Originally established as a Canadian branch of the Pacific Coast Labour Bureau in 1938, the Trade Union Research Bureau (TURB) was re-organized in 1946 as an independent, locally-owned company in Vancouver, B.C. TURB served Western Canadian trade unions as an independent labour research organization. Over the 75 years of its existence the Bureau underwent several transformations reflecting changes in the West Coast labour and social movements it served, the issues that these movements focused on, and the expertise of its staff. Over the years, TURB extended the scope of its services, connections and partnerships to organizations across the country, from Victoria to Toronto, and from the B.C. maritime and resource extraction industries to the manufacturing, construction, public health, education, government service, public utility and transportation sectors.
