Buzz Hargrove, a giant of Canadian labor unionism, died Sunday, June 15, according to an announcement from the Canadian Auto Workers labor union.
Hargrove was 81. From 1992 until 2008, he served as president of the Canadian Auto Workers, which would merge with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union to become Unifor — Canada’s largest private sector union — in 2013.
In a statement released by Unifor, the labor organization said members were mourning the loss of Hargrove, whose “legacy lives on in the foundation and spirit of the union he helped shape.”
Hargrove got his start in the auto industry just across the river from Detroit, on the shop floor at Chrysler’s Windsor Assembly Plant. He rose through the ranks, played an essential role in the CAW’s split from the United Auto Workers in 1985 and led the union for 16 years.
In Windsor, Hargrove became a member of what is now Unifor Local 444. On Facebook, the union remembered Hargrove as “a proud son of Local 444 and one of Canada’s most influential and passionate labour leaders.”
In a statement published online, Unifor President Lana Payne remembered Hargrove as a “giant in the Canadian labour movement.
“He never forgot where he came from — and he carried that working-class spirit with him into every boardroom, bargaining session, and public forum. His passion, his intellect, and his uncompromising belief in justice for working people shaped the labour movement we know today.”
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Buzz Hargrove, titan of Canadian auto unionism, dead at 81
Reporting by Liam Rappleye, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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