Earlier this week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board published their latest new applications report. In it was a new application for union certification.
Local 488 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada filed the application on 4 November 2024 on behalf of workers employed at Rotaflow Technology Inc.
With offices in Edmonton and Fort McMurray, Rotaflow provides commercial and industrial fire protection and utilities solutions.
The application is actually 20 applications but for all the same employer.
5 of the applications is are for all “fire alarm technicians” working north of latitude 52.15°, which cuts through Red Deer. Another 5 are for “non-construction fire alarm technicians”. Another 5 are for all “general construction fire alarm technicians”. The final 5 are for all “maintenance fire alarm technicians”.
In all cases, Local 488 was applying for 11 such workers employed by Rotaflow.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for next Wednesday (20 November) regarding this application. During this hearing, representatives from Rotaflow will have a chance to argue why the workers shouldn’t be able to unionize with Local 488.
Should the ALRB approve the application, they will conduct a certification vote, which will give the nearly a dozen workers the opportunity to democratically choose whether to join United Association of Plumbers Pipefitters.
Assuming a majority of the workers vote in favour of unionizing, their next step after the certification vote will be to organize a bargaining committee to begin negotiating their first collective agreement with Rotaflow.
Because the ALRB doesn’t archive their new application reports, I’ve included this week’s report below for your convenience.
