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3mo ago

Buzz Hargrove, Former Canadian Auto Workers President, Dies

Unifor announced his passing on June 15 with plans to share details for a celebration of his life soon.

'He was a giant in the labour movement.' Buzz Hargrove speaks to the media at a press conference in Toronto on May 12, 2008, about job losses in Windsor.
In this Sept. 6, 2008, file photo, incoming Canadian Auto Workers national president Ken Lewenza, centre, celebrates his new post with former presidents Buzz Hargrove, left, and Bob White during a special convention in Toronto.
Former CAW national president Buzz Hargrove speaks at a May Day celebration in Windsor on May 1, 2013. The International Workers’ Day march and rally along Drouillard Road in Windsor was held to commemorate the Ford Strike of 1945.
Former Canadian Auto Workers National President Buzz Hargrove speaks with reporters after meeting with company executives at the DaimlerChrysler Headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., in 2007.

Overview

  • Unifor hailed Hargrove as a tireless advocate for working people and a deeply respected leader in Canada’s labour movement.
  • Hargrove served as CAW national president from 1992 to 2008, negotiating landmark contracts with employers including General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Air Canada and CN Rail.
  • He expanded the union’s reach beyond the auto sector into airlines, mines and fisheries and championed broader social justice issues such as public health care and fair trade.
  • After retiring, he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2008 and served in leadership roles with the NHL Players’ Association and at Toronto Metropolitan University.
  • In 2013, the CAW he once led merged with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union to form Unifor, Canada’s largest private-sector union.