This is a list of

trade unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, broken down by affiliation.

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 ...

National Affiliates

* Air Canada Pilots Association (1995-2023) * Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists *

British Columbia Teachers' Federation The British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF) is the labour union that represents all public school teachers in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was established as an organization in 1917. Governance structure As of 2018, the BCT ...

* Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions * Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union * Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association * Canadian Union of Postal Workers *

Canadian Union of Public Employees The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE; ) is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector – although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well. CUPE is the largest union in Canada, ...

Directors Guild of Canada The Directors Guild of Canada (DGC; ) is a Canadian labour union representing more than 5,500 professionals from 48 different occupations in the Canadian film and television industry. Founded in 1962, the DGC represents directors, editors, assist ...

Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario The Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO; , FEÉO) is a labour union representing all public elementary school teachers, occasional teachers, and some designated early childhood educators (DECEs) in the Canadian province of Ontario. T ...

* National Union of Public and General Employees * National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers *

Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association The Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association (OECTA) is a trade union that represents teachers in publicly funded Roman Catholic schools in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is affiliated with the Ontario Teachers' Federation, the Canad ...

Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation The Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF) is a Canadian trade union which represents 60,000 members across Ontario. Founded in 1919, its membership includes public high school teachers, occasional teachers, teaching assistants, ps ...

Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

Public Service Alliance of Canada The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC; , AFPC) is one of Canada's largest national labour unions. It is the largest union in the Canadian federal public sector. PSAC members work in every province and territory, and also work abroad in emb ...

International Affiliates

Air Line Pilots Association, International The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA) is the largest pilot union in the world, representing more than 79,000 pilots from 42 US and Canadian airlines. ALPA was founded on 27 July 1931 and is a member of the AFL-CIO and the Canadian ...

Amalgamated Transit Union The Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) is a labor organization in the United States and Canada that represents employees in the public transit industry. Established in 1892 as the Amalgamated Association of Street Railway Employees of America, the u ...

American Federation of Musicians The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) trade union, labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in N ...

Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers' International Union The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) is a trade union, labor union in the United States and Canada primarily representing workers in the food processing industry. The union was established in 188 ...

Communications Workers of America The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors (also in Canada and Puerto Rico). The union has 27 loc ...

International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, Its Territories and Canada, known as simply the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE or ...

International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers is a union in the United States and Canada, which represents, trains and protects primarily construction workers, as well as shipbuilding and metal fabri ...

International Association of Fire Fighters The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) is a labor union representing paid full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the United States and Canada. The IAFF was formed in 1918 and is affiliated with the AFL� ...

International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers The International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (AWIU or Insulators) is a trade union in the United States and Canada, founded in 1903. It is affiliated with the AFL–CIO and the Canadian Labour Congress and the Nort ...

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is an AFL–CIO/ CLC trade union representing over 600,000 workers as of 2024 in more than 200 industries with most of its membership in the United States and Canada. Orig ...

International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART) is a North American labor union headquartered in Washington, DC, which was chartered by the AFL–CIO in 2013. The product of a merger between the Sheet ...

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a trade union, labor union that represents approximately 820,000 workers and retirees in the electricity, electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, an ...

International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB) is a trade union in the United States and Canada. It is for boilermakers and related occupations, and is affiliated with the AFL–CIO. T ...

International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

International Longshore and Warehouse Union The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is a labor union which primarily represents dock workers on the West Coast of the United States, Hawaii, and in British Columbia, Canada; on the East Coast, the dominant union is the Intern ...

International Longshoremen's Association The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) is a North American labor union representing longshore workers along the East Coast of the United States and Canada, the Gulf Coast, the Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and inland waterways; on the W ...

* International Plate Printers, Die Stampers and Engravers' Union of North America *

International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

International Union of Operating Engineers The International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) is a trade union within the United States–based AFL–CIO representing primarily construction workers who work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics, surveyors, and stationary engineers ( ...

* International Union of Painters and Allied Trades *

Laborers' International Union of North America The Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA, stylized as LiUNA!), often shortened to just the Laborers' Union, is an American and Canadian labor union formed in 1903. As of 2017, they had about 500,000 members, about 80,000 of whom ...

Office and Professional Employees International Union The Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU) is a trade union in the United States and Canada representing approximately 88,000 white-collar working people in the public and private sectors. It has members in all 50 US stat ...

* Seafarers' International Union of North America *

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing 2 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of m ...

