IMPORTANT NOTICE: Members Working Under The Formwork Agreement Are On Strike

The Formwork Council of Ontario has met with the Ontario Formwork Association (the Employers) a total of five times since late March 2022 to try and reach a fair settlement for the renewal of the collective agreement. At our last meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2022, the Employers would not budge on their monetary offer […]

The Formwork Council of Ontario has met with the Ontario Formwork Association (the Employers) a total of five times since late March 2022 to try and reach a fair settlement for the renewal of the collective agreement.

At our last meeting on Thursday, April 28, 2022, the Employers would not budge on their monetary offer of $5.85 over three years. For members of Local 793, this amounts to between an 8.8% or 9.15% increase depending on the crane or heavy equipment being operated. The Formwork Council broke off negotiations when the Employer’s indicated they would not budge on this offer.

Because of the 100% strike mandate received at last weekend’s strike votes, members of Local 793 working under the Formwork Agreement are on strike effective Monday May 2, 2022.

What do I do on Monday May 2, 2022?

Since no work will be taking place on any formwork jobsites on Monday May 2, 2022, please do not report to work. Until advised otherwise, we will not be picketing jobs where no cranes are being operated.

Am I eligible for strike pay?

If you are paid up to date for your defense assessment, you will be eligible for strike pay. You must attend at your local area office on Wednesday of every week to sign in to receive strike pay.

How to check if your Defense Assessment is paid up to year 2022?

For all registered members, you can easily check online what year your Defense Assessment is paid up to by logging into the Union’s member portal at iuoelocal793.org and look under the heading “Current Dues Status.” You can also call your closest area office.

How to pay your Defense Assessment fee?

For all registered members, you can easily pay your Defense Assessment fee online through the Union’s member portal at iuoelocal793.org and click “Make Payment.” You can also make a payment through your closest area office.

Do I need to be available to join a picket line?

Yes, if you wish to receive strike pay, you must remain available to join a picket line if called upon by your Union. Please make sure to keep your phone with you in case you receive a call.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your area office. CLICK HERE to find your area office contact.

We will be updating you regularly so please continue to check your email, Facebook and the Union’s website for updates.

Ontario’s 2022 Budget supports a plan for building highways, transit and hospitals

On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy, released the province’s 2022 Budget titled: Ontario’s Plan to Build. The budget lays out $198.6 billion in spending, with billions earmarked for infrastructure this year and over the next decade. The document pledges $158.8 billion over 10 years for highways, transit and hospitals. The Budget contains […]

On Thursday, April 28, 2022, Ontario’s Minister of Finance, Peter Bethlenfalvy, released the province’s 2022 Budget titled: Ontario’s Plan to Build. The budget lays out $198.6 billion in spending, with billions earmarked for infrastructure this year and over the next decade. The document pledges $158.8 billion over 10 years for highways, transit and hospitals.

The Budget contains some initiatives and spending plans that are of interest to Local 793 and OETIO:

Here are some highlights:

Building highways and key infrastructure

• $158.8 billion capital plan over 10 years, including $20 billion in 2022–23: one of the most ambitious capital plans in Ontario’s history

• $25.1 billion in capital over 10 years to support planning, building and improving highways, including Highway 413, the Bradford Bypass, Highway 401 and Highway 7

• $61.6 billion in capital over 10 years for public transit, including expanding GO rail services to London and Bowmanville

Funding for hospitals

• Building and improving hospitals by investing more than $40 billion over the next 10 years in hospital and health care infrastructure supporting more than 50 major hospital projects that would add 3,000 new beds over 10 years.

• Making historic investments in hospitals with an additional $3.3 billion in 2022–23, bringing the total additional investments in hospitals to $8.8 billion since 2018–19. The government is also investing $3.5 billion over three years to support the continuation of over 3,000 hospital beds put in place during the pandemic and $1.1 billion over three years to support the continuation of hundreds of new adult, pediatric and neonatal critical care beds added during COVID-19.

Working for Workers

• Investing $1 billion annually in employment and training programs to help people retrain and upgrade their skills as the province continues to support better jobs and opportunities for Ontario workers.

• Investing an additional $114.4 million over three years in its Skilled Trades Strategy to break the stigma associated with the skilled trades and simplify the system.

