TORONTO – Members of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) voted 73.7% in favour of joining the United Steelworkers (USW) in a referendum vote counted Friday.
The TWU represents 12,000 members across Canada who work for telecommunications companies including Telus and Shaw Communications, as well as employers in related telecommunications sectors. The USW is a diverse private-sector union with 225,000 members working in every region and sector in Canada.
The merger agreement takes formal effect on January 1, 2015, but both unions said that they will kick off joint activities immediately. The agreement includes strong, mutual commitments around collective bargaining, education, organizing and legislative action, reads the statement announcing the merger.
"With the USW's extensive international network of allies and resources and the TWU's deep expertise in the sector, our newly merged union can become a global leader in the telecommunications sector," said TWU national president Lee Riggs and USW national director Ken Neumann, in the joint statement.
