Local union veteran Orville Thacker ‘changed the face of the labour movement’’
Those who knew Orville Thacker believe his heart has a label that says: “Union Made.”
The veteran trade-unionist died Monday. He was 81.
For the first time in memory Thacker did not attend the Labour Day picnic this year. He was just too ill.
Thacker joined the United Rubber Workers Union in 1949 when he went to work at the B.F. Goodrich plant in south Kitchener.
He was still a member of several union organizations when he died. He often appeared at city council meetings. He lobbied for better health care. He was active in the New Democratic Party for decades.
Between 1949 and his retirement in 1995, Thacker held every possible position on the executive of Local 677 of the United Rubber Workers Union. The United Rubber Workers Union merged with the United Steelworkers Union in 1995, so Thacker carried a Steelworkers’ card for several months too.
He was president of the Waterloo Region Labour Council from 1970 to 1977. He was an ex-officio member of the labour council until he died because he was president of the Waterloo Region Council of Union Retirees for the past 15 years. He seldom missed a meeting.
“He was very formal, he was schooled in the Robert’s-Rules-of-Order way of conducting meetings,” said Marc Xuereb, the labour council president. “When Orville spoke, he always stood up, which very few people do anymore.”
Steve Sachs, the labour council’s recording secretary, called Thacker one of the kindest gentlemen he ever knew.
“His record of giving back to the community is unmatched in my eyes,” Sachs said. “I just keep thinking back to all the knowledge that was in his head. We lost a piece of history.”
When Thacker was diagnosed with a serious, terminal illness, he called some of his fellow trade-unionists to apologize because he would not be at the meetings any more.
Ed Weidinger started working at B.F. Goodrich in 1971 and quickly met Thacker.
“He was one of the inspirations for me to join the labour council,” Weidinger said. “He was a good role model for younger people.”
He joined the Ontario Federation of Union Retirees and the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees as well.
Len Carter came up through the Canadian Auto Workers and became president of the labour council in 2008 and got to know Thacker on buses going to protests, during local election campaigns and at the labour council office.
“He was just a super man, an honest, good man,” Carter said.
Peter Cook first met Thacker at a meeting of the riding association for the New Democratic Party in the late 1980s. Cook then became active with the labour council and met up with Thacker again.
“It seemed that everywhere that I turned he was there,” Cook said.
Thacker sat on NDP riding executives since 1960 and managed campaigns for provincial and federal candidates. He also managed campaigns in some municipal elections.
“He was always smiling,” Cook said. “He was always willing to go the extra mile and help in any way that he could.”
Thacker and Cook were both active in the rubber workers union when it had more than 5,000 members at several plants in Kitchener — B.F. Goodrich, EPTON, Kaufman, and Uniroyal, among others.
Thacker was among the politically active and civic-minded activists from that union to have big impacts on their community. Thacker worked with Wayne Samuelson, who sat on Kitchener city council and eventually rose to the leadership of the Ontario Federation of Labour.
Marty Warren is now one of the most influential union leaders in the country. He is the District 6 Director of the Steelworkers — covering Ontario and the Maritimes, but he came up through the rubber workers at B.F. Goodrich along with Thacker.
“He was a great guy and changed the face of the labour movement in his time,” Waterloo Region Coun. Geoff Lorentz, said. “He has done a lot for this community and continued to do so after his retirement.”
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday at the Henry Walser Funeral Home on 507 Frederick St. Visitation will be from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday as well.
Originally published in the Kitchener-Waterloo Record.
Contact the author at tpender@therecord.com
