Bob Desjarlais was a prominent labour leader in

Thompson, Manitoba Thompson (population 13,678) is the largest city in the Northern Region of Manitoba and is situated along the Burntwood River, north of Winnipeg. Originally founded in 1956 as a mining town, it now primarily serves as the "Hub of the North", p ...

, Canada, having served as president of the

United Steelworkers of America The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headqua ...

Local 6166 in the 1990s.

Biography

He represented Inco workers through difficult contract negotiations in 1999, which included an extended

lockout Lockout may refer to: * Lockout (industry), a type of work stoppage **Dublin Lockout, a major industrial dispute between approximately 20,000 workers and 300 employers 1913 - 1914 * Lockout (sports), lockout in sports leagues **MLB lockout, lock ...

and community polarization. Shortly after the contract was settled, Inco announced that it would expand operations, and keep the

Birchtree Mine Birchtree Mine is an underground nickel mine, owned and operated by Vale Inco in the city of Thompson, Manitoba, Canada. It lies in the nickel containing Thompson Belt, a geologic feature associated with the Circum-Superior Belt large igneous provi ...

open for at least another fifteen years. Desjarlais negotiated a 4.3% wage increase for workers in 2002, and strongly endorsed a new three-year contract in 2005. He has also been involved in labour activism at the provincial, national and international levels. In 1996, he represented the Steelworkers in merger talks with the

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico ...

and the

International Association of Machinists The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is an AFL–CIO/ CLC trade union representing approx. 646,933 workers as of 2006 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in the United States and Canada. Or ...

. Four years later, he was cheered at a meeting of the

Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (french: Congrès du travail du Canada, link=no or ) is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. History Formation The CLC was ...

for criticizing Buzz Hargrove's suggestion that the CLC consider withdrawing its support from the

New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; french: Nouveau Parti démocratique, NPD) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * t ...

. He supported Bill Blaikie for the federal NDP leadership later in the same year. Within the Manitoba New Democratic Party, Desjarlais has been a vocal advocate for anti- scab legislation. He has also been active in aboriginal issues, and promoted an urban reserve for Thompson in 2002.Bill Redekop, "Union boss outspoken role model", ''Winnipeg Free Press'', 8 July 2002, A3.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Desjarlais, Bob 1954 births 2021 deaths United Steelworkers people Canadian trade unionists People from Thompson, Manitoba People from Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan