A New Kind of Union: Unifor and the birth of the modern Canadian union

by Fred Wilson

In fall 2011, the leaders of two of Canada's largest unions made a bold decision that would change the Canadian labour movement. Unions faced hostile governments, union busting corporations and declining membership. Something drastic needed to be done. This book describes the unique process by which the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) decided not just to merge but to create a new union that would be more democratic, more inclusive and more powerful. And how, two years later, a new union with a new name was founded. Unifor has been a source of optimism and inspiration that unions can adapt to changing times and be a relevant voice for workers in twenty-first Century workplaces, and in politics. But to do that, Unifor had to be a new kind of union that would act differently. Here is the inside story.

256 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2019

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was so glad to read this book that tells the story of the creation of Unifor, but situates it in the context of the history of the Canadian Labour movement and the challenges faced by unions in the current economic climate. Fred Wilson does a rare thing in sharing details of the process that led to the formation of the new union and taking care to name and acknowledge the many people who played a role. Wilson also does not shy away from the controversies that have faced UNIFOR and the Canadian Labour movement. In the move from intimate detail to big picture- considering the challenges of working with new forms of labour in the digital economy and the rise of precarious work, the rise of the right... my one wish is that these are were expanded on, and the editor had done a bit more work to break up the final two chapters. The closing essay by Jim Stanford is a must read. Also wish whoever set up the book in Good Reads had included a cover image.