Communications staff to form single unit within Steelworkers' union
A years-long strategic alliance between the United Steelworkers (USW) and the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) became a permanent partnership when the two unions merged in November.
The TWU — representing 12,000 members across Canada at telecommunications companies including Telus and Shaw Communications — officially merged with 225,000 members of the USW on Nov. 7 after a long and arduous selection process.
And unlike last year’s Unifor merger — in which the Canadian Auto Workers and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers formed one super union — the TWU will remain intact as Local 1944, an autonomous national local within the USW.
"Each and every time our union has merged, we’ve become, I believe, a stronger union," said USW national director Ken
Neumann. "We’ll go to work immediately."
While the merger agreement will not take effect until Jan. 1, Neumann said collaboration between the two leadership factions — concerning collective bargaining, education, organizing and legislative action — has already begun.
The unions’ former strategic alliance and shared values paved the way for progress, said TWU national president Lee Riggs.
"We actually did go out and talk to eight unions, and went through an application process," Riggs said. "At the end of the day, the Steelworkers came out on top of that vetting process. The most important thing that I believe makes us work and will make this merger work is that the culture of the Steelworkers and the culture of the TWU are very much aligned. It’s membership-driven, very democratic. The people within these two organizations really believe in members first."
Once the USW were selected, the parties launched the long process of negotiations, merger agreements and ratification votes.
Following a failed merger bid last year, the TWU’s membership voted 73.7 per cent in favour of joining the USW on Nov. 7. Balloting was conducted electronically over a 24-day period to facilitate participation by members in all workplaces, communities and shift arrangements. Just over half of the total TWU membership participated in the vote, a record turnout for the union for any ratification process.
The USW has participated in 18 mergers in recent years.
"It was a long, drawn-out process, much different from some of the other mergers we’ve done," said Neumann. "I’m very pleased that it’s now come to its full circle and we surely look forward to working with a new group of telecommunications workers across the country."
TWU’s membership doubles the USW’s representation in federally regulated industries. The incoming membership also overlaps with many areas supported by the USW, Neumann said, making the union a stronger voice in those communities. He also looks forward to the ideas and energy the workers will bring to the union. Several of the USW’s current leaders come from former mergers, Neumann said.
The TWU, in turn, benefits from the Steelworkers’ resources. The communications workers will have access to the USW’s education and research as well as its $300-million strike and defence fund.
"There’s no such thing as a second-class steelworker," Neumann said. "The minute they become members, they will have access."
It is welcome news for the TWU which, following a lengthy labour dispute in 2005, has largely abstained from organizing.
"The TWU is a strong union. We’re financially sound and we’ve got strong leadership," Riggs said. "We’re not in a position where we are required to merge. But we certainly recognize that merging with a larger union like the United Steelworkers definitely brings us a lot of synergies… We know that we’ll never get starved out again by the employer."
And while the TWU will be holding elections in February, Riggs does not anticipate any major changes in leadership.
"We’ll be continuing on the way we are," he said. "The leadership that got us here and through this merger is a sound one."
According to John Hyde, partner at Levitt & Grosman LLP in Toronto, the first real test for the leadership of the newly merged unions will be the TWU’s upcoming bargaining in 2015.
The biggest difference between the two unions, Hyde said, is their approach to bargaining. With extensive resources and a significantly larger membership, the USW is much better-known for its interactions with employers.
"There’s certainly some concerns with regards to different manners of bargaining with employers and different approaches to bargaining," Hyde said. "I know there has been some concern raised with regard to the reputational impact of certain campaigns against employers, particularly undertaken by the Steelworkers."
At an immediate, local level, however, Hyde does not anticipate significant change.
"At a local level, I don’t see many changes at all," Hyde said. "I do not see a very significant impact upon the employer, particularly of the large telecoms, as a result of this merger. I think that’s a good thing."
The biggest impact, according to Hyde, might in fact be on the TWU.
"Effectively, this could very much be a case of Jonah and the whale. We’ve got about 225,000 members with the Steelworkers and about 10,500 or so with the TWU. So we’ll have to see what happens. Certainly it’s going to take more than three days to see whether Jonah survives."
