Chris Pritchard, Plumbers’ Union Local 170

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Christopher Pritchard (1894-1973) joined the Plumbers’ Union (United Association of Journeymen Plumbers, Gas Fitters, Steam Fitters, and Steam Fitters’ Helpers of the United States and Canada) in 1918 in Winnipeg. He moved to British Columbia in 1925. This interview provides an overview of the history and activities of the Plumbers’ Union Local 170 in British Columbia. It covers the union’s involvement in establishing the five-day work week, wage negotiations, jurisdictional disputes, political affiliations, and Pritchard’s experiences as a business agent and later as a member of the Workmen’s Compensation Board. Pritchard also discusses the union’s efforts to improve plumbing regulations, establish a central heating system, and mandate sprinkler systems in public buildings.

Keywords: Winnipeg, Vancouver, Victoria, Prince Rupert, One Big Union, Winnipeg General Strike, construction, William Watt, five-day week, Plumbers’ Union Local 170, American Federation of Labor, Canadian Congress of Labor, Trades and Labor Council, Boilermakers, Machinists, Sheet Metal Workers, Metal Trades Council, Vancouver Trades and Labor Council, Vancouver Labor Council, Building Trades Council, Depression, Thomas E. Burke, William C. O’Neill, John Bruce, William Page, Jack Ross, Harry Arbuckle, Dan Macpherson, J.S. Woodsworth, Bill Pritchard, Workmen’s Compensation Board, Regional War Labor Board, City of Vancouver, sanitation