Category: Press Release

Following is a press release issued by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, and the Carpenters’ Regional Council, on December 3, 2024: Toronto, ON – In a groundbreaking development for the construction industry, today, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, and the Carpenters’ Regional Council have signed a historic partnership agreement. This collaboration represents a united front in advocating for workers’ rights and strengthening the representation of their members across the industry. This unprecedented alliance marks a new chapter for the two influential unions, both renowned […]

Following is a press release issued by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, and the Carpenters’ Regional Council, on December 3, 2024:

Toronto, ON – In a groundbreaking development for the construction industry, today, the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793, and the Carpenters’ Regional Council have signed a historic partnership agreement. This collaboration represents a united front in advocating for workers’ rights and strengthening the representation of their members across the industry.

This unprecedented alliance marks a new chapter for the two influential unions, both renowned for their dedication to improving the lives of construction workers. By joining forces, Local 793 and the Carpenters’ Regional Council aim to enhance their collective efforts in unionizing workers and protecting their livelihoods from emerging challenges in the construction sector.

“This partnership reflects our shared commitment to ensuring that workers are treated with the dignity, fairness, and respect they deserve,” said Jason Rowe, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, of the Carpenters’ Regional Council. “Together, we will work tirelessly to safeguard the livelihoods of our members and stand as a united force against any threats to their well-being.”

Mike Gallagher, Business Manager of Local 793, echoed these sentiments: “Collaboration between our unions not only strengthens our ability to protect current members but also creates a path forward to unionize more workers who deserve the protections and benefits of union representation. This agreement is a historic step toward achieving greater equity and security for all construction workers in the province of Ontario.”

The agreement is a reflection of the unions’ shared vision for a stronger, more resilient workforce. By collaborating to share resources, knowledge, and expertise, this partnership is set to strengthen the unions’ ability to represent their respective members effectively and advocate for fair wages, safer working conditions, and job security for all.

Following is a press release issued by I.U.O.E., Local 793, on June 20, 2024: Mike Gallagher will lead the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“I.U.O.E. Local 793”), for an unprecedented eighth term after he was re-elected unopposed to his position as Business Manager. “To my knowledge, this is the first time in our history that we have been so united as an organization to elect the entire team unopposed,” Gallagher said in a thank you letter to the more than 19,000 members of Local 793. “It is a […]

Following is a press release issued by I.U.O.E., Local 793, on June 20, 2024:

Mike Gallagher will lead the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“I.U.O.E. Local 793”), for an unprecedented eighth term after he was re-elected unopposed to his position as Business Manager.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time in our history that we have been so united as an organization to elect the entire team unopposed,” Gallagher said in a thank you letter to the more than 19,000 members of Local 793. “It is a great privilege to represent you and fight for you and your family for better job site conditions, benefits, training opportunities, jobs, and first-class pension and benefit plans.

“With your support, we will continue to build a better union and future for you and your family.”

Each member of the existing leadership team was also re-elected unopposed, including:

Officers
Dave Turple (President), Mike Scott (Vice-President), Rick Kerr (Treasurer), Brian Alexander (Financial Secretary) and Steve Booze (Recording-Corresponding Secretary)

Executive Board
Jordan Glendenning, Jeff Hewitt, John Kelly, Paul Knight, Virgil Nosè and Justin O’Neill

Trustees
Mike Barons, Kyle Schutte and Martin Tassé

Auditors
Eric Giroux, Stephen Rubinoff and Andrew Saunders

Conductor
Gord Vandevenne

Guard
Shawn McLeary

Gallagher has been the Business Manager since 1996, when members turned to him and his team to get the Local back on track following a period of turmoil that resulted in its placement under International supervision.
Since then, however, the Local has only gone from strength to strength – exiting International supervision, building up its finances, rapidly increasing membership, expanding training opportunities and bringing its pension and benefits plan in-house.

As the union’s new five-year Strategic Plan was recently finalized, his focus will now be on delivering on its ambitious goals, especially in the areas of organizing, training, health and safety, and reaching out to traditionally marginalized groups in construction, such as women and members of Indigenous communities.

“The Team Gallagher commitment is to build on our progress in Ontario and Nunavut. Progress that you know and trust,” Gallagher said. “We will continue to improve the lives of members and their families through growing a strong union that provides quality and progressive agreements, world-class training and platinum level life & health benefits and pension plans that you can count on now and depend on in the future.”

