Monday, November 3, 2025

People and Places

The accommodations and facilities might have been primitive, but that didn’t deter CLAC’s early staff from building it into the full-service, member-focused union it is today.

Guide Magazine

By Henk de Zoete National Board President

At a National Board meeting held in the Edmonton Member Centre this past summer, we were invited to share lunch with the entire Edmonton staff. The room was filled with about 100 people employed by CLAC in various capacities: representatives and staff from office administration, retirement, and benefits as well as those involved in training, the welding shop, and career development.

I used the opportunity to thank everyone for the dedicated work they do for the union and its members. Their commitment was reflected in their enthusiastic reports about new initiatives, services, better contracts, training, skills development, job referrals, mental health and addiction recovery programs, and outreach to marginalized groups and Indigenous communities. I remarked on the fact that I had never seen so many CLAC staff together in one setting—a testament to how the organization has flourished. Not all that long ago, one long table would have been enough to seat everyone who worked for CLAC.

Our facilities also reflected our humble beginnings. Often, representatives operated out of their own homes, in basements or converted garages.

An early Toronto office building that was previously a dental office provided nothing more than a cramped space for a small number of staff. Supportive community members with office space sometimes provided leases at generous rates.

The union’s office in Chatham was in a section of a converted tire repair shop. Its flat roof leaked whenever it rained. A place that was formerly Edwina’s Dance Studio became the union’s head office. It provided staff and visitors with opportunities for exercise going up and down its many stairs. The executive director’s leaking lean-to office required three buckets to catch the rain.

Hotel accommodations were unheard of. Out of towners at staff meetings were put up at the homes of host city staff. Amenities were sometimes meagre and uncomfortable. National Board members, who met frequently, usually bedded down in their sleeping bags on the floor of the office where meetings were held.

However, these “primitive” buildings and accommodations didn’t deter those of us who experienced them. There was a sense of adventure and excitement among staff to make this labour union into a different, more satisfying way for members to experience their working lives. This pioneering spirit saw us overcome many obstacles, setbacks, and opposition to lay the groundwork for much of the fully developed services and expertise CLAC offers today.

Visionary leaders eventually built beautiful member centres across the country and organized big construction contractors, long term care facilities, and multilocation grocery stores. Staff set up robust retirement and benefits plans, training and apprenticeship programs, and addiction and mental health outreach.

When I looked at the faces of CLAC staff in the lunchroom, I saw that same sense of excitement and purpose that drove us back then. They are the people who make CLAC A Union That Works.

People and Places

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