BC Business
Laird Cronk isn't running for re-election
The longtime union organizer was first elected in 2018
Turn the lights off, carry Laird Cronk home.
The former electrician turned union organizer turned BC Federation of Labour president has announced that he will not be seeking re-election in November for the position he’s held for two terms.
Cronk was first elected by acclamation in 2018 after garnering support from the most powerful unions in the Federation. The organization lobbies on behalf of the 500,000 or so workers of the more than 50 affiliated unions it represents.
“It has been the honour of a lifetime to serve as BCFED President,” Cronk said in a release. “Together, we’ve made historic progress for working people—like WCB, labour code and employment standards improvements; paid sick leave; skilled trades certification and advancement in the crucial work of reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.”
He added that “the time is right to move on to the next chapter of my life, and for a new president to carry that work forward.”
COVID-19 clearly dealt many of B.C.’s workers a blow, as Cronk detailed in a 2020 interview with BCBusiness. But he also noted that he was particularly proud of the “unity and solidarity” that B.C.’s unions showed during the pandemic.
Delegates from the BCFED’s affiliated unions will elect the federation’s president and secretary-treasurer at the federation’s convention in Vancouver at the end of November.