Unifor Local 975 currently represents unionized employees across four companies in Ontario’s natural gas industry: Enbridge Gas Distribution (EGD), EnerCare Home Services (EHS), JRL HVAC (JRL), and Metergy Solutions Inc. (MSI).
Early Origins
The history of Local 975 dates back to 1938, when workers at Consumers Gas plants in Toronto first organized. By the 1950s, four separate Locals had formed, representing:
- Clerical workers in Toronto
- Operational workers in Provincial Gas (Niagara)
- Clerical workers at Ottawa Gas
- Operational workers at Ottawa Gas
These Locals belonged to different unions and experienced many challenges over the years. Despite this, their leadership remained committed to protecting members and recognized that true strength would come from uniting all Gas Company workers under one union.
Building Unity
This vision became reality in 1979, when all four Locals broke away from their respective international unions to form the National Union of Independent Gas Workers (NUIGW). In 1982, the NUIGW merged with the Energy and Chemical Workers Union of Canada (ECWU). A decade later, in 1992, the ECWU joined with the Canadian Paperworkers Union and the Communications Workers of Canada to create the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada (CEP).
On August 31, 2013, at a Founding Convention in Toronto, the CEP and the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) united to form Unifor, now the largest union in Canada.
Formation of Local 975
After merging into the ECWU and later the CEP, the four Locals continued to operate independently. Once again, leadership recognized that members would be better served through full unity. A council was formed to develop a single Local representing all unionized Consumers Gas workers.
In 1994, after filing with the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Locals merged their operations and began conducting business as CEP Local 975. The next major challenge was combining five separate Collective Agreements into one — a move the company initially opposed. After several years of persistence, the company acknowledged the determination of the workers, and in 1998, the five agreements were successfully merged. CEP Local 975 was finally united.
Industry Changes and New Units
Soon after, the company — now renamed Enbridge — began restructuring and selling off various business and service operations to focus solely on gas distribution. This streamlined entity became Enbridge Gas Distribution.
Key changes included:
- The sale of “home services” work to Direct Energy
- The sale of Call Centre operations to Accenture, which later moved the work offshore, displacing more than 500 Local 975 members by 2009
In October 2014, Direct Energy sold its home services division to EnerCare, resulting in two Bargaining Units:
- EGD/Enbridge Unit – clerical and operational workers at Enbridge Gas Distribution
- EHS/EnerCare Unit – clerical and operational workers at EnerCare Home Services
The EnerCare Unit continues to grow as unionized workers from Service Experts join Local 975.
Expansion to Four Units
- In 2016, Local 975 welcomed newly unionized members from JRL HVAC Inc., becoming the third Unit.
- In 2019, “submetering” workers at Metergy Solutions Inc. joined Local 975, bringing the total to four Units.