Richard Allan "Dick" Martin (1944 – October 2001) was a Canadian trade unionist.
Born in southern
Ontario
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Martin worked as an electrician, and in 1968 began working for INCO 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 ...
. He joined the
United Steelworkers
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 ...
, and won election as president of his union local. In 1978, he was elected as president of the Manitoba Federation of Labour. He used the post to launch an occupational health clinic, the first of its kind in Canada. He also founded the Manitoba Labour Education Centre, and served on the
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.
In 1984, Martin was elected as executive vice president 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 ...
(CLC), in which role he supported the new National Day of Mourning for workers killed while on the job. In 1992, he became secretary-treasurer of the congress. From 1997, he also served as president of the ICFTU Inter American Regional Organisation of Workers.
Martin retired from the CLC in 1999. He was awarded the
Order of Manitoba
The Order of Manitoba (french: Ordre du Manitoba) is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Instituted in 1999 when Lieutenant Governor Peter Liba granted Royal Assent to The Order of Manitoba Act, the order is administe ...