Daisy Brown

Mrs. Daisy Brown was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She worked for a time in Regina’s Department of Education, then spent eight years at the Workmen’s Compensation Board. She came to B.C. in 1944 with her husband. He had been unable to join the armed services so came out west to work in the shipbuilding yards. Daisy found a part-time office worker job with the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union in 1945. The HREU staff was organized into the Office & Technical Employees Union (OTEU) but later were shifted to the HREU. Mrs. Brown was active for a time in the OTEU. In 1947, the local HREU leadership was deposed and barred from office and membership in the union because of their left leanings. Mrs. Brown held both staff and elected positions with the union.

Audio Interview 1979

Description

Daisy Brown discusses the Hotel and Restaurant Employees Union and building service union’s joint campaign to organize Vancouver hotels 1946-1947; the high number of single women parents and deserted wives working in the industry; the weakness of the union in comparison to industrial or skilled craft unions due to isolation of the workers; the difficulties the transient nature of the work and continuous shifts posed for organizers; issues of overtime, shift changes, uniforms, seniority; establishing the 40-hour work week; The Only Fish and Chips and Love’s Cafe, Vancouver; organizing hotels; deposing the local HREU leadership in 1947 barring them from the office and membership in the union because of their left leanings.

Transcription

Full interview: Brown, Daisy
Excerpts by Subject: Brown, Daisy

 

Title: [Daisy Brown – 1/2]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Brown, Daisy

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: OBJ_618_sideA_01

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: Simon Fraser University Archives. Sara Diamond fonds

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.

Title: [Daisy Brown – 2/2]

Creator: Diamond, Sara

Contributor: Brown, Daisy

Subject: Women–Employment–British Columbia ; Women labor union members–British Columbia ; Women–Employment–British Columbia–History–20th century

Date Created: 1979

Type: Audio recording

Genre: Interviews

Extent: 1 audio cassette

Format: audio/mp3

Language: English

Identifier: OBJ_618_sideB_01

Is Part Of: Sara Diamond fonds

Series: Women’s Labour History Project

Source: Original Format: Simon Fraser University Archives. Sara Diamond fonds

Rights: Media provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy or otherwise use of this media must be obtained from the Crista Dahl Media Library & Archives.