Construction trades strike ends in Cape Breton with what employers call 'historic' deal
The employers agreed to a 17.95 per cent wage increase over four years, including a seven per cent hike in the first year, said Bob Shepherd, president of the Nova Scotia Construction Labour Relations Association.
"The reason it's historic is the percentage increase and the amount of money involved," he said. "It's really the largest wage package increase over a four-year period that the CLRA has negotiated with the building trades in our history."
The association represents unionized contractors in the province's commercial and industrial sector.
Shepherd said the tentative agreement was reached Friday and took effect Monday.
It involves more than 10 unions in the Cape Breton Island Building and Construction Trades Council.
Their president, Ernie Dalton, did not return a request for comment.
However, on its website, the Labourers International Union of North America Local 1115 in Sydney confirmed an agreement has been reached and said workers were supposed to be back on the job Monday.
In a release at the start of the strike, Dalton said workers were looking to recover wage concessions made during the pandemic.
Shepherd said the pandemic and ensuing high inflation have hurt everyone.
"The last number of years, everybody knows it's been challenging," he said. "If I go back eight years, the wages were modest, the increases were modest.
"We realized that the wage increases would be a bit higher this time and I think the settlement reflects the challenges we've all had and I think it's a very fair settlement for all parties involved."
The strike affected major infrastructure construction projects such as hospital redevelopments, Cape Breton University's medical building and at least one long-term care home.
Shepherd said contractors and workers will have to try to make up the lost time on those projects.
"Certainly it's hard. Construction season is mainly in the warmer weather, so yes, it is an impact, but everybody will work to recover the schedule."
Some workers were still on picket lines on Tuesday.
Shepherd said they are members of the sprinkler fitters union, which is not part of the local agreement.
Picket line concerns remain
He said that contract is negotiated at the national level.
Despite that, the other unions are expected to go back to work this week, Shepherd said.
"Our workers will have valid agreements and we are going to require them to go to work. The agreement with the union requires them to go to work.
"However, we anticipate there may be some people that refuse to cross a picket line and we'll address that as the issues arise."
The deal is subject to ratification votes that could take a couple of weeks, Shepherd said.
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