Looking Forward, Moving Ahead
Moving into the Next 100 Years
As Local 5167 moves into the next 100 years, it can look back on a century of progress in securing better wages and working conditions for its members, fighting for social change and being on the frontlines of advocacy for workers. And more changes are on the horizon.
As the city of Hamilton grows, the Local will continue to welcome more members into its ranks. These new members, for the first time, include part-time workers, who now have a seat at the bargaining table. Although Local 5167 has a long history of including part-timers in its collective agreements, they had not had a voice at the table until early 2018.
New Offices
The Local is also making a big move this year, into new offices at 229 Kenilworth Avenue North. Its current office building at 818 King Street East has been expropriated by the City of Hamilton to make way for a new light rail transit line. The line, which will extend from McMaster University to Eastgate Square, will run along Main and King Streets in downtown Hamilton and will open in 2024.
A Proud History
Looking back on its history, Local 5167 has a lot to be proud of. In 1918, union activists saw their co-workers struggling to make ends meet, and decided to do something about it. They won significant wage increases, comprehensive benefit programs, and new rights and protections in their workplaces.
Today, we take many of their accomplishments for granted. But these positive changes only happened because our forebears were willing to stand up and fight for them.
Thanks to the merger that created Local 5167, we are now stronger and more united. Full-time officer positions have increased from one to five. CUPE National supports the Local with two dedicated staff representatives. New outreach strategies, and more member-focused meetings, have increased our visibility and made our union more accountable to its members. But we still have challenges ahead of us, challenges we are ready to meet over the next 100 years.