W hile collective agreements in the construction sector were being negotiated this spring, the period from March 1 to April 30 marked a two-month window during which union members could choose to switch their affiliation. While Local 793 and most construction unions spend this time focusing on organizing the non-union workforce and combating groups such as the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) and the Building Union of Canada (BUC), this is not always the case. LiUNA Local 183 turned the latest open period into a raiding season, aggressively targeting our members across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in areas where our presence has been firmly established for more than a century. Once again, however, our members showed that they were not for turning, rejecting all overtures from the Labourers in favour of the better pay, benefits and pensions they have worked so hard for through Local 793.
Brother Shawn Estrela (above), a former member of LiUNA 183 who is currently working on a HydroOne project in Toronto for Powerline Plus, says there’s nothing the Labourers could offer that would make him leave Local 793. “I was in LiUNA for 15 years and there is nothing there that would tempt anyone to move; it would be like demoting yourself,” he said. “I don’t see why anybody would want to jump out of a machine and pick up a shovel or broom. “The only thing I’ve ever heard from a Labourer is them wanting to be an Operator. I’ve never heard of it the other way around. Not once.” “Like demoting yourself”
LiUNA “not a union you want to join” Sebastian Moncada (right), himself a former Labourer, hasn’t looked back since joining Local 793 16 years ago. While working for Grascan in Scarborough, he met a LiUNA rep who falsely claimed that many Operators had already switched affiliations. It was a story he wasn’t about to buy into.
“I tried to be polite and basically told him where to go,” Brother Moncada said. “I didn’t expect to be approached like that and wasn’t too happy about it. “I know about 183 and they’ve had a lot of trouble in that union. I
tell these guys it’s not a union you want to join. We’re the machine operators. We’re 793 and if you want to run a machine, this is where you’ve got to be.”
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