A prominent union leader is stepping down.
George Kean, president of United Steelworkers local 5795 said he’s retiring March 28.
The union represents Iron Ore of Canada and Orica Canada workers in Labrador West.
“One of the main reasons I ran for president in 2009 was as a result of outstanding occupational disease cases I had been working on that I wanted to complete. Unfortunately the cases have only increased and they will require continued support from the local,” Kean said in his resignation letter.
He said it wouldn’t be fair to wait to retire until the end of this year, and wants to allow adequate time for successor Ron Thomas to lead negotiations in 2012.
Kean has been involved with the union since 1985 and was first elected president in 1991.
He described the job as one of the most stressful and most rewarding jobs in the region.
“I realized on occasion, decisions that I had made weren’t always popular with everyone but they were always taken with the best interest of everyone in mind,” Kean said.
He acknowledged the families dealing with occupational disease and urged young people to not take the union for granted.
“Today even though we have been chartered for over 51 years, we have a junior membership, many of whom don’t yet realize the necessity of a union,” Kean wrote. “They don’t understand that the benefits we have today weren’t given to us, but negotiated over the years by men and women who realized many times that although it would be difficult, it would take sacrifice to make improvements to their wages and benefits.”
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