The Muckamuck Restaurant in Vancouver billed itself as an “authentic Indian restaurant,” employing a staff of 90% Indigenous peoples. Despite this, the restaurant was owned and managed by white settlers, and had a with a history of poor employee/employer relations. Staff applied for certification to form Local 1 of the Service, Office and Retail Workers’ Union of Canada on February 21, 1978. Management responded to the application by firing and intimidating staff into quitting. On May 28, 1978, staff voted to strike, calling on local Indigenous organizations for support.
