Earlier this week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board published their second new applications report of September 2026, which covers applications they received between 13 September and 20 September 2026.
In it was an application for union certification. Technically, it was 3 applications
Local 424 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers filed the applications on 15 September 2026.
They are applying for union certification on behalf of workers employed by Yanda Canada Ltd.
Based out of Fort Saskatchewan, Yanda Canada is a subsidiary of the Chinese company Shanghai Yanda Engineering Co., Ltd.
Yanda specializes in fabrication and installation of piping, structural steel, insulation, and pressure vessels.
The 3 applications are specifically for general construction electricians and non-construction electricians, the current number of which is 88 in all cases.
For workers (or a union) to submit a certification application to the labour board, they must demonstrate that 40% of the workforce in the propose bargaining unit support unionization.
In this case, that would be 36.
Should the Alberta Labour Relations Board hold a certification vote, these 36 workers—assuming they follow through and vote in favour—would need to convince 9 more fellow workers to join them for the certification to be successful.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for Tueaday (29th) regarding these applications. It will be a chance for representatives of the employer to present arguments, if they have any, as to why these workers should not be able to unionize with Local 720.
If the workers are successful in unionizing, one of their first items of business will be to form a bargaining committee and begin negotiating their first collective agreement.
On that note, this is not the first time workers at Yanda have tried unionizing. Earlier this year, ironworkers also submitted a certification application.
As of last month, ALRB had still not awarded them a certificate. In fact, just days after the ironworkers had filed their application, Yanada had already begun unionbusting.
And they did not stop there.
In another application submitted 2 days later, Local 424 allege that Yanada Canada had terminated the employment of one of the workers who would be in this new electricians bargaining unit.
The union claims that this worker was fired because “he was supporting, had joined, or was seeking to join the union”, which they say was done intentionally to “compel [this worker] and other employees who notice his dismissal to refrain from becoming union members”.
According to the union, these actions violate several sections of Alberta’s Labour Relations Code.
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall participate in or interfere with the representation of employees by a trade union,
Labour Relations Code, 148.1.a.ii
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall refuse to employ or to continue to employ any person or discriminate against any person in regard to employment or any term or condition of employment because the person is a member of a trade union or an applicant for membership in a trade union, or has exercised any right under this Act
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.a.i & 149.1.a.viii
No employer or employers’ organization and no person acting on behalf of an employer or employers’ organization shall seek by intimidation, dismissal, threat of dismissal or any other kind of threat, by the imposition of a pecuniary or other penalty or by any other means, to compel an employee to refrain from becoming or to cease to be a member, officer or representative of a trade union
Labour Relations Code, 149.1.c
Hopefully, having two groups of workers trying to unionize that workplace will help, but Yanda seems to not want unions in their workplace.
Because the ALRB does not archive their new application reports, I have included a copy of last week’s report below for your convenience.
