CLAC gains union certification in Saskatchewan

Opposing applications dismissed

SASKATOON, Saskatchewan - The Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board handed CLAC a clear victory by dismissing all of the applications by convential labour unions to delay CLAC certifications of bargaining units in the province of Saskatchewan.

The board will now consider CLAC’s certifications on their own merits. CLAC is confident it will have certifications in Saskatchewan approved within the next few months.

After losing an expensive campaign to halt Bill 80, a government bill that allows democratic choice for unionized construction workers in Saskatchewan, conventional labour tried to upstage the certification process, allowed by provincial legislation, by filing numerous applications with the board, which the CLAC labeled frivolous.

CLAC’s opponents, notably the retail workers union, attempted to obtain intervener status in CLAC’s construction applications.

The CLAC first gained certification through a Supreme Court decision in Ontario in 1963, followed by recognition B.C., Alberta, Manitoba and the Northwest Territories.