!TT Winter B 2005

THE MAGAZINE OF THE Winter 2019 BC BUILDING TRADES Vol. 22 no. 4 tradet aWlE BkUILD BC ™ Publications Mail Agreement No. 40848506 Many hours of work on the upgrades at YVR PUBLISHED BY THE BC B UILDING TRADES EDITOR Tom Sigurdson WINTER 2019 EDITORIAL SERVICES tradet alk Face to Face Communications the magazine of the bC building trades Canadian Freelance Union DESIGN /P HOTOGRAPHY Joshua Berson PhotoGraphics Ltd. UFCW 1518 UNIFOR LOCAL 780G Contents ADVERTISING Shane Dyson 4 Court agrees with three of four arguments Canadian Freelance Union CBA court challenge update Claudia Ferris 7 A nice fit with carpenter union's goals UNIFOR LOCAL 780G YVR's 20-year plan Tradetalk Magazine is published four times 12 How the Building Trades secured work on the TMX a year by the BC BUILDING TRADES Rarely seen/behind the scenes #207 88 10th St. New Westminster, B.C. V3M 6H8 15 Labour lawyer, activist to take reins of BC Building Trades 778-397-2220 Andrew Mercier [email protected] www.bcbuildingtrades.org 16 Trailblazers gather in Minneapolis All rights reserved. Material published may be Build TogetHER reprinted providing permission is granted and 19 Results not bad and could have been much worse credit is given. Views expressed are those of the authors. No statements in the magazine express Federal election analysis the policies of the BC BUILDING TRADES , except where indica ted. 20 Eager young people want to get into the unionized trades Trades Opportunity Group Job Fair The council represents 25 local unions belonging to 13 international unions. 22 Certification takes concrete pumping to new level There are approximately 35,000 unionized New training and certification construction workers in B.C. 23 Advice and mentorship to boost completion rates Winter 2019 Apprenticeship advisors ISSN 1480-5421 26 Business community doesn't understand who creates value Printed in Canada by Mitchell Press Reprehensible behaviour Base Subscription Rate –– $24 Cdn. per year in Canada and the U.S. 28 Running away from problems doesn't count as cardio! For subscriptions outside Canada and the Construction Industry Rehabilitation Plan U.S.––$32 Cdn. per year. 29 Vancity grant helps newcomers to the trades and green technol ogy Guest article Publications Mail Agreement No. 40848506 30 Hotel workers' struggles confront many workers Return undeliverable Union solidarity Canadian addresses to: #207 88 10th St. Cover : Carpenter New Westminster, B.C. V3M 6H8 apprentices Barbara James, Julian Layco and Jelissa Soledad are receiving full-scope trades training while working on the upgrades at YVR. Phil Venoit, President; Electrical Workers Tony Santavenere, Vice President Teamsters Hamish Stewart, Secretary-Treasurer, BCRC Carpenters Photo: Joshua Berson Geoff Higginson, Bricklayers & Allied Trades Roy Bizzutto, Cement Masons Neil Munro, Insulators Dan Jajic, IUPAT District Council 38 Doug Parton, Ironworkers Nav Malhotra, Labourers Miro Maras, Millwrights Brian Cochrane, Operating Engineers Darrell Hawk, Pile Drivers Al Phillips, Plumbers and Pipefitters Jim Paquette, Sheet Metal Workers & Roofers Jim Pearson, UNITE HERE Tradetalk is printed on Forest Stewardship Council ® Tom Sigurdson, Executive Director certified paper from responsible sources. The FSC ® is an independent, not-for-profit organization promoting responsible management of the world's forests. Winter 2019 / BC BUILDING TRADES tradetalk 3 Starting Point CBA court challenge update Court agrees with three of four arguments The non-union/anti-union/quasi- union construction sector, upset about the Community Benefits Agreement program, challenged the provincial NDP government in BC Supreme Court last spring. Well-known corporate lawyer Peter Gall is representing 15 groups and indi - viduals, including the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association and the Christian Labour Association of Canada. The BC Building Trades (and the Allied Infrastructure and Related Construction Council-AIRCC) are rep - resented by Charles Gordon. “There were four discreet aspects and we suc - ceeded on three of the four,” he said. The case went to court in May and Union solidarity for workers on the Gordon argued that the BCBT and picket line at Ledcor Technical Services AIRCC should be named as respon - in Port Coquitlam —The members of the dents along with the provincial govern - International Brotherhood of Electrical ment. “They are clearly impacted,” he Workers, who have been fighting for a said. “They are definitely interested collective agreement for two years, were parties and there is an obvious clear joined by members of UA Canada, interest in the outcome.” The decision LiUNA 1611, Cement Masons Local 919, came down in July and the court BC Insulators and Scabby the Rat agreed. (donated by IUOE Local 115) in In addition, Gordon argued that the October. A few days