LIUNA Local 183

The largest construction local union in North America.

Eduardo Cardoso

African American Canadian Caucus Update

·

On Saturday, February 18th in support of Black History Month, the LiUNA Africa American Canadian Caucus held its first-ever appreciation dinner. It was a fascinating evening hosted by Caucus Board members