Union ratifies agreement, concrete strike averted

VANCOUVER – A possible concrete strike in the Lower Mainland has been averted.

Union Members from Teamsters Local 213 ratified a collective agreement on July 14 joining members from Ocean Concrete and Rempel Brothers Concrete into one bargaining unit – under the Heidelberg Materials brand, a @TeamstersStrike post on Twitter/X said.

“The contract was ratified by a vote of 84 per cent in favour of the agreement, following eight months of contentious negotiations with the employer,” the tweet said.

“It was all due to the solidarity of our brothers and sisters, and their willingness to withhold their labour if needed,” Teamster Local 213 business agent Barry Capozzi was quoted as saying in the tweet.

On July 2 the union served strike notice to Heidelberg Materials citing issues including “driver-facing cameras, excessive discipline, pension contributions, and coffee/lunch breaks.”

The last time the Lower Mainland experienced a cement strike was in 2022 when A five-week work stoppage by concrete truck operators put a halt to work as Rempel employees went on strike and employees of other Metro Vancouver concrete companies refused to cross picket lines.