later, workers issues being raised by Gall are a matter rallied and marched from Canada Place for the BC Labour Relations Board and to Ledcor's office on West Hastings. that the BC Supreme Court does not have jurisdiction to hear the case at all. The court agreed with this, too. Gordon said Gall also tried to chal - “They're claiming that it (CBAs) are is what the CBA is, and the court lenge CBAs on charter grounds unrelated to policy objectives. (But) should not intervene in a policy deci - because people are required to join there are clear and compelling reasons sion of the government.” Building Trades unions to work on for the government to implement these infrastructure projects. “But the them...We feel court accepted our arguments” disput - confident in ing this position. our position, However, the court found one that there aspect that could proceed, he added. were good That was the opponents' claim that policy reasons CBAs are payback by the government for the govern - to the BC Building Trades for its sup - ment to port during the last provincial election. choose the “That part of it is continuing,” said project labour Gordon, “and will be addressed during agreement the week of Feb. 3 (2020). model, which We welcome your comments... n Send letters to the editor to [email protected] and please include o o your name, address, phone number and, where relevant, union affiliation, t r trade or company. a c m a L é s o J 4 tradetalk BC BUILDING TRADES / Winter 2019 From the editor tom sigurdson Tradetalk editor retires A time to reflect Thank you! Thank you for giving me provincial governments for very neces - Trades have remained steadfast. Under the honour of being your executive sary infrastructure projects, which trans - the leadership of presidents Don McGill director for the past number of years. I lated into more work for construction (Teamsters), Charlie Peck (IBEW), Gary was first hired into the position in 1997 workers. Kroeker (IUOE), Lee Loftus (Insulators), and left in 2003 to work in Ottawa as In 2017, the BC NDP resumed gov - Dave Holmes (DC 38) and Phil Venoit the director of political and legislative ernment and immediately got to work (IBEW), the council has had a charted affairs for Canada’s Building Trades on Community Benefits Agreement pro - course of action. We have focused on Unions. I returned as the BC Building jects. The NDP recognized the need for what we do best: supply the best skilled Trades executive director in 2011 and more training and apprenticeship oppor - workers to the project to get the job have been in that role since. As this is the tunities and have designated a number of done right the first time. The legacy we last editorial I will write, it is time for projects where contractors will have to leave when the job is done is more than reflection. provide for more apprentice hires, more structural: it is the skillsets we provide Over the course of those years, we women on the tools and better the apprentice, it is the economic activity have been witness to some very signifi - Indigenous inclusion. We have been pro - we help generate in the communities cant changes that have impacted the BC moting all of those components for where we work and where we live, it is Building Trades. In 1997, the NDP had years. For too long our lobbying efforts the lives we make better because we just been re-elected (1996) with Glen were completely ignored by the add value for individuals, the communi - Clark as premier. The Island Highway was Campbell and Clark Liberals. Premier ties and the country. under construction as a PLA; the John Horgan and the NDP have listened For those of you who work the tools, Millennium SkyTrain was negotiated and responded with the full recognition I have had the honour to speak of your under the conditions of the Island that if we don’t bring more people into skills and the benefits you bring to the Highway agreement; BC Hydro work the construction trades, the skilled job every day. I have told your stories was still being done under the decades- trades shortage will impact future eco - when speaking with politicians and indus - old Allied Hydro Agreement. While not nomic investment and our provincial try leaders. I have been proud and hon - all public work was being done under a economy as a whole. oured to represent you. We have pro - PLA, our relationship with the Clark gov - Over the course of all the political jects aplenty over the coming years so ernment was generally positive. turmoil, the directors of the BC Building let’s do what we do best: We Build B.C. In 2001, the BC Liberals led by Gordon Campbell, were elected and almost immediately the Building Trades were in the crosshairs of the govern - the building trades—Who we are ment. Campbell and his cohorts got rid of all compulsory certification for trades, Phone Web address making B.C.

Load more