Unifor Local 4001 is a Division of Council 4000

Unifor National Council 4000 represents some 4,500 Unifor members in a diversity of sectors, including rail and road transportation, hospitality and culinary, warehousing and freezer logistics, courier, mechanical and administrative. 

Our roots date back to the days of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transportation and General Workers Union (CBRT&GW); which was initially called the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees (CBRE) and was Canada’s first sole Canadian Union founded in Moncton, New Brunswick on October 11, 1908.  

Heading into the 86th year of the CBRT&GW, recognizing that its membership was declining as a result of continued technological advancements and subsequent employment downsizing within the railways, and the other economic factors facing unions at that time, the CBRT&GW leadership sought to find an alternative to ensuring continuous, strong representation for its members. They decided it was time for a merger with another union, but not just any union. The chosen Union would have to be right for the members. The union would need to be Canadian and democratic. The union would need to be tolerant and need to share the CBRT&GW’s social and political views while having progressive and strong leadership, combined with a proven track record in providing quality service to its membership.

It was not a difficult choice as it was easily understood that CAW Canada possessed all of those qualities and more. The merger of the two Unions was overwhelmingly supported by the CBRT&GW membership. It was the largest merger that the CAW ever had over its 28 year existence. On June 1, 1994, 33,347 CBRT&GW members became CAW members. 

A little over three years from the time of the CBRT&GW and CAW merger, from November 1 to 3, 1997, CAW National Council 4000 was formed at the CAW Family Education Centre at Port Elgin, Ontario. Delegates to the Founding Convention supported taking some 45 former CBRT&GW Locals spread across Canada merging them into five Regional Locals under the umbrella that is National Council 4000.

Since then, the CAW has continued to organize unorganized (non-union workplaces), and Council 4000 has been a part of that, welcoming many new members into the CAW family over the years. Today, National Council 4000 has members employed in all 10 Canadian Provinces at the following employers:

Bay Ferries
Canadian National Railway (CN)
CN Savage Alberta Railway
CN Transportation Ltd.
​CHEP Canada
Cummins

DHL Express Canada
Halifax World Trade and Convention Center
Loblaw Companies / Atlantic Wholesalers (DC06)
​Loblaw Companies / Atlantic Wholesalers (DC24)
Loomis Express
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Support Staff

Rocky Mountain Catering Co.
Securitas
​Toronto Terminals Railway (TTR)
VIA Rail Canada (VIA)
Wajax Equipment

Among all these 16 different employers there are 20 separate collective agreements to administer.

As the result of similar circumstances of the CBRT&GW in 1994, on August 31, 2013, National Council 4000 and its five Regional Local Unions, along with the other 300,000 members of the CAW and the CEP (Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada), supported merging and forming a new, stronger Canadian Union - Unifor.

Unifor is Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 310,000 members across the country, working in every major sector of the Canadian economy, including some public sector members. Unifor brings a modern approach to unionism: adopting new tools, involving and engaging our members, and always looking for new ways to develop the role and approach of our union to meet the demands of the 21st century.

We are Unifor, National Council 4000