For the past five years, Dino Chiodo has been the most visible union leader in Windsor-Essex. Now he's going national.

The former Unifor Local 444 president started a new job Monday — auto director for Unifor national.

"I oversee bargaining for General Motors, Ford and Fiat Chrysler," he explained. "That's the intent of my whole assignment. To really focus on the Big Three automotive and any of the units that are within those facilities."

Chiodo started his career with the union 19 years ago after hearing Ken Lewenza, another former labour leader, speak.

During the passionate speech, Chiodo said he was struck by the impact a union could have on the wellbeing of a community.

"I thought, 'There's a guy that's making a difference and connecting with people,'" he said, adding it helped him form his motto of always working for the membership.

From working the line to sitting across the table from auto executives, Chiodo has been involved with multi-billion dollar negotiations, an experience he described as "exhilarating, frustrating, hard" and "awesome."

"You're always measuring yourself to see if you're doing the right thing," he said.

That internal test is something Chiodo said he'll continue to strive for in his new role — not by pounding his fist and yelling, but by working towards the best solution for everyone involved.

"You can make a difference and have a voice where otherwise people might not be able to express themselves," he said.