Good day Brothers and Sisters
As most of you know there have been a number of rumors regarding the insulation maintenance contract at Scotford changing from a Union contractor to a CLAC contractor. As of today the contractor and the client have not provided a definitive answer regarding the future of the maintenance contract.
Over the last two weeks a number of our members have been laid off from the Scotford site from Safway Services who took over all mechanical insulation scope on site just a few months ago. Some of these members have been working on this site for a number of years. The members that are left on site have been informed that more layoffs are possible over the next few weeks. More alarming than these layoffs is that a number of our members who have been laid off and some that are still on the project have been approached by Brand Energy, the CLAC arm of Aluma Systems and Safway Services, and offered jobs back at the Scotford site.
These job offers are a clear indication that the Scotford site will not be utilizing our members for maintenance on their project. However this also shows that Brand is currently unable to man this project in anyway without the help of the members of Local 110. Our job is to keep it this way. To that end I ask that every member that is offered a position with Brand to refuse it, and every member that hears of a member that has been offered a position talk to them about how taking this position would help undermine the wages and working conditions of all Mechanical Insulators in Alberta. Currently Local 110 has an abundance of work and our Locals across Canada will be looking for travelers in the near future, so there is no reason that a Union member should be working for a CLAC contractor.
This is a true slap in the face of our Union as we have built and maintained this project for decades. Our Local will not accept members of our Local or our sister Locals adding to this insult by manning this project. As such accept this post as official notice that Local 110 has listed Brand at the Scotford site as a hot job. If any member is found to be working on this project connected to Mechanical Insulation both in or out of scope will be charged and if found guilty will be fined $15000.
Our members need to remember our history Shell Scotford started our Non-Union issues in 1984. They were the first client to lock out our members. If our members hold strong and stand together we will be able to get through these cuts to our industries wages and working conditions.
In solidarity
Kevin Lecht