Drywall, Acoustic Lathing and Insulation Local 675 Calls on the Employers Association to Come Back to the Bargaining Table with a Respectful Offer

VAUGHAN, ON, May 2, 2016 /CNW/ - The residential division of Drywall Acoustic Lathing and Insulation Local 675 - Carpenters' District Council of Ontario, ("CDC") went on strike this morning after over three months of bargaining. These members install drywall and interior systems in high-rise condominiums and low-rise housing across the GTA. The more than 2,000 members of the residential division of Local 675 are eager to see a respectful and honest offer from their employers, who are represented by the Interior Systems Contractors Association.

Long gone are the days of box homes with 4 walls and a door. Today's modern residences, be it single family homes, townhouses and multiplex or condominiums, are complicated structures with complex and sophisticated interior systems. "It is essential that our compensation reflect both the increased difficulty of the work we are doing, as well as the training we need to get the job done safely and correctly," said Tony Iannuzzi, President of Local 675 and Executive Secretary Treasurer of the Carpenters' District Council of Ontario.

Today's homes include cathedral ceilings, multiple levels and dimensions, as well as new materials and technologies. The Carpenters' Union labour force is constantly upgrading its skills to keep up to date with the new requirements needed for this challenging sector of construction industry. A house isn't a home without walls, insulation and drywall.

In a booming residential market, it is unfathomable to think that the skilled trades-people building the interior systems of today's homes would not be compensated properly for their skills. The offer made by the employers association must take these issues into consideration. "Local 675 is eager to get back to the table and back to the job site to finish building Ontario up," said Iannuzzi.

The Carpenters' District Council of Ontario is comprised of 16 affiliated Local Unions of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners across the province. In total, we represent over 26,000 women and men working in a wide range of areas, including carpentry, drywall, resilient flooring, concrete formwork, underwater construction, welding, scaffolding, and a long list of other construction-related work. The CDC conducts centralized collective bargaining in the construction sector on behalf of our affiliated Locals. The resultant provincial collective agreements are the foundation of one of the world's most productive and efficient labour-management systems.

SOURCE Carpenters' District Council of Ontario

Nikki Holland, Director of Public Affairs, 905-652-4140 x271