It is my pleasure to inform the members of Local 88 that Mike Murphy has accepted a temporary position with Unifor National.
Unifor National and GM were looking for a lead person to work on merging our two collective agreements: the Local 88 contract and the GM Master contract, the supplemental agreements, and the benefit books. By mutual agreement between Local 88 and Unifor National, our contract and the GM contract must align at our next set of negotiations. With Big 3 bargaining approaching, this will be the start of that process.
Mike was a Union alternate in 1997, then was a full-time rep for 13 years. He has been our original Co-Ordinator since its inception, almost 10 years ago.
Our office will see a big loss with Mike’s departure and his many, many years of experience. I would like to thank Mike for his work over his entire career and his decades long commitment to our membership. He has been a true leader and never hesitates to help-out with any request. Perhaps Mike’s best attributes are what the majority never see; his research for grievances and arbitrations would exceed any Labour Lawyer. But perhaps his biggest contribution is during bargaining. Mike is the gate keeper for all paperwork, tracks all demands and helps keep us in the right direction. During bargaining, at 2pm or 2am, he is there, like a rock, ready for whatever is needed, even if that means another hour of paperwork.
We will miss the laughs, the sarcasm, the debates, but most of all the daily Leaf report!!
Good luck Mike on your new assignment and thank-you for your years of dedicated service.
Mike Van Boekel