"Unions Aren't Native": The Muckamuck Restaurant Labour Dispute, Vancouver, B.C. (1978-1983)

Examines the roles of organized labour, the employer, the government, and the First Nations community with regard to the protracted labour dispute at the Muckamuck Restaurant in Vancouver, BC that ended in 1983 with the restaurant's closure. The case study draws on archival materials in addition to the author's recollections as a former union organizer and picketer during the strike. Concludes that although the strike had a downside, including the state's failure to protect the all-female First Nations workers from the employer's discriminatory and illegal practices, it was nevertheless significant in several respects.