Public and Private Workers of Canada

The Public and Private Workers of Canada (PPWC) is a trade union based in British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1963 as the independent Pulp and Paper Workers of Canada, it has been affiliated with the Confederation of Canadian Unions since the federation's establishment in 1969.[1]

The PPWC was founded at a convention in January 1963 and five of the province's eleven unions representing papermakers were represented. It was part of the larger trend of unionization in Canada which emphasized independence from the United States-dominated international union movement as well as increased organizational democracy. The locals had previously been members of the US-based International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite, and Paper Mill Workers and United Paperworkers' International Union (UPIU). Concern was expressed at the union's establishment by the business-oriented National Post.[2]

Two of the leaders who worked to found PPWC were Orville Braaten and Angus McPhee. McPhee was the first vice-president of the organization from 1964 to 1967 and its secretary-treasurer from 1968 to 1969. From 1971 to 1976, he was a business agent and national board member for local number 4 (Prince Rupert). In 1977, he was elected national President, serving until 1982.[3]