The Ontario Carpenter District Council has announced that an interim agreement has been reached in the ICI (industrial, commercial, institutional) sector with various Ontario business bargaining agencies.
The Carpenters’ Union has been on strike in the ICI sector since May 9 after its members voted against a previous provisional agreement in an overwhelming way.
Since that date, 15,000 carpenters have been on picket lines in many Ontario communities.
Approximately 250 skilled workers of the United Brotherhood Of Carpenters & Joiners Of America are on strike in Sault.
A dozen local projects have been affected by the strike.
“It all has to do with wages,” a strike captain told SooToday on May 9th.
“Our partners have continued to work, however, in other sectors not affected by this ICI strike such as residential, the Association of Construction of Electrical Systems and maintenance, some of which have already ratified the collective agreements of the their respective sectors, “the union said in a statement. release.
Voting for ratification of the ICI interim agreement will take place across the province on Friday, May 27 with a final count on Friday afternoon.
A condition for this to be ratified across the province requires what is known as a “double majority”, which is a local majority (out of 14), and a majority of voting members must vote for acceptance.
“We have worked diligently with our respective business groups and come up with an agreement that reflects the current economic crisis and that we believe Ontario members will accept and ratify,” said CD York President Mike Yorke in a statement.
“Construction is too important an economic engine in this province because we have been on strike for too long and without an agreement,” Yorke said.
Construction is a major economic driver in Ontario with a value of nearly $ 60 billion a year, accounting for 7.2 per cent of GDP and employing more than 600,000 workers across the province and 600,000 more in derivative jobs.
The Ontario Carpenter District Council is made up of 16 local affiliated unions (14 in the ICI sector) of the United Carpenters and Carpenters Union across the province.
Represents approximately 30,000 women and men working in a wide range of specialized trades such as carpentry, gypsum board, hardwood floors, concrete formwork, underwater construction, welding, scaffolding and a long list of other construction related jobs .