Skilled Trades

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Skilled trades...a stronger economy through skilled trades is possible

Context and challengesSkilled trades are a key component in any strong economy. the technical mastery of a craft, coupled with an in-depth knowledge of work processes and practices drives productivity and raises the bar for quality standards. this, in turn, helps fuel new investment. Canadian industry continues to thrive because of its skilled trades, in all sectors of the economy.

despite their vital importance, skilled trades workers are engaged in a constant struggle to preserve the integrity of their craft. Skilled trades represent a powerful voice among the working class. their skills and abilities are in high demand and very difficult to replace. the fragmentation of tasks, the re-organization of work practices and the loosening of certification requirements by employers and governments has contributed to the undermining of trades work and lowering of workplace standards over time. this has been fuelled by the implementation of new technology that’s been designed, in large part, to suit the specific needs of employers. it’s through unions that the skilled trades have been given a vehicle to counterbalance these demands, safeguard skills, maintain ownership over work and effectively manage the adoption of new technologies.

the CaW continues to recognize the importance of the skilled trades in the union. it was 50 years ago that the Canadian district of the UaW chose to maintain its Skilled trades Council, while all others were abolished in the United States. this Council was later enshrined in the new CaW Constitution adopted at the union’s founding convention in 1985. in the last 27 years mergers and new-member organizing have added new trades groups to the CaW. With these new members has come a broader understanding of skilled trades issues in different sectors and a stronger presence across the country. CaW members in the skilled trades speak with a strong voice at the bargaining table and within our union’s structure, with representation on the national executive Board.

the number of recognized trades in the union has grown significantly. in occupational terms, the CaW represents large trades groups like electricians, carmen and vehicle mechanics. But we’ve also grown to represent trades workers in other areas that are relatively new to the union, such as marine engineers, chefs, horticulturalists, and plate workers in mining. alongside our industrial trades are trades in service occupations, such as in health care, which make for an exciting mix and a stronger union.

there are recognized CaW skilled trades across Canada in workplaces as diverse as auto assembly plants and shipyards, tool and die shops and mines, hospitals and auto dealerships, casinos and railways, aluminum smelters, transit and ferries. our skilled trades members work in every sector of our union.

economic crisis and unprecedented challengesthe current economic climate in Canada brings extraordinary challenges to the skilled trades. the absence of a comprehensive industrial development strategy, an artificially inflated Canadian dollar, and a rising flood of imported goods has contributed to the gutting of Canada’s manufacturing sector, impacting thousands upon

SKilled tradeS• 40%ofourmembershavelanguagegoverning

apprenticeship plans in their agreement.

• 19%haveaprovisionestablishinganapprenticeship ratio.

• 32%haveatoolallowance,averaging$380peryear.

Source: CAW State of the Union

What our collective agreements say about

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thousands of jobs in the trades. the loss of skilled trades in manufacturing points to the unique structural nature of the recent downturn, since trades workers have historically better weathered cyclical recessions.

in the face of devastating plant closures, layoffs and an increased measure of insecurity for trades workers it’s discouraging to hear economic forecasters and labour market analysts continue to warn of a looming shortage of skilled trades workers, in both public and private sectors. While the shortage is less widespread, and less significant, than popularly portrayed, governments have rushed to respond with hasty and inadequately thought through solutions.

the fact is that apprenticeship hiring levels have declined, particularly in the public sector. government austerity measures are only compounding this problem, by cutting thousands of jobs. Private businesses are reluctant to hire new trades workers and invest in their training, with Canada’s economic recovery continuing to

sputter. the constant attack on workplace pensions, the inadequacy of Canada’s public pension system as well as the extension in the age of retirement, means trades workers are staying on the job longer, closing off opportunities for young workers.

Current remedies such as the infatuation with deregulated apprenticeships and “skill set” training, relying on poaching from other companies and other countries are inadequate and wrongheaded responses.