* UNITE HERE! *

United Association The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association (UA), is a labor union which represents workers in the plumbing and pipefitti ...

United Auto Workers The United Auto Workers (UAW), fully named International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, is an American labor union that represents workers in the United States (including Puerto Rico) and sou ...

United Food and Commercial Workers The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is a trade union, labor union representing approximately 1.3 million workers in the United States and Canada in industries including retail; meatpacking, food processing and manufa ...

United Mine Workers of America The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unit ...

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 ...

Independent Unions/Other Affiliations

* Alberta Union of Provincial Employees * Alliance des professeures et professeurs de Montréal * Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens * Canadian Actors' Equity Association *

Canadian Football League Players' Association The Canadian Football League Players' Association (CFLPA) represents Canadian football players in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The association was established in 1965, when local lawyer John Agro became concerned by the number of Hamilton ...

* Canadian Teachers’ Federation *

Centrale des syndicats du Québec The Centrale des syndicats du Québec (CSQ; Quebec Labour Congress) is the third biggest trade union in Quebec, Canada, by membership. It was founded in 1946 when three earlier unions merged to form the ''Corporation générale des instituteurs e ...

Christian Labour Association of Canada The Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) is a labour union that represents companies in the construction, healthcare, and food industries. It was established in 1952 to represent workers on the basis of "Christian social principles". Th ...

Confédération des syndicats nationaux The Confédération des syndicats nationaux (CSN; Confederation of National Trade Unions) is the second largest trade union federation in Quebec by membership. History It was founded in Hull, Quebec, Hull in 1921 as the ''Confédération des t ...

* Congress of Democratic Trade Unions *

Confederation of Canadian Unions The Confederation of Canadian Unions (CCU; '' is a national trade union centre, a central labour body of independent unions in Canada. History The Council of Canadian Unions was founded in 1969 by militant labour organizers Madeleine Parent ...

Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec The Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (FTQ; Quebec Federation of Labour) is the largest labour federation in Quebec in terms of its membership. It has over 500,000 members, who account for 44% of the unionised workers in Q ...

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), whose members are nicknamed "Wobblies", is an international labor union founded in Chicago, United States in 1905. The nickname's origin is uncertain. Its ideology combines general unionism with indu ...

* International Union of Elevator Constructors *

Major League Baseball Players Association The Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA) is the labor union representing all current Major League Baseball (MLB) and Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players. All players, managers, coaches, and athletic trainers who hold or have held ...

* Major League Soccer Players Association *

National Basketball Players Association The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) is the labor union that represents National Basketball Association (NBA) players. It was founded in 1954, making it the oldest trade union of the four major professional sports leagues in the U ...

National Hockey League Players' Association The National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA, ) is the trade union, labour union for the group of professional List of NHL players, hockey players who are under Standard Player Contracts to the 32 member clubs in the National Hockey ...

National Police Federation The National Police Federation (NPF) is the police union representing Regular Members and Reservists of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) below the rank of Inspector. The NPF represents about 20,000 RCMP Members serving across Canada and i ...

* Operative Plasterers' and Cement Masons' International Association * Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers * Teaching Support Staff Union *

International Brotherhood of Teamsters The International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT) is a labor union in the United States and Canada. Formed in 1903 by the merger of the Team Drivers International Union and the Teamsters National Union, the union now represents a diverse members ...

** Teamsters Canada *

Writers Guild of Canada The Writers Guild of Canada (WGC) is a trade union representing professional writers working in film, television, radio, and digital media production in Canada. Members of the WGC write dramatic TV series, feature films, Movies of the Week, do ...

Unifor Unifor is a Canadian general trade union founded in 2013 as a merger of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers unions. It consists of 310,000 workers, and associate members in industries including manufactu ...

* United Brotherhood of Carpenters

Defunct trade unions

All-Canadian Congress of Labour The All-Canadian Congress of Labour (ACCL) was a Canadian national labour confederation, which existed from 1926 to 1940. It was founded in 1926 as a rival to the Trades and Labour Congress. It was headed by Aaron Mosher. It included remnants o ...

(1926-1940) *

Barbers, Beauticians and Allied Industries International Association The Barbers, Beauticians and Allied Industries International Association (BBAIIA) was a labor union representing workers in the personal grooming industry in the United States and Canada. The union was founded on December 5, 1887, as the Journeym ...

