Category: ARTICLES & OPINIONS

As it prepares to spend billions on public infrastructure, we are deeply troubled by the NDP government’s determination to force construction workers to join unions, to reward its political allies with public funds, and to deliver less value and higher costs to taxpayers.

All this will result from what the NDP is re-branding as ‘Community Benefit Agreements’, historically known as Project Labour Agreements.

PLAs bind contractors who win public bids to union agreements they never negotiated. They require union memberships for non-union workers, antiquated union-hall hiring, and they deliver windfalls to the favoured unions involved.

PLAs inevitably and dramatically drive up complexity and costs, and override the free choice of 85% of B.C. construction workers who abandoned the traditional building trade unions long ago. And for what? Labour peace that we already have? Employment equity and training opportunities that we know can be more effectively delivered in other ways?

While John Horgan calls it a success story, people who have actually worked under PLAs will tell you they are a miser-able failure and a massive infringement of workers’ rights. Union exclusivity in the B.C. construction industry went extinct decades ago. Today, we respect the choices workers make about workplace representation, and we expect fairness in public procurement and good value for taxpayer money.

Denying opportunity and picking favourites is no way to build a province. The fundamentally unfair and inefficient PLA approach Horgan’s been promoting needs to remain firmly in the past.

The Problem with the NDP’s Project Labour Agreements

We’ve Been Down This Road Before

The Island Highway Project under the last NDP government is a prime example of a Project Labour Agreement in action. Today’s NDP is counting on short memories when it claims the project was a success. Already an out-of-date model in the 1990s, there is no economic or social justification for PLAs in B.C. today. Continue reading “Union-Only Construction Unfair, Bad Value and a Proven Failure”

BURNABY – In a cynical effort to pay back his Building Trades union supporters and donors, Premier John Horgan is reviving an obsolete, expensive, highly bureaucratic way of building the Pattullo Bridge and other vital infrastructure, said the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) today.

“All anyone wants is a fair shot at work, but John Horgan has tilted the playing field to favour the 15% of the workforce represented by the Building Trades unions that have given his NDP Government millions of dollars in political donations and support,” said Chris Gardner, president of ICBA. “Today’s announcement was long on cost for taxpayers but short on details from government. Procurement should be open, fair and transparent – not a payoff for political favours.”

Horgan’s model is built on the 1990s Vancouver Island Highway project, which saw workers forced to join unions, get hired through union hiring halls and pay union dues. This drove up labour costs by 40%, according to a study done for the Vancouver Board of Trade at the time.

“This is the failed Island Highway model all over again – but even worse, as Horgan fails to understand that 85% of the industry is not affiliated with his union supporters,” said Gardner. “With nearly $30 billion in government construction projects planned over the next three years, project delays and overpaying by creating a union monopoly will cost taxpayers billions of dollars.”

The B.C. Government has delayed the Pattullo Bridge project for almost a year, simply to make this deal with the Building Trades unions. “It’s disappointing to see such a vital project used as a political football by the NDP,” said Gardner. “The new Pattullo would already be under way if it wasn’t about paying back political favours.”

ICBA is the single largest sponsor of trades apprentices in British Columbia, with more than 1,200 men and women going through the certification process.

“Fair, transparent and open bidding should be a cornerstone value in a democracy like B.C. Whether you are union or open shop, you should have a fair shot at work put out by government,” said Gardner. “Unfortunately, this changed today, and ICBA is committed to fighting tooth and nail to ensure that fairness and transparency prevail when government projects are tendered.”

For a backgrounder outlining ICBA concerns about Horgan’s project labour agreements, click HERE.

The NDP claim today’s “community benefit agreement” announcement is about getting more people into construction.

That’s an outright lie.

Their true agenda was revealed hours after their press conference:

“Anyone wanting to work on the Pattullo and other public infrastructure projects will have to sign up with the NDP-run hiring hall. Within 30 days of employment on a given job site, any non-union worker — or any member of a union not in partnership with the NDP — will be required to join an approved union for the duration of the project.

“Forced unionization in other words, and with selected, NDP-approved unions.”

That’s about putting tens of millions of dollars in forced union dues, benefits payments, training fees, and uncollectable pension payments into the failing Building Trades unions. It’s about repaying them for the hundreds of thousands of dollars they’ve given the NDP over the years. It’s about gouging the taxpayer to prop up a failing union model that now represents fewer than 15% of construction workers.

It’s disgusting. If the unions want work, compete to get it in an open, fair, transparent bidding process. But they can’t – and this morning their NDP allies tried to hide the truth from taxpayers.

Shame on them.

ICBA media coverage from yesterday’s NDP announcement forcing all construction workers on provincial projects to join the Building Trades unions:

• Global News
• Vancouver Sun
• CBC
• Business in Vancouver
• Daily Hive
• Black Press
• CHEK TV
• Dx

We’re going back to basics! Our Training Department wants to give you a solid foundation in a fundamental skill when it comes to working on a construction project: reading blueprints! 

ICBA offers two blueprint-related courses; Introduction to Blueprint Reading and Civil Blueprint Reading. We have sessions of both coming up this year!

Our next Introduction to Blueprint Reading course is in Burnaby on July 27; don’t miss your chance to register! You’ll learn how to read sets of residential and commercial blueprints, making this course suitable for all construction professionals.

Among the topics covered are the design process and the role of design professionals, architectural and engineering scales, understanding specifications, and layout basics.

We’re offering several more sessions of this workshop in Burnaby and Abbotsford later this year as well. You’ll earn 1 Gold Seal Credit and 7 Group A CPD Points from BC Housing.