Following is a press release issued by Local 793 regarding Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal’s decision to reject Baffinland Iron Mines’ Phase 2 expansion proposal. HOW DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REJECTION OF BAFFINLAND’S MINING EXPANSION PROJECT HELP CANADA’S SHRINKING ECONOMY? OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 18, 2022 – The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) is deeply disappointed with Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal’s decision to reject Baffinland Iron Mines’ Phase 2 expansion proposal and his clear failure to recognize the significant economic consequences of this decision […]

Following is a press release issued by Local 793 regarding Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal’s decision to reject Baffinland Iron Mines’ Phase 2 expansion proposal.

HOW DOES THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S REJECTION OF BAFFINLAND’S MINING EXPANSION PROJECT HELP CANADA’S SHRINKING ECONOMY?

OAKVILLE, ON, Nov. 18, 2022 – The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) is deeply disappointed with Federal Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal’s decision to reject Baffinland Iron Mines’ Phase 2 expansion proposal and his clear failure to recognize the significant economic consequences of this decision to many Canadian families.

Representing approximately 1,000 production employees who come from across the country to work at Baffinland’s Mary River Mine on Baffin Island, Nunavut, including approximately 200 who are Inuit residing in the Qikiqtani Region, Local 793 believes the Minister’s decision is not adequately considering the socio-economic impact of Phase 2 for workers.

“Following the decision by Minister Vandal, we’re left questioning where Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland’s comments about the global economy being at a turning point applies,” Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher said. “Currently, it doesn’t look like it applies to Baffinland Iron Mines, where the future of more than 1,000 unionized jobs is now uncertain, let alone the 2,600 plus workers who rely on Baffinland Iron Mines for work.”

Freeland’s remarks were made in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement, where the federal government highlighted its plan to continue its sound stewardship of the economy and to be there for Canadians; to help families cope with increasing costs and delivering targeted support to the Canadians who need it the most.

In her statement, Freeland said:

“From critical minerals, to ports, to energy, we will continue to make it easier for businesses to invest in major projects in Canada—projects with meaningful Indigenous participation; projects that meet the highest environmental standards; projects that will create good jobs; and projects that will allow Canadian workers to drive our economy forward.”

and

“That is why our Minister of Natural Resources is pitching Canada’s critical minerals to the world, and working hard with provinces and territories to get them out of the ground and to global markets.”

“How is it that on one hand the federal government says they are in favour of resource development and good paying jobs but on the other hand, reject the expansion of an already existing mine that has significant Inuit participation and employs workers from across Canada,” questioned Business Manager Gallagher. “Losing well-paid skilled jobs when the cost of living has skyrocketed right across the country makes this news even harder to accept.

“Where can we relocate all these lost jobs if the mine cannot sustain its operation without growth?” Gallagher continued. “Loss of employment for hundreds of Canadians will cause hardship that cannot be undone.”

Since its inception, the Mary River Mine has provided thousands of good paying jobs for highly trained and skilled workers from across Canada, including the North Baffin Region. The Mine contributes about 23% of Nunavut’s GDP and is the Territory’s largest private sector employer.

Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers represents more than 18,000 highly skilled crane and heavy equipment operators and other skilled workers employed in all sectors of the construction industry, industrial and mining sectors across the province of Ontario and the territory of Nunavut. Members of Local 793 operate mobile cranes, tower cranes, concrete pumps, bulldozers, excavators, graders, tractor loader backhoes and many other types of heavy equipment.

For further information: Local 793 Business Manager, Mike Gallagher, 905-469-9299, ext. 2202

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) urges the Nunavut Impact Review Board (“NIRB”) and the federal Minister of Northern Affairs to act immediately to approve Baffinland’s request to allow the company to increase production to 6 million tonnes at the Mary River Mine through to the end of 2022. This urgent action is needed to ensure that the jobs of hundreds of skilled unionized workers, many of whom are residents of Nunavut, are protected. (Image courtesy of Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation.) On July 31, 2022, Baffinland […]

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) urges the Nunavut Impact Review Board (“NIRB”) and the federal Minister of Northern Affairs to act immediately to approve Baffinland’s request to allow the company to increase production to 6 million tonnes at the Mary River Mine through to the end of 2022. This urgent action is needed to ensure that the jobs of hundreds of skilled unionized workers, many of whom are residents of Nunavut, are protected.

