Goodbye to the CAW
September 1, 2013
The National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada – known mainly by the widely used acronym, CAW – waved goodbye on the 2013 Labour Day long weekend in Toronto, the city where it was born. The CAW was put to rest, along with another proud Canadian Union, the CEP (The Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada); following the merger of both unions and subsequent establishment of a new super union, Unifor. This also marks the end of CAW National Council 4000. Let’s take a moment to look back at the organizations that we have said goodbye to with the creation of Unifor.
The CAW began in the mid 1980's. Dissatisfied with being a Canadian branch of an international union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), then UAW Canadian Director Bob White and the other leadership of the UAW's Canadian membership, decided to break away from the UAW and form their own Canadian union that would greater emphasize on Canadian labour issues. The CAW's Founding Convention was held in 1985 and Bob White became its first National President.
Basil "Buzz" Hargrove took over as President from White when he went to the become President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). Hargrove served as the unions leader until his retirement in 2008, when Ken Lewenza became the third President to lead the CAW.
The CAW continued to grow as a union, reaching a peak of 260,000 members in the late 1990's through organizing and mergers with other unions. CAW members worked in aerospace, mining, fishing, auto and specialty vehicle assembly, auto parts, hotels, airlines, rail, education, hospitality, retail, road transportation, health care, manufacturing, shipbuilding and other sectors of the economy.
The largest merger with the CAW was none other than our past union, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers (CBRT&GW). The CBRT&GW merged with the CAW on June 1, 1994 with 33,437 members for largely the very same reasons that the CAW and the CEP are merging today. The CBRT&GW's last National President was Jim Hunter.
The CBRT&GW, which was initially called the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CBRE) and was Canada's first sole Canadian Union founded in Moncton, New Brunswick on October 12, 1908. The majority of the CBRT&GW's membership came from out of the railway sector, which essentially is today's National Council 4000.
CAW Council 4000 was formed November 1 to 3, 1997 at the Council's Founding Convention held at the CAW Family Education Centre located on the shores of Lake Huron in Port, Elgin, Ontario. The delegates to this convention voted to change the bargaining unit structure of the former CBRT&GW from 45-local unions situated across Canada, choosing to form a national council with five regionally based locals to service members from coast-to-coast.
As the CAW continued to grow, so did National Council 4000. organizing workers outside of the railway sector to include other sectors, such as furniture manufacturing, courier service, catering, hospitality, warehousing and freezer logistics.
Over the past few years, Council 4000 lost members at Rivenwood Furniture in Moncton, New Brunswick, Scanwood Canada Ltd. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) in New Castle, Ontario and JV Investments (Harvey's at Union Station) in Toronto through workplace closures. But new groups have also joined, including Rocky Mountain Catering in BC, Atlantic Wholesalers and Results 360 in Moncton, New Brunswick, DHL (now Loomis Express), Cummins and Wayjax Equipment in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and the Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre and NSFL support staff in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Over the almost 16 years since its inception, Council 4000 has had three Presidents: Rick Johnston, its first, Bob Fitzgerald and Barry Kennedy. Ron Shore, the Council's Regional Representative for Alberta and BC, served in an interim capacity when Fitzgerald was placed on the national staff of the CAW and Kennedy was elected. And there have been two Secretary Treasurers, Bill Collen and Heather Grant.
Since 1997, there have been 27 different Local Presidents of the Council's five Regional Local Unions :
The CAW began in the mid 1980's. Dissatisfied with being a Canadian branch of an international union, the United Auto Workers (UAW), then UAW Canadian Director Bob White and the other leadership of the UAW's Canadian membership, decided to break away from the UAW and form their own Canadian union that would greater emphasize on Canadian labour issues. The CAW's Founding Convention was held in 1985 and Bob White became its first National President.
Basil "Buzz" Hargrove took over as President from White when he went to the become President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). Hargrove served as the unions leader until his retirement in 2008, when Ken Lewenza became the third President to lead the CAW.
The CAW continued to grow as a union, reaching a peak of 260,000 members in the late 1990's through organizing and mergers with other unions. CAW members worked in aerospace, mining, fishing, auto and specialty vehicle assembly, auto parts, hotels, airlines, rail, education, hospitality, retail, road transportation, health care, manufacturing, shipbuilding and other sectors of the economy.
