Independent contractors and union members descended on the B.C. legislature for a second time Tuesday, warning that the NDP governmentB次元官网网址檚 union construction rules are chasing away bidders and pushing up costs for taxpayers.
The B.C. Liberal opposition hosted members of the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada and its main union, Langley-based Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) to the rally. They say they are excluded by the B.C. governmentB次元官网网址檚 rules requiring workers on large public construction to join one of 19 mostly U.S.-based construction unions, including the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Labourers International Union and United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners.
Dawn Rebelo, a equipment operator, talks about training women
B次元官网网址� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
The new rules apply to the Pattullo Bridge replacement between Surrey and New Westminster, the pending Broadway subway line in Vancouver, and sections of Highway 1 widening between Kamloops and the Alberta border that are now in preparation or bidding stages.
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The first Highway 1 section near Revelstoke went 35 per cent over budget, which was attributed to rising material costs and a skilled labour shortage. The Illecillewaet four-laning project was one of a series of projects to widen the Kicking Horse Pass section of the highway from Revelstoke to Golden, a project budgeted at more than $600 million.
One of the most difficult mountain road stretches in the country, the Kicking Horse project is one-third funded by Ottawa and the rest by B.C. The B.C. government has acknowledged that the union restrictions will add $35 million to the Kicking Horse project.
Paul de Jong, president of the Progressive Contractors Association of Canada, said the union hiring rules effectively break up experienced work crews, resulting in only four bidders on the Kicking Horse work.
B次元官网网址淎 project of this scope would ordinarily attract 15 to 20 bidders,B次元官网网址� de Jong said.
Progressive ContractorsB次元官网网址� speaks to rally at about union rules
B次元官网网址� Tom Fletcher (@tomfletcherbc)
In the legislature before the rally, Shuswap MLA Greg Kyllo released a B次元官网网址渄ebriefingB次元官网网址� note from William Hoban of Enviro-Ex Contracting, who dropped out of the bidding for the Illecillewaet project this spring. Hoban was harshly critical of the B次元官网网址淐ommunity Benefits AgreementB次元官网网址� (CBA) terms and their effect on bidding for a project that prevented them from bringing their experienced crews as a whole.
B次元官网网址淭he majority of the contractors that we work with and are specialized in this scope are smaller companies with non-union workforces,B次元官网网址� Hoban wrote in response to questions from the transportation ministry on his decision to drop out. B次元官网网址淎ll of them refused to bid the project.B次元官网网址�
Transportation Minister Claire Trevena said the CBA is designed to increase the number and completion of apprenticeships on public construction projects, with an emphasis on women and Indigenous people receiving training. The Independent Contractors and Business Association from the provinceB次元官网网址檚 own Industry Training Authority in May, showing the vast majority of construction apprentices are now sponsored by non-union companies.
B次元官网网址淟ike in many areas, if itB次元官网网址檚 a unionized job site, people are expected to join the union, as they were when they were working on the Waneta Dam, when they were working at John Hart [dam], when they were working at many of the projects, both under the B.C. Liberals and under the Socreds,B次元官网网址� Trevena told the legislature.
The Site C dam is the first major B.C. Hydro project to proceed as an open-shop, a matter of bitter dispute between the former B.C. Liberal government and the B.C. and Yukon Building Trades Council, whose members now exclusively represent workers on major construction under the NDP government.
tfletcher@blackpress.ca
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