FORT MCMURRAY, AB—Thanks to a recent agreement, the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) is representing trades people working on the construction of the $10 billion Horizon Oil Sands project near Fort McMurray, Alberta.

It’s a feather in the union’s cap, but many people are far from happy about CLAC’s growing influence. This summer, several protests in Edmonton, Calgary and Fort McMurray have led to concern that CLAC is out of its league, amid accusations of sweetheart deals and employer—rather than employee—friendly contracts.

Most industrial unions in Alberta are members of the ABTC and many have international offices in cities such as Washington, D.C.

Shift of representation

CLAC is recognized as a bona fide trade union in five provinces. Although “Christian” is in its name, it is made up of people from all faiths and is not affiliated with any church or church-based organization.

Traditional unions believe fundamentally in an adversarial relationship between employers and employees and that justice is maintained by fighting, says Heinen.

“CLAC believes that both the workers and the employers have a job to do and that by putting Christian practices of respect, integrity, fairness and integrity into practice it will work for both parties.”

“There is now a shift in the way labour relations are being done and the building trade unions are uncomfortable with that,” says Wayne Prins, regional director for CLAC in Fort McMurray. “They’re happy with the way it has always been and they don’t like competition.

“CLAC is growing so fast that it is sometimes difficult to find enough tradesman for all the work,” he adds. Thousands of new members are being added to CLAC’s ranks in Fort McMurray as the demand for work increases.

Concerns voiced

However, the way the workers are being added is one of the concerns for the traditional unions.

For example, CLAC’s central agreement with Calgary’s Canadian National Resources Limited (CNRL) means CLAC becomes CNRL’s bargaining agent and applies to all trades people working on the construction of the Oil Sands project.

CLAC representatives say this is a step in the right direction, enabling employers and employees to work alongside each other.

However, the building trade unions see the agreement as being imposed on workers instead of negotiated and believe it will likely cement in place a wage and benefit regime for the project that is below the going market rate.

The building trade unions say CLAC’s involvement is likely to turn away skilled Canadian workers and employ foreign workers in their place. By doing so, they say the CNRL is not promoting or protecting the rights of individual Albertans and that by hiring CLAC to be the bargaining agent they are making a “sweetheart” deal with a questionable bargaining agent.

Alternatives are healthy

But Heinen maintains that having an alternative to a traditional union is healthy for everyone involved.

“Competition is good. It creates alternatives. It forces unions to be more conscious about doing a good job.

“It basically comes down to a freedom of association issue,” he says. “The right to have representation, your choice of unions, for example, without being denied work opportunities. Why should others be denied work because they are not members of a certain union? These traditional building trade unions would like to be the only game in town. And they’re not.”

“Our primary interests,” says Prins, “are maintaining justice in the workplace, creating a safe workplace and providing workers with enough money to support their families while at the same time enabling companies to succeed in their projects.”