B.C. carpenters end 'epic struggle' - Brian Morton, Vancouver Sun
"We're the first construction union to successfully break away from the international parent outside of Quebec," CMAW president Jan Noster said in an interview Thursday. "We've been in this epic struggle for the last 11 years. We want to control our own destiny in B.C. and not have decisions on construction sites made in Washington, D.C."
Despite that, Noster noted that the Labour Relations Board decision also means CMAW will have to pay the UBCJ $6 million. The CMAW and UBCJ will also both have the right to represent carpenters in B.C.
But Noster maintained that the $6 million was a small price to pay for independence. He also said that 95 per cent of carpenters are representing by the CMAW, which was formed in 2005.
"Only a handful of employers will remain with the UBCJ," he said.