Date: 2001
Location: Edmonton
Profile: Bill Danyk was a lifelong Edmontonian railway worker. Politicized early by the Hunger March of December, 1932, Danyk was a labour activist through his 47 years of work at the CNR. Shortly after he joined the Calder shop in 1943, he was promoted to machinist’s helper. Within a few years he became the midnight staff grievance officer for the International Association of Machinists, Local 817. He served as president of the IAM for five years. Dieselization led to a transfer to the wheel shop for four years, rolling 750 pound wheels. Layoffs in the 1960s led him to various jobs at CN that meant membership in the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Transport and General Workers. He became active in CBRT, representing shop crafts on the Alberta Railway Legislative Committee and CBRT on the Edmonton District Labour Council from 1966 to 1980. He was also active in the Edmonton Voters Association that was responsible for election of a number of labour representatives over the years. Danyk shares a Cold War story about being beaten up by right-wing Ukrainians in Borden Park about 1957 for emphasizing struggles to improve Canadian workers’ lives over their focus on winning independence for Ukraine.
Keywords: Canadian National Railway; Cold War; Dieselization; Edmonton District Labour Council; Edmonton Hunger March, 1932; Edmonton Voters Association; Machinist’s helper; Railway work; Ukrainian-Canadian political conflicts
Transcript: Download PDF
See also: Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers; International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers