The History of Our Local
Looking back, it’s easy to envision the struggle that we had to undertake in order to organize our labour on January 31, 1985.
In 1985, Brian Mulroney was Prime Minister of Canada, and his Conservative Party enjoyed a massive majority over the Official Opposition Liberal Party. In the United States, Ronald Reagan was sworn in for a second term, securing a Republican stronghold on the White House and the U.S. Senate, where Republican Senator Bob Dole also became leader. In the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher – known as the “Iron Lady” – lived up to her namesake as a conservative juggernaut.
It was a dark time in history for Canadian progressive politics at the federal and international level.
And it was no better locally.
At the provincial level in 1985, Bill Davis was stepping down as the Premier of Ontario. He was a successful politician and known as a “Red Tory”. He was replaced by Frank Miller on February 1985, a socially conservative Premier who once claimed he would like to eliminate the minimum wage.
In 1985, Andy Brandt, a Conservative Party hero and local politician, was serving as MPP for Sarnia.
Lorne Henderson, another Conservative Party hero and local politician, was serving as MPP for Lambton.
Parks and marinas and other public infrastructure are named after these men; the pride of their respective communities, big-C Conservatives, through and through.
It was under these circumstances and conditions that the employees of the County of Lambton decided to organize their labour and form the bargaining unit the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2926.