Lynn R. Williams
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Lynn Russell Williams (July 21, 1924 – May 5, 2014) was a Canadian labour leader best remembered as the International President of the
United Steelworkers The United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, commonly known as the United Steelworkers (USW), is a general trade union with members across North America. Headqua ...
union (USW) from 1983 until his retirement in 1994. Williams was the first Canadian to head a major North American industrial union.


Biography


Early years

Lynn Russell Williams was born July 21, 1924, to a religious family in
Springfield, Ontario Springfield is an unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada. It is recognized as a designated place by Statistics Canada. Demographics In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Springfield had a population of 761 living ...
, Canada. His father, Waldemar Williams, was a minister in the
United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...
, and his mother, Emma Elizabeth (née Fisher) Williams, a devout homemaker.Paul Vitello
"Lynn Williams, 89, Who Led Steelworkers Union, Is Dead"
''The New York Times'', May 11, 2014.
One of three siblings, Williams was named by his parents after the 20th-century
Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...
theologian Lynn Harold Hough. Williams initially planned to follow in his father's footsteps by becoming a clergyman, but his goals changed during the
Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...
when the United Church of Canada moved his father to the industrial city of
Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario. Hamilton has a 2021 Canadian census, population of 569,353 (2021), and its Census Metropolitan Area, census metropolitan area, which encompasses ...
, where he was drawn into the trade union movement with a view to improving the lives of people on earth. He attended
McMaster University McMaster University (McMaster or Mac) is a public research university in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main McMaster campus is on of land near the residential neighbourhoods of Ainslie Wood, Ontario, Ainslie Wood and Westdale, Ontario, Westd ...
in Hamilton, where he studied English and philosophy. It was during the course of his collegiate career that Williams became enamored with the idea of
industrial democracy Industrial democracy is an arrangement which involves workers making decisions, sharing responsibility and authority in the workplace. While in participative management organizational designs workers are listened to and take part in the deci ...
, worker participation in the decision-making process of production. Williams served one year in the
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; , ''MRC'') is the Navy, naval force of Canada. The navy is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of February 2024, the RCN operates 12 s, 12 s, 4 s, 4 s, 8 s, and several auxiliary ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
following completion of his undergraduate studies. Upon conclusion of the war and his discharge from the military, Williams enrolled in the graduate school of the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
, where he obtained a
Master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...
in Economics and Industrial Relations.


Union career

Williams became a USW member in 1947 while employed by
John Inglis and Company John Inglis and Company was a Canadian manufacturing firm which made weapons for the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth military forces during the World War II era, then later became a major appliance manufacturer. Whirlpool Corporation acq ...
, Local 2900 in
Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. He became actively involved in the local activities of the union. In 1956, Lynn was made part of the USW's professional staff.Williams Serrin
"Man in the News; New Steel Union Chief: Lynn Russell Williams,"
''New York Times,'' April 14, 1984.
He was assigned as an organizer in District 6, based in Toronto and including much of Canada in its purview. In this capacity, Williams played a role in doubling the union's membership in the district over the subsequent decade. He also played a part in contract negotiations in the region. Williams was a founding member of the
New Democratic Party The New Democratic Party (NDP; , ) is a federal political party in Canada. Widely described as social democratic,The party is widely described as social democratic: * * * * * * * * * * * * * The Editors of ''Encyclopædia Britann ...
(NDP) in 1961, a socialist political organisation formed through the merger of the
Co-operative Commonwealth Federation The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF; , FCC) was a federal democratic socialism, democratic socialistThe following sources describe the CCF as a democratic socialist political party: * * * * * * and social democracy, social-democ ...
(CCF) and trade union activists from the Canadian Labour Congress. Williams later ran a campaign for parliament on the NDP ticket, but lost. Williams was appointed assistant to the director of District 6 in 1965 and was himself elected director for the district in 1973. Williams' rise through the union ranks continued when in 1977 he was elected International Secretary of the USW — the number 2 post in the union's hierarchy behind International President
Lloyd McBride Lloyd McBride (March 16, 1916 – November 6, 1983) was an American labor leader and president of the United Steelworkers of America from 1977 to 1983. He was on President Jimmy Carter's commission chaired by John G. Kemeny, President of Dartm ...
. Following his election Williams moved to
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
with his family to take his place at union headquarters there.


