Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) President Paul de Jong recently argued on behalf of the tens of thousands of non-closed-shop union workers for the right to work on Site C. "Excluding progressively unionized and non-union skilled tradespersons from working on large scale projects like this serves no one," said de Jong. "Christie Clark and the BC Liberals have taken a progressive stance on this project and we support it whole-heartedly."
Speaking in response to proposed court action by the BC and Yukon Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) that would seek to ban any non-BCTC workers from working on Site C, de Jong noted that the premise of BCTC's argument is inaccurate and does not represent the modern labour reality in British Columbia.
"Things have changed a great deal since the 1960's, and the BCTC seems not to have noticed" de Jong said. "Today BC's largest infrastructure projects rely upon a labour organized in different ways: traditional unions, progressively-organized labour like CLAC, and non-union. There's room – and frankly great need right now -- for a variety of labour-management models, and a broad and inclusive labour force."
"A little competition would do the industry – and the province – a whole lot of good."
De Jong pointed out that companies that use progressively organized labour, have successfully built some of BC's and western Canada's largest projects, like the Sea-to-sky highway and the Port Mann Bridge – not to mention many of the major projects and mines in the Alberta oil sands and BC's north.
"PCA member companies employ well over 25,000 skilled trades persons in Western Canada," de Jong noted. "Projects like Site C simply can't be completed – let alone completed on time and under budget – by BCTC unions alone. We're going to need to pull together with all of BC's resources to complete this and other large projects on BC's horizon – including LNG."
The Progressive Contractors Association of Canada (PCA) is the voice of progressive unionized employers in Canada's construction industry. Our member companies employ more than 30,000 skilled construction workers across Canada, represented primarily by CLAC.
PCA provides policy advocacy, labour-management advice, networking opportunities and organizational services to its member community.
