Clifford Evans

An Innovator for Improving the Lives of
Canadian Working Men and Women

  Clifford Evans began his career in labor after working in a grocery store in his hometown of Guelph, Ontario. In 1957, at age 19, Evans was recruited to become a full-time organizer by the Retail Clerks International Union. When Evans joined the union, it had only 5,000 members, making it one of the smallest affiliates of the Canadian Labour Congress. When Evans retired after serving 35 years as Canadian Director, the UFCW was Canada's largest private sector union, with 185,000 members.

  Much of UFCW Canada's growth came as a result of many union mergers over the years. In most cases, Evans played an instrumental role in the success of these mergers.  Clifford Evans was an effective negotiator whose efforts on behalf of Canada's part-time workers proved more helpful than any other labor leader in Canadian history. In particular, the economic security of the worker remained a top priority for him throughout his career.  He implemented many new strategies to help Canadian workers better their lives in the workplace.

  During the 1980's, a network of training centres originated in Canada after Evans negotiated the first-ever employer contribution to a UFCW Training Trust Fund. As a result of these free training centres, thousands of Canadian workers have improved their skills and advanced their careers as union activists.

  Evans also played a pivotal role in creating the Canadian Commercial Workers Industry Pension Plan (CCWIPP).  The concept of a completely employer-paid pension fund for Canadian workers began in 1979, and today it is the largest private sector pension fund in Canada. Presently, over two-thirds of Canadian full-time and part-time workers are present or future beneficiaries of CCWIPP.

  The remarkable growth of UFCW Canada is due in large part to the work of Clifford Evans. Evans began his career as an organizer, and organizing remained the top priority for him as a labor activist. Evans not only orchestrated hundreds of successful organizing drives throughout his career, he also instilled in all those who followed him the skills and determination to better the lives of all Canadian workers.