Last week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board released their latest New Applications Report. In the report is a new application for union certification in Alberta.
The application was filed on 15 September 2023 by Local 2103 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, which represents carpenters and scaffolders south of Ponoka, including those in Calgary, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer.
This union is applying on behalf of workers employed by Technical Workforce Inc, otherwise known as TWI.
Based out of Calgary, TWI is a sub-contractor, supplying construction craft workers to the industrial, infrastructure, and civil construction sectors in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC, including apprentices, journey-persons, foremen, and superintendents in all compulsory and non-compulsory trades.
If approved, this certification would apply to about 40 general construction carpenters employed with TWI.
According to the Government of Alberta’s collective bargaining database, TWI workers currently are represented by Christian Labour Association of Canada, otherwise known as CLAC, known for undermining labour by negotiating contracts that benefit employers.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for this application for 29 September 2023. The employer will have an opportunity then to present arguments for why certification shouldn’t occur at that location.
If everything goes through, the next step will be to negotiate a first contract.
Since the ALRB doesn’t archive their new application reports, here’s a copy of this report.
