Steelworkers and telecommunications unions plan merger

New mega-union could represent nearly 250,000 workers

In what is rapidly becoming a trend for the labour movement, another merger between two heavyweight unions was announced this week.

On Aug. 29, the United Steelworkers (USW) and Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) reached a tentative agreement to merge the two unions. If approved, the deal would bring together 225,000 USW members and the TWU’s 13,000 telecommunications, cable television and call centre workers.

According to both groups, their goal is to make a strong commitment to the bargaining process, worker education, legislative action and the recruitment of new members.

“Together we've built an innovative, flexible merger agreement that blends the best of both of our unions,” said Ken Neumann, national director of the USW.

The next step is to have the TWU’s national executive council review the agreement, which they plan to do in early September.

Another major union merger, between the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP), kicks off this Labour Day weekend — solidifying Unifor as the largest public sector union in the country.

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