The ITF-affiliated Canadian Auto Workers union has merged with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union to form Unifor. The new ‘super-union’ held its founding convention last weekend, August 31-September 1, in Toronto. The convention elected Jerry Dias president, and Peter Kennedy, a member of the ITF executive board, was elected secretary-treasurer.
Unifor is now the largest union in the Canadian private sector, with 3000 bargaining units and 800 locals representing more than 300,000 workers across Canada. According to its vision and plan, available at http://www.newunionconvention.ca, the union aims to be a leader among unions, and a leader in the field of social justice. Unifor advocates the development of social unionism, defined in the final report of its proposal committee as: ‘recogniz[ing] that the well being of our members and their families is determined, to a great degree, by social, economic and government policies. Our role is to be a powerful voice and tireless advocate for progressive public policies and social programs.‘ You can read more at http://www.newunionproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Final.Report.pdf.
Steve Cotton, ITF acting general secretary, said in a recorded address to the conference: “We in the ITF are really excited to see this opportunity, with two powerful unions coming together in Unifor. It’s crucial today when working men and women globally are constantly under attack. The unification of these two strong unions gives us a platform to consolidate our position. It gives us an opportunity to make sure we can maximize our potential. This new union brings together men, women, youth, the unemployed, and other interested parties to make sure our message about a new way of fighting back will come into place.”
You can see the full address to conference on our YouTube channel
