|
Anti-Union Agenda of Saskatchewan’s Wall Government Targets Construction Unions, Members with Bill 80
Issue 5 - 2009
 Building trades unions in Canada have long advocated for the right of unions and their members to organize based on the trades they practice, as opposed to the “wall-to-wall” model where all workers on a particular jobsite, regardless of trade, belong to one union. “Wall-to-wall” certifications, they argue, successfully in most provinces, lead to wholesale deskilling of all the building trades and lower wages significantly. With the introduction of Bill 80, the Construction Industry Labour Relations Amendment Act, the anti-union agenda of Premier Brad Wall’s Saskatchewan government, however, is determined to do just that, while at the same time, putting out the welcome mat for employer-dominated unions such as CLAC (Christian Labour Association of Canada).
If enacted, Bill 80 would not only eliminate province-wide collective bargaining and open the door for “wall-to-wall” certifications, but it would eliminate “maintenance” as a recognized part of the construction industry, thereby removing a substantial number of union members from being covered by the Act. In addition, the proposed changes would let contractors, not workers, choose which union represents them.
In June, IU Assistant to the President for Canadian Affairs Graeme Aitken and Local 1 Saskatchewan President and Canadian Congress Co-Chair Clarence Medernach testified at a legislative committee hearing in Regina to voice the International Union’s and Local 1 SK’s vehement opposition to Bill 80.
“It’s union busting on the part of the Wall government and the Saskatchewan Party, plain and simple,” Medernach says, and invites Local 1 members to sign the online petition, “Say No to Bill 80,” on the Saskatchewan Building Trades Council’s website at http://www.saynotobill80.ca/.
|
