July 25, 2007

JEAN SORENSEN

Trucks rolled past striking Vancouver city workers at the VANOC Hillcrest site. Representatives from Stuart Olson Constructors later handed out a consent order from the B.C. Labor Relations Board against CUPE Local 15 to cease picketing Gates 1 and 2 at the construction site.

Labour Relations

Contractors seek injunction against picketers

Strike slows work on Vancouver construction sites

JEAN SORENSEN

correspondent

VANCOUVER

General contractors impacted by striking Vancouver city workers are lining up at the B.C. Labour Relations Board looking for relief as picketers showed up at worksite entrances attempting to bar crews from entering.

Picketing began Monday at the Hillcrest Olympic site (near Nat Bailey Stadium) after the workday had begun. Stuart Olson Constructors Inc. were prepared when picketers showed up again early Tuesday morning as company representative handed out an injunction order from the labor relations board which prohibited CUPE Local 15 members from blocking workers from entering the site.

Before the order could be handed out, cars and trucks were already bypassing the placard-carrying strikers as workers ignored the attempted blockade.

At the new Sunset Community Centre building on Main Street, Haebler Construction crews were barred from entering the site by a pile of debris stacked by CUPE Local 1004 members.

Because of the large group of vocal strikers, a Haebler spokesman said he was asking crews to pull back as he returned to the head office.

Roland Haebler told Journal of Commerce his company is seeking an injunction from the B.C. Labour Relations Board to keep picketers away the site.

JEAN SORENSEN

Members of CUPE Local 1004 barricade the entrance to the new Sunset Community Centre, a Haebler Construction project. Construction crews left the site earlier in the day. Officials with Haebler were seeking a labour board injunction to prevent pickets.

“We will see what happens,” he said.

The City of Vancouver has provided contactors facing jobsite pickets with information on how to obtain injunctions from the labour board.

“It will be necessary for them (contractors) to continue some of their operations on sites where the City has a small number of CUPE employees,” the city release read.

The work on the Canada Line is not expected to be impacted directly by striking Vancouver city workers. Tom Timm, general manager of engineering services, said that city crews had already relocated the sewer and water lines around the rapid transit line. “The ongoing work is not being done by city crews,” he said.

A recent report issued by VANOC on work being done at the Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Village indicated a large portion of the site preparation and servicing, including utilities installation, road building and waterfront reinstatement has been completed.

“We expect to continue with all planned preparations for the games with no impact from the strike,” said VANOC spokesperson Renee Smith-Valade, vice-president of communications. “We will continue to monitor the status of the negotiations and, if necessary, will adapt our schedule and working arrangements. Like all those affected by the strike, we hope those involved will be able to resolve the issues under dispute as soon as possible.”

JEAN SORENSEN

Strikers read the contents of a labour board order prohibiting pickets at the VANOC Hillcrest site.

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