Category: Latest Industry News

Local 793’s Banquet Hall & Conference Centre at head office has been nominated for a 2012 Readers Choice Award in the North Oakville Today newspaper. The centre was nominated in the Banquet Facilities category. The public is being invited to cast votes online for the best banquet facility in the Oakville area. Winners of each category will be announced in the June 14 issue of the paper. To get to the online site click here. Once you register, go to the Best Services link and scroll down to the Banquet […]

Local 793’s Banquet Hall & Conference Centre at head office has been nominated for a 2012 Readers Choice Award in the North Oakville Today newspaper.
The centre was nominated in the Banquet Facilities category.
The public is being invited to cast votes online for the best banquet facility in the Oakville area. Winners of each category will be announced in the June 14 issue of the paper.
To get to the online site click here.
Once you register, go to the Best Services link and scroll down to the Banquet Facilities link. The OE Banquet Hall & Conference Centre is listed there.
Oakville is waiting to see who has the best banquet hall. Your vote could put us in the winner’s circle.

An annual survey of 500 industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) contractors across Ontario reveals that the business outlook for 2012 remains positive, but less so than in previous years. The survey was done by Ipsos-Reid for the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS), which represents the interests of the organized building trades and their signatory contractors in the ICI sector. Thirty-three per cent of the contractors surveyed expect to conduct more business this year while 14 per cent expect to conduct less business. Work expectations were strongest in northern Ontario where 80 […]

An annual survey of 500 industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) contractors across Ontario reveals that the business outlook for 2012 remains positive, but less so than in previous years.

The survey was done by Ipsos-Reid for the Ontario Construction Secretariat (OCS), which represents the interests of the organized building trades and their signatory contractors in the ICI sector.

Thirty-three per cent of the contractors surveyed expect to conduct more business this year while 14 per cent expect to conduct less business.

Work expectations were strongest in northern Ontario where 80 per cent of contractors in the region rated the current economic situation as good. With nearly $5 billion in investment slated to begin this year, northern contractors have significantly upped their expectations for 2012.

Conversely, work forecasts were weakest in southwestern Ontario, consistent with their bleak appraisal of their current economic situation.

Contractors in the GTA and central Ontario tempered their expectations the most versus 2011.

Firms in eastern Ontario were the second most positive when rating their work expectations.

By sector, contractors who do work in the industrial and institutional segments are expecting to do less business this year, while those in the commercial sector expect to be busier.

Meanwhile, another report by the OCS forecasts that construction will continue to be a leader in employment growth over the coming years.

The report, called Construction Looking Forward, forecasts that 120,000 new workers will be required to meet increased demand and retirements by 2020.

New entrants to the trades will fill about one-half of those positions, the report indicates, which leaves a gap of approximately 60,000 workers.

The National Post newspaper recently profiled crane operator George DeFreitas and interviewed Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher. The story appeared in the paper on Saturday, April 21. To see the story and photos, click here.

The National Post newspaper recently profiled crane operator George DeFreitas and interviewed Local 793 business manager Mike Gallagher. The story appeared in the paper on Saturday, April 21.

To see the story and photos, click here.

Construction employment is expected to remain at record-high levels in Canada for at least another decade. That’s the assessment of a new national forecast of labour supply and demand released recently by the Construction Sector Council (CSC). Canada will need an estimated 319,000 new construction workers between 2012 and 2020 to keep pace with increasing demand from the industry and to compensate for the rising number of anticipated retirements, says the forecast called Construction Looking Forward. CSC business co-chair Tim Flood said industry stakeholders are drawing on past experience to […]

Construction employment is expected to remain at record-high levels in Canada for at least another decade.

That’s the assessment of a new national forecast of labour supply and demand released recently by the Construction Sector Council (CSC).

Canada will need an estimated 319,000 new construction workers between 2012 and 2020 to keep pace with increasing demand from the industry and to compensate for the rising number of anticipated retirements, says the forecast called Construction Looking Forward.

CSC business co-chair Tim Flood said industry stakeholders are drawing on past experience to find ways to meet future demand.

“Recruiting for the projects is the first priority, but there is a second critical challenge related to training and retaining workers to meet current needs as well as long-term needs.

“The industry is working to ensure that investments in apprenticeships and other types of training and support systems keep pace with demand.”

According to the forecast, the national construction labour force is expected to rise by 100,000 workers between 2012 and 2020 to meet demand associated with increased construction activity. Meanwhile, the workforce is aging and baby boomers are expected to retire.

An estimated 219,000 construction workers are expected to retire Canada-wide in the next decade, meaning that the industry will need to replace more than 20 per cent of its current workforce in the same time period.

CSC labour co-chair Robert Blakely, director of Canadian affairs for the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department, said another major challenge for human resource managers will be tracking the mobility of skilled trades workers across regions as they’ll be needed in specific areas for mining, oil and gas, pipeline, electrical generation and transmission projects.

