The IAM 41st Grand Lodge Convention welcomed Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, to the stage for a powerful and unifying message about the state of the labor movement in North America.
“The labor movement in Canada is strong and we are only getting stronger,” said Bruske. “I discovered the power of a union as a young person, stocking shelves at a local grocery store in my hometown of Winnipeg, and I learned what workers can achieve when we went together,” said Bruske to IAM 2024 Grand Lodge Convention delegates.
For more than thirty years, Bruske has served workers and their families as an activist, negotiator, community organizer, and labor leader.
Elected in 2021, Bruske is only the second woman to hold the CLC’s presidential office.
“The labor movement has never been as strong and well respected as we are today. And we are not going to go back to the days of governments ignoring and disrespecting us,” said Bruske to IAM 2024 Grand Lodge Convention delegates. “We also know that everyone definitely loves the labor movement and they all want a piece of us. I’m not kidding. Everyone wants to be our friend.”
The IAM is proud to have a friend and ally in Bruske, as she has stood with IAM Canadian members who are fighting for stronger worker protections against developing technology, climate change, unfair trade, and greedy employers.