Last week, the Alberta Labour Relations Board released their most recent New Applications Report. In the report is a new application for union certification in Alberta.
The applications was filed on 5 August 2022 by Local 496 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, also known as UA 496.
UA 496 filed the application on behalf of 48 workers who are employed in Medicine Hat with Argo Sales LP, which specializes in the custom manufacture of oil and gas production equipment and storage tanks. Argo is based in Calgary.
While the union generally represents plumbers and pipefitters, they intend to act as a single bargaining unit for all the trades at Argo’s Medicine Hat, according to Joel Reinbold, an organizer with United Association Canada and the one who filed the application.
This allows increases the bargaining power of the unit and allows the employer to deal with just one bargaining unit.
The ALRB has scheduled a hearing for this application to occur on 19 August 2022.
Since the ALRB doesn’t archive their new application reports on their website, here’s a copy of the most recent one.
