211,000 Quebec construction workers to vote in union ballot

A construction worker is seen working on the site of a new condo development in Montreal, Monday, Feb. 19, 2024. (Christinne Muschi, The Canadian Press)

Starting Monday, more than 211,000 workers in Quebec's construction industry are being called upon to choose the union of their choice -- a ballot that only takes place once every four years.

This time, the ballot runs from June 3 to 22.

In practice, only those who wish to change their union allegiance need exercise their right to vote. For those who do not, there is a so-called "presumption of allegiance", meaning that their current membership is simply renewed for another four years.

Five major employee associations are recognized in the industry: the FTQ-Construction, the Conseil provincial du Québec des métiers de la construction (International), the Syndicat québécois de la construction, the CSD-Construction and the CSN-Construction.

At the end of the previous ballot in 2020, the FTQ-Construction represented 43 per cent of industry workers, the Conseil provincial 23 per cent, the SQC 19 per cent, the CSD-Construction 8.7 per cent and the CSN-Construction 6 per cent.

The inter-union raiding period, which precedes the vote, began on May 1 and ends this Sunday, June 2. The mail-in ballot follows, and the Commission de la construction du Québec's role is to ensure that it runs smoothly.

"It's a very important democratic exercise for us," said CCQ president and CEO Audrey Murray. "And it's also important for workers, who can make their choice based on their own judgement.

"Why is union representativeness important? Representativeness is also part of the bargaining process, because the percentage of representativeness will determine the weight of the parties involved in ratifying the collective agreement. So, when the time comes to vote to accept the agreement in principle, the unions, depending on the percentage of representativeness they have achieved, are not equal," said Murray.

Also, to be applicable in one of the industry sectors, a collective agreement must be ratified by the employer party and at least three union associations representing more than 50 per cent of the industry's workers, said the CCQ.

The new union allegiances will take effect in September.

As for the raiding period, which is governed by rules, Murray said that she has received reports: "We're looking into them, and of course, we'll act accordingly, based on the analyses that my Audits and Investigations team is carrying out."

Nevertheless, the climate in the construction industry is calmer than it used to be.

"There have been changes in the culture of the industry, over time," said Murray. "I think there are things that have evolved in strategy, in the way we communicate, in the way we position ourselves. So far, I think things are going pretty smoothly."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 2, 2024.