in 1999, he was elected executive vice-president of the canadian labour congress and was then elected secretary-treasurer in 2002. he remained in that position until 2014 when he challenged incumbent clc president ken georgetti, defeating him by 40 votes at the clc's may 2014 convention to become clc president, and the first person to unseat an incumbent clc president. on april 20, 2012, yussuff was elected to a four-year term as president of the trade union confederation of the americas (tuca).