Our Local History
For over 70 years our union has had a proud history rooted in the fight for fairness, respect, and dignity on the job for passenger transportation workers; here is our story…so far.
Local 4304’s Proud Beginnings
Unifor Local 4304 traces its roots back to its original charter as Division 304 of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees and Other Transport Workers (CBRE & OTW), a national union founded in 1908 to represent transportation workers across Canada in a 100% Canadian union.
Division 304 was chartered in 1953 to represent the employees of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission (PUC) Transportation Department, providing them with a united voice in negotiations and workplace issues. Through its CBRE & OTW beginnings, the Local built a foundation of solidarity and advocacy that continues to guide its work today.
However, Division 304 wasn’t actually the first labour union to represent workers at the Kitchener PUC. In 1941, during the Second World War, employees of the Kitchener PUC organized under Division 1259 of the Amalgamated Association of Street, Electric Railway and Motor Coach Employees of America, the union now known as the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU). However, when Federal wartime labour regulations were repealed in 1946, and labour relations fell back to the provinces, Division 1259 lost its status under the Ontario Labour Relations Act and ceased to exist.
It would not be until 1953 when the fight for union representation at the Kitchener PUC would begin again.
Photo Credit: Paul A. Bateson, Used With Permission
February 6, 1953
Division 304 Applies for Certification
Division 304 of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees and Other Transport Workers (CBRE&OTW) is chartered and files an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board seeking certification as bargaining agent for employees of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Notice of the application was sent to the PUC on February 11, with a hearing initially scheduled for March 10.
The organizing drive came during a period of uncertainty for PUC employees. Workers were concerned about wages and the erosion of their purchasing power, while financial losses at the transit system raised fears that service reductions could result in job losses. On February 20, the Brotherhood also wrote directly to the PUC requesting that it voluntarily recognize Division 304 as the employees’ bargaining agent.
February 23, 1953
Formation of Division 304 Announced
The local newspaper publicly reported the organization of CBRE&OTW Division 304 among employees of the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission. The newly formed Division represented employees confronting concerns over wages, cost-of-living pressures and the possibility of job losses resulting from reductions in transit service due to the PUC’s financial losses that year. Division 304 had already applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board for certification and had asked the PUC to recognize it voluntarily as the employees’ bargaining representative.
March 27, 1953
Certification Application Dismissed
Division 304’s application for certification was formally dismissed by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. The dismissal, however, was not a determination that employees had rejected the union or that Division 304 lacked sufficient support. The Board was unable to act on the application because the Kitchener PUC had exercised its privilege under section 78 of the Labour Relations Act, placing itself outside the scope of the Act.
Division 304 was therefore denied access to the normal statutory process through which a union could obtain recognition as bargaining agent. Rather than ending the organizing campaign, the decision shifted the struggle from certification before the Labour Relations Board to a direct fight with the PUC for voluntary recognition.
April 20, 1953
PUC Refuses to Recognize Division 304
Two months after Division 304 formally requested recognition, the Kitchener PUC advised the Brotherhood that it would not recognize or negotiate with the union. With the PUC outside the jurisdiction of the Labour Relations Act, Division 304 could not turn to the Labour Relations Board to compel recognition through certification.
The refusal brought the dispute to a turning point. The union maintained that PUC employees had the right to choose a union to represent them collectively, while the PUC was accused of attempting to interest employees in an internal “shop union.” With the statutory route closed and voluntary recognition refused, Division 304 began preparing to use economic pressure to win recognition.
April 22, 1953
Division 304 Prepares to Fight for Recognition
The dispute over Division 304 became a major public labour confrontation when the Brotherhood announced that PUC employees would vote on strike action over the issue of union recognition. The National Union accused PUC management of pressuring employees and bus mechanics to attend a meeting intended to promote what it described as a “company union set-up.”
The Brotherhood appealed publicly to Kitchener Mayor Weber to intervene and help avert a strike, while emphasizing that the PUC had both removed itself from the Labour Relations Act and refused Division 304’s request for voluntary recognition. The National Union authorized strike action, setting the stage for employees themselves to decide whether they were prepared to withdraw their labour to secure recognition.
