Labour leader Farnham to works as addictions counsellor
Unifor local president stepping down to help those suffering addictions
After a career spent bargaining and picketing, Gerry Farnham is turning to a different kind of fight.
Farnham will retire as president of Unifor Local 195 to launch the second leg of his career as an addictions counsellor at Brentwood Recovery Home.
Over his 32 years of union involvement — he started at Fabco — and 15 years as a full-time union officer, Farnham has seen highs and lows.
The most memorable moments of his career was a Vets Cab driver strike that stretched more than 100 days, and a labour dispute at Aramco and Aradco that saw workers take over the building, holding parts and tools to ensure severance and termination payouts.
“We took that fight over to the United States ... we brought it to Queen’s Park in Toronto and we were successful at winning some of that money back for those workers,” the 58-year-old said.
“Was it a 100 per cent success? No,” he said. “But at the same time, they ended up receiving a lot more money than they were going to receive, because what they were going to receive from that employer was zero.”
But there were also the lows, Farnham said, noting that “2008 and 2009 were very tough years for us at Local 195.”
Local 195 membership dropped from around 7,000 members to fewer than 2,500 members through waves of layoffs.
“It was excruciating to witness that, and go through that with the membership,” he said.
But Farnham said the union has “turned the corner.” His retirement on May 31 comes as Local 195 represents around 4,800 members and 49 facilities.
“The membership would be better suited with someone new and young and vibrant and ready to take on the challenges of the day,” Farnham said. “I just knew in my heart of hearts that it was time for me to go.”
As a union leader, Farnham said he never hid that he struggled with substance abuse and entered Brentwood Recovery Home in 1993. He often informally counselled union members with their own addictions.
“Even as I was vice-president and president of the local union, I had many people knock on my door,” Farnham said, “whether it be from our union — Local 195 — or other unions in Unifor, or even affiliated unions as well.”
Local 195’s current vice-president, John Toth, will succeed him as president.