Year: 2012
Location: Jasper
Profile: In 1985 Barb Byers became the first woman to lead the Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union (SGEU). In 1988 she began a 14-year presidency of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Byers was a provincial social worker of recent union involvement when Grant Devine’s austerity-minded government took power in 1982. In 1984 she was vice-president of the union most affected by Devine’s cuts, and then as SGEU president and SFL president, she led campaigns for the workers victimized by Devine’s cuts. She emphasized solidarity within and across unions as the key to improving working conditions for all workers. It meant connecting with members, honouring diversity, and providing labour education that highlighted rank-and-file contributions to labour history. She initiated a children’s summer camp experience that emphasized collective action, and co-founded the Prairie School for Union Women to build leadership and activist skills. Byers is a staunch advocate for women’s rights, including anti-harassment policies both in workplaces and union organizations. Byers credits mentors who were prepared to let her make mistakes. In 2002, she was elected executive vice-president and later secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress. In 2017 she retired and was recognized with induction into the Order of Canada.
Keywords: Canadian Labour Congress; Feminist; Labour education; Prairie School for Union Women; Saskatchewan Federation of Labour; Saskatchewan Government and General Employees Union; Union and workplace harassment; Union education for children and youth; Women as leaders; Women’s rights.
Interview Transcript: Download PDF
See also: Women and Work in Alberta