Many staff persons who were unhappy with the prospects of merger kept their opinions to themselves out of respect for Watson and because they knew merger was necessary because of the Union's financial situation. The ACW did not have a very good reputation in Canada; it was considered low wage and inactive, and had a reputation for dealing with the boss. The TWUA, on the other hand, was small, but aggressive. TWUA always had representation on the Ontario Federation of Labour Executive Board; Watson also served as a vice president of the Canadian Labour Congress, while other unions, like the ACW, which were twice the size of TWUA, did not have such representation on either the provincial or the federal labor bodies. Also, TWUA was very active politically.
