Calgary road workers file for unionization

Last week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board published their final new applications report for November 2024. In it was an application for union certification.

Local 987 of the General Teamsters filed the application on 18 November 2024 on behalf of workers employed by Carmacks Maintenance Services Ltd.

Based out of Calgary, Carmacks specializes in construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure, including bridges, highways, and municipal roadways.

This application is specifically for over 100 workers employed by Carmacks in the Calgary area, not including those who are in office or clerical positions.

The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for this application for later today, during which time, the employer will have a chance to argue why they think these workers shouldn’t unionize with Local 987.

If the application is approved, the labour board will hold a certification vote, and the workers will have a chance to choose whether to join the Teamsters.

When they submit a certification application, unions must show a minimum of 40% support among the workers they’re trying to organize, so there’s usually a pretty good chance the workplace will unionize.

If these workers do join, their first order of business will be to form a a bargaining committee to begin negotiating their first collective agreement with Carmacks.

Because the ALRB doesn’t archive their new application reports, I’ve included a copy of this week’s report below for your convenience.

Update (9 December 2024): Looks like this application might take a while. On 3 December, Carmacks filed an application with the ALRB, alleging that the union was trying to organize the workers on their premises and during working hours, which violates the Alberta Labour Relations Code. They also accuse the Teamster of using coercion, intimidation, or undue influence to convince workers to unionize; although the ALRB’s summary provided no details on what the coercion or intimidation looked like.