Trades shortage or government short-sightedness?there may be a labour shortage of skilled trades in Canada (though highly regional, and vastly overstated) and around the world, but it’s driven by a chronic lack of opportunity and failure in government job-creation policy.

most countries have responded to this by beefing up investment and enrollment in apprenticeship programs, understanding the central role skilled trades plays in fostering a stronger, more productive economy. in Canada, apprenticeship grant programs and tax credits aren’t delivering the meaningful investments needed to create real job opportunities for tradespersons. rather, the purported skilled trades shortage has prompted significant changes to Canada’s foreign workers program. in fact, the Harper government has aimed to beef up the ranks of “skilled” workers by loosening rules under the temporary Foreign Workers Program, to fast-track employer applications and allow employer to pay migrant workers up to 15 per cent less than other workers in Canada. this move undermines the wages of existing skilled trades and it creates potentially damaging divisions among workers.

the Harper government has set its sights on lowering the bar for skilled trades workers in other areas too. in the much-maligned 2012 omnibus budget bill, the government quietly removed the federal Fair Wages and Hours of labour act, an 80-year old piece of legislation that set a basic floor for wages under federal construction contracts.

the budget bill also dismantled the Federal Contractors Program under the “employment equity act”, enabling employers to skirt employment equity laws for federal contracts worth more than $200,000.

and shortly after winning their majority, the Harper government cut funding to the Canadian apprenticeships Forum (a body that promotes apprenticeships as a viable career option across Canada), a multi-stakeholder body that provides a voice for labour in the development of Canada’s next generation of skilled trades.

there’s no denying the tremendous pressure being placed on Canada’s skilled trades workers from the anti-worker and anti-union Harper government. But despite these challenges at the federal level, there have been important strides made in other jurisdictions. in ontario, for instance, the newly established ontario College of trades is an important achievement, and is the culmination of years of political action work lead by the CaW and

Facts about skilled trades• 97%ofskilledtradesworkersinCanadaareemployed

full-time.

• Nearly50%ofallskilledtradesworkersinCanadaareunionized;

In Canada, apprenticeship grant programs and tax credits aren’t delivering the meaningful investments needed to create real job opportunities for tradespersons.

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other skilled trades advocates in the province to modernize the province’s apprenticeship system and correct the destruction and deregulation of the system by the Harris government in 1998.

Constructive dialogue continues to take place within the labour movement, and the CaW plays an active role in both provincial labour federations and the Canadian labour Congress (ClC) apprenticeship Committees. our union also holds a seat on the Board of directors of the Canadian apprenticeship Forum.

Political action prioritiesAging workforceWe need to put in place appropriate policies to achieve a generational transition in skilled trades. the current policy track we are on is simply insufficient.

the CaW will take action to ensure:

• Employersmeetthechallengebydramaticallyincreasingthenumberofapprenticesincoordinationwithsufficientandtimelygovernmentfinancialsupport;

• Workerscancontinuetoenjoythebenefitsofearlyretirement;

• Skillsofolderworkersarepassedonbeforetheyarelost;

• Therearereplacementsforskilledtradesjobslostthroughattrition.

Advocating for the skilled Trades Councilthe CaW Skilled trades Council, with area Sub-Councils across Canada, provides an effective voice for the skilled trades in the union, and plays an active role in defending standards and pressuring governments on a variety of trades-related issues, such as expanded apprenticeships, that benefit all. the Skilled trades Council strengthens the union’s work at the bargaining table, and extends our reach into the broader political arena.

the CaW will:

• EncourageallbargainingcommitteestonegotiatelanguageintocollectiveagreementsforthedeductionofSkilled trades Council dues (one half-hour pay per year), as per the CaW Constitution.

Bargaining prioritiesmore apprenticeship opportunitiesthere is no shortcut to developing well-trained skilled trades people. the “quickie trades” approach will siphon people out of full apprenticeships into shorter programs that only train people in a portion of the trade. apprenticeship is not just a training program, it is a way to develop the next generation of skilled workers in the full breadth of the trade. apprenticeship programs deepen the technical foundation and the capacity of our industries and must be the centerpiece of training and skills development in modern industry.

the CaW:

• Encouragesallbargainingcommitteestonegotiatemoreapprenticeopenings,andgreateropportunityforapprentices to complete their programs in upcoming contract talks.

stronger retirement securityin 1993 negotiations with the detroit three, the CaW addressed the issue of skilled trades pensions and negotiated increases so that the replacement ratio (pension income compared to former regular pay) for trades would more closely match what it was for production workers.

