Bob White, founder of the Canadian Auto Workers, dies at 81

Bob White, one of the founders of the Canadian Auto Workers union, has died at the age of 81.The union Unifor -- which is an amalgam of the CAW and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada -- announced White’s death on its website today.“Today we mourn the loss of great union leader Bob White, founder of CAW, a founding Unifor union. We are here thanks to his work and vision,” Unifor said on Twitter. “Bob White redefined what it meant to be a Canadian unionist.”White became the first president of the CAW after he and assistants Buzz Hargrove and Bob Nickerson successfully managed to break away from the UAW in 1985.The CAW eventually merged with the CEP in 2013 to form Unifor, the country’s largest private-sector union.Unifor President Jerry Dias said in a in a Twitter post that he was “deeply saddened to hear news of the passing of dear friend.”Dias called White an “inspirational leader.”“The CAW was born as a result of his determination and leadership. It is thanks to Bob that we have grown into the strong national union that we are today," Dias said in a statement on Unifor's website. "Bob White's legacy is a stronger and more equitable Canada, and a labour movement that stands up for Canadian workers."

Bob White, founder of the Canadian Auto Workers, dies at 81

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