Gary Caroline
After having spent several years working as a railway carman and leading the fight for the creation of a single union for all the skilled trade workers, Gary resigned from CP Rail and enrolled at Osgoode Hall Law School. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1989. He is now licensed to practice law and represents clients in Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
Gary has developed an extensive practice representing and advising trade unions across Canada. He also maintains personal ties and interest in the labour movement. He is often called upon to offer strategic legal advice and to assist in negotiating major collective agreements.
Over the years he has also provided legal advice and representation to groups and individuals defending human and civil rights including those of immigrant workers and other marginalized groups.
Gary practices primarily in the courts and labour tribunals but throughout his career he has represented grievors in hundreds of arbitration cases for a range of unions from public sector unions to the building trades.He has developed a particular expertise in defending bargaining rights eroded through the sale of business, alter egos and the merger of government services.
He has also developed expertise in pension issues and advises and represents union pension plans. He represented the BCNU in their fight against cuts to retiree health benefits under BC’s Municipal Pension Plan.
Gary has represented many parent and local unions in internal election disputes, trusteeship and disaffiliation cases. After a three year fight, he was successful in convincing the Ontario Labour Relations Board to uphold a trusteeship over a 35,000 member local union whose leadership had engaged in discriminatory and corrupt practices.
Gary was born in Montreal. For twenty-seven years he worked and lived in Ontario. He has lived in Vancouver since 2003 but continues to represent clients across Canada.