Heyink Workers Choose CLAC

DATE: April 29, 2011

Chatham, ON—At a vote conducted by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, workers at Henry Heyink Construction Ltd. rejected the Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA) and chose CLAC Construction Workers Local 53 as their union by a significant majority.

The OLRB conducted the run-off vote to resolve competing applications by the two unions. The legal contest to represent the group of equipment operators, construction labourers, truck drivers, and shop workers spanned over a year.

“At the end of this long battle, the employees have voiced their union preference loud and clear,” says Ryan Griffioen, Ontario representative. “We can finally get going with collective bargaining on their behalf. We expect to call a meeting of the entire group shortly to gather proposals for negotiations and elect a bargaining committee.”

Heyink workers join the growing list of construction employees in southwestern Ontario choosing CLAC as their union. Local 53 saw membership growth of more than twenty-five percent in 2010.