• Providing $268.5 million over three years in additional funding through Employment Ontario to strengthen the government’s skills training and employment programs, including pandemic recovery initiatives.

CLICK HERE for a complete copy of the Ontario Budget 2022.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To all I.U.O.E., Local 793 members currently working under the Greater Toronto Sewer & Watermain Collective Agreement

SPECIAL CALLED RATIFICATION VOTE MEETING Dear Members: Your Union will be holding a ratification vote on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. to renew the terms and conditions of the Greater Toronto Sewer & Watermain Collective Agreement. The locations and time of the ratification vote are noted below. For all members that currently work […]

SPECIAL CALLED RATIFICATION VOTE MEETING

Dear Members:

Your Union will be holding a ratification vote on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 8:00 a.m. to renew the terms and conditions of the Greater Toronto Sewer & Watermain Collective Agreement. The locations and time of the ratification vote are noted below.

For all members that currently work in the Greater Toronto Sewer & Watermain Sector, please be sure to attend this important meeting at any one of the locations listed below.

YOUR FUTURE IS AT STAKE!

RATIFICATION VOTE FOR MEMBERS CURRENTLY WORKING UNDER THE GREATER TORONTO SEWER & WATERMAIN COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

GTA Location – 8:00 a.m.
IUOE, Local 793
OE Banquet Hall
2245 Speers Road
Oakville, Ontario

Barrie Location – 8:00 a.m.
Allure Hotel and
Conference Centre
20 Fairview Road
Barrie, Ontario

Fraternally yours,
Mike Gallagher
Business Manager

IMPORTANT NOTICE: To all I.U.O.E., Local 793 members currently working under the Toronto and Area Road Builders Collective Agreement

SPECIAL CALLED RATIFICATION VOTE MEETING Dear Members: Your Union will be holding a ratification vote on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. to renew the terms and conditions of the Toronto and Area Road Builders Collective Agreement. The locations and time of the ratification vote are noted below. For all members that currently work […]

SPECIAL CALLED RATIFICATION VOTE MEETING

Dear Members:

Your Union will be holding a ratification vote on Sunday, May 1, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. to renew the terms and conditions of the Toronto and Area Road Builders Collective Agreement. The locations and time of the ratification vote are noted below.

For all members that currently work in the Toronto and Area Road Building Sector, please be sure to attend this important meeting at any one of the locations listed below.

YOUR FUTURE IS AT STAKE!

RATIFICATION VOTE FOR MEMBERS CURRENTLY WORKING UNDER THE TORONTO AND AREA ROAD BUILDERS COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

GTA Location – 10:00 a.m.
IUOE, Local 793
OE Banquet Hall
2245 Speers Road
Oakville, Ontario

Barrie Location – 10:00 a.m.
Allure Hotel and
Conference Centre
20 Fairview Road
Barrie, Ontario

Fraternally yours,
Mike Gallagher
Business Manager

Pause, reflect, and remember on the National Day of Mourning

On April 28th of each year, we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in their respective lines of duty. The National Day of Mourning is when we honour workers who have been killed, injured, or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and occupational exposure. Workplace injuries and death are fully preventable. Local […]

On April 28th of each year, we remember those who have paid the ultimate price in their respective lines of duty. The National Day of Mourning is when we honour workers who have been killed, injured, or suffered illness due to workplace related hazards and occupational exposure.

Workplace injuries and death are fully preventable. Local 793 continuously lobbies for improved training, licensing, and standardization in the construction industry so we can work in a safer, healthier environment and eliminate workplace accidents and fatalities.

While we mourn for the people we have lost, we must also remember their friends, families and loved ones.

On this day, we remember the life of Local 793 member James DeMarco. He passed away on Thursday, June 3, 2021 at the age of 66.

James, known to most as Jim, was a heavy-duty mechanic for five years at the Baffinland Iron Mines in Nunavut. Jim contracted COVID-19 following an outbreak at the mine in April 2021. He was hospitalized only for a few days before passing from the virus.

Local 793 proudly represents the safety of thousands of workers and the fight for their right to a safe workplace environment. As much as we use this day to mourn for the dead, we must strengthen our resolve to protect what we currently have and continue to raise the standards for occupational health and safety.

