Having spent the past eight years working alongside Dias and other union leaders on a range of significant contracts, Scott Doherty, executive assistant to the national president, said he brings the leadership, administrative and team-building skills required to head Unifor.
The union’s leadership team, made up of its elected officers and five assistants, unanimously backed Doherty for the presidency Jan. 19, and the National Executive Board seconded the endorsement Feb. 1. But with the allegations about Dias, followed by Secretary-Treasurer Lana Payne publicly entering the race April 12, Doherty asked for the nomination to be withdrawn to avoid dividing the board.
Doherty expects a “vigorous” campaign but said he is focused on tackling issues that Unifor and its members face, such as record inflation, lingering COVID-19 problems and broken trust with union members tied to the Dias allegations.
“We just need to buckle down and get back to doing the work of our organization and build back the trust,” he said.
Doherty, 52, has led recent rounds of bargaining in the forestry, telecom and energy sectors and taken on a series of roles in the past two rounds of auto talks with the Detroit 3 in Canada.
Having gotten an early start in labor with both the Canadian Auto Workers and Communication, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada in positions on Canada’s West Coast, the Campbell River, British Columbia, native became president of CEP Local 1123, a member of the national executive board and eventually a national representative in 2008.
When Unifor was formed in 2013, Doherty was elected western regional director. In 2014, he was appointed assistant to the national president and a year later promoted to executive assistant.
Referencing Dias, Doherty said Unifor must install safeguards to protect against ethical breaches, while also looking at ways to generate growth for the union through organization.
