Looming Lower Mainland concrete strike could be ‘huge hit’ to construction industry
Posted May 29, 2024 6:20 pm.
Last Updated May 29, 2024 6:27 pm.
A looming strike involving one of the Lower Mainland’s bigger players in concrete is casting a shadow over the construction sector in the region.
The union claiming to represent workers at one of the region’s largest concrete companies, Heidelberg Materials, issued a statement on social media Monday, asserting that if negotiations with the German-based company fail on Wednesday, it would prompt their bargaining team to call for a strike.
It added that their members had “voted overwhelmingly by 98.6% to authorize it.”
One construction professional fears a strike may result in significant disruptions.
“It affects the whole industry, but it would affect the small and medium sized builders quite a bit,” said Sal Nasery, a lead project manager for Vancouver General Contractors.
He told CityNews, “it [could also] realistically mean a lot of the larger projects get put on hold or delayed.”
In a post on X earlier this week, the union said that Heidelberg Materials is responsible for supplying “about 33% of the concrete in the Lower Mainland,” adding it will “bring construction to a screeching halt.”
“It’s going to be a huge hit,” Nasery said. “There’s a ripple effect, if we’re not able to get our materials it throws the whole schedule off.”
Nasery believes that an extended strike of any kind could also have lasting repercussions.
“We have a tight window as it is,” he said. “If we’re getting delayed five weeks, that’s a month of construction. You’ll feel it for the entire season.”
Two years ago, members from the same Teamsters union went on strike for five weeks, triggering interruptions to major developments.
Last week, the province referenced that job action as a key factor in pushing the completion of the Broadway Subway Project to 2027.
Outside of the potential strike causing substantial production delays this year, Nasery is concerned that it could also lead to job losses.
“You have all these guys that work for you … ‘what do you do in that situation?’,” he said. “Especially in a city like Vancouver, where were having affordability issues for new builds.”
“When you have that squeeze or that bottleneck on materials, it just pushes everything up. It almost makes it unrealistic for people to build.”
CityNews reached out to the union claiming to represent workers at Heidelberg Materials several times on Wednesday, but did not hear back.
