Hundreds of skilled trades workers in N.B. on strike

Hundreds of skilled trades workers in N.B. on strike

Province says labour strikes are impacting projects

Hundreds of skilled trades workers from three different unions in New Brunswick are on strike for wage increases and wage parity, and according to the provincial government, the dispute has had an impact on projects.

Members of Locals 1555 and 2166 of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers took to the picket lines last month, as did carpenters in Fredericton, part of Local 1386 of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.

“The Department of Transportation has experienced disruptions to some of its projects as a result of ongoing labour action involving the carpenters’ and electrical workers’ unions,” said spokesperson Jacob MacDonald.

“As this is an evolving situation, impacts to specific project timelines and costs are not yet known.”

The department did not specify which projects are affected by the strikes.

Jeff Morash, business manager for Local 1555, said projects at both hospitals in Moncton have been delayed. He said the strike was launched because wages have not kept up with inflation.

The hourly wage for an electrician in his union, which represents 175 workers from southeastern New Brunswick, is between $30 and $37 an hour.

“We also are seeing non-union electricians making more than the union electricians in a lot of cases,” he said.

According to Morash, there are four unions representing electrical workers in the province. Three of those unions represent more than 800 workers and the other consists of linesworkers and others at N.B. Power.

Morash said apprentices, employees who are learning the trade through a mix of on-the-job experience and classroom instruction, earn less than $20 an hour, which is far less than “a livable wage.”

Local 2166 of the IBEW, which went on strike June 25, represents electrical workers in Fredericton, Oromocto, Miramichi, Bathurst, Campbellton and Edmundston.

Red Seal electricians, who are those who've met the highest standards for certification, "have seriously fallen behind in wages due to inflation,” a news release from the local said.

“Red Seal electricians deserve fair wages and to have their families here instead of our workforce having to leave to work in other provinces.”

The unions had been negotiating with the Electrical Contractors Association of New Brunswick.

Krista Lewis, executive director of the contractors group, said in an email that negotiations are going on, and an offer was tabled to Local 1555 on June 22 but was declined.

The association believes the offer is "fair, responsible, and reflective of the economic realities facing contractors in the jurisdiction,” the statement said.

In Fredericton, about 30 carpenters in Local 1386 have been on strike for about a month, seeking wage parity with union members in other parts of the province.

James Dawson, union president and the vice-president of the Atlantic Canada Regional Council of Carpenters, Millwrights and Allied Workers, said carpenters get paid $6.50 less an hour in Fredericton than elsewhere.

“Which we believe is totally unfair,” Dawson said. “We want pay equity provincewide.”

He said collective bargaining within the union is divided into three zones. It negotiates with the Saint John Construction Association and with the Moncton-Northeast Construction Association, which both represent many contractors. But in Fredericton, it negotiates with just two companies, Dawson said.

He said the workers on strike had projects at the New Brunswick Legislature and the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital, but the strike has not had an impact on the progress of those projects.

They are on strike against Springhill Construction and Commercial Masonry.

In a statement, Commercial Masonry said it offered employees a 20.4 per cent pay increase over three years, including a six per cent signing bonus for the period of January to July of this year.

The company believes the offer is significant and competitive, a statement said. The company said by January 2028, the base rate for a carpenter with the company would be $39.16 an hour.

Hope Edmond is a reporter based in Moncton.