Julie Diane Davis
Labour leader, mother, grandmother, friend. Born on Sept. 5, 1947, in Brantford, Ont.; died on Nov. 14, 2014, in Barrie, Ont., of a heart attack, aged 67.
Julie Davis was a driving force in the Canadian labour movement, paving the way for other women as she broke through barriers in a traditionally male-dominated field. Her career began in the mid-1960s when she was a young wife and mother working in a carpet factory in Brantford, Ont. She became a shop steward, the first step in her lifelong journey as an advocate for social justice and fair labour.
In 1974, she went to work at the Canadian Union of Public Employees in Toronto in an administrative position. Her drive and intelligence quickly led her to become a national representative for the organization. After the 1981 hospital strike in Ontario, she became co-ordinator for CUPE's health-care sector. She also worked on the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition that gave many women wage parity with male workers.
In 1986, she became the first elected female officer of the Ontario Federation of Labour, serving as executive vice-president and secretary-treasure for the next decade. She returned to CUPE as Ontario regional director in 1996, and retired in 2008 from the national office in Ottawa, as managing director of organizing and regional services.
Julie was also an active New Democrat and in 1990, as president of the Ontario party, led the charge in the NDP's historic election win under Bob Rae. She served as a labour representative on the NDP's federal council under Jack Layton's leadership, and from 1988 to 1996 was a member of the board of Ed Broadbent's International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development.
Julie was tenacious, outspoken and stubborn. She never let setbacks get her down; as she often said, "No good deed goes unpunished." Fair but tough, she loved to share a good laugh.
As important as her work was, her family was her main focus. She was 16 when she married Al Francis, with whom she had a son, Clare. They later divorced and, in 1972, she married Gerry Griffin and became step-mom to David and Dawn. Summer weekends were spent at the cottage on Lake Simcoe, where she could indulge in fancy cocktails (Rusty Nails were her drink of choice) and gourmet cooking – though she never did find a Brussels sprouts recipe that her kids would eat.
Julie loved to travel and go on luxurious cruises (Alaska, the Panama Canal, the Caribbean). After retiring at 57, she enjoyed spending winters in Florida, where she welcomed visiting friends and family, especially her beloved grandsons, Cole and Carter. In her final years, arthritis affected her mobility as she struggled with increasing health issues. But every morning began with her coffee and her newspapers.
In 1995, Julie was awarded an honorary fellowship from what is now Ryerson University in Toronto for her outstanding leadership in shaping Canada's labour movement. While she was justifiably proud of this, she often said the highlight of her career was meeting Nelson Mandela when he visited Toronto in 1990. As she stood beside him, waiting to have their picture taken, he put his arm around her waist and said, "Get in here, big momma."
A CUPE celebration of Julie's life in January drew tributes from a host of Canadian labour and political leaders. But it was her son, Clare, who perhaps best captured her commitment to helping women, as well as her sense of humour. She hired women whenever she could, he recalled; her cleaners were women, her gardener was a woman, her caregiver was a woman – and if she had been able to find a woman to plow her driveway, Julie would have hired her, too.
Dawn Griffin is Julie's daughter.