A longtime leader in Alberta’s labour movement has passed away. Gerard (Gerry) Beauchamp was born January 22 , 1931 at Grace Hospital in Ottawa, Ontario and passed away at the age of 92 after a lengthy illness on May 27, 2023 at the Sturgeon Hospital. He left to mourn his loss, his wife of 48 years, Victoria (Vicky), loving family members, and countless coworkers and friends. Gerry was predeceased by parents Bernadette Laroche and Emilien Beauchamp, five brothers, and one sister.
After spending his youth in Ottawa, Gerry moved to Alberta at the age of 21 to begin work at the Swifts Meatpacking Plant in north Edmonton in August 1952. He began in the loading dock with heavy, demanding work, loading quarters of beef into trucks, and eventually moved on to become the checker. Gerry soon got involved in the union, firstly as shop steward in his local of the United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA), and continuing in that position when the UPWA merged with the Amalgamated Meatcutters (AMC) in 1968 to form the Canadian Food and Allied Workers (CFAW). When CFAW merged with the Retail Clerks International Union in 1979 to form the United Food & Commercial Workers (UFCW), Gerry was elected President of Local 280-p at Swifts. It was there that he met Victoria (Vicky) who was also active in the Union. The two were married in 1975.
Gerry played an important role in the Alberta labour movement as a member of UFCW Local 280-P and serving on both the Edmonton & District Labour Council and the Executive Council of the Alberta Federation. He led his local through the transition when Peter Pocklington purchased the Swifts plant, and moved the southside Gainers plant into that location in 1982. From that point on, Gerry and his union found themselves in a never-ending struggle with Pocklington , eventually leading to the strike of 1986, a confrontation that, in many ways, changed the course of labour history in this province. Although he had given up the presidency, Gerry was able to advise fellow members on the fightback when Pocklington came to the negotiating table that year, demanding a rollback in wages and benefits –only one year year after convincing workers to take a roll-back on the promise they would share in profits when the economy improved. “Enough was enough” and UFCW Local 280-P members voted overwhelmingly (96%) to go on strike, walking out en masse on June 1 to begin a 6 ½ month strike.
Gerry played a huge part in that strike, working with his wife Vicky on a nation-wide campaign to boycott Gainers products. They travelled the entire country to get support for their union, and their action resulted in the largest successful union boycott in Canadian history. He was a quiet, resolute, and principled man his entire life, but Gerry made labour history all along the way.
In retirement, Gerry and Vicky worked tirelessly as volunteers in casinos and bingos for charitable organizations, and remained politically active in the New Democratic Party. Their generosity and hard work was legendary, as they brought food to campaign offices, and participated in various election campaigns. Gerry also served on the Ukrainian Canadian Social Services Board, and with Vicky, was a very active member in the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC). Over the years, both Gerry and Vicky won many awards in recognition of their volunteer work.
Gerry was interviewed in 1998 by the Alberta Labour History Institute, and a transcript and a brief podcast of the interview can be accessed on the ALHI website at www.albertalabourhistory.org under the Interviews tab.