PAGE OCR 6 – October 2009 – The Ontario Construction Report
afternoon to a fax machine few would think
MOCAO
of checking; or just days before Christmas,
with the hopes that the matter would be
Continued from page OCR5
undiscovered until it is too late to respond
––––––––––––––––––––––– in the New Year,” he said.
“We have grown tremendously.” MacDonald will be the first full-time as-
However, Mattina, MacDonald and Son- sociation employee with the construction
nenberg all acknowledge that they have just and lobbying experience to take on the
begun to scratch the surface – many non- unions in public forums and in the battle
unionized construction businesses do not over legislative wording and terms.
know about MOCAO. Because the associ- trends are in favour of MOCAO, which par- Undoubtedly, these matters can be highly
ation represents unorganized, independent ticipates in the Merit Contractors Associa- politicized and the environment can shift,
businesses, unlike its organized opposition, tion of Canada, and finds inspiration in the depending on the government of the day.
it cannot coerce or require companies to success, scale and market dominance of the Right now, especially, MOCAO is con-
participate in the group; meaning MOCAO Merit Contracting sector in Alberta and cerned about the implications of the pro-
must grow and develop its capacities based British Columbia. Throughout Ontario and posed College of Trades which could
on its membership services and accom- the nation, merit contractors are gaining impose mandatory certification, and on the
plishments. ground on the unionized sector, taking on fact that labour representatives on many tri-
Sonnenberg says the main reason many larger projects formerly only built by union-
contractors join, in fact, is the association’s ized contractors, he says.
benefits program, which provides an af- Unfortunately, this success means or-
fordable and high-quality resource for com- ganized labour is fighting back with a
bunals and boards including the Workplace
panies with hourly field employees. The vengeance – using all its legal and legisla-
Safety and Insurance Board represent the
MOCAO’s plan is comparable in quality to tive clout to protect its position and, in the
unionized but not the non-unionized sector
programs offered by the construction process, snaring businesses and workers in
with two-thirds of construction employees.
unions, at a cost businesses can afford. (See sometimes daunting and costly legal battles,
separate story regarding benefits.).
With more members and greater re-
Addi- he says.
sources, the MOCAO will be able to accel-
tional member benefits include discounts Sonnenberg says MOCAO provides re-
erate its efforts to speak for the otherwise
and referrals to businesses providing a range sources for members caught in battles with
unorganized workers and contractors.
of services, such as retirement plans, prop- the labour movement. Members need to
“Without us, there is little voice out there
erty & liability insurance, bonding, payroll, pay their own legal bills, but can obtain
for the vast majority of contractors,” says
office supplies, software, travel, gas, etc. as guidance and recommendations before
Domenic Mattina. “We represent the ma-
well as training and education. things get out of hand.
jority of construction workers in Ontario.
On the legal and political front, the as- They also receive warnings about how
Our membership is growing, because con-
sociation has until recently relied on volun- the union movement will sometimes delib-
tractors are recognizing their voice has to be
tary time and effort, making for an uneven erately take action when employers are least
heard.”
fight with organized labour’s extensive re- expecting trouble, and may be away on va-
“Our growth potential is enormous.”
sources. cation, MacDonald said, I know of one case
However, MacDonald says market when the union sent a fax late on a Friday
Congratulations to the
Merit OpenShop Contractors Association of Ontario.
We are proud to be part of your team.
Proud supporting member of the
Merit OpenShop Contractors Association of Ontario
211 Lanark Street, Unit A Hamilton, ON L8E 2Z9
COMMERCIAL-INSTITUTIONAL-INDUSTRIAL-SERVICE
45 Wright Street, St. Catharines, ON L2P 3J5
Tel: 905-684-6895 Fax: 905-684-7829 www.kraun.ca
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