November 12, 2008

Merit Contractors

Canadian open shop association going national

Says CCA fails to meet non-union firm needs

RICHARD GILBERT

staff writer

Merit is taking its first formal steps today to become a national voice on the Canadian construction front.

Representatives from eight of Merit’s provincially-based bodies are meeting in Banff to put pen to paper, forming the first national association representing the interests of open shop contractors.

“This is about formalizing the working relationship we have had with other provincial open shop associations,” said Merit Alberta president Stephen Kushner.

Merit Canada will become a stronger advocate and be more effective in dealing with the open shop sector compared to the Canadian Construction Association (CCA), he argued.

“We have given up on the CCA,” said Philip Hochstein, president of the British Columbia-based Independent Contractors and Businesses Association.

“Our voice wasn’t heard and they are not interested in our issues or receptive to our needs.”

“(The CCA is) more interested in union building trade contractors, so we need to find another way to get our message across to the federal government and other institutions,” said Hochstein, whose association claims to represent the interests of 80 per cent of the total construction being done in B.C. under the open shop model.

The CCA represents the interests of all its members, regardless of the labour relations model, countered CCA president Michael Atkinson.

“CCA is a mixed association that represents the interests of all segments of the industry,” he said.

“This is something we would not get involved with in terms of splitting the industry or supporting one segment versus another. We don’t discriminate on this basis because we attempt to represent all groups.”

The CCA has co-operated on many issues with the coalition of open shop construction associations, explained Atkinson, and many times they have had the same objective with little or no disagreement.

Such files include immigration reform, the federal fair wages act and banning the use of striker replacement workers.

“It boils down to the fact that there are some issues that are bound to get differing views from the various parts of the industry,” said Atkinson.

“Sometimes it is hard to get a consensus from an association that is mixed.”

Kushner also suggested that the CCA’s involvement in structuring the board and mandate of the Construction Sector Council (CSC) was flawed, resulting in a body that does not represent the interests of the whole industry.

“CSC is overly represented with the union sector at the employee and contractor level,” said Kushner.

CSC executive director George Gritziotis takes issue with Kushner’s accusations.

“We work and consult with all groups and the open shop sector sits on our board,” said Gritziotis.

“We work and consult with the open shop sector.”

The majority of the CSC board are union representatives or have collective agreements in place.

Gritziotis agreed with Atkinson about the need to develop consensus in an organization with a diverse group of stakeholders.

“We are a non-partisan, neutral organization that is addressing the issue of workplace availability, so everything we do is open to working with all sectors in construction,” explained Gritziotis.

“The way we operate is through collaboration and partnership. It is good news Merit is doing this because it’s another organization we can work with.”

Merit Canada will provide services, training and a national voice on federal issues that have an impact on the open shop construction industry. The association will be based in Western Canada, but will have an Ottawa office lobbying.

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