The largest merger with the CAW was none other than our past union, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers (CBRT&GW). The CBRT&GW merged with the CAW on June 1, 1994 with 33,437 members for largely the very same reasons that the CAW and the CEP are merging today. The CBRT&GW's last National President was Jim Hunter.
The CBRT&GW, which was initially called the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CBRE) and was Canada's first sole Canadian Union founded in Moncton, New Brunswick on October 12, 1908. The majority of the CBRT&GW's membership came from out of the railway sector, which essentially is today's National Council 4000.
CAW Council 4000 was formed November 1 to 3, 1997 at the Council's Founding Convention held at the CAW Family Education Centre located on the shores of Lake Huron in Port, Elgin, Ontario. The delegates to this convention voted to change the bargaining unit structure of the former CBRT&GW from 45-local unions situated across Canada, choosing to form a national council with five regionally based locals to service members from coast-to-coast.
As the CAW continued to grow, so did National Council 4000. organizing workers outside of the railway sector to include other sectors, such as furniture manufacturing, courier service, catering, hospitality, warehousing and freezer logistics.
Over the past few years, Council 4000 lost members at Rivenwood Furniture in Moncton, New Brunswick, Scanwood Canada Ltd. in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Motor Coach Industries (MCI) in New Castle, Ontario and JV Investments (Harvey's at Union Station) in Toronto through workplace closures. But new groups have also joined, including Rocky Mountain Catering in BC, Atlantic Wholesalers and Results 360 in Moncton, New Brunswick, DHL (now Loomis Express), Cummins and Wayjax Equipment in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and the Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre and NSFL support staff in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Over the almost 16 years since its inception, Council 4000 has had three Presidents: Rick Johnston, its first, Bob Fitzgerald and Barry Kennedy. Ron Shore, the Council's Regional Representative for Alberta and BC, served in an interim capacity when Fitzgerald was placed on the national staff of the CAW and Kennedy was elected. And there have been two Secretary Treasurers, Bill Collen and Heather Grant.
Since 1997, there have been 27 different Local Presidents of the Council's five Regional Local Unions :
Local 4001John Dowell
Ron Shore Clyde Duncan Mel Wozniak Stan Tash |
Local 4002Brian Donaldson
Joey Broda Brad Roy Jeff Snell Dan Michaluk Kerry Kauk [D] |
Local 4003Frank Consiglio
Steve Legge Brian Elcombe Gil Stephens |
Local 4004Jean Simard
Monica Hrapkowicz Daniel Ouellet Ken Cameron Jean Savard Daniel Boiteau |
Local 4005George Baker
Jennifer Brown Warren Hutt Bob Dennis [D] Fred Warren |
And there have been 32 different full time Regional Representatives since 1997: Ron Shore; Dave Kissack; Danny Andru; Jared White; Serge Auger; Patrick Murray; Wesley Gajda; Barry Kennedy; Dan Michaluk; John Almdal; Jean Savard; Lou Walsh; Dave Mercer-Hazlitt; Rick Doherty; Claude Rainville; Heather Grant; Sandra Prudames; Benoit Dulong; Tony Blanchard [D]; Robert Masses; Bob Fitzgerald; Pierre Rouleau; Dana Hollis; Tom Donohue; Stan Pogorzclec; Maurus Alam; Robin Birr and Rick Johnston.
And we must not forget our Secretarys (Administrative Assistants): Nicole Pitchen, who was our first and went on to work for CAW (TCA) Quebec (and now Unifor), and Sylvie Bruneau, who has been with us since 1999, with the occasional stint at TCA Quebec to cover absences.
Since our Founding Convention in November 1997, Council 4000 has held four conventions: 2000 at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal; 2003 at the Sheraton Centre in Toronto; 2007 at the Delta Hotel in Montreal; and in 2010 at the Delta Halifax in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Our next convention will be held from October 18 to 20 at the Westin hotel in Edmonton, Alberta, our first under the Unifor banner and first in Western Canada.
We say thank you to all those that have contributed their efforts on behalf of the membership of CAW National Council 4000 over the past 15 years and 10 months, and as we turn the page to a new chapter, retiring CAW National Council 4000, we now become Unifor Council 4000 and will continue in our Council's steep traditions in the years ahead.
[D] denotes deceased
