Retiring LL2468 President Lee Cappadocia (left) is congratulated on his retirement as Local President after 40 years' service.
Montréal, QC – When the gavel comes down to open the January 2015 meeting of IAM Local Lodge 2468 it will mark the end of an era. For the first time in 40 years, Lee Cappadocia will not be chairing the meeting as president of the Rolls Royce office employees Local Lodge. His last official day in office was January 20, 2015.
It’s a record of achievement attained by no other IAM Local Lodge president on either side of the border! What makes his tenure all the more remarkable is that he has held this post without being able to speak a word of French. It’s a testament to the esteem in which he is held by English and French members alike.
He came to Rolls Royce on September 22, 1969 as a Cost Clerk when there was no office union. The shop floor workers had been represented by IAM Local Lodge 869 since 1954. When IAM Local Lodge 2468 organized to represent the office workers in 1972, it wasn’t long before Lee joined the grievance committee; by 1973 he was its chair and then became Lodge president in 1975. Since then he has overseen 14 contract negotiations from which Rolls Royce office workers have become the best paid unionized workers in the city. “I’ve had several accomplishments during my time on the job but the introduction of IAM Employee Assistance Program in conjunction with IAM Local Lodge 869, is a real highlight for me,” explained Cappadocia. “It has helped so many people over the years including some from the management side.”
The installment of flexible hours or flex time was another career highlight for Lee. “It began on a trial basis in 1975 and we had it entered into the collective agreement language in 1976,” he said. Not every employer participates in Christmas shutdowns but the Rolls Royce shutdown for office workers was another Cappadocia innovation. “At first it began as two weeks off for those 25 years of service and over the years we have chipped away at it until at Christmas 2014, it was two weeks paid leave for those with ten or more years of service,” he explained. “It’s very popular with the members.”
In May 2014, it was announced that Siemens Engineering would purchase the Energy division of Rolls Royce and on December 1, 2014, 60 members of Local Lodge 2468 had a new employer. “It will be a challenge for the new Local Lodge administration, with contract negotiations coming up I’m sure comparisons will be made, but I’m sure they’re up to it,” he said. “As for me, I’ve already had discussions with Dave Ritchie on ways I can help the union as a retiree.”