Crane operators throughout mainland Nova Scotia may be going on strike this summer if they can not reach a new collective bargaining agreement with Nova Scotia Construction Labour Relations Association.
According to Joey MacLellan, President of Operating Engineers Local 721, union members voted 98 percent in favour of striking. The union represents approximately 200 crane operators in mainland Nova Scotia.
If crane operators go on strike, it could mean serious delays on major developments in the booming city of Halifax.
MacLellan says there are currently more than 30 projects in the HRM that require cranes for the construction, 25 of which use operators represented by the union.
“It would be very hard, it would basically shut down every one of those projects,” predicts MacLellan.
But the union isn’t moving to strike right now, despite having the mandate to do so. MacLellan says Local 721 and the NSCLR are still early in negotiations. The union president claims the two sides are currently in disagreement on the length of the new contract.
“I think the biggest thing is the term,” said MacLellan. “Under these circumstances, with the unknowns of the cost of living…and nobody really knows where it’s going to get to in the next year or two. So, locking-in long term without a provision for reopening…is not in the interest of anybody at this point in time.”
“I don’t think we’re that far apart; I think it’s just a matter of disagreement on term.”
MacLellan wouldn’t go into further details about the negotiation.
“We generally don’t want to put that stuff out there, when we’re still at the bargaining table,” he explained.
Crane operators aren’t the only tradespeople currently negotiating new deals with the NSCLR. IBEW Local 625, the union representing electricians in Nova Scotia, is currently holding their strike vote, and MacLellan says many more are in the same boat.
“It looks like there’s going to be at least 7 of 13 or 14 trades are going to be in (strike) position,” he said
“We already have our strike vote, and we’re sitting on that, and I think there are two or three other trades that are still counting. It’ll probably be another week or so before (the rest of the unions) all get their mandates.”
Huddle reached out to a spokesperson for the Nova Scotia Mainland Building Trades, the organization that oversees various trade unions in the province, for an overview of the collective bargaining process. The spokesperson refused to comment.
We also tried contacting the NSCLR and many other unions believed to be in the collective bargaining process, but none returned phone calls prior to publication.
Derek Montague is a reporter with HuddleToday.ca
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