• TheCAWencouragesallbargainingcommitteestonegotiateimprovedprovisionsforearlyretirementinorderto provide skilled trades employment opportunities for young people.

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• TheCAWwillmaintainitspolicyofskilledtradeswage and pension differentials.

increased funding and access for skilled Trades Union education Programthe CaW established its ground-breaking Skilled trades Union education Program during contract talks with the detroit three automakers in 1999. Since its inception, the StUeP has brought together over 3,000 skilled trades members to Port elgin for training that, focuses on the role of trades in the union, the importance of solidarity between production workers and the trades, and other topics. the StUeP has been a hugely successful initiative.

the CaW will continue to support the StUeP and encourage bargaining committees to:

• BargainparticipationintheSTUEPacrossallindustries with contracts covering skilled trades workers.

• Wherepossible,negotiatesufficientfundswiththe employer to cover the cost of skilled trades members attending the StUeP annually.

improved workplace trainingtraining of skilled trades is never complete. the goal is to continuously upgrade the skills of our trades to handle thebuilding,installationandmaintenanceofnewequipment;andtofulfilltherequirementsoftheircrafttothe highest degree. training needs to be comprehensive and requires more union influence over its design, development and delivery as well – as greater union control over both its quality, and the quantity.

We have the ability to exert influence over training programs at the bargaining table. our skilled trades training goals must include:

• Trainingprogramsthatareadequatelyfundedbyemployers;

• Peertrainersandtrainingcoordinatorstoorganize,plan,scheduleanddelivertheprograms;

• Unioninvolvementindefiningneeds,developing,producingandevaluatingprograms;

• Maintainingasufficientskilledtradesworkforcetoallowtrainingreplacements;

• Safetyasacorerequirementsinalltraining;

• Ensuringthatourtradeshavetheopportunitytoreceiveanyrequiredlicenses,andthatallfeesorothercosts,including training, be paid for by the company.

CaW moving forward in the trades• ThenewlycreatedOntarioCollegeofTrades(established

in 2011) is a multi-stakeholder, self-governing and standard-setting body charged with regulating all approved trades in Ontario. The CAW’s current Director of Skilled Trades, Pat Blackwood, has been appointed to the Board of Governors and was elected as Vice Chair of the Board. CAW Local 1643 President Willie Wham also sits on the College’s Board of Governors. The College is set to open officially in 2013.

• TheCAW’sweek-longWomen’sSkilledTradesandTechnology Awareness Program has been running since 2002 and has trained over 500 members.

• In2009agroupof30CAWskilledtradesvolunteerscompleted the task of repairing contaminated water wells for the First Nations Community of Little Salmon Carmacks in the Yukon. The six-week project repaired 57 wells, originally constructed by the federal government but poorly managed over time. This was the latest project in connection with the CAW-Assembly of First Nations Make Poverty History campaign.

• In2012,theCAWestablisheditsfirstAtlanticRegion Skilled Trades Council, representing skilled trades members in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland as well as a new area council in Edmonton. These regional councils provide a voice for CAW skilled trades members at the national Skilled Trades Council.

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greater control over technological changetechnological change is a challenge to our skilled trades members. at one level, it holds the promise of upgraded skills, but at another level it can threaten our existing skills. technical complexity holds the key to increased job security, while at the same time new computer-based technologies, self-diagnostics, and networking threatens to shift our work out of the bargaining unit – and even out of the workplace.

the goal of our skilled trades program on technological change is to increase opportunities to upgrade our skills and knowledge, to retain our mastery of the installation, programming, repair and maintenance of the equipment in our workplaces, to improve our working conditions and our job security, and to participate in all stages of new technology from design through build, try-out, installation, launch and de-bug. our program on technological change means strengthening our collective agreement provisions around the right to know, the right to participate and the right to negotiate.

the CaW will bargain for:

• Advancednoticeofnewtechnologyandregularbriefingsontechnologicaldevelopments;

• Activetechnologycommitteestodetermine,schedule,implementandevaluateallskilledtradetraining;

• TheinvolvementofCAWskilledtradesfromtheonsetofallnewprogramsfromthedesignstagethroughtoinstallation and launch.