USW President

Williams assumed the presidency following the unexpected death of Lloyd McBride in 1983. He ran for office for the first time in his own right in March 1984 against USW Treasurer Frank McKee. The campaign was hard-fought and competitive, with McKee criticizing Williams for never having himself worked in a steel mill. This critique was not decisive, however, as less than a third of the USW's members were at that time workers in steel plants, with the majority working under USW contracts in other industries. Williams carried Canada handily and received substantial support from historically radical District 31 (Chicago) and District 15 (Upper Ohio Valley) in tallying 193,686 votes to his rival's 135,823. At the time of his assumption of leadership of the USW, the union's membership had plummeted from 1.4 million members in 1979 to barely over 600,000 as a result of economic recession and
deindustrialization Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry. There are different interpr ...
. In an effort to stem the tide, Williams and the USW made a series of wage and benefit concessions to the struggling North American steel industry. He later recalled of his first days as union chief: "If you can imagine an old mattress out in the junkyard with the springs popping up, I was like a guy lying on the springs trying to hold them all down. I didn't have enough body parts." Williams was president of the union during the steel strike of 1986, a prolonged work stoppage which had devastating consequences for the North American steel industry. During Williams's tenure as head of the USW the union moved from
collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
on an industry-wide basis to negotiations through smaller and more specific bargaining units.Ann Belser
"Lynn Williams, Former President of the Steel Workers, Died Monday,"
''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,'' May 5, 2014.
This structural change was accompanied by an increased emphasis on
profit-sharing Profit sharing refers to various incentive plans introduced by businesses which provide direct or indirect payments to employees, often depending on the company's profitability, employees' regular salaries, and bonuses. In publicly traded compan ...
and job security as the union's objectives in negotiations. Williams and the USW's trading of wages and benefits for stock ownership, seats on company boards, and leveraging of employee stock holdings against hostile takeover attempts is credited with saving 25 North American steel plants from closure between 1985 and 1993.


Later years

Williams retired at the end of his term in 1994 and moved back home to Toronto. Even in retirement, Williams remained politically active as a leading force behind the establishment of Steelworkers’ Organization of Active Retirees (SOAR), advancing causes related to social and labour related causes.Jim McKay
"Retired USW International President Lynn Williams Dies,"
United Steel Workers, May 5, 2014.
Williams was himself elected president of that organization. In recognition of his service as a leader of the organised labour movement, Lynn Williams was appointed an officer of the
Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...
in 2005. Williams was further honoured when the city of Toronto dedicated and named a street after him in May 2007. In 2011 Williams saw the publication of his memoir, ''One Day Longer,'' by the
University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university calendar. Its first s ...
. In it he explained the significance of the book's title:
In the North American labour movement, workers on strike frequently use the slogan "One Day Longer" to emphasize their determination to hold out as long as it takes in order to have their demands met, as well as their conviction that change is indeed possible. The spirit underlying that slogan, with its combination of commitment and optimism, is also at the heart of this book. My entire career in the trade-union movement was based on the belief that, in the face of serious obstacles, workers, whether on strike or not, needed to remain united and committed over the long haul. If they did, they would be in a strong position to achieve their collective-bargaining goals and to realize the broader objective of creating a more just and democratic society. I hold the same conviction today.Lynn R. Williams, ''One Day Longer: A Memoir.'' Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2011; pp. x-xi.


Death and legacy

Lynn R. Williams died in Toronto on May 5, 2014, at the age of 89. He was survived by two daughters, two sons, and 11 grandchildren, his wife of 34 years having preceded him in death in 2000. Williams is remembered as the first person to have served on both the Executive of the
Canadian Labour Congress The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC ( or ), is a national trade union centre, the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian trade union, labour unions are affiliated. History Formation The CLC was founded on April 23, 1956, thro ...
(CLC) and the
American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) is a national trade union center that is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 61 national and international unions, together r ...
(AFL-CIO), although these positions were not served concurrently.


Works

* Lynn R. Williams, ''One Day Longer: A Memoir.'' Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2011.


References


Further reading

* Garth L. Mangum and R. Scott McNabb, ''The Rise, Fall and Replacement of Industrywide Bargaining in the Basic Steel Industry.'' Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1997.


External links


United Steelworkers Web site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Lynn R. 1924 births 2014 deaths Presidents of United Steelworkers Canadian Labour Congress people Trade unionists from Ontario Canadian socialists Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group Officers of the Order of Canada Vice presidents of the AFL-CIO