Another concrete strike appears on the way
Delay and disruption in the short run, higher costs in the long run
'Likely' concrete strike has Metro Vancouver construction industry bracing for delays. Dan Fumano, Vancouver Sun.
In 2022, a five-week work stoppage was blamed for taking out as much as a third of the region’s concrete supply, causing cost escalations and delays on all kinds of projects including housing construction and the $2.8 billion Broadway subway line.
Now, following a recent strike vote, some industry leaders want the provincial government to take a more active role to prevent another lengthy disruption at the same concrete plants.
On Monday, an X account identifying themselves as members of the Teamsters union local representing Metro workers for Heidelberg Materials, a German multinational company whose subsidiaries provide a significant portion of Vancouver’s concrete supply, said another strike was “likely.” The day before, union members voted 98.6 per cent to authorize their bargaining team to serve 72-hour strike notice if they decide to do so.
Negotiations were set to continue Wednesday, but the Teamster members wrote on Monday that they had “little hope that a fair offer will be presented” by the company.
Heidelberg owns the former Lehigh Hanson, which owns Rempel Bros, Ocean Concrete, and Allied Ready Mix. (They’ve all been rebranded as Heidelberg.) Together they supply about a third of the concrete in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Comment from the provincial government:
B.C. Labour Minister Harry Bains said his office will “continue to monitor the situation closely,” but will also “respect the integrity of the collective bargaining process, which means allowing the two sides to negotiate freely on their own.”
“The best outcomes result when employers and unions sit down across the bargaining table and work collaboratively towards a collective agreement,” Bains said in an emailed statement. “Mediation service can be offered by the Labour Relations Board if the parties need further assistance.”
More
Looming Lower Mainland concrete strike could be ‘huge hit’ to construction industry. Michael Williams, CityNews.
3 weeks in, concrete workers' strike is a building problem for Lower Mainland construction. Liam Britten, CBC News, June 10, 2022. The strike was by workers at Rempel Brothers, with workers at Ocean and Allied respecting picket lines.
Greater Vancouver feeling significant impacts of concrete worker strike. Shannon Moneo, ConstructConnect, June 13, 2022. With the ongoing building boom, it sounds like the main issues were excessive hours (14-hour days), lack of breaks, and wages. (Housing being scarce and expensive results in real wages being low.)
Lower Mainland concrete workers' strike ends after 5 weeks. Michelle Gomez, CBC News, June 24, 2022. The wage settlement was for a 15% increase over four years.
Reddit thread from July 2018 with a photo from the Ocean Concrete site at Granville Island. Another thread from July 2020. Includes some interesting information from people who work in the industry: “They load the trucks dry, then the water gets added as they approach the job site, ensuring a good mix. The two big advantages of being on Granville Island is that the trucks can deliver more loads per day, thus using them more efficiently, and secondly being on the water, they can bring in raw materials by barge.”