Title and statement of responsibility area
Title proper
Leslie D. Copan fonds
General material designation
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Level of description
Fonds
Reference code
Edition area
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Class of material specific details area
Statement of scale (cartographic)
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Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)
Dates of creation area
Date(s)
Physical description area
Physical description
30 cm of textual records
Publisher's series area
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Archival description area
Name of creator
Biographical history
Born in 1926 in Victoria, B.C., Copan moved to the mainland in 1935. In 1942, at nearly 16 years of age, he enlisted in the Canadian Navy. Returning safely from World War II, Copan worked at a variety of labour jobs, before being employed as a longshoreman by the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) in 1953. He worked primarily for three companies that operated under the umbrella of the BCMEA, including Canadian Stevedoring, Empire Shipping Company, and Western Stevedoring Company Limited. Employment on the waterfront meant being versatile, and Copan was trained in many different positions. These included lift truck operator, winch operator, hatch tender, checker, bull dozer operator, front end loader operator, wheat machine operator, dock gantry crane operator, switchman, locomotive engineer, straddle carrier, and linesman. In 1965 Copan became active in the International Longshore and Warehouse Union, and was elected president of Local 501 the next year. He also served on the executive of the Canadian Area section of the same union, serving as vice-president and in 1979, as president. Leslie Copan retired in 1988.
Custodial history
Scope and content
The fonds consists of exercise books, cash books, journals, account books, record books and notebooks, all of which were used for essentially the same purpose. These books detailed Copans daily activities (including shifts, positions and remuneration), in addition to which company he was working for. Two series have been created to reflect this information, and include time books and work record books.
Notes area
Physical condition
Immediate source of acquisition
The fonds were donated by Leslie D. Copan in October of 2005 and have remained in original order.
Arrangement
Language of material
Script of material
Language and script note
Legend of Abbreviations:
BD Bull Dozer
C Checker
DG Dock Gantry
FOL Front End Loader
HT Hatch Tender
L Locomotive Engineer
LT Lift Truck
S Switchman
SC Straddle Carrier
W Winch
WM Wheat Machine
Stevedoring Companies:
C Canadian Stevedoring
E Empire Shipping Company
WE Western Stevedoring Company Limited
Linesman Terminology:
L/G Let Go
L/H Lead Hand
T/U Tie Up
Shift Information:
D Day Shift
N Night Shift, 1700-0800 hours
G Graveyard Shift, double time shifts
ST Straight Time (0800-1200, 1300-1700 hours)
OT Overtime (1200-1300, 1700-0100 hours, Saturdays 0800-1200 hours)
DT Double Time (Saturday 1700-0100 hours, Sundays and holidays)
SMH Saturday Meal Hour
Location of originals
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Restrictions on access
There are no restrictions to access.
Terms governing use, reproduction, and publication
Finding aids
Associated materials
Accruals
No further accruals are expected.