Two of Ontario’s largest construction unions, the Labourers’ and the Carpenters’, have ratified new Ontario-wide ICI collective agreements just ahead of the expiration of their existing three-year deals on April 30.
The new deal approved by the Carpenters’ will see wages increase 2.67 per cent annually, amounting to a three-year hike of eight per cent.
LIUNA members have ratified all three of their three provincial ICI agreements. Under the deals, ICI labourers, mason tenders, cement finishers and waterproofers will also receive an eight-per-cent wage increase over three years.
Additionally, LIUNA Ontario Provincial District general counsel Sean McFarling reported April 30 its members working in precast and demolition have also voted to ratify deals. The ICI precast workers will receive a $4 raise over three years while the ICI demolition agreement delivers a $6.05 increase for heavy equipment operators and $4.50 for all other classifications over three years.
McFarling said for the precast and demolition agreements it is not possible to express the wage hikes in percentage terms given that the increase applies across differing wage rates in the province.
In all agreements there were monetary increases for travel, room and board, he said.
McFarling said the process was “challenging given the economic uncertainty we are facing but we believe that the settlements strike a fair balance between all parties.”
Ontario Precast Concrete Manufacturers Association president Anthony Bombini confirmed the precast deal was reached but declined further comment.
Representatives of the other employer bargaining agencies that signed with LIUNA did not respond to requests for comment.
Members of 14 affiliated local unions of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBC) held ratification meetings April 24, with the proposed contract supported by 75 per cent of the workers. A statement from the Carpenters’ Regional Council said the contract included improvements on health and welfare, workers’ pensions and area travel provisions such as parking and room and board.
“We are proud of the deal we have achieved through good faith negotiations on both sides,” said Carpenters’ Regional Council president Tom Cardinal.
“Obviously, right now there is a considerable degree of economic uncertainty for the country, which definitely motivated us to ensure we negotiated the best deal possible for our members. Both our union and employers negotiated in good faith and struck a deal which recognizes these current economic realities.”
Earlier in April the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers finalized a deal with its employers that will hike workers’ wages at least 6.9 per cent over three years. The deal includes a wage escalation clause that reflects subsequent settlements.
Several other trades appear likely to reach deals imminently. Negotiators bargaining in the refrigeration and insulators sectors said in separate comments issued April 27, “We are close.”
One source familiar with negotiations in the ICI sector stated the boilermakers have also clinched their ICI deal. The negotiating parties did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Negotiators for sheet metal were to meet April 29 and 30 with no dates scheduled after that. Bargaining in the roofing sector was scheduled for the same two days.
Provincial legislation dictates three-year contracts for Ontario’s 25 ICI construction trades all expire on the same date.
During the 2022 contract cycle there were five ICI strikes and nine times workers voted to reject proposed settlements. Those deals were negotiated as Canada’s cost of living experienced a significant inflationary spiral.
Cardinal of the UBC commented, “We are proud to have avoided a strike situation like we saw in our last round of negotiations, and to have achieved the second highest settlement in our history, which will provide necessary financial stability for our membership going forward.”
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