Canadian Auto Workers President Ken
Lewenza will reportedly announce on Thursday that he’s stepping down in
September.
Media reports late Wednesday also said
Dave Coles, the president of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union
of Canada, will also resign.
The CAW and the CEP voted last year to
merge and both unions will hold a news conference in Toronto on Thursday to
make an announcement about leadership.
Reports say Lewenza and Coles are
expected to endorse senior CAW official Jerry Dias as president of the new
combined union, called Unifor.
Lewenza was elected the national
president of the CAW in 2008, replacing Buzz Hargrove, and Coles has been
president of the CEP since 2006.
The new union will represent more than
300,000 workers across roughly 20 sectors of the economy, primarily in
manufacturing, communications and transportation.
Unifor will also represent some public
sector employees in the health, education and transit sectors.
