Al Loyst was a member of the Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW) and Unifor for over 45 years. During this time, he has had many opportunities to develop skills needed to assist the membership in obtaining good contracts and fair employment.

He began his career with General Motors Canada in 1972 in the truck plant as a line worker. During that time, Al held elected union positions at GM Oshawa for over 36 of his 45 years, including plant chairman, joint investigator and human rights facilitator, and committee person. Al has been involved with over 30 rounds of bargaining, and has participated in the resolution of thousands of grievances and plant issues, as well as attending arbitration on numerous occasions.

As a union leader, Al has participated in every form of labour relations, from negotiations to labour management committees, strikes to settlements, ratification meetings, grievances and terminations. Al’s journey through labour relations started in one of the most toxic, adversarial work environments in Canada. Through that experience, Al learned the skills and approach to build strong, collaborative workplace relationships that promote fairness and success for the workforce and the company.

Al lives in Port Perry, coached and facilitated at Queen’s University in the Industrial Relations Program for over 25 years, and consults with unions and management groups across Canada.