CAW delegates re-elect Ken Lewenza as national president

Canadian Auto Workers’ delegates have re-elected Ken Lewenza as the union’s national president.

 National secretary-treasurer Peter Kennedy was also re-elected and Sylvain Martin was elected Quebec director to replace retiring Jean-Pierre Fortin.

A number of new local presidents were also elected at the CAW’s first constitutional and collective bargaining convention in Toronto.

The term of each position is three years.

Lewenza, who has been union president since 2008, was born and raised in Windsor, Ont. and has been a CAW member since he began working at Chrysler Canada in 1972.

Earlier this week, CAW delegates voted unanimously to merge with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, combining two of Canada’s largest private-sector unions.

CEP delegates will vote on the proposal when they meet in October.

The new union would represent more than 300,000 workers across roughly 20 economic sectors.