Page 13 - Flipbook

The Pallister Government and private corporations promote a
false narrative to create the impression that Manitoba’s public
tendering system disallowed bids from non-union bidders. They
complained that the current system was a form of undemocratic
"forced unionization" and a violation of workers' Charter rights.
While the Government promised to do away with forced
unionization, the likes of Merit ran campaigns in support of new
legislation proposed by the Pallister Government.
Together, they came across as champions of worker rights and
democracy. Except that nothing they said was true. Manitoba’s
tendering system was never closed. There was never any Keeyask Project Rendering
requirement that bidders on public infrastructure projects be
Now, Manitobans are being told that removing market-rate
unionized or become unionized if they were the winning bidders.
wages and local hiring preferences will leave us better off. What
It was more economic sleight of hand.
will actually happen is that Merit and its member companies will
Historically, the lion’s share of work at major Manitoba projects find it easier to pay workers less while bringing in temporary
has gone to non-union contractors. How much of the lion’s workers from elsewhere. The only benefit will be to the bottom
share? The percentage of non-union contractors exceeded 75% lines of these private companies. Once again, workers will be
at the recently completed Floodway Expansion project and left out in the cold. Just as free trade devastated entire
exceeds 75% at the ongoing Keeyask Hydro Project. Unionized industries, under this legislation, wages and employment for
contractors gained less than 25% of work at both projects. Manitoba workers will both take another hit. One more avenue
to middle-class life will be eliminated.
Over the years, both Conservative and NDP governments have
used Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) to set floor wages And that will contribute to our anger and despair. At Manitoba
and establish preferential rules for hiring Manitobans at local Building Trades, we have made every possible effort to educate
infrastructure projects. These governments intentionally used the public on the real purpose and consequence of the proposed
union agreements to set a common wage and human resource legislation. As the current election campaign has unfolded, Merit
standards at large projects. These agreements guaranteed has aggressively advertised its anti-CBA platform. And very
labour supply and also stopped unions from organizing at these regrettably, the Manitoba PC election platform includes a
projects. promise to ban CBAs.
These were win-win agreements. Highly skilled workers were When Arundhati Roy spoke of a broken system, this is precisely
paid standard wages, individual contractors did not have to run what she meant. The system is manipulated through deceptive
multiple HR systems at project sites, there were no rhetoric to convince average, ordinary, hardworking citizens that
strike/lockout guarantees and more Manitobans worked at calculated efforts like the anti-CBA campaign is an effort on
Manitoba projects. Everyone benefitted. Nonunion contractors their behalf. It is just one more deceptive campaign, just one
were also assured that unions could not organize their workers more cut, and just one more brick removed from the foundation
during the projects. Contractors NEVER had to be union; only of our system.
workers had to pay dues while working at the project.
Corporate entities like Merit have once promoted economic
Despite multiple benefits, the Pallister Government and its policies that gutted our manufacturing industry. Those jobs have
private sector supporters launched a misleading campaign to already disappeared. Now their attention is shifting to another
convince us that decent middle-class jobs for Manitobans were sector that still provides middle-class careers for hardworking
a bad deal for Manitoba. They dressed up private interest in Canadians. If Merit succeeds and Manitoba closes the door to
public interest clothing and created this false narrative in local employment and decent wages for Manitobans, what
support of their vested profit motives. exactly will be left?
Merit and its companies have deep pockets. During this 2019, Next time we ask how Donald Trump was elected or how we
Merit has continued its campaign to advocate for legislation became so angry, polarized and distrusting, think of Merit’s
prohibiting CBAs in Manitoba. Since the 1980’s, workers had efforts in Manitoba. It is yet another of the thousand cuts that
been told that freer trade rules would make us all richer. That got us here. And if we stand by for each of these cuts,
did not happen. Free trade did create extreme wealth. But that eventually, there will be nothing left.
wealth went to a very small part of our population while the
middle-class size and wages shrunk.

C A N A D I A N B U I L D I N G T R A D E S M A G A Z I N E E L E C T I O N 2 0 1 9 ~ 1 3