Wednesday, April 8, 2026

Clarke Construction Employees Ratify New Contract with Wage, Benefits Gains

CHATHAM, ON—Employees of Clarke Construction Inc., a heavy civil contractor based in Chatham, Ontario, ratified a three-year collective agreement providing them with wage increases, improved benefits, and enhanced allowances.

The employees are represented by Construction Workers Union, CLAC Local 53. The union has represented the company’s employees since 2010.

The 100-member group, which includes labourers, equipment operators, truck drivers, and mechanics, voted 67 percent in favour of the new contract and secured wage increases of 12 percent over the term. The agreement also includes annual increases of $0.10 per hour to retirement contributions, improvements to life insurance and vision coverage, a $100 increase to the boot allowance, and increases to travel and living-out allowances.

“It was a solid round of bargaining,” says Jason Turkington, a truck driver, union steward, and member of the union bargaining committee. “It forced us to consider how members would be paid fairly in the face of continued inflation on items such as food and energy, while also ensuring that our employer would remain competitive and gain projects as the country deals with a possible recession. In the end, we were able to responsibly deal with those issues.”

Clarke Construction provides services such as road reconstruction, site servicing, bridge construction, and municipal infrastructure installation, including water, sanitary, and storm sewer systems in the Chatham area and southwestern Ontario. The company also specializes in renewable energy projects, horizontal directional drilling, hydro excavation, and aggregate supply and trucking.

Clarke Construction Employees Ratify New Contract with Wage, Benefits Gains

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