History of Unifor Local 780G
Our Union is the largest union in several key sectors of Canada’s economy, including forestry, energy, telecommunications and media. Our Union has 300,000 members who live and work in small rural communities, and in large urban centers, from St John’s, Newfoundland to Victoria, BC. They work in pulp and paper mills, telephone companies, mines, energy centers, sawmills, newspapers, printing shops, chemical plants, school boards, construction, software companies and credit unions. They are oil and gas workers, radio and television broad- casters, computer programmers, health workers, journalists, and truckers. Unifor members work at a wide range of occupations in almost every industry in Canada.
Our National Union is the result of several mergers of unions to form the large and very influential Unifor. The head office is located in Ontario and our current elected national president is Sister Lana Payne. The national president and vice-presidents are elected by the membership at large.
Closer to home, the Unifor Western Regional office is located in New Westminster, BC. The National Convention occurs every two years at a time and place established by the National Executive Board. Convention delegate entitlement is determined by the size of the local.
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Our Leadership
The executive board that oversees the business of Unifor local 780G consists of the president, executive vice-president, three vice-presidents, recording secretary, treasurer and several board members representing various regions and branches of the trade.
Your Unifor local 780G Union Executive Board members are:
Alex Charles, President
Tony Lopes, Vice-President & Local 780G Union Representative
Justin Singh, Vice-President
Brenda Mason, Secretary-Treasurer
Alex Flostrand, Representative at Large & Local 780G Organizer
Steve Berg, Representative at Large
Local elections occur every three years. See the local by-laws for more information.
The local also employs a staff representative – brother Tony Lopes – who, under the direction of the president, takes care of the business of representing the members. Your right to confidentiality in your dealings with the union will be respected at all times.
Shop Stewards
The steward is always your first contact for questions about your workplace. If you do not know who your steward is (in some of the larger shops you may not meet them right away depending on your shift schedule) ask one of your co-workers, or call the Unifor local 780G office to find out.
Your steward will be able to inform you about your employer and your collective agreement. Any question that your steward is not comfortable with answering will be referred to the staff for a definitive response. As in the case of the union staff, your steward will be sensitive to the need for confidentiality, and can be trusted to respect your privacy.
Union Staff
Sister Toby Leonard who is a member of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378 works in our Unifor Local 780G offices. Toby is available to help you out and answer questions you may have about the Locals health and welfare plan, our pension plans or other queries about Local 780G.
The regular Unifor local 780G office hours are Monday – Friday 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, however the Local 780G offices are currently open by appointment only. For in office visits please call ahead to confirm availability – thank you.