Boot and Shoe Workers' Union A boot is a type of footwear. Most boots mainly cover the foot and the ankle, while some also cover some part of the lower calf. Some boots extend up the leg, sometimes as far as the knee or even the hip. Most boots have a heel that is clearl ...

* Canadian Association of Industrial Mechanical and Allied Workers *

Canadian Auto Workers The National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada, commonly known as the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW), was one of Canada's largest labour unions. In 2013, it merged with the Communications, Energy and Paperwork ...

* Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Employees * Canadian Chemical Workers' Union *

Canadian Food and Allied Workers The Canadian Food and Allied Workers (CFAW) was a Canadian meatpacking labour union which existed from 1968 until 1979. It was created as a result of a merger between Canadian locals of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters (AMC) and the United Packingho ...

* Canadian Labour Union * Canadian Mineworkers Union * Canadian Paperworkers' Union * Canadian Seamen's Union *

Communication Workers of Canada The Communication Workers of Canada (CWC) was a trade union, mostly representing telephone workers in Canada. The union originated as the Canadian Communication Workers' Council, a division of the Communications Workers of America, founded in 19 ...

* Communications and Electrical Workers of Canada *

Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP; []) was a largely private sector, private-sector trade union, labour union with 150,000 members, active from 1992 to 2013. It was created in 1992 through the merger of three unions: th ...

* Energy and Chemical Workers Union *

Graphic Arts International Union The Graphic Arts International Union (GAIU) was a labor union representing printing workers in the United States and Canada. The union was founded on September 4, 1972, when the International Brotherhood of Bookbinders merged with the Lithograp ...

Graphic Communications International Union The Graphic Communications International Union (GCIU) was a labor union representing printing workers in the United States and Canada. The union was founded on May 25, 1983, when the Graphic Arts International Union merged with the International ...

International Printing and Graphic Communications Union The International Printing and Graphic Communications Union (IPGCU) was a labor union representing printing workers in the United States and Canada. The union was established on 1 October 1973, when the International Printing Pressmen and Assist ...

International Printing Pressmen and Assistants' Union of North America International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

International Union of Electrical Workers The International Union of Electrical Workers (IUE) was a North American Trade union, labor union representing workers in the electrical manufacturing industry. While consistently using the acronym IUE, it took on several full names during its h ...

International Woodworkers of America International Woodworkers of America (IWA) was an industrial union of lumbermen, sawmill workers, timber transportation workers and others formed in 1937. History The IWA was formed when members of the Sawmill and Timber Workers' Union divisio ...

Journeymen Tailors Union The Journeymen Tailors Union (JTU) was a trade union in the United States, with some local branches in Canada. History Before 1890 Forerunners to the organization included the Tailors Progressive Union of America (TPUA) in the mid-1800s, a ...

* Lumber Workers Industrial Union * Lumber Workers Industrial Union of Canada * Mine Workers' Union of Canada *

One Big Union (Canada) The One Big Union (OBU) was a left-wing industrial union based primarily in Western Canada. It was launched formally in Calgary on June 4, 1919, as a replacement for the then-outlawed Industrial Workers of the World, to carry on the drive towa ...

* Paving Cutters' Union * Relief Camp Workers' Union *

Union of Russian Workers The Union of Russian Workers in the United States and Canada, commonly known as the "Union of Russian Workers" (Союз Русских Рабочих, ''Soiuz Russkikh Rabochikh)'' was an anarcho-syndicalist union of Russian American, Russian em ...

* United Brotherhood of Railway Employees *

United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union The United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union was established in 1945 in British Columbia through the merger of the United Fishermen's Federal Union and the Fish, Cannery and Reduction Plant and Allied Workers Union. It represents fishermen, shor ...

Vancouver and District Waterfront Workers' Association The Vancouver and District Waterfront Association was the union for longshoremen working on Vancouver's waterfront between 1923 and 1935. It was established as a company union by the Shipping Federation of British Columbia after it defeated a s ...

Western Federation of Miners The Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was a labor union that gained a reputation for militancy in the mines of the western United States and British Columbia. Its efforts to organize both hard rock miners and smelter workers brought it into ...

Workers' Unity League The Workers' Unity League (WUL) was established in January 1930 as a militant industrial union labour central closely related to the Communist Party of Canada on the instructions of the Communist International. This was reflective of the shift in ...

References

External links

"Highlights in Canadian labour history" ''CBC News'' (2009)"Labour Organization". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2014)
{{Americas topic, List of trade unions in

Trade unions A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...