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CAW National Council 4000 Celebrates its 10th Anniversary
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CAW National Council 4000 celebrated its 10th anniversary during its third triennial convention held November 2-4 at the
Delta Montreal Hotel.
2008 marks 10 proud years of achievements and service for the over 5,000 members of CAW National Council 4000.
National Council 4000 is the umbrella organization for five regionally based CAW Local Unions across Canada
representing workers employed at Rocky Mountaineer Vacations in British Columbia; Conductors and Locomotive
Engineers at CN Grande Prairie and Grande Cache (formerly Savage Alberta Railway) in Alberta; Motor Coach Industries,
Coyote Terminals, Cara Foods (Harvey's), Toronto Terminal Railway and Judy Vent Investments in Ontario; Shawinigan
Railway in Quebec; DHL International Express, Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre, support staff at the Nova
Scotia Federation of Labour and Scanwood Canada Ltd. in Nova Scotia; and CN and VIA Rail Canada across Canada, of
which members makes up the majority of our membership.
CAW National Council 4000 was formed in November of 1997 at our Founding Convention held at the CAW Family
Education Centre, located on the shores of Lake Huron in Port Elgin, Ontario.
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The delegates to this convention voted to change our bargaining unit structure from 45-local unions situated across Canada, and formed a National Council
with five regionally based locals to service members. The formation of National Council 4000 saw the subsequent formation of CAW Locals 4001 (Mountain
Region) , 4002 (Prairie Region), 4003 (Great Lakes Region), 4004 (St. Lawrence Region) and 4005 (Atlantic Region).
The first President to lead Council 4000 was Rick Johnston, who was from the St. Lawrence Region out of Montreal. He joined Bill Coolen as the first
Secretary-Treasurer of the Council. Both faced the challenges of starting a new organization from scratch, merging ideas and leadership skills and styles from
coast to coast to better represent our membership. Below is a list of local leaders within Council 4000 since its inception:
Council Presidents - Rick Johnston, Bob Fitzgerald
Council Secretary-Treasurer - Bill Coolen
Local 4001 Presidents - Stan Tash, Mel Wozniak, Clyde Duncan, Ron Shore
Local 4002 Presidents - Dan Michaluk, Kerry Kauk (D), Jeff Snell
Local 4003 Presidents - Gil Stephens, Brian Elcombe, Steve Legge
Local 4004 Presidents - Daniel Boiteau, Ken Cameron, Daniel Ouellet, Monica Hrapowicz
Local 4005 Presidents - Fred Warren, Bob Dennis (D), Warren Hutt
Local 4001 Regional Representatives - Tom Donohue, Stan Pogorzclec, Barry Kennedy, Dave Mercer-Hazlitt
Local 4002 Regional Representatives - Rick Doherty, Stan Pogorzclec, Dave Mercer-Hazlitt
Local 4003 Regional Representatives - Robin Bir, Maurus Allum, Bob Fitzgerald, Danny Andru, Tony Blanchard, Sandra Prudames
Local 4004 Regional Representatives - Rick Johnston, Pierre Rouleau, Robert Masse, Claude Rainville, Benoit Dulong, Serge Auger, Heather Grant
Local 4005 Regional Representatives - Dana Hollis, Pierre Rouleau, Robert Masse, Benoit Dulong, Claude Rainville, Heather Grant
Council 4000 Administrative Assistants - Nicole Pitchen, Sylvie Bruneau
(D) - Denotes deceased
Of course, there has also been numerous other local union officers across Canada, to numerous to mention, who have helped form our Council and Locals
and have worked hard representing the membership. They too are duly credited to the success of Council 4000 and its five Regional Locals over the past
decade.
The roots of our Council and Regional Locals date back to the start of the government owned railroad system, which later were amalgamated to become
Canadian National Railways. This was under the union banner of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CBRE), one of Canada's first sole
Canadian Unions and founded in Moncton, New Brunswick on October 12, 1908 by Aaron R. Mosher. The CBRE later diversified its membership from blue
collar and white collar clerical workers in the railway sector to include highway transportation workers, hotel and hospitality, health workers and seafarers to
name a few. Based on the diverse membership of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees, which was continuing to grow, the union changed its
name to one that was more fitting given its wide diversity, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers Union (CBRT&GW).
CBRT&GW leader Aaron Mosher went on to become one of Canada's most respected union leaders. In addition to starting the CBRE, Mosher was also a
founder of the All-Canadian Congress of Labour in 1927 and the Canadian Congress of Labour in 1940, which went on to become the Canadian Labour
Congress (CLC). Mosher was a seasoned veteran of union battles over nationalism, communism, and industrial unionism. When the CLC was formed in
1956, Mosher was named its honorary president.
Of the many accolades Mosher's career in the labour movement brought him, the biggest came in 1981 when the Government of Canada issued a stamp in
honour of him. Not only was the stamp issued in the centennial year of Mosher's birth, but also on the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Labour Congress and
was officially released on Labour Day! Mosher is the only union leader ever to be depicted on a Canadian postage stamp. The stamp includes the figures of
two railway workers flanking Mosher's portrait. It is as near as we come to a stamp paying tribute to organized labour in Canada.
In 1994, the CBRT&GW voted to merge with the National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada, widely known as the
Canadian Auto Workers Union or CAW-Canada. Today, the CAW is Canada's largest private sector union representing over 265,000 members from coast to
coast to coast.
CAW National Council 4000 is the largest Local Union within the CAW representing members within Canada's railway sector.
We toast the proud accomplishments and achievements of CAW National Council 4000, and hope for continuing success as we head into our next decade.
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