Ray Haynes
Interviewed by Ken Bauder, Al Cornes and Bailey Garden
Ray Haynes was born in Point Grey, Vancouver, BC in 1928. He was introduced to the labour movement through work at a sawmill; his first experience representing workers was at the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union. He served between 1966 and 1973 as the Secretary-Treasurer of the BC Federation of Labour where he galvanized the labour movement into the most militant in Canada. In later years he organized and negotiated on behalf of many unions across the province. In the first of two interviews he shares memories of many of the people he met and events in which he participated.
Keywords: AFL (American Federation of Labour); Arbitration; Anti-War Movement; BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed); BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF); BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU); CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations); Collective bargaining; Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF); Hot edicts; Hudson’s Bay Wholesale; Injunctions; International Woodworkers of America (IWA); Labour code; Mackenzie Valley Pipeline; Negotiating; New Democratic Party (NDP); Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; Vancouver Municipal and Regional Employees’ Union (VMREU); BC Federation of Retired Union Members (BC FORUM); Sawmills; Gerry Emary; John Squire; Paddy Neale; Pat O’Neill; Lenkurt; George Johnson; Len Guy; Jim Kinnaird; Pennyfarthing; Dave Barrett; peace movement; environmentalism
Interviewed by Ken Bauder
This is a secondary, follow-up interview with Ray Haynes. Ray provided the BCLHC with a number of materials (photos, newspaper articles, etc.) to digitize and archive, which much of this interview is based upon. In this interview, Ray reflects on his time at the BC Federation of Labour and tells stories about various characters, as well as detailing his activism in retirement.
Keywords: AFL (American Federation of Labour); BC Federation of Labour (BC Fed); BC Federation of Retired Union Members (FORUM); BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU); CIO (Congress of Industrial Organizations); Collective bargaining; Communist Party; Compulsory arbitration; Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF); Council of Senior Citizens Organizations (COSCO); Environmentalism; Hot edicts; Hudson’s Bay Wholesale; Injunctions; International Woodworkers of America (IWA); Labour code; Negotiating; New Democratic Party (NDP); Organizing; Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; Strikes; Union solidarity; Women’s issues; Women in labour;
Other resources:
Ray Haynes interview by Howie Smith, 1977-03-01 [date recorded] , Labour Movement Collection, Item AAAB4852, Royal BC Museum.
Ray Haynes interview by Howie Smith, 1977-03-17 [date recorded] , Labour Movement Collection, Item AAAB4833, Royal BC Museum.
Ray Haynes and George Johnston interview by Howie Smith, 1978-11-20 [date recorded] , Labour Movement Collection, Item AAAB4851, Royal BC Museum.
Ray Haynes interview by Ken Bauder and Andrea Walisser, 2013-04-05, (Re)Claiming the New Westminster Waterfront fonds, New Westminster Archives.
Introduction of Ray Haynes, Sunshine Coast resident, former President of the BC Federation of Labour, Nicholas Simons MLA, 2017-03-09.