Our Civil Blueprint Reading course will take place December 17 in Burnaby, and teaches participants how to read a set of civil blueprints, drawing specifications and general notes. Plus, you’ll earn 1 Gold Seal Credit!

For full course descriptions and online registration, visit www.icba.ca/training.

Does your office use Bluebeam Revu? This award-winning software is used by some of the largest construction companies in the world and our training department wants to teach you how to use it! We have three courses coming up in Burnaby that will help you expedite the review and approval process between team members or clients, quickly and easily.

We’re starting with Bluebeam Revu Basics on August 22, which teaches you the fundamentals of the software, including an introduction to the interface, navigation and profiles, and modules on the markup tools, PDF creation, document management and setup and much more! You’ll also earn 1 Gold Seal Credit and 7.5 Group A CPD Points from BC Housing.

On August 23, we’re offering Document Control with Bluebeam Revu. This full-day workshop will give you the knowledge and skills to take plain PDF construction documents and create smart PDFs that can give project teams accurate and up-to-date information at all times. You’ll also earn 1 Gold Seal Credit and 7 Group A CPD Points from BC Housing for this session!

We’re rounding out the week with Bluebeam Revu Advanced on August 24. You’ll learn about the advanced features of the software, including customizing the interface, advanced hyperlinking, change order management and much more. This course offers 1 Gold Seal Credit.

Interested in these courses or any of our other sessions? Register at www.icba.ca/training.

BURNABY – The Independent Contractors and Businesses Association (ICBA) today joined eight other business and labour organizations in signing a letter to John Horgan, calling on the NDP Premier to abandon his plan to create a restrictive and regressive union-only monopoly on taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects.

ICBA joined the BC Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Federation of Independent Business, CLAC, Canada West Construction Union, Greater Vancouver Board of Trade, Progressive Contractors Association, Surrey Board of Trade and Vancouver Regional Construction Association in a call for Horgan to stop his attempt to end fair, open and transparent procurement in public projects.

Under Horgan’s plan, anyone working on a provincial government construction project will be forced to join one of his NDP-approved Building Trades Unions, the same unions have donated millions of dollars to the NDP over the past few elections.

“John Horgan is sole-sourcing more than $25 billion in taxpayer-funded construction to his buddies in the Building Trades unions,” said Chris Gardner, ICBA President. “It’s simply not fair to discriminate against the 85 per cent of construction workers who have specifically rejected old-fashioned, heavy-handed unions. B.C. construction workers deserve better from this government – they deserve choice, fairness and a level playing field.”

The open letter notes that the additional bureaucracy it takes to tilt the playing field to Horgan’s union donors could cost taxpayers as much as $4.8 billion more in construction costs – nearly $4,000 for every family in the province.

“Competition is the best way to keep construction costs down, and to ensure the government can carry out its entire building plan without raising more taxes or incurring billions of dollars of unnecessary debt,” said Gardner. “It also reassures the public that government is making good decisions with taxpayers’ money, not simply lining the pockets of friends and insiders.”

To read the full letter, click HERE.

541 days is a long time.

And it’s how long Belgium went without any elected government before December 2011.

What’s more fun than an election? How about two in six months – because squabbling parties can’t build a governing coalition.

That’s the story of 2015/16 Spain, whose proportional representation electoral system created gridlock. On Dec. 20, 2015, four parties split 90% of the votes and seats, but none could get more than 29% support.

Now, B.C. prop rep supporters claim their system will create collaboration, cooperation and coalition between all political parties and result in a magical, warm and fuzzy government.

That’s a lie, of course.

In prop rep Spain, it’s been a steady course of “vitriolic attacks”, “fruitless negotiations,” “tensions,” and “betrayal.” (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain-politics-idUSKCN0W60VC)

With no parties able to work together to get the necessary 50% of seats to govern, it was time for a zombie election. Spaniards were forced back to the polls on June 26, 2016. Six months, two elections, millions of dollars – all wasted because of prop rep.

Yet another reason to Stop Prop Rep! www.icba.ca/stopproprep

Share this post – David Eby’s draconian, anti-free speech rules won’t allow us to advertise it, but individuals can share it as much as they like. Let’s make sure every British Columbian sees it.

And stay tuned for more “Tales of Prop Rep Horror”…

Tales of Prop Rep Horror #1 – “The Puzzle of Brussels”

Looking to learn how to improve the management and business systems of your construction business? Our upcoming Construction Business Management workshop is here to help!

At the end of the course participants will be able to: 

• Understand the strategic planning process and how to implement it within their context
• Understand the importance of a business plan and how to prepare one
• Understand the participants within the construction industry – their roles, responsibilities and limitations
• Understand the benefits of a participatory management culture
• Formulate a marketing plan and understand the marketing mix
• Develop a human resource management plan
• Understand the employment cycle/process
• Develop an employee performance evaluation system
• Increase staff morale and engagement
• Understand operational planning for construction companies
• Formulate a financial plan, budgets, ratios and break-even analysis
• Understand the importance of financial internal controls
• Develop benchmarks and key performance indicators
• Understand bonding and insurance for construction companies
• Use risk management tools to identify risk and how to mitigate risk

You’ll also earn 5 Gold Seal Credits and 30 Group B CPD Points from BC Housing!

Our next two-day session takes place in Burnaby on August 23-24; register now so you don’t miss out! You can register for this or any of our other upcoming sessions at www.icba.ca/courses.

And while you’re there, subscribe to our training newsletter at www.icba.ca/trainingnewsletter.