A BRIEF HISTORY OF UNIFOR LOCAL 3000
Local 3000 actually began in 1958 with the organization of the White Spot Employees Association. This Association realizing the need to formalize a Union, did so when Nat Bailey sold the company to General Foods. In 1971 the K.F.C. units were owned by White Spot and joined with the restaurants and the Commissary to become unionized. In 1980 White Spot declared they would no longer voluntarily recognize any newly opened White Spots or K.F.C. restaurants and the Labour Board declared we would have to organize them address by address.
By the mid-1980’s we were known as the Food and Service Workers of Canada Local 12. We had organized by this time some office workers and were about 2200 strong. In 1987 we approached the Canadian Association of Industrial and Mechanical and Allied Workers (C.A.I.M.A.W.) to discuss the possibility of a merger. We were of the opinion the Company was going to attempt to break the Union in the upcoming negotiations of 1988. We embarked on a merger process with C.A.I.M.A.W. and it was one of the best decisions we ever made.
As CAIMAW Local 12, the Company took us on in 1988 in what was one of the bitterest strikes ever, that lasted 10 ½ weeks. With the support of our new Union we emerged victorious and it was during this strike we established the maximization of shifts and hours by seniority, which has lead the way for many service sector workers since.
In 1990 C.A.I.M.A.W. was approached by the C.A.W. to discuss the possibility of a merger. The Canadian Auto Workers had broken away from the U.S. based United Auto Workers in 1985 and this set the stage for what was to become a rapid growth in membership through a number of mergers with other smaller Canadian Unions, including C.A.I.M.A.W. in 1992.
Once the merger with the C.A.W. was complete, our Local, which was now called C.A.W. Local 3000, approached the Hotel Local which had existed in C.A.I.M.A.W. to discuss the possibility of a merger between our two Locals. We had much in common, and realized we would be a major force in promoting issues that are important to service sector workers. We consummated a merger between the two Locals in 1993 and have been growing and organizing ever since. With the help of the C.A.W. organizing department, we organized many properties in Whistler, and are the major Union representing workers in the Hotel industry in the community. Our reputation grew for our devotion to servicing and educating members and calls came on a regular basis to join our Union.
In fact, in August of 2013 CAW Local 3000 merged with Unifor and became Unifor Local 3000. Unifor brings a modern approach to unionism: adopting new tools, involving and engaging our members, and always looking for new ways to develop the role and approach of our union to meet the demands of the 21st century.
Unifor was officially formed on August 31, 2013, at a Founding Convention in Toronto, Ontario. It marked the coming together of the Canadian Auto Workers union (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) – two of Canada’s largest and most influential labour unions.
Unifor strives to protect the economic rights of our members and every member of the workforce (employed or unemployed). We are committed to building the strongest and most effective union to bargain on behalf of our members, working with our members to improve their rights in the workplace, and extending the benefits of unions to non-unionized workers and other interested Canadians. The birth of Unifor represented a sign of hope for the Canadian labour movement, and working people more generally.
Local 3000 ensures all of our members who want further education are able to attend the many courses offered by Unifor and encourage members to become active in any area of their choosing. We believe an educated membership is a strong membership. There is no doubt we will continue to grow and thereby have even more strength at our bargaining tables through shared information and solidarity with each other.
Our Local believes passionately in the right of Service Sector workers to achieve rights at the bargaining table that are taken for granted in other industries, like good benefit coverage and pensions. We believe in contractual rights by seniority to enable workers to plan their work life around family care, school, as well as to maximize their shifts and hours by seniority.