Canadian Union of Operating Engineers

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Canadian Union of Operating Engineers and General Workers

This union was founded in June 1960 by stationary engineers and other steam plant workers in Ontario, Canada. The union separated from the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). This separation would set an example which would lead to the separation of the Canadian Auto Warkers (CAW) from the parent United Auto Workers (UAW).

The founding members worked at The Hydro Electric Power Commission of Ontario at the R.L. Hearn Generating Station in Toronto and the J.C. Keith Generating Station in Windsor, Ontario. Other members included a steam plant in Ajax, Ontario and steam plants at Toronto area hospitals and the Toronto District Heating System (now Enwave).

After struggling to become an independent the small union faced a number of challenges. There were disputes with larger unions such as the IUOE, which continued to represent engineers at many workplaces in Ontario and CUPE. The CUOE was a founding member of the CCU, Confederation of Canadian Unions, started around 1968. The worst dispute occurred in 1972. The union continued to operate plants at Ontario Hydro during a strike involving the Power Workers Union (CUPE 1000). This dispute can be seen as management at Ontario Hydro using one union against another. After the strike any worker who left the CUOE to work at other Ontario Hydro plant lost his seniority. It was a long and bitter strike. Before the strike the CUOE was a strong union in Ontario Hydro power station operations, but the Power Workers Union (PWU) would emerge the ultimate winner, to represent workers in nuclear and other plants going forward. Some CUOE workers who crossed picket lines to operate stations such as, Lakeview Generating Station, and other locations received management jobs at Hydro Head Office and never returned to the CUOE. It has been called "one of the most unfortunate chapters in Canadian labour history" by labour leaders what happened in 1972, events both management and the union at Ontario Hydro (OPG) would prefer to forget. For the CUOE, it was the beginning of the decline of the Canada's "engineers union". The greatest setback for the CUOE was the closing of the R.L. Hearn and J.C. Keith stations by Ontario Hydro in the early 1980's.

Small groups of engineers employed mainly in district heating and at hospitals tried to maintain and regain membership for the next 20 years. The stationary engineers faced technological change and continued opposition from employers who feared a broader union of workers in this critical area. Larger unions in the public sector and industry often would base wage settlements and pay equity on the stationary engineer position in workplaces because if this group were to join a strike, it would be difficult to keep a facility in operation.

There was also attempts by many companies and professionals to eliminate stationary engineer positions using technology and equipment like coil tube boilers. Fewer young people entered the trade in recent years, and in Ontario (2007) there are fewer than 15,000 licensed engineers. The average age is 53 and schools are training less than 200 people per year.

One of the reasons for the current shortage if people in this field is the negative perception of skilled trades by young people and parents. With the introduction of new technologies such as computer controls, fuel cells, cogeneration and pollution controls, engineers will play an important role in the future and the trade is still a good career choice.

In September of 2003 the CUOE merged with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP) and became CEP Local 2003.