EllisDon, Carpenters' Union tell Queen's Park committee about the importance of Bill 74 to supporting union jobs in Ontario's construction industry

As many as 9 out of 10 project tradespeople EllisDon hires are unionized; Passing Bill 74 is critical to helping protect those jobs for unionized construction tradespeople

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Oct. 10, 2013 /CNW/ - EllisDon Corporation announced today that a representative of the company will discuss the importance of Bill 74, the Fairness and Competitiveness in Ontario's Construction Industry Act, 2013, at a committee hearing at Queen's Park. An important legislative remedy, Bill 74 will protect Ontario construction jobs for unionized workers and help maintain a level playing field in Ontario's Institutional Commercial and Industrial (ICI) construction market.

The Carpenters' District Council of Ontario will also be present and testifying in support of Bill 74. Other supporters of the Bill include the LiUNA (Labourers' International Union of North America).

"It's absolutely vital that Bill 74 is passed. The recent Divisional Court ruling that some are saying achieves the same goals as Bill 74 does not provide the needed assurance that our workers and our company requires," said Tom Howell, vice president of labour relations at EllisDon Corporation. "Our company and the Ontarians we employ continue to face uncertainty if Bill 74 isn't passed. Without Bill 74, our company's ability to compete against foreign and new construction firms who rely heavily on non-unionized workers remains in question."

While recent debate of Bill 74 in the Legislative Assembly has included discussion of a potential appeal of the Ontario Divisional Court's September ruling, EllisDon has received notice from union lawyers that they do intend to file a notice of motion with the court seeking leave to appeal the ruling by the October 15^th deadline. In addition, it is understood that the Ontario Sheet Metal Workers' & Roofers' Conference has now passed a resolution compelling the union's executive to appeal the decision.

In addition, without Bill 74, it is expected that other unions will launch actions before the Ontario Labour Relations Board based on the disputed Sarnia Working Agreement. In one example, the UA Local 593 (representing Plumbers) has already delivered grievances to EllisDon asserting bargaining rights based on the disputed Sarnia Working Agreement. This union has given no indication that it will not pursue those grievances in the future, thus leaving a cloud of uncertainty over EllisDon.

Why Bill 74 is Important
As a result of an OLRB decision released on February 13, 2012, EllisDon has faced a significant and unfair competitive disadvantage in bidding for industrial, commercial and institutional (ICI) contracts outside of the Greater Toronto Area. EllisDon is the only company immediately impacted by the loophole in construction law, and the company has been advocating for maintaining the status-quo so that it would not be placed at a competitive disadvantage. Bill 74 would remove any uncertainty and settle this issue permanently, ensuring that EllisDon is never placed in such a position again.

About EllisDon
EllisDon is an employee-owned company that completes in excess of $3.1 billion in new construction annually and delivers construction expertise to clients throughout the world. The company offers not only construction and project management services but now a growing range of construction services in risk management, sustainability and technology. For more information, please visit www.ellisdon.com.

SOURCE: EllisDon Corporation

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