“Many of these projects are in remote northern locations, but the scale of this work generates significant demand requirements across many provinces,” said Blakely.

He said mapping the proposed start-up of major projects in some regions and the winding down of projects in others will be critical for assessing the inter-provincial mobility to meet peak demand requirements.

Local 793 has arranged for monthly membership meetings to be held in May and June for operating engineers working on the Kiewit-Alarie Partnership (KAP) project on the Lower Mattagami River. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012. Two sessions have been scheduled. One is at 4:30 p.m. and the other is at 6:30 p.m. The second meeting will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2012. Times have yet to be determined. Both meetings are being held in the conference room at the permanent camp. The meetings […]

Local 793 has arranged for monthly membership meetings to be held in May and June for operating engineers working on the Kiewit-Alarie Partnership (KAP) project on the Lower Mattagami River.

The first meeting will be held on Thursday, May 10, 2012. Two sessions have been scheduled. One is at 4:30 p.m. and the other is at 6:30 p.m.

The second meeting will be held on Thursday, June 14, 2012. Times have yet to be determined.

Both meetings are being held in the conference room at the permanent camp.

The meetings are for the 100 union members employed on the KAP project.

Local 793 members from all areas of the province are working on the KAP project.

The Ontario College of Trades has begun its journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio reviews. Submissions are presently being accepted for four groups of trades. One of the groups is for hoisting engineer: mobile crane operator-Br1; hoisting engineer: mobile crane operator-Br2; and hoisting engineer: tower crane operator. The deadline for written submissions is May 18 at 2 p.m. (EDT) The College believes that the open and transparent review of these ratios is an important step in promoting fairness and safety in the workplace. The College of Trades was established to help modernize the province’s […]

The Ontario College of Trades has begun its journeyperson-to-apprentice ratio reviews.

Submissions are presently being accepted for four groups of trades.

One of the groups is for hoisting engineer: mobile crane operator-Br1; hoisting engineer: mobile crane operator-Br2; and hoisting engineer: tower crane operator.

The deadline for written submissions is May 18 at 2 p.m. (EDT)

The College believes that the open and transparent review of these ratios is an important step in promoting fairness and safety in the workplace.

The College of Trades was established to help modernize the province’s apprenticeship and skilled trades system.

To learn more about the review and make a submission, click here.

 

 

The Ontario Construction Secretariat has published a bulletin, outlining the effect of the provincial budget on the construction industry. Click here to see the bulletin.  

The Ontario Construction Secretariat has published a bulletin, outlining the effect of the provincial budget on the construction industry.

Click here to see the bulletin.

 

Local 793 is on solid financial footing, but there are many challenges ahead, business manager Mike Gallagher told a special executive board meeting of the union at head office in Oakville on March 24. “This organization is in great shape,” he said, noting that members have decent pension and benefit plans, the work situation remains favourable for members across the province, and that the defence and reserve funds of the local are in good shape. However, he told delegates, it would be a mistake for the union to become complacent […]

Local 793 is on solid financial footing, but there are many challenges ahead, business manager Mike Gallagher told a special executive board meeting of the union at head office in Oakville on March 24.

“This organization is in great shape,” he said, noting that members have decent pension and benefit plans, the work situation remains favourable for members across the province, and that the defence and reserve funds of the local are in good shape.

However, he told delegates, it would be a mistake for the union to become complacent as there are clearly some obstacles ahead, namely the infiltration of the right-to-work movement from the U.S., large foreign consortiums bidding on work in Ontario, and a federal Conservative government that is intent on undermining the rights of unions.

“There are reasons for us to be vigilant,” he said. “There are storm clouds on the horizon.”

Gallagher said the Koch Brothers – architects of the Tea Party in the U.S. – have moved into Alberta and Ontario and are “intertwined” with the Tories.

The Kochs, he said, helped put in place anti-union legislation in America and are intent on bringing their agenda to Ontario.

He said the wages that workers enjoy in Ontario will be fleeting if the Koch Brothers get their way and unions like Local 793 need to be actively involved in fighting against the movement.

At the federal level, he said, the Conservatives are trying to bring in Bill C-377, legislation that would increase the bureaucracy and compliance costs for unions because they’d have to file more detailed financial statements that could be viewed by the public.

“It would increase administration costs to unions by 20 per cent,” he said. “It would be like having a forensic audit done on you every year.”

The legislation would also require the union to disclose any disbursement to a member in excess of $5,000, he said, and that information could be posted on a government website.

Local 793 and other building trade unions are fighting the legislation, but the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is intent on getting it passed, he said.

“We need to be a strong organization and politically active, as we have been,” noted Gallagher. “If we allow the right wing to roll over us, it won’t be long before jobs are eroded.”

