The death of a legend in the Canadian labour movement is being mourned today.
Unifor has announced former Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) president Buzz Hargrove has died at the age of 81.
Ken Lewenza Senior followed Hargrove as leader of Local 444 and then national president in 2008.
He told AM800's Mornings with Mike and Meg, Hargrove improved the lives of tens of thousands of workers across the country.
Lewenza says Hargrove was a true mentor.
"His contribution to the Canadian labour movement, his contribution to the growth and identity of the Canadian Auto Workers union as the most recognized union in Canada if not internationally," says Lewenza. "Buzz brought enthusiasm, he brought inspiration, he brought the drive to represent workers."
He says Hargrove inspired so many people.
"He challenged the leadership of the union to ensure that we represented the interest of our members not just in the arena of collective bargaining but the arena of political opportunities where Canada pension and old age security and unemployment, those kinds of issues that are important to workers more generally were dealt with by government," he says. "So he was an incredible leader."
Lewenza says he visited Hargrove on Saturday.
"I was quite surprised how bad his condition was and we did have an opportunity to in a very light way and a painful way share some stories," says Lewenza. "So I seen him in his last 24 hours of his life but boy the reflection was just incredible and today I think about the tens of thousands of people that lives were improved as a result of his leadership."
Hargrove was born in New Brunswick and grew up in a family of 10 children.
He began his working life on the shop floor of Chrysler's Windsor Assembly Plant.
Hargrove was national president of the CAW from 1992 until his retirement in 2008.