Episode Player

Ep 23: Teamster Diana Kilmury: B.C.’s Tough and Fearless Truck-Driving Woman

On the Line: Stories of BC Workers

On the Line: Stories of BC Workers
Ep 23: Teamster Diana Kilmury: B.C.’s Tough and Fearless Truck-Driving Woman
Nov 27, 2023 Season 1 Episode 23
BC Labour Heritage Centre

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!