Gallagher said members only have to look at what happened at the Caterpillar plant in London to see what’s on the agenda for unions in Ontario.

“It’s disgraceful what happened there,” he noted.

Caterpillar locked out workers at its Electro-Motive Locomotive Factory after they refused pay cuts of up to 50 per cent. The company is moving the work to Indiana.

Gallagher touched on a number of other topics during his remarks.

He said an Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT) signed by all first ministers has basically undermined training programs as it allows a crane operator with a licence from another jurisdiction to work in Ontario without writing a demonstration of skills test (DOST).

He said there was an instance recently where an operator came to Ontario and went to work without doing the test.

Gallagher said he wants the province to recognize that the DOST should be done in such cases. Otherwise, operators could go to work on a 25-storey building in Toronto without being tested.

“We have to continue with the government to get them to recognize we want the best on such sensitive pieces of equipment,” he said.

Gallagher also told the audience that Local 793 is working to convince the province that an operator of a drill rig should have a 339A crane licence.

According to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, that licence is not required, he said.

“We are working urgently to get the government to change this,” he said, noting that Local 793 has always dispatched operators with a 339A licence when a contractor calls for a drill rig operator.

Gallagher said he has had a couple of heated meetings with representatives from the ministries of labour and training, colleges and universities over the issue, and intends to continue pressing them.

“This is extremely high on our radar to get this righted,” he said.

Support provided by Local 793 is enabling a Mesothelioma Research Program at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to make important progress against the disease. “Your members’ support has helped our clinicians and researchers make significant progress in the area of mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment,” the hospital’s foundation says in a report prepared for the union. “Novel approaches you have supported are giving Canadians and their families the relief and hope they need and deserve.” The report notes that the hospital is very grateful to the members of Local 793 for […]

Support provided by Local 793 is enabling a Mesothelioma Research Program at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto to make important progress against the disease.

“Your members’ support has helped our clinicians and researchers make significant progress in the area of mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment,” the hospital’s foundation says in a report prepared for the union.

“Novel approaches you have supported are giving Canadians and their families the relief and hope they need and deserve.”

The report notes that the hospital is very grateful to the members of Local 793 for their continued support of the research program.

The program is supported by Local 793 and a number of other building trades.

Local 793 has contributed more than $1.2 million to the research program over the last four years. The union contributes two cents to the program for every hour worked by a member.

The program is designed to detect mesothelioma and lung cancer at an early stage using a CT scan.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that affects the lining of the lungs. It is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.

The hospital foundation says that funds provided by Local 793 are supporting further development of pioneering approaches to mesothelioma treatment.

“Your commitment will also help us invest in training thoracic surgeons, radiologist clinicians and researchers for future generations,” the foundation’s report notes.

“With Local 793’s commitment, we can make a global impact on mesothelioma, increasing the quality of life through early diagnosis and novel therapeutics.”

To date, 1,186 participants have been screened since the program was launched in 2005. Fifty-six of those have been members of Local 793.

Local 793 operators who wish to find out more information about the screening program can call Brenda O’Sullivan at 416-340-5686.

To see the full report from the hospital foundation, click here.

 

James T. Callahan, general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), has been elected as vice president of the AFL-CIO. The executive council of the AFL-CIO is composed of 57 union leaders and is the key decision-making body of the 12-million-member organization. “I look forward to working with my fellow leaders in the labour movement to fight for working people across America,” Callahan said in a statement. “I’m honored to receive their trust and support.” Callahan was elected IUOE general president in November 2011 to fulfill the term […]

James T. Callahan, general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), has been elected as vice president of the AFL-CIO.

The executive council of the AFL-CIO is composed of 57 union leaders and is the key decision-making body of the 12-million-member organization.

“I look forward to working with my fellow leaders in the labour movement to fight for working people across America,” Callahan said in a statement. “I’m honored to receive their trust and support.”

Callahan was elected IUOE general president in November 2011 to fulfill the term of retired general president Vincent Giblin. He previously served as IUOE general secretary-treasurer and as president and business manager of Local 15 in New York City.

Callahan, a 32-year union member and third generation operating engineer, moved up the ranks from member to shop steward, foreman, trustee and business representative to ultimately leading Local 15.

He was one of the many operating engineers who responded immediately to the September 11 tragedy at the World Trade Center and worked the entire recovery effort at Ground Zero.

“I firmly believe that working together, we have the collective strength and ability to deal with the challenges of our time – an erratic global economy, a hostile political environment and a stubbornly sluggish recovery,” Callahan said. “Don’t underestimate the character and resolve of American workers and their unions.”

The IUOE represents more than 400,000 members in 123 local unions across the U.S. and Canada, including Local 793. Members work as crane and heavy equipment operators, mechanics and surveyors in the construction industry; stationary engineers in the building and industrial maintenance sector; nurses and other health care workers; and public employees.