The NDP claim today’s “community benefit agreement” announcement is about getting more people into construction.
That’s an outright lie.
Their true agenda was revealed hours after their press conference:
“Anyone wanting to work on the Pattullo and other public infrastructure projects will have to sign up with the NDP-run hiring hall. Within 30 days of employment on a given job site, any non-union worker — or any member of a union not in partnership with the NDP — will be required to join an approved union for the duration of the project.
“Forced unionization in other words, and with selected, NDP-approved unions.”
That’s about putting tens of millions of dollars in forced union dues, benefits payments, training fees, and uncollectable pension payments into the failing Building Trades unions. It’s about repaying them for the hundreds of thousands of dollars they’ve given the NDP over the years. It’s about gouging the taxpayer to prop up a failing union model that now represents fewer than 15% of construction workers.
It’s disgusting. If the unions want work, compete to get it in an open, fair, transparent bidding process. But they can’t – and this morning their NDP allies tried to hide the truth from taxpayers.
Shame on them.
ICBA media coverage from yesterday’s NDP announcement forcing all construction workers on provincial projects to join the Building Trades unions:
