Ep 23: Teamster Diana Kilmury: B.C.’s Tough and Fearless Truck-Driving Woman
On the Line: Stories of BC Workers
English - November 27, 2023 20:00 - 39 minutes - 27.3 MBHistory labour history union canada british columbia activism working people labor Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
In this episode of On the Line, we present a compelling tale of British Columbia's Diana Kilmury, a bold and fearless truck driver who became immersed in the murky male dominated world of the Teamsters Union back in the days when women behind the wheel of big trucks were as scarce as generous employers. She took on both sexist attitudes on the job and a union that was then, in the United States, riddled by corruption, with a top down leadership that was closely connected to organized crime and crushed any challenge to the way the union was run. Yet against all odds, Kilmury eventually found herself in the highest echelons of North America's largest union.
Host: Rod Mickleburgh
Research and writing: Patricia Wejr
Technical wizard: John Mabbott
Source:
Diana Kilmury Interview. Conducted by Rod Mickleburgh, 13 April 2023, https://vimeo.com/833432166
Music:
Theme song: "Hold the Fort” (traditional) - Arranged & Performed by Tom Hawken & his band, 1992.
"Truck Driving Woman” by Si Kahn (1974). Performed by Aya!