James A. Baker (trade unionist)
Encyclopedia
James A Baker was a Canadian miner who spent four years in Slocan
, which was in south eastern British Columbia
. He was a member of the Western Federation of Miners
and became an elected official and the regional representative during a period of particularly bitter strikes.
It appears that the organizational part of the job wore him down and he did not stand for re-election in 1903. At that point he disappears from historical documentation. He left a legacy of a more militant and leftist B.C. mining unionism.
Slocan
Slocan is the name of a river, lake and valley-region in the West Kootenay region of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The name Slocan is derived from the Sinixt First Nations people's word meaning "to strike or pierce on head" and was derived from their practice of harpooning salmon...
, which was in south eastern British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
. He was a member of the Western Federation of Miners
Western Federation of Miners
The Western Federation of Miners was a radical labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into sharp conflicts – and often pitched battles...
and became an elected official and the regional representative during a period of particularly bitter strikes.
It appears that the organizational part of the job wore him down and he did not stand for re-election in 1903. At that point he disappears from historical documentation. He left a legacy of a more militant and leftist B.C. mining unionism.