(Image courtesy of Baffinland Iron Mines Corporation.)

On July 31, 2022, Baffinland took the drastic step of issuing hundreds of termination notices to employees. In an update notice to employees Brian Penney, CEO stated: “For a number of reasons, the regulatory process is moving more slowly than is necessary to meet Baffinland’s operational requirements. As a result, Baffinland must continue to take preparatory steps to rescale its operation in the event that it is not successful in renewing its permit. Therefore, it is with a heavy heart that I am writing to inform you that in the coming hours, impacted employees will be receiving termination notices. These terminations are NOT immediate and will only take effect on two dates: September 25th and October 11th, 2022.”

Local 793 represents workers in a wide variety of occupational categories in the construction, industrial and mining sectors. At the Mary River Mine this includes over 1,000 heavy machinery operators, haul truck drivers, millwrights, electricians, welders, mechanics, crane operators, labourers, warehouse technicians and other occupations. In total, Baffinland employs over 2,500 employees and contractor workers.

The Mary River Mine has long provided well-paying jobs for highly trained and skilled Canadian workers from across the country, including hundreds of workers from Nunavut who continue to be prioritized for training opportunities. The mine provides royalties and community benefits that directly benefit local Inuit communities. We understand that the mine represents nearly 23% of the GDP for Nunavut and is a vital component for Nunavut’s future economic growth. Local 793’s primary responsibility remains protecting the jobs and welfare of our members.

“We feel both anger and disappointment that our members are being let go, in our view unnecessarily, because of constant delays at the NIRB in making timely decisions, and also at the federal government with more delays on making decisions based on what we already know that it will cost our members their livelihood,” said Mike Gallagher, Local 793 Business Manager.

“The whole regulatory process is unfair to the workers as their wishes don’t seem to be important to anyone,” said Gallagher. “The very fact that termination notices have now been sent has had an immediate and devastating impact on employees at the mine, including many Inuit, and their ability to provide for themselves, their families and their communities.”

Losing skilled jobs when the cost of living has skyrocketed right across the country makes receiving termination notices even harder to cope with. “Recovery from the pandemic requires maintaining and more importantly growing quality jobs, not losing them, especially in the impacted communities closest to the mine,” said Gallagher.

For the sake of the hundreds of skilled employees whose livelihoods depend on working at quality jobs at Baffinland’s mine, Local 793 urges the NIRB and federal government to do the right thing and approve Baffinland’s request to increase production to 6 million tonnes. Local 793 members need certainty of their continued and future employment at the mine.

Following is a press release issued by IUOE Local 793 regarding IUOE Local 793 endorsing the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in the 2022 Election. OAKVILLE, ON, May 27, 2022 /CNW/ – The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) announced its full endorsement of Doug Ford and the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party for the June 2 provincial election. Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher stated the endorsement in a letter sent to Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, writing that the backing is centred […]

Following is a press release issued by IUOE Local 793 regarding IUOE Local 793 endorsing the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario in the 2022 Election.

OAKVILLE, ON, May 27, 2022 /CNW/ – The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 (“Local 793”) announced its full endorsement of Doug Ford and the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party for the June 2 provincial election.

Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher stated the endorsement in a letter sent to Monte McNaughton, Minister of Labour, Training and Skills Development, writing that the backing is centred on the Progressive Conservative government’s clear commitment to the skilled trades in Ontario, their strong emphasis on safety and training, and promise to invest in infrastructure.

“Your Party has focused on the recruitment of young workers into the skilled trades and emphasized significant highway, transit, and infrastructure spending to grow our economy, keep employment high and ultimately build our economy back stronger than it was pre-pandemic,” Business Manager Gallagher stated in the letter.

Business Manager Gallagher noted that the decision to endorse the Ontario Progressive Conservatives is also based on Minister McNaughton’s legislative approach to preserve the compulsory and voluntary trades and understanding the importance of having properly trained and licensed tradespeople doing dangerous work to ensure all workers and the public are protected.

Business Manager Gallagher added that the Party’s continued effort to tackle affordability and the housing crisis is of particular importance to the more than 18,000 members of Local 793.