The Local 793 Memorial Garden and Monument was built to honour members who died as a result of construction site accidents or due to occupational illnesses. Their names – 45 of them – are etched on the columns of this monument:

William Henry Munroe – November 4, 1970
Lambros Kordas – March 21, 1977
Joe Petrik – March 21, 1977
John W. Jr. Hunt – September 2, 1980
Bruce Norman Higgs – February 6, 1981
Roger Michael Sokoloski – November 2, 1984
Gerard Drapeau – August 5, 1987
Robert Jr. Baxter – September 25, 1987
Lynda Baker – September 14, 1989
Marc Roy – July 23, 1992
Elzear Dignard – August 4, 1992
Wallace Culp – November 16, 1993
Charles Barton – December 20, 1994
Robert Gerritsen – September 17, 1995
Donald Crawley – October 6, 1995
Earl Anness – January 17, 1996
Ronald Girard – May 17, 1996
Patrick Kelly – October 20, 1997
Edward Cox – June 14, 2001
Scott Mason – August 8, 2001
James Clement – October 26, 2001
Ryan Clement – October 26, 2001
Kenneth Gardiner – January 11, 2002
John Aarts – February 8, 2002
Allen Manchester – November 3, 2003
Michael Hipson – January 23, 2006
Kent Walker – May 15, 2006
Donald Duncan – October 13, 2007
Major Singh Dhadda – October 29, 2007
Giovanni De Francesco – January 1, 2009
Lee Antoniak – April 12, 2009
Keith Gudmundson – January 19, 2010
Vince De Paepe – July 3, 2011
Patrick Gartlan – July 15, 2011
Kyle Knox – October 11, 2011
Maurice La Chapelle – March 9, 2012
Renato Marchione – July 12, 2012
Jamie Drew Davis – July 12, 2015
Marc Normand – November 2, 2015
Claude Joly– December 15, 2016
Wayne H. McPhail – April 6, 2017
Eric Wheeler – May 6, 2019
Sylvio Paquette – July 10, 2019
Cody Proulx – February 24, 2021
James DiMarco – June 3, 2021

Important Reminder: Defense Assessment fee must be paid up to date in order to receive strike pay

This is a major bargaining year for many IUOE, Local 793 collective agreements. Therefore, the potential for members to be on strike and to be eligible to receive strike pay benefits for picketing activity is real. This is an important reminder that all members are obligated to keep their yearly Defense Assessment paid up to […]

This is a major bargaining year for many IUOE, Local 793 collective agreements. Therefore, the potential for members to be on strike and to be eligible to receive strike pay benefits for picketing activity is real.

This is an important reminder that all members are obligated to keep their yearly Defense Assessment paid up to date. The yearly Defense Assessment fee is $30. Being up to date (to year 2022) with your Defense Assessment ensures you will be eligible for strike pay benefits should you need to access them.

How to check if your Defense Assessment is paid up to year 2022?

For all registered members, you can easily check online what year your Defense Assessment is paid up to by logging into the Union’s member portal at www.iuoelocal793.org and look under the heading “Current Dues Status”. You can also call your closest area office.

How to pay your Defense Assessment fee?

For all registered members, you can easily pay your Defense Assessment fee online through the Union’s member portal at www.iuoelocal793.org and CLICK “Make A Payment”. You can also make a payment through your closest area office.

Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your area office. CLICK HERE to find your area office contact.

Local 793 keeping a close eye on other trades who continue to reach deals below 3-year inflation

Three trades in Ontario’s ICI sector – rodworkers, painters, and tile and terrazzo – are reported to have reached tentative contract agreements with their employers that include wage increases of about 9 per cent over three years in each case. The electrical sector settled for an 8.6 per cent wage increase over three years this past […]

Three trades in Ontario’s ICI sector – rodworkers, painters, and tile and terrazzo – are reported to have reached tentative contract agreements with their employers that include wage increases of about 9 per cent over three years in each case. The electrical sector settled for an 8.6 per cent wage increase over three years this past February, and the Ironworkers achieved a 9 per cent raise across the province over three years with a 0.5 per cent premium for Toronto workers in March.

On Wednesday, Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher, lead for the Local 793 Provincial Collective Agreement Negotiating Team, pointed to the raises negotiated by the Electrical Workers and Ironworkers and noted inflation has continued to creep up since those deals were signed.

“The IBEW one is nowhere near acceptable,” Gallagher said. “The Ironworker one we still think is low, but there’s other provisions in the agreement, like travel costs and other things that we can’t ignore.”

