UNIFOR Legal Services Plan

This oral history interview captures the perspectives of three key figures involved in the creation and implementation of Canada’s first employer-sponsored legal services plan between the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union and the Big Three automakers (GM, Ford, and Chrysler) in 1984. Jim Cameron, GM’s head of labour relations, Barrie Chercover, a labour lawyer representing unions, and Sym Gill, a CAW economist, discuss their backgrounds in labour relations and the automotive sector’s influential role in Canadian industrial relations during the 1980s.

The interview details the negotiation process that led to this innovative benefit, which provided union members and retirees with access to legal services for routine matters like real estate transactions, wills, family law, and consumer complaints. The plan was modeled on successful U.S. programs but adapted for the Canadian context. The participants describe how the plan exceeded all expectations in terms of uptake and utilization, with Canadian usage significantly higher than in the United States.

A significant portion of the discussion focuses on the fierce opposition encountered from the Law Society of Ontario and the Essex County Law Association, who sued multiple parties and threatened disbarment of participating lawyers. This conflict was eventually resolved through negotiations facilitated by Ontario Attorney General Ian Scott, which resulted in the creation of “non-cooperating lawyers” who could charge fees above the plan’s schedule. Despite initial resistance, many Essex County lawyers eventually became cooperating lawyers with the plan. The interview concludes with reflections on the plan’s lasting impact and limited spread to other sectors, highlighting both the achievement of improved access to justice for working people and the challenges of implementing innovative labour relations initiatives.

This description was written by AI and may contain some inaccuracies.