Wayne Fraser, Director District 6 Ontario and Atlantic Canada

Elected by a 69% plurality when over 30,000 District 6 members voted on November 20, 2001, Wayne Fraser is a lifelong member of the United Steelworkers.

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Born in 1949 in Campbellford, Eastern Ontario, Wayne was raised in Sudbury, where his dad was a mechanic working for Inco Ltd. and a member of the union. Growing up in Sudbury, the union was part of everyday life as much as Inco, the dominant employer in town. Wayne and his brothers and sisters understood what it meant when it was time for a new contract to be negotiated. Everybody listened closely to the news about whether there would be a settlement or a strike. They knew it mattered – a lot. Part of growing up in Sudbury in the ‘60s also meant witnessing the unfolding drama of how the old Inco union, the Mine Mill and Smelter Workers, eventually merged with the Steelworkers in 1967. Some workers opposed the move to Steel, but in the end, the merger was a peaceful one, and Local 6500 has remained a proud local of the United Steelworkers ever since.

LABOURER, ELECTRICIAN, STEWARD

Wayne was hired on at Inco in November, 1969, as a labourer, but within three months got an apprenticeship as motor winder. "About a year after I started, I was working in the Copper Cliff smelter when somebody asked me to be a Steward," says Wayne.

In 1973 he transferred to the position of electrician. Over the years he worked in every part of Inco’s Sudbury operation, from smelters to mines.

In 1976, Wayne was elected to the Local 6500 executive as a guide and then was appointed recording secretary after the member who had been elected to that position took a leave of absence.

Wayne was on a roll by then. He was elected as Chief Steward, one of the busiest positions on the executive, because the Chief Steward is responsible for handling members’ grievances.

"In those days, the average number of grievances for every three-year period was about 15,000," says Wayne. "Our local’s members knew that the union was there to fight on their behalf. Our rights were always being challenged, and that certainly hasn’t changed. Employers today are trying to roll back our rights."

FIRST TASTE OF BARGAINING IN ’78

1978 was Wayne’s first experience as a member of the Bargaining Committee. It turned out to be a trial by fire since the road to a contract included an eight-and-a-half-month strike against Inco. "I’ve been on the bargaining committee for every set of negotiations since," he says. "Sometimes we’ve had to go on strike, and sometimes we’ve gotten to a deal without any job action. But the members have always been the key to how effectively we can bargain with the company.

"It’s my opinion that good, progressive collective bargaining is the most important work we do in the union," he adds. "During bargaining we strengthen our solidarity and our focus. We need to find new ways to sustain that solidarity when we’re not in that make-or-break moment."

INSTRUCTOR, NEGOTIATOR, ORGANIZER, LEADER

Bargaining has remained a real passion for Wayne ever since he was appointed as a Staff Representative in 1986. In the period just before he came on staff, Wayne was also one of the first instructors in the Steelworkers Education Program, known as "Back to the Locals". Back in ’86 it was a revolutionary concept to have union members training other union members. The success of that program means that it is now a standard in delivering education programs within the union.

"It was great to part of something really new," says Wayne. "We were trained by a professor from McMaster University and had the opportunity to travel across the country. Instruction skills are one of the most important things I have learned from my Union. These skills go beyond the classroom, to understanding how to deal with people and address their needs in real ways. "I think that is what being a leader in a union like the Steelworkers is all about. Being clear, being direct and representing members on their issues, as well as providing guidance based on knowledge and experience. "

Wayne was promoted to the position of Area Coordinator for Northeastern Ontario in 1991 and has been involved in bargaining and organizing throughout the region. He was instrumental in organizing over 800 Inco office and technical employees in the early ‘90s, as well as 1,200 call centre employees in 1999 and several other new and diverse workplaces.

Wayne understands the importance of coordinating collective bargaining in order to strengthen our bargaining power. He has led joint bargaining in the nickel industry for Locals 6500 in Sudbury and Local 6200 in Port Colborne, Ontario. He also coordinated efforts with Local 6166 in Thompson, Manitoba.

Wayne has bargained contracts with other mining companies such as Falconbridge, and has settled agreements with more than 40 employers in a diverse range of sectors including mining, auto parts, energy, community and social services and manufacturing.

"There are so many challenges facing us in this age of globalization," he says. "I want to work with my fellow members, to reflect their concerns and make our struggles effective and successful. My leadership platform will reflect those goals."