[thistleclub]

Number of striking construction workers more than doubles — delaying some projects by months
(Toronto Star, Rosa Saba, May 11 2022)

Ontario’s largest residential construction strike in 20 years is growing quickly with thousands of additional construction workers going on strike this week.

Around 15,000 residential labourers walked off the job last week, alongside another 6,000 commercial operating engineers. This week, another 15,000 commercial, industrial and institutional carpenters went on strike, as did around 7,000 residential and commercial drywall workers.

The number of striking workers will likely continue to grow, insiders say, as more tradespeople, faced with the rising cost of living, demand pay hikes to help them deal with inflation.

“I’ve never seen a more complicated set of circumstances than that which we’re facing now,” said Richard Lyall, president of the Residential Construction Council of Ontario (RESCON).

Mike Yorke, president of the Carpenters’ District Council of Ontario, said he can’t recall ever seeing so many individual trades on strike at once.

The strikes are delaying the construction of much-needed detached homes, town homes and condos — and the delays could last months. Commercial construction workers are now on strike as well, causing additional delays in the construction of hospitals, office towers, even holding up the refurbishment of Parliament Hill.

And there are signs that more strikes are on the way. The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) has asked some workers to vote for a strike mandate, saying on its website that while the bargaining team is hopeful, “reality indicates that job action may be required to secure an improved package.”

Lyall said of the 30 union agreements in the residential trades, which all expired this spring, more than half have already been ratified through bargaining or arbitration. Another five could join the striking workers if bargaining goes awry.

Because each trade bargains separately, work stoppages can create a “domino effect” in the industry, adding to pressures caused by supply chain issues and the pandemic, said Lyall.

“Is it having an effect? Absolutely.”

The 15,000 construction workers in the residential sector who went on strike last week are covered by Local 183 of the Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA).

Workers in highrise forming, self-levelling flooring, house framing, tile installation, rail installation, and carpet and hardwood installation are asking for better compensation amid rising inflation, though the rail installation workers have since ratified a new agreement and are back to work.

“LiUNA Local 183 members were deemed essential throughout the pandemic and continue to serve in one of the GTA’s fastest growing construction sectors,” said LiUNA 183 business manager Jack Oliveira in a press release. “Our members are at the front lines of the region’s growth and deserve fair pay and benefits for their work and service to the community.”

Read it in full here.