“These government priorities align closely with what Local 793 and my members value the most, and we look forward to working cooperatively with you and Leader Doug Ford when the PC Party of Ontario is successfully re-elected on June 2, 2022,” said Business Manager Gallagher.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 793 is a long-established trade union which received its original Charter in 1919. Today, we proudly represent over 18,000 crane and heavy equipment operators and other skilled workers employed in all sectors of the construction industry, industrial and mining sectors across the province of Ontario and the territory of Nunavut. Members of Local 793 operate mobile cranes, tower cranes, concrete pumps, bulldozers, excavators, graders, tractor loader backhoes, heavy haul trucks and many other types of heavy equipment.

SOURCE International Union Of Operating Engineers – Local 793

For further information: Local 793 Business Manager, Mike Gallagher, 905-469-9299, ext. 2202

Press Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/iuoe-local-793-endorses-progressive-conservative-party-of-ontario-in-2022-election-839433630.html

For Immediate Release May 12, 2020 OAKVILLE – Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, one of Ontario’s largest construction unions, is extremely disappointed with the Ontario Government’s wrongful decision to cancel the procurement for the Halton Region Consolidated Courthouse project and asks that the decision be reversed. “IUOE Local 793 calls on the Ford Government to reconsider the project right away and invest in the infrastructure and jobs that are a vitally needed shot-in-the-arm stimulus for our economy,” Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher said. Scheduled to […]

For Immediate Release
May 12, 2020

OAKVILLE – Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers, one of Ontario’s largest construction unions, is extremely disappointed with the Ontario Government’s wrongful decision to cancel the procurement for the Halton Region Consolidated Courthouse project and asks that the decision be reversed.

“IUOE Local 793 calls on the Ford Government to reconsider the project right away and invest in the infrastructure and jobs that are a vitally needed shot-in-the-arm stimulus for our economy,” Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher said.

Scheduled to begin construction in early June, the shovel-ready project would have an immediate beneficial impact by creating jobs and stimulating the province’s economy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“One could, in the face of uncertainty, find some hope that our government could agree that projects like the $500 million-plus Halton Courthouse would not only realize all political party recognition of the need for justice facilities in one of the fastest growing communities in Canada, but which timing is perfect to help get jobs moving again,” Gallagher said.

He stated that the cancellation will only begin to undermine confidence in the province’s infrastructure program at a time when the government wants to get the economy going.

“Canada and Ontario are not some backwater jurisdiction that replaces years of planning and a job tendering process with knee-jerk decisions that make us appear to be so unreliable that no contractors could waste their time and energy on bidding jobs here,” Gallagher warned.

The decades-old Milton courthouse has been facing challenges for years. Progressive Conservative MPP Ted Arnott delivered a message in the Ontario Legislature in 2015, stating it was time for the government to commit to building a new Halton courthouse. “The current Halton Courthouse is aging, overcrowded, unsafe, and inadequate to meet the needs of our rapidly growing region.”

Ontario Superior Court Justice Peter Daley said on November 19, 2018: “In excess of $2 million has been spent on mould remediation at the Milton Courthouse thus far, with an additional $600,000 forecasted to be spent on further mould remediation.”

Building a new courthouse is an expensive endeavor but given the age and physical condition of the Milton courthouse, no plan to renovate or expand the facility will address these issues.

The provincial government said it will direct its resources for the courthouse project toward developing ways of delivering justice remotely and online, which will raise concerns over privacy and transparency.

“It is unfathomable that the Attorney General’s office would cancel the hundreds of jobs needed and a project two years in the planning with the absolutely ridiculous notion that ‘virtual justice’ could replace the real justice that courtrooms with juries, judges and the legal profession bring to ensure that justice is not denied,” Gallagher concluded.

***

Local 793 of the International Union of Operating Engineers represents more than 16,000 highly-skilled crane and heavy equipment operators across Ontario and Nunavut. The union has a head office, banquet hall and training campus in Oakville, and another training campus in Morrisburg, Ontario. Canadian locals of the International Union of Operating Engineers represent more than 50,000 operators and have hundreds of millions of dollars invested in equipment at training centres across the country.

For additional information contact:
Local 793 Business Manager Mike Gallagher
905-469-9299, ext. 2202