John Toth could not come into work the week Unifor Local 195 finalized its contract with Syncreon, but to the end, he was involved in the negotiations.
"He couldn't be there, but he was there on the phone all the time, communicating, making sure everything was going okay, offering suggestions," said First Vice-President Tammy Pomerleau. "It was real nice to tell him they ratified."
Ultimately, workers at Syncreon ratified the contract by a margin of 81 per cent.
Toth had cancer and succumbed to the disease last Thursday.
Pomerleau fought back the tears as she described her relationship with Toth after he became president of the local in June 2017. Toth took over from Gerry Farnum who retired.
"He had a goal in mind prior to his election. His goal was to engage the members," she recalled. "Our general council got bigger. Everything just grew. Our local's been so much better."
Members of the local will serve as honour guards at his funeral Tuesday. The service is set for 11 a.m. at Windsor Chapel on Banwell Road.
There are two visitations on Monday. The first is from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. In the evening, it is from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Meanwhile, Pomerleau said the local is considering ways to memorialize Toth.
"We were talking about, here at the local, planting a memorial tree with a plaque in his honour," she said.
