Joey Hartman
Interviewed by Ken Novakowski
This interview with Joey Hartman covers her extensive history as an activist and labour leader in British Columbia. Joey discusses her upbringing in Vancouver and her early work experiences in early childhood education. A particularly formative experience was the mentorship she received when she was working at RayCam, a daycare affiliated with the Raymur housing project. Joey learned about politics, oppression, social justice, and direct action, which informed the rest of her career. Later, Joey became involved with the Vancouver Municipal and Regional Employees Union (VMREU) and participated in a major 14-week strike in 1981 that focused on pay equity issues.
Joey goes on to discuss her work with the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) during a difficult period when the provincial government tore up hospital contracts and massively privatized services. She played a key role in re-organizing the privatized workers and helping the union recover. She also talks about her time as president of the Vancouver and District Labour Council, and her involvement with the BC Labour Heritage Center, the Council of Canadians, the SFU Labour Studies Program, and Vancouver Community College.
Throughout the interview, Joey emphasizes the importance of mentoring and supporting other women in the labor movement, as well as the need to recognize the value of all workers, regardless of their job title or status. She reflects on her decades of activism and the key role that the labor movement has played in her life.
Keywords
Vancouver; childcare work; daycare work; early childhood education; Raymur Housing Project; Militant Mothers of Raymur; RayCam; Vancouver Municipal and Regional Employees’ Union (VMREU); CUPE 15; Gael Koob; feminism; Army and Navy Department Store; pay equity; Rick Gates; Mary Plant; David Cadman; strike; the Joey Hartman clause; the City of Vancouver; Bob Donnelly; Tech Change grant; Technological Impact Research Fund (TIRF); union education; union activism; Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU); Compensation Employees’ Union (CEU); Secretary Business Manager (SBM); Bill 29; Gordon Campbell; contracting-out; Chris Allnutt; raiding; privatization; Judy Darcy; Vancouver and District Labour Council (VDLC); union solidarity; solidarity actions; labour history; BC Labour Heritage Centre; Jim Gorman, Steve Baker; Pacific Northwest Labor History Association (PNLHA); On to Ottawa Trek; Bobby Jackson; Jack Munro; Ken Novakowski; Asbestos Memorial; board governance; SFU Labour Studies Program; Lefty Morgan; Margaret Morgan; Co-Development Canada; Council of Canadians; Vancouver Community College; mentorship