Strike possible: Tensions in the concrete dispute in Metro Vancouver are increasing

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A strike in Metro Vancouver’s concrete supply chain was averted at the end of May, but the possibility of industrial action as early as Friday is once again on the table.

This week, the union again gave employer Heidelberg Materials North America a 72-hour deadline.

In May, both sides agreed to federal mediation, prompting the Teamsters Local 213 union to suspend its strike notice.

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However, a social media account belonging to union members working at Heidelberg posted a message on Tuesday saying the 72-hour deadline was back in effect.

The threat of industrial action is raising fears in Metro Vancouver’s construction industry that 2022 could see a repeat of the five-week strike by Teamsters Local 213, which was blamed for significant delays to projects such as the main tunnel work for the Broadway subway line.

Barry Capozzi, trade representative for Local 213, confirmed Wednesday that the union had announced a new strike, but said, “We hope to reach an agreement without any work stoppages.”

The 72-hour notice period means that a strike could take place late Friday morning at the earliest.

“We are still negotiating,” Capozzi said in a brief interview. “We are still in discussions with the support and assistance of a mediator from the BC Labour Relations Board.”

The Labor Department appointed Dave Schaub, the LRB’s mediation director, in May to assist in the talks.

David Perkins, vice president of Heidelberg Materials North America, described the talks as “productive discussions” in an emailed statement.

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“Mediator Schaub is working with current negotiations toward a solution that benefits both parties and allows us to move forward,” Perkins said in his statement.

In their latest social media post, the workers, who are grouped together as the Heidelberg Teamsters, said pensions are one of the biggest outstanding issues. They claim that workers have not received a pension increase since 2008 and that the company has offered workers “pennies on their pensions” despite high inflation and the company having “its most profitable year ever.”

Her post then includes links to companies doing some of the largest projects in the region, including Ellis Don, Concord Pacific, Polygon Homes, PCL Constructors, Acciona and Aecon Group. The latter two firms are involved in both the Broadway Subway and Pattullo Bridge replacement projects.

“The impact of a few days is probably manageable,” said Jeannine Martin, president of the Vancouver Regional Construction Association. “But if the impact lasts longer than a few days, there will certainly be a chain reaction to the construction industry across British Columbia.”

Heidelberg Materials North America, a subsidiary of German multinational Heidelberg Materials, owns 12 concrete plants in the Lower Mainland. It is estimated that about 35 percent of the region’s concrete supply was offline in 2022 due to the strike.

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