Our history dates back to over 35 years. Prior to 1983, the Newfoundland Telephone Craft and Operator Bargaining Units were members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), Local 1615. Craft and Operators broke away from the International Union to join an all Canadian union, The Communication Workers of Canada (CWC) and became Local 410. During that same time period, an organizing drive successfully unionized the Newfoundland Telephone Clerical Group for the first time.
In 1984/1985, CWC Local 410 representing Craft, Clerical and Operators went on a 7 month strike to gain a first collective agreement for the Clerical group and new collective agreements for the Craft and Operator Groups under the new union.
In 1988, Newfoundland Telephone bought Terra Nova Telephone (TNT) which was part of Canadian National (CN). The workers were organized with the Transportation & Communications Union (TCU) Local 1827. At that time talks took place which brought approximately 300 TCU workers into CWC Local 410.
In 1992, CWC merged with The Canadian Paperworkers Union (CPU) and The Energy and Chemical Workers Union (ECWU) to form the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (CEP).
In 1995, the 3 separate bargaining units of Local 410, Craft, Clerical and Operators applied to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) for a single bargaining unit uniting the 3 groups to be covered under one common collective agreement.
In 1999, Newfoundland Telephone merged with MT&T (NS), NBTel(NB) and Island Tel (PEI) to form Aliant which serviced all the Atlantic Provinces.
To facilitate the next round of bargaining, in 2000 CEP Local 410 along with CEP Locals 506 (NB) & 401 (PEI) formed the Council of Atlantic Telecommunications Unions (CATU) with the Atlantic Communications & Technical Workers’ Union (AC&TWU), an independent union, representing MT&T workers in NS.
From 2002-2004, CATU bargained nine collective agreements into one collective agreement but not before going on a 5 month long strike covering the 4 Atlantic Provinces.
In 2005, the AC&TWU joined the CEP. Application was made to the CIRB to change the name of the Council to the CEP Atlantic Communications Council (CEPACC) and is currently the bargaining agent for CEP Locals 401, 410, 506 and 2289 (the former AC&TWU).
In 2013, CEP and CAW merged to become Unifor all across Canada.