History of the Federal Government Dockyard Trades and Labour Council (Esquimalt) W ri t t e n b y D e s R o g e r s
In 1862 a group of Shipwrights came together to officially establish the first Union in the Esquimalt Naval Dockyard, the Journeymen Shipwrights Association of Victoria and Vancouver Island.
W
ith an aim the same as Unions of today, they adopted a Constitution and elected officers who worked to protect workers’ rights, ensure the health and safety of members, regulate hours of work, and negotiate wages.
The Shipwrights Union also held the original dockyard Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in the 1920s called the Red Feather Association. The premise was, if a Union member or the member’s family was in trouble and needed assistance, the Association members would insert
Esquimalt naval drydock under contruction circa 1887.
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FMF CAPE BRETON 1996 - 2021
a red feather into the brim of their hardhats. This would indicate to other members there was a co-worker in need and allow them to donate as they were able. Local Unions continued in existence (although independently of a formal
