Hans Brown
Interviewed by Johanna den Hertog and Ron Johnson
Hans Brown worked for the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) in BC for 13 years, taking the lead on pay equity and classification between 1974 and 1987. He is best known for his connections to BC’s New Democratic Party (NDP). He was an accomplished organizer and fundraiser who was campaign manager for the successful election of the first NDP government in 1972. In this interview Brown discusses his introduction to labour when he managed political campaigns in Ontario. He recalls the challenging political navigation between organized labour and the BC NDP government from 1972 to 1974.
Keywords: Young New Democrats, YND, Steelworkers, Mine-Mill, David Lewis, Tommy Douglas, Dave Barrett, HEU, Bob Williams, BC NDP, Ray McCready, Operation Solidarity
Interviewed by Johanna den Hertog and Ron Johnson
In this second of two interviews, Hans Brown discusses his management of BC NDP (New Democratic Party) election campaigns from 1972 to 1996. The interviewer and Hans share a conversation about political advisors they both met over the years and the modernization tools they brought to election campaigns in BC. He also relates his experience as a Vice Chair at the Labour Relations Board, plus his classification and job evaluation work at the HSA (Health Sciences Association) and the HEU (Hospital Employees Union). During this interview Hans connects his political activism with the goals of the labour movement, as well as the importance of understanding each group’s roles in achieving positive change.
Keywords: Bob Williams, Labour Relations Board, Stan Lanyon, Tom Gunton, Soren Bech, Gordon Campbell, election campaigns, job evaluations, Health Sciences Association, Hospital Employees Union, NDP