• Requirementsthatallnecessarytrainingassociatedwithnewtechnologyisprovidedtoourmembers;

• Controlsoveroffsite(remote)programmingandcontrolofequipment;

• Moreinvolvementinthedesignoftechnology;

• Theterms,condition,safeguards,andopportunitiesassociatedwithtechnologicalchange.

Contracting-out and work ownershipContracting out is a critical issue for skilled trades workers. Contracting of work threatens our job security and it weakens our bargaining power.

our goal in bargaining is to build on the breakthroughs the union has achieved on work ownership. to establish wherever possible the principle of “work ownership” – that our trades own all skilled trades work that can be performed inside our workplaces, that they be given first priority to do the work through recall of laid-off trades people and apprentices, full utilization of the trades in the plant, and that no work be contracted-out without advance discussions and mutual agreement.

our program on work ownership includes:

• Extendingourrightstoallskilledtradeswork;

• Allowingvendorsandcontractorsonlyforinstructionalpurposes;

• Performingtheworkonwarrantyclaims;

• Ensuringallnecessaryequipment,toolsandfacilitiesareprovidedtoallowourskilledtradestoperformthework.

safeguarding skillsWe recognize the various trade classifications evolve and change but we oppose unnecessary changes designed by managers to strengthen their control of the workplace and weaken unions through programs like team concept and employee involvement or multi-skilling or de-skilling for skilled trades. management’s aim here is to reduce our skilled trades to “jack of all trades, master of none.”

the CaW will:

• Defendthedepthandbreadthofcoretrades;

• Resistbothfragmentationandmulti-skilling;

• EnsureskilledtradestobetrainedtomeetCertificateofQualificationandRedSealstandards.

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operating systemsmanagement reliance on “operating systems” (efforts to systematize management control of the workplace), has become more and more prevalent. For skilled trades, there is a variation known as “total Productive maintenance”, or tPm.

tPm includes concepts that we find unacceptable, including the elimination of skilled trades classifications and shifting maintenance trades work to production workers. However, experience has shown that sometimes union involvement in these programs can be had on a basis that safeguards skilled trades work and classifications. recent experience has shown employers are inclined to link new product investments with acceptance of tPm systems.

our judgment on whether or not to participate in tPm programs, or other “operating systems,” must be based on the need to protect jobs and skills as well as exerting real influence over the direction of these initiatives.

the CaW will continue to:

• Negotiatelanguagetoensurethattradesareinvolvedinallaspectsofanypreventativeandpredictivemaintenanceprograms;

• Ensurethattradesreceiveanynecessarytrainingrequired,andensurethatitisfundedbytheemployer.

CaW Skilled trades Bargaining and new technology ConferenceThe 2012 Skilled Trades Bargaining and New Technology Conference developed a bargaining program for our skilled trades members. This program sets out our goals for collective bargaining and political action on issues such as apprenticeships, wage and pension improvements, work ownership, skilled trades union education, new technology and training, safeguarding skills, replacements for skilled trades and health and safety.

Resolutions from the Skilled Trades Bargaining and New Technology Conference argued for:

• Strongerapprenticeshiphiringratios;

• Fullremunerationforallrequiredlicenses,certifications,membershipsandanyspecialtrainingrequirements;

• Opposewrong-headedausteritymeasures;

• Opposeunderhandedeffortsbyemployerstodowngradeskillsandtradesstandardsunderguiseof“greeninitiatives”;

• Uniformworkplacestandardsfortemporaryreplacementworkers;

• Aimtoreturnalllaid-offskilledtradesbacktowork;

• Protectskilledtradespensions;

• Recognitionandprotectionforconsolidatedtrades;

• CAW-specificskilledtradeshiringprocedures;

• Investmentsintrainingandworkerinvolvementinnewtechnologydevelopments;

• EnsureexclusiverepresentationinCAWbargainingunits;

• Upholdlong-standingCAWskilledtradeswageandpensiondifferentialpolicy;

• Workownershiplanguageinallcollectiveagreements;

• StrengthentheInvestmentCanadaAct;

• OpposetheEU-Canadafreetradeagreement.