The collection contains materials related to Ian McDonald's Master's thesis research on the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 213 “Class conflict and political factionalism: a history of Local 213 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, 1901-1961," and related to the activities of his father, Les McDonald, a trade union activist who belonged to Local 213 but was eventually suspended for leading the Lenkurt strike of 1966. Les McDonald was also a multi-sport athlete, and is credited with introducing the triathlon into the Olympics; some materials in the collection relate to Les McDonald's involvement in various sport and environmental organizations, as well as some of his personal papers. In addition to what he received from his father, Ian McDonald was also given papers by former IBEW Local 213 business manager Art O’Keeffe and Barry Sharbo, a board member of the Canadian Union of Electrical Workers (UE), as well as Alfie Huston, the former President of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 213 from 1985-1988, which are included within the collection.

The collection is largely comprised of newspaper and photocopied journal articles, correspondence between members of IBEW Local 213, legal documentation, newsletters and other printed ephemera related to IBEW Local 213.

The collection also contains sound recordings of interviews with numerous figures in IBEW Local 213 created by Ian McDonald during his thesis research. McDonald's thesis, submitted for the completion of a Master of Arts in History at Simon Fraser University, can be found in the Summit database: http://summit.sfu.ca/item/6361.

The collection also contains background materials accumulated by McDonald while writing his book “The Red Baron of IBEW 213,” including digital sound recordings of interviews, research articles, notebooks, consent forms, a draft royalty agreement, a draft chapter and a press marketing questionnaire.

File contains collective agreements for the IBEW Locals 213 & 230 (1944-1947, 1955, 1962 and 1963-1965) and British Columbia Electric Company Limited, Local 480 & 651 of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter workers and the Consolidated Mining & Smelting Company of Canada (1964-1966), and the Federation of Telephone Workers of British Columbia and Okanagan Telephone Company (1971-1973).

File contains pamphlets and newspaper clippings related to union and labour issues in British Columbia in the 1950s which may have been collected by Jack Ross. Also contains one full issue of the BC District Union News (January 1955) and one full issue of the Labour Statesman (December 17, 1954).

File contains photocopies of judgements printed in the Western Weekly Reports and Canadian Law Reports, with some annotations by Ian McDonald. Cases within the file: Morrison v. Ingles et al & Ingles v. Woodside et al (Supreme Court, 1920); British Columbia Telephone Company v. Morrison, The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union No. 213, and Local Union No. 310 (Supreme Court, 1921); Gee v. Freeman et al International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (Supreme Court, 1958); Gee v. Freeman et al (Supreme Court, 1958).

File contains photocopied articles from the Labour Gazette regarding issues concerning electrical workers.

File contains photocopied articles from the Labour Gazette regarding issues concerning electrical workers.

File contains photocopied articles from the Labour Gazette regarding issues concerning the IBEW.

File contains photocopied articles from the Labour Gazette regarding issues concerning electrical workers.

File contains two anniversary issues of Live Wire magazine (1951 & 1981), and a photocopy of the History and Structure of the IBEW (1969?).

File contains correspondence written by and to Ian McDonald regarding the use of materials for his Master's thesis, and documenting his struggles various documents. Correspondence includes legal advice provided to McDonald and interlibrary loan slips from SFU. Also contains a program from the Pacific Northwest Labor History Conference (University of British Columbia, 1984) and a price list for word processing services in 1984.

File contains a photocopied multi-part article from Western Business & Industry, "Red is for Danger," by Lawrence G. Ecroyd. Also contains handwritten notes by Ian McDonald.

File contains photocopied newspaper articles predominantly related to strike actions by the IBEW.

File contains handwritten transcriptions made by Ian McDonald from his interviews with George Gee and Jack Ross.

File contains handwritten notes by Ian McDonald of his archival research on IBEW Local 213 and BCER.

File contains photocopied census tables and handwritten notes by Ian McDonald of electrical worker census numbers in British Columbia from 1901, 1911, 1921, 1931, 1941 & 1951.

File contains material photocopied by Ian McDonald related to William F. Dunne, union leader and state legislator in Montana during the early 20th century as well as a former business agent of IBEW Local 213; of particular interest for McDonald are speeches given by Dunne.

File contains photocopied newspaper clippings from The People, a Vancouver newspaper: "Trade Union Unity Vital to War Effort," as well as a cartoon and an advertisement for the Canadian Aid to Russia Fund.

File contains copies of materials written by and related to Herbert Marcuse of the Trade Union Research Bureau in Vancouver, BC.

File contains an IBEW constitution from 1974, and photocopied constitutions from the IBEW (1952) and Communist Party of Canada (1959).

File contains photocopied documents related to charges by the IBEW Local 213 against Jimmy Hall, as well as documents related to the suspension of George Gee in 1955. Also contains a photocopy of "A Ballad of 213," and photocopied reports given by J. Waplington (President of Local 213) and Art O'Keeffe (Vice-President) at the 1954 IBEW convention.

File contains photocopied minutes from a meeting of the Inside Wiremen, an executive board meeting discussing the meeting of the Inside Wiremen and the 1953 election results of IBEW Local 213.

File contains copies of IBEW Local Union 213's meeting minutes from January 15, 1955 and February 12, 1955, as well as copies of correspondence related to the suspension of union members in 1955.

File contains remarks made by Frank G. Hanson at Alex Dorland's funeral service, a photocopied letter of condolence from Sid McArton and handwritten notes by Ian McDonald from an interview about Dorland.

File contains correspondence between Don Wilson and other members of the IBEW concerning charges and the later trial against Wilson by the IBEW for "publishing or circulating among the membership, or L[ocal].U[nion].'s false reports or misrepresentations." Also contains bulletins written by Wilson, materials related to the suspension of George Gee and a notice of action taken by the wives of Local 213 members.