April 26, 1953
PUC Employees Vote on Strike Action
PUC employees gathered on Sunday, April 26, for what contemporary reporting described as an “enthusiastic” meeting to vote on whether to authorize strike action. The central issue was not wages or other improvements to working conditions, but the PUC’s refusal to recognize Division 304 as the employees’ bargaining agent.
The ballots were initially kept sealed so employees required to work on Sunday would also have an opportunity to vote. Other unions in the community pledged their support to the PUC employees in the event of a labour dispute, while the National Union had already authorized Division 304 to strike if necessary.
May 5, 1953
Employees Deliver a Strong Strike Mandate
The result of the recognition strike vote was announced publicly: 60 of the PUC’s 81 employees had voted in favour of strike action if necessary. Union recognition was identified as the sole issue in dispute. The employees wanted the PUC to recognize their chosen union and bargain collectively with it.
The vote gave Division 304 a strong mandate to escalate its campaign. Although strike action was now authorized, the Brotherhood repeatedly delayed calling employees off the job while efforts continued to find a peaceful settlement. The union also sought assistance from the provincial Minister of Labour, while organized labour elsewhere in the community continued to support the PUC employees.
May 30, 1953
Recognition Talks Begin
After weeks of strike threats, postponements and efforts to secure outside intervention, representatives of Division 304 and the Kitchener PUC began talks aimed at resolving the recognition dispute. A shutdown of Kitchener’s bus service remained possible, with another strike deadline approaching if an agreement could not be reached.
The beginning of talks marked an important change in the dispute. The PUC had initially refused to recognize the union and had repeatedly avoided publicly acknowledging the threatened strike, but representatives of both sides were now expressing hope that an agreement could be reached. Division 304 continued to hold its strike mandate while negotiations proceeded.
June 13, 1953
Substantial Progress Toward an Agreement
By mid-June, regular negotiations between the PUC and Division 304 had produced what was described as “substantial progress.” Agreement had reportedly been reached on practically all of the matters under discussion, although recognition of the union remained the central issue around which the dispute had begun.
Negotiations nevertheless continued through the summer as the parties worked through the details of a proposed agreement. Draft language was prepared and presented to employees for consideration, and by September both sides appeared to be approaching a final settlement.
September 19, 1953
Final Contract Dispute Threatens Another Strike
After months of negotiations, Division 304 and the PUC had reached agreement on almost all of the proposed contract. A remaining disagreement over paid statutory holidays, however, threatened to bring the dispute back to strike action. The union sought four paid holidays—Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, May 24 and Labour Day—while the PUC rejected part of the proposal.
Division 304 indicated that drivers and maintenance employees would consider strike action in early October if the remaining dispute could not be resolved. The union also expressed frustration with the lengthy negotiating process, which had continued for several months after the original fight for recognition began.
September 29, 1953
Division 304 Wins Recognition and Its First Agreement
After nearly eight months of organizing, threatened strike action and negotiations, Division 304 and the Kitchener Public Utilities Commission reached an agreement, averting a possible strike. Most importantly, the agreement formally recognized the union, achieving the objective that had driven the dispute since the beginning of the year.
The agreement also provided employees with three paid statutory holidays and was made retroactive to June 1, 1953, with a term running until May 31, 1955. Having been unable to obtain recognition through the Ontario Labour Relations Board, Division 304 had ultimately secured its bargaining rights directly through organization, collective action and negotiations with the PUC.
September 26, 1958
The National Union Becomes the CBRT&GW
At the conclusion of its 50th Anniversary Convention, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees and Other Transport Workers adopted a new name: the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers (CBRT&GW). The change reflected an expansion of the Brotherhood’s jurisdiction beyond its traditional railway and transportation base.
For Division 304 – now Local 304 – the change represented a new name and broader identity within the National Union, while its established bargaining relationship with Kitchener’s municipal transit workers continued.
The Future
The Road Ahead
Unifor Local 4304 remains committed to building a stronger, more unified voice for passenger transportation workers across Ontario.
With decades of experience advocating for fair wages, safe working conditions, and equitable treatment, the Local is well-positioned to support new organizing initiatives and the creation of additional bargaining units in public transit, coach bus, and school bus workplaces throughout the province.
By expanding its reach and continuing to champion the rights of all workers in the sector, Local 4304 is poised to shape the future of transportation labour, ensuring that every employee has a collective voice and the protections they deserve.