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Man
who led workers in refinery strike dies by
Michael Caissie, Telegraph Journal. August 12, 2002. The
man who led union workers during the city's longest and one o its
most bitter strikes died Monday. Larry
Washburn, 57, died unexpectedly at the Saint john regional Hospital. Mr.
Washburn was the leader of Local 691 of the Communication, Energy
and Paperworkers union, who in May 1994, led 263 fellow Irving Oil
Refinery workers onto the picket lines. It
became Saint John's lengthiest strike, at 825 days, and changed Mr.
Washburn's life as an industrial mechanic. By
the dispute's end, most workers had crossed the picket line or had
quit. Just over 100 union members went back to work, while
37 were not given the opportunity to return, including Mr.
Washburn. Mr.
Washburn had worked 20 years at the refinery and spent most of a
decade on the union executive before running for president. In
an interview with the Telegraph-Journal a few months after the
strike had ended, he said that he was diagnosed with diabetes
early on in the strike and the stress had left him unable to sleep
at night. "It
ruled my life for two-and-a-half years," he said in that
interview. He
said the strike had taught him more about human nature than a
university degree could, and that he learned "I had a lot
more strengths than I thought I had." He
also said his greatest source of happiness was his family.
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Funeral
service for former union head on Thursday.
CBC
WebPosted Aug 14 2002 10:52 AM EDT
Saint
John, N.B. - A man who became a public figure during a long
strike a the Irving Oil refinery has died. Larry Washburn,
57, headed the union local that walked the picket line for 27
months. He was later a federal candidate for the New
Democratic Party.
Last
summer, on the fifth anniversary of the end of the strike,
Washburn spoke with CBC radio about the experience.
"If
I was in the same circumstances up until the strike I would have
done the same thing. I'm pretty firm in my beliefs about
things and not quick to change my mind and I believe that it's
wrong to sit and let other people fight when you can do the
fight."
A
funeral service for Larry Washburn will be held in Saint John on
Thursday.
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WASHBURN,
LARRY N. - The death of Mr. Larry N. Washburn, loving
husband of Jean (MacLean) Washburn, of Wirral, NB,
occurred unexpectedly on Monday August 12, 2002, at the Saint
John Regional Hospital. Born on November 29, 1944, in
Wirral, NB, he was the son of the late Hibbert and Mabel
(MacDonald) Washburn. Larry had been a member of the West
Saint John Co-op, Board of Directors, and was he Past President
of C.E.P. Local 691 Irving Oil Refinery. Larry had a great
love for animals, was a jack of all trades, very creative and
always willing to lend a hand to those in need. Besides
his wife, he is survived by his son, Jeff of Halifax, his
daughter Wendy of Saint John; two brothers Owen (Sheila) of
Fredericton, and David (Anna) of Wirral; two sisters Barb (Bob)
Dryden of Grand Bay-Westfield, and Diane (Charlie) Sloat of Nova
Scotia; brother-in-law, Doug Magee of Grand Bay-Westfield;
several aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews. He was
pre-deceased by his sister Audrey.
Resting at Fundy
Funeral Home, 230 Westmorland Road, Saint John (646-2424)
where the funeral service will take place on Thursday August 15,
2002 at 4 pm. Cremation will follow the service and
internment will take place at a later date. Donations may
be made to the New Brunswick Heart and Stroke Foundation or to
the Canadian Diabetes Association. Telegraph Journal.
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