The voice of working people in British Columbia, made up of BC unions representing more than half a million workers
BC Federation of Labour
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But, he added, "This is the thing that corporations want you to forget at all costs — the thing that Ballantyne Pier reminds us 91 years later: Workers divided are helpless. Workers united... are the strongest force in human history."
@hkailley.bsky.social, a longtime ILWU member, was honoured to join those remembering those workers. "Their story has become our story, and their strength can become our strength," he said. "Today we’re confronting employers just as arrogant and powerful as the bosses calling the shots in 1935."
But the courage of those workers inspired longshore workers to fight on for an independent union and a hiring hall — and a decade later, they had both.
Today, that union, ILWU Canada, marked the 91st anniversary of that bloody struggle.
The police attacked. For three hours, the workers were brutally clubbed, tear-gassed and even shot at. Dozens were injured, many of them hospitalized.
To some, that looked like a defeat.
There to meet them: hundreds of well-armed police officers. They were there to keep the workers not only from confronting the strikebreakers, but even from picketing.
Faced with the certain threat of violence and injury, the workers refused to turn back.
June 18, 1935: More than a thousand striking longshore workers and their supporters marched to Vancouver's Ballantyne Pier, where the bosses — the Shipping Federation — had brought in strikebreakers.
#BCLab
@susibcfed.bsky.social took part in the second annual Squamish Pride Parade on Sunday — a great, joyful event. Look for events near you this Pride season, and join the celebration!
Pod drop 2025/26 Season Highlights: Feminist and former union leader and politician Judy Darcy talks with us about her recently-published memoir Leading From The Heart. @judydarcy.bsky.social @douglasmcintyre.bsky.social @bcfed.bsky.social @cupescfp.bsky.social @heu-bc.bsky.social
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That's a good thing, no question.
But even with this increase, the minimum wage is still far from being a living wage. BC is home to some of the most expensive places to live and work in Canada, and we have a lot more to do to close that gap.
BC's lowest-paid workers are getting a much-needed raise today, as the provincial minimum wage rises from $17.85 to $18.25. It's the highest provincial minimum wage in Canada, and by law it keeps pace with inflation — which helps keep these workers from falling behind. #BCLab #BCPoli
