A bill tabled by the BC Conservative Party today would hurt OPCMIA Local 919 members, B.C.’s construction workers, local communities and the wider industry. Though the Conservatives claim they wrote the bill in the interest of fairness, they seem to be misguided.
Community Benefits Agreements (CBA) and Project Labour Agreements (PLA) are designed to ensure local workers and communities benefit from public infrastructure investments. They are also intended to ensure that apprentices develop into our next generation of highly skilled tradespeople.
CBA statistics show that 94% of project hours are worked by British Columbians. The stats also show that 23% of tradespeople hired have been apprentices or trainees. The program is working and it’s benefitting local communities to the tune of billions of dollars working their way back through local economies.
CBAs and PLAs put British Columbia and British Columbians first. The Conservative bill would only weaken our construction industry and our province.