TEL group courting Flatiron employees - By Gail Burley , Golden Star, Canada
Flatiron employees working on the bridge and highway project east of Golden are being courted by a new union during an open raid period, which commenced April 1 and will continue until the end of May.
The Teamsters, Engineers, and Labourers Group, (TEL), have moved in on Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC) territory and are attempting to recruit the Flatiron crew.
The TEL Group have until the end of May to card fifty plus one percent of the 160 or so member workforce in order to proceed with an application to the B.C. Labour Board for a runoff vote, says Brian Lefebvre, Members' Representative of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 115.
"We are not here to be confrontational, we are here to talk to people. This is a building trades job. Roadwork is typically our jurisdiction, and has been for upwards of 100 years," he says.