Rob Ashton was registered as a Longshore Worker in 1994 with ILWU Local 500 in Vancouver.

Prior to his current position with ILWU Canada, Rob was elected to the Local 500 Executive Board, and served on various Local committees during this time. He was also a Business Agent for the Local for 5 years.

Rob Ashton was also elected to the position of First Vice President of ILWU Canada in 2012 until April of 2016 at which time he became the President of ILWU Canada.

ILWU-Canada’s President represents approximately 17,000 workers in BC and Saskatchewan. In BC there are 12 Locals and one Affiliate, the Retail Wholesale Union of BC, in Saskatchewan there is the Grain and General Services Union, and the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union of Saskatchewan.