Bob White, who helped spin off the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) into its own union, has died.
White died at the age of 81, and his passing was confirmed by Unifor Monday. Unifor became an amalgam of a union including the CAW.
"Bob White was a trailblazer in Canadian labour and a fighter for social justice. He will be deeply missed. We are here thanks to his work and vision," said Unifor Canada in a series of tweets Monday.
https://twitter.com/UniforTheUnion/status/833704424392552449
Born in Northern Ireland, White came with his family to Canada as a teenager. He began working in union jobs and at age 24, became president of a local of the United Auto Workers which at the time had the highest number of Canadian members. In time, the UAW had White organizing in Canada on its behalf.
White was instrumental in getting Canadian auto union members to spin off from the UAW into its own separate union. The split was complete and in 1985, White became the first president of the CAW. He served in that capacity until 1992, when he was elected president of the Canadian Labour Congress. He stepped down in 1999. The CAW would complete a merger into Unifor in 2012.
White held several honorary doctorates, including one from the University of Windsor.