Statistics Canada announced that inflation hit 6.7 per cent per year in March, jumping above the 5.7 per cent increase recorded for February and the 5.1 per cent spike registered for January. Local 793 negotiators are continuously watching forecasts to determine how long inflation will continue at its current high level, Gallagher said, including speculating on whether interest rate hikes by the Bank of Canada will help bring inflation under control.

“At the end of the day, our job is to represent our members and to help them get something so they can pay the bills after we’re done negotiating here, because it’s really, really tough right now,” Gallagher said, referring to the March inflation numbers.

CLICK HERE to read the full article.

Reminder: Income tax filing deadline is May 2

The deadline to file your taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency is April 30, but because the deadline lands on a Saturday this year, returns will be accepted until May 2. Returns need to be received or postmarked no later than that date. Income tax receipts representing Union and working dues for the 2021 taxation […]

The deadline to file your taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency is April 30, but because the deadline lands on a Saturday this year, returns will be accepted until May 2. Returns need to be received or postmarked no later than that date.

Income tax receipts representing Union and working dues for the 2021 taxation year and other taxable benefit receipts from OEBAC (T4A’s) were mailed out to members’ homes in mid-February. If you did not receive your Union dues tax receipts and/or T4A slips, please get in touch with the OEBAC Member Call Centre at 1-844-793-1919.

All tax receipts and T4A’s are also available to download or print on the Union website. Log into your member profile on the Local 793 website and click “DOWNLOADABLE TAX FORMS.”

All active and retired Local 793 members in good standing have access to Venngo MemberPerks, a program offering discounts on leading brands and local businesses across Canada, including 25% off TurboTax preparation software to file taxes online.

3 easy steps to sign up for Venngo MemberPerks:

1) Create an account on the Venngo MemberPerks website by filling in all required fields. CLICK HERE.
2) Venngo MemberPerks will send a verification email to activate your account.
3) Click the “Start Saving” button to access thousands of deals.
Note: You will need your Union registration number to sign up. This can be found on your Union card.

Need help registering to Venngo MemberPerks? Email the support team at: support@venngo.com or call 1-866-383-6646

Happy Easter weekend from Local 793

Local 793 wishes all members and their loved ones a Happy Easter. Easter is a time for hope, celebration and renewal of life. It offers the opportunity to share goodwill and gratitude with family and friends and the hopeful feeling of new beginnings that come with the longer days and warmer spring weather. As many […]

Local 793 wishes all members and their loved ones a Happy Easter.

Easter is a time for hope, celebration and renewal of life. It offers the opportunity to share goodwill and gratitude with family and friends and the hopeful feeling of new beginnings that come with the longer days and warmer spring weather.

As many of us gather with family and friends this holiday weekend, everyone is reminded to celebrate safely, especially around those who may be more vulnerable.

Let’s continue to support each other and embrace peace, love and unity. This excerpt from Pope Francis’ Easter message in 2013 about urging peace in all the world captures the essence of Easter perfectly:

“Change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace.”

Have a Happy Easter weekend.

Please be advised that all Local 793 offices will be closed for the Easter holiday on Friday, April 15, 2022. The offices will be open on Monday, April 18, 2022.

Special Called Meeting: Ratification/strike vote meeting for the Formwork Collective Agreement

Dear Members: Your Union will be holding a ratification/strike vote on Sunday April 24, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. at IUOE Local 793’s head office located at 2245 Speers Road, Oakville and at the London district office located at 4096 Meadowbrook Drive, Unit 115, London for all members that: 1) are currently working under the Formwork […]

Dear Members:

Your Union will be holding a ratification/strike vote on Sunday April 24, 2022 at 12:30 p.m. at IUOE Local 793’s head office located at 2245 Speers Road, Oakville and at the London district office located at 4096 Meadowbrook Drive, Unit 115, London for all members that:

1) are currently working under the Formwork Collective Agreement; and

2) may work under the Formwork Collective Agreement, but are not employed in any employment on April 24th.

Be sure you attend this important meeting and please notify as many of your fellow Brothers and Sisters as possible that currently work or may work under the Formwork Collective Agreement.

Should you have any questions please contact your district Union office.

Fraternally yours,

Mike Gallagher
Business Manager