Unifor members are mourning the passing of former Canadian Auto Workers National President Buzz Hargrove over the weekend.
The union said Hargrove was 81.
"Buzz Hargrove was a giant in the Canadian labour movement," said Unifor National President Lana Payne. "He never forgot where he came from, and he carried that working-class spirit with him into every boardroom and bargaining session, and his uncompromising belief in justice for working people shaped the labour movement we know today."
Hargrove began his career on the floor of the Windsor Assembly Plant and rose through the Canadian Auto Workers' ranks to become the national president from 1992 to 2008 when he retired.
He was also awarded the Order of Canada in 2008.
The CAW and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada merged in 2013 to form Unifor. Hargrove played a central role in the CAW's break from the United Autoworkers Union in 1985, leading to the creation of a Canadian union for auto workers. He led negotiations with General Motors, Ford, Chrysler, Air Canada, and CN Rail.
Following his retirement, Hargrove remained an active voice in labour, including as director of the Centre for Labour Management Relations at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Toronto Metropolitan University, formerly Ryerson.
Hargrove was born in Bath, New Brunswick in 1944. He grew up in a family of ten children. A committed social unionist, he fought for better wages and working conditions, but also public healthcare, retirement security and fair trade.