Farewell To Buzz Hargrove, Who Taught Me So Much

The CAW president died this weekend at age 81

Journalists who cover the automobile industry always loved going over to Canada. Executives talked more candidly, union leaders were blunt, auto workers gave us their unvarnished opinions.

One of the most admired people on the Canadian scene was Basil “Buzz” Hargrove, who was president of the Canadian Auto Workers union from 1992 to 2008.

That long tenure gave him time to get to know pretty much everyone in his union, in the car companies and in the press corps.

It was an adventure for us to cross the Ambassador Bridge, go through the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel or head to Toronto to cover the negotiation.

So, many people are mourning his death this weekend in Toronto at age 81, which was announced by Unifor, the successor to the CAW.

Born in Bath, New Brunswick, in 1944, Hargrove grew up in a family of 10 children and began his working life on the shop floor of Chrysler's Windsor, Ontario, assembly plant. He came up through Local 444 and given the union’s proximity to Detroit, he became a visible player on both sides of the border.

"He never forgot where he came from -- and he carried that working-class spirit with him into every boardroom, bargaining session and public forum," said Unifor National President Lana Payne in a statement.

A valuable tutor

Buzz always made himself available, whether at press conferences, on picket lines or on the phone. For me, Buzz was a valuable tutor in the way negotiations worked.

During one set of contract talks, Buzz allowed me to go behind the scenes with the CAW negotiators, on the promise that I wouldn’t print what I was observing until there was a deal. While I rarely agree to embargoes, I figured it was worth it for the experience I’d receive, and my editor agreed we could sit on the info in advance of a settlement.

Here are some of the things I learned.

Conversations are professional. In the hours I spent in his office, Buzz talked several times to his auto industry counterpart. They spoke in a cordial way, with each representing their constituents, but never expressing personal anger. (I realize Buzz might have been more polite because I was listening but it seemed genuine and he didn’t mince his language.)

If something was too confidential for me to hear, Buzz would ask me to leave the room or else meet the other side in person.

Subcommittee members know their stuff. In negotiations, small groups of bargainers take on specific topics, such as economics, health and safety, work rules and so on. At the time I covered the negotiations, the contracts were lengthy and full of legalese. It wasn’t just the lawyers who understood them, however. The union officials tasked with reaching agreements knew them back and forth.

Nobody expects to get everything. Buzz explained to me that the CAW had certain bottom lines, but he understood that the car companies did, too. The idea was to make sure both sides got something they really wanted, and to be flexible in areas that were not absolutely crucial.

For one thing, intransigence could eat up time, and Buzz always knew that local union members were waiting for updates.

Rhetoric is inspiration; clear communication matters, too. Buzz could match any union leader in firepower, and it was fun to listen to him get wound up. As I found out, that was sometimes for effect. Along with pounding his fist, he also could calmly explain what the implications of issues.

Ken Lewenza, who was president of Local 444, described Buzz as constantly curious. He told Canadian Press that Buzz read four or five newspapers each day, and would go through them, front page to back, so he understood not only Canadian issues but global ones, as well.

He congratulated me on my work as an author, and he eventually wrote his own book, Laying It On The Line. It came out in 2009, as the auto industry was cratering and General Motors and Chrysler wound up in bankruptcy.

I can’t thank him enough for being a useful tutor in my understanding of the auto industry. I hope he knows how much he meant to his members, and to everyone he encountered.

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