FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 28, 2007 - Edmonton, Alberta
Building Trades Challenge Alberta Labour Laws under the Charter The Alberta Building Trades Council of Unions (ABT), at its annual convention this week, voted to financially support challenges to the Labour Relations Code brought by a number of its affiliate unions. ABT hopes that several sections of Alberta's labour laws will be ruled unconstitutional and struck from the Labour Relations Code. The first of the Charter challenges was filed on September 20, 2007 and it is expected that a total of four actions will be commenced. A result is expected before the next round of collective bargaining for the building trades unions begins. "All we want is to be treated like all the other unions in this province and in the country," explained Ron Harry, ABT Executive Director. "We want a level playing field with employers and a chance for effective collective bargaining on behalf of our members." The Alberta Building Trades Council of Unions will provide more information about its support to union affiliates which are taking their fight to the Court of Queen's Bench in Alberta, at a media conference on: Tuesday, October 2,2007 at 10:00 a.m.
These rules have not been seriously tested until the current round of negotiations began this year, when building trades unions and their members planned to aggressively seek improvements to their collective agreements. This spring, reversing almost 20 years of jurisprudence, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled that the process of collective bargaining was part of the freedom of association of unions and their members, which is a right constitutionally protected in Canada by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Supreme Court held that laws that substantially interfere with the process of free collective bargaining are not constitutional and thus will be struck down. By the end of this summer, the building trades unions and their members were totally frustrated with the process of collective bargaining available to them in Alberta. "The Labour Relations Code was crafted to make it virtually impossible for any construction union to make effective strategic decisions during collective bargaining," says Mr. Harry. "Construction workers and their unions simply do not have free collective bargaining under the law in Alberta." "Our affiliates and their members did everything one can imagine to make the Alberta labour laws work fairly for construction unions - but it is not possible. Building trade unions are forced to work under laws that are profoundly complicated and operate to destroy free collective bargaining for each individual union. No other industry or union in Alberta or Canada is restricted to the same degree." The Alberta Building Trades Council of Unions represents over 50,000 unionized construction workers involving 16 affiliates and 22 locals. For further information: Ron Harry, Executive Director |