Vancouver B.C. V5T 3G5

broad1Nay printers B.C's "Union" Printer

quality union printing since 797 7

Congratulations to the people of Local 170 (past and present)

Hallgren Construction Company Limited Piping Specialists

Phone 879-7131

* Term Deposits * Mutual Funds * Chequing Accounts * * Mortgages * Personal Loans * RRSPs & much morel

"The better something is, the longer it lasts" See you in another 100 years.

80 MlCHAEL JOHNSTONE . .CHAEL LAWRENCE

WESTECH A DIVISION Of MURPHY PIPElINE INe

FIRE PROTECnON SYSTEMSLm.

BUS: (604) 942-1645 24 HR F~

(604)942-2195

CELL: (604) ffT -

2~1032

1833 COAST MERIDIAN ROAD

PORT COQUITlAM, B.C. \faC6G5

Congratulations to UA Local 170 on their 100th anniversary

KAMCO INSTAUATlONS LTD.

Ph: (604) 374-3934 Fax: (604) 374-1913

STEEL FABRICATORS "A" PRESSURE CERTIFIED HEAVY EaUIPMENT RENTALS

5120 - 6th Street N.E., Calgary, Alberta T2K 4W5 Telephone: (403) 274-3443 Fax: (403) 274-1244

• W_ load..... Tt" Dump Truck•• • AfT & Truck Cranes· Excavator • • Mini Grader. 1347 Mission Flats Road. Kamloops. V2C 1A11

s.'~'

':.'"::,

. ....

p,:~~

dJl Lb PitneyBowes =i1rF Corwest Fabrications New Horizons in Modem Metals

A division of ELLETT Industries Ltd.

Heat Exchangers Pressure Vessels Reactors Piping System s Pipe & Fittings

1545 Kingsway Avenue, Port Coquitlam , B.C . Canada V3C IS2 Tel: (604) 941-8625 Fax: (604) 941-0492

Crestwood Commerce Centre 520 . 5600 Parkwood Way Richmond. B.C. V6V 2M2 Telephone: (604) 231 ·9353 Fax: (604) 303·9255 Service/Supplies: 1·800·MR.BOWES (672-6937)

WELDC0(f

Jflhen it has to be right .. rightfrom the start! As a fabricator, we can quickly produce custom orders. As distributors, we serve as your complete service centre. "Congratulations Local 170" On your tOOth Anniversary

~I+. RICHMOND #101-5910 no. 6 rd LANGLEY #101-19425 Langley By-Pass ABBOTSFORD #5-33605 MacLure Rd.

Tel: 270-8888 Fax: 276-0565 Tel: 533-2200 Fax: 533-7700 Tel: 853-4288 Fax: 853-3949

Business Managers In the early days of Local 170 the senior officer of the union was variously named Secretary, Financial Secretary, Business Agent or Business Manager. Some served for as little as a month. Those early records are sketchy, but the following list indicates the main officers over time who were elected to act in the capacity we now know as Business Manager. A. Shead 1898 1899 No record 1900 to 1901 Wm. Blackmore 1902 W. Cleator 1903 C. Keefer 1904 to 1905 Chas. E. Keifer 1906 J.H. Leitch 1907 to 1910 George Cogwill 1911 J. Cowling 1912 to 1913 Fred Quinlan 1914 to 1917 Vacant 1918 J. Cowling 1919 to 1921 Fred Welsh 1922 S.G. Smylie 1923 J. Hey 1924 to 1931 W.Watt 1932 to 1933 Vacant 1934 to 1941 Charlie Pritchard 1942 to1943 Frank Carlisle 1944 to 1945 A. Mathieson 1946 to 1952 Frank Carlisle 1953 to 1955 Norman Uphill 1956 to 1966 J. Russ St. Eloi 1967 to 1970 John L. Fisher 1971 to 1976 Leslie C. Andrew 1977 to 1984 John N. Wynne 1985 to 1988 Norman D. Farley 1989 to 1994 John. N. Wynne 1995 to 1997 Barry Clark 1998 to date Jim R. Dougan

Metal Trades Officials The paid officers of the Metal Trades since 1968 have been: 1968 to 1984 Norm Farley Organizer, B.A. & Business Manager 1972 to 1973 Gord Finlay Organizer 1975 to 1977 Bill Farley Organizer B.A & Assistant Business Manager 1982 to 1995 Mike Suter 1985 to date Ray Callard Business Manager 1991 to 1992 Senaka Malleappah Organizer 1996 to date Lance Yearley Organizer & Special Representative

Photo credits We acknowledge with appreciation the photographs provided by the following individuals and organizations: Ahlstrom Kamyr, AI E. Phillips, Dan LaPierre, Dian Dougan, George Vnoucek, H.A. Simons Ltd., Ideal Welders, Ken Hallgren, Mickey Rasmussen, UA Archives, Vancouver Public Library, Wally Bruggencate, Wayne Peppard.

Production Credits This history is based on the work of many members, officers and staff of Local 170, with special contributions as follows : Original research by VicTraynor Cover photo by Brian Hawkes Written by JohnLynn Design and Pre-Press by John Lynn Communications Printed by Broadway Printers Ltd. November 19,1998