File contains a letter by Art O'Keeffe charging John McCuish with violations related to creating dissent among members, a statement from McCuish about a visit from the RCMP, a copy of the IBEW's decision on McCuish's appeal, and a photocopied newspaper article by Tom McEwen, "Union wreckers linked to RCMP."

File contains a letter of resignation to the executive board from Local 213 president John Bezer, correspondence and reports from IBEW Local 213 business managers and photocopied versions of the same documents (kept for conservation reasons).

File contains a photocopied article from the Western Weekly Review concerning Kuzych v. White et al. and a photocopied section from an unidentified book on Martin v. Law Society of British Columbia.

File contains photocopies of Local 213 and 230 collective agreements for 1949 and 1951, reports related to wages, and meeting minutes from the Steering and Negotiating Committee in 1954.

File contains Ian McDonald's archival research related to E. Tilford Fenton, member of IBEW 213 and executive board representative from 1912-13. Also contains a copy of an IBEW Pacific District Council Report from April 4, 1913.

File contains later newspapers clippings related to IBEW Local 213 collected by Ian McDonald after the submission of his Master's thesis. Also contains George Gee's obituary and memorial service program.

File contains clippings related to labour issues and the contemporary Community party from Vancouver area newspapers.

File contains photocopied newspaper clippings and magazine articles related to Hume & Rumble Limited, electrical contractors, including an obituary for Fred Rumble. Also contains a photocopied brochure for Hume & Rumble (undated) and a memorandum regarding the Bridge River transmission line.

File contains an annual report from BC Hydro (1984-1985), a brochure showing the BC Hydro Electric Transmission System in March 1983 and BC Hydro "pocket facts" (1985). Also contains photocopies of "The Stave Falls Power Development" (1925), "Ruskin Power Development" (1930), and "The Power System of the British Columbia Power Corporation, Limited" by E. E. Carpenter (1932).

File contains a photocopy of "Power Means Progress," a report by the British Columbia Power Commission.

File contains photocopies of member lists for the Building and Construction Industry Exchange, 1946 & 1962.

File contains a photocopy of George Green's "Some Pioneers of Light and Power," an article about electricity as a public utility in British Columbia published in the British Columbia Historical Quarterly.

File contains photocopied articles from the Canadian Mining Journal, from an issue on the history of Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company of Canada Limited (Cominco).

File contains a photocopy of a "booklength feature" in The Canada West Magazine on the Collins Overland Telegraph, a telegraph system planned to stretch from San Francisco to London. The BC-Yukon section of the telegraph line is discussed at lenght.

File contains a photocopy of the "Hot Line Tool Guide," a report by the subcomittee on hot line tools of the accident prevention committee at the Edison Electric Institute, as well as photocopies of letters from P.B. Hambly to "The Suggestion Committee" and from the Trade Union Research Bureau to Hambly.

File contains five Business Manager's newsletters for Local IBEW 213, while Art O'Keeffe was business manager and financial secretary. Issues include June 1964, June 1965, September 1965, December 1965 & March 1966.

File contains lineman and groundman's seniority lists for Peterson Electric, B.C. Electric and possible others (not all lists are identified).

File contains photocopies of articles from the Pacific Tribune concerning IBEW Local 213's strike action against B.C. Electric, Hume and Rumble and Peterson Electric in March 1958, as well as the subsequent lockout by the Associated Electrical Contractors of B.C. in May 1958; Art O'Keeffe, John Waplington and George Gee are mentioned.

File contains copies of workmen's compensation reports for labourers in various professions; reports cover 1926-1930, 1935-1939, 1942-1947. Also contains handwritten notes by Ian McDonald recording figures from 1917-1961.

File contains a West Kootenay Power 85th Anniversary Edition of the Hi-Lines newsletter, a shareholder report from Cominco, a timeline of agreements between West Kootenay Power and IBEW Local B-287 from 1946-1947, and the business card of Jack Fisher, public relations for West Kootenay Power.

File contains three photocopied articles written by University of Victoria History professor Patricia Roy: "Direct Management from Abroad: The Formative Years of the British Columbia Electric Railway," "The Illumination of Victoria: Late Nineteenth-Century Technology and Municipal Enterprise" and "The British Columbia Electric Railway and Its Street Railway Employees: Paternalism in Labour Relations." Also contains a page of handwritten notes from Ian McDonald.

File contains photocopied documents relating to the history of the B.C. Electric Railway Company: "Impressive Facts about the B.C. Electric Railway" (1926), "Chronology of the B.C. Electric" (1947, covering 1894-1947), "Chronological List of Generating Units" (1958, covering 1898-1956), "Historical Record 1944-1958," and "Chronological Developments in the Takeover [...] By the British Columbia Government" (covering 1961-1963).

File contains photocopies of the 1971 centennial issues of Progress, for "interested persons about the economic and industrial progress of British Columbia" and Intercom, for Authority personnel.

File contains a photocopy of Michael A. Mulcaire's PhD dissertation, completed at the Catholic University of America. Chapters are: I.Origin and Growth of the Brotherhood, II. Membership, Organizing Methods and Jurisdiction of the Union, III. Apprenticeship Rules and Training, IV. The Government of the Union, V. Beneficiary Features of the International and VI. Problems and Methods of Collective Bargaining.

File contains a photocopy of Charlie Caron's autobiography, describing his involvement in labour issues in Canada in the the 1930s primarily. Caron also provides a historical account of the activities of the Communist Party of Canada up to the 1970s.

File contains a copy of a paper presented by James L. Turk of the University of Toronto at the Annual Meeting of the Canadian Oral History Association in June 1980. The full title of the paper is "Labour During the Cold War: Oral History in the Study of the Survival of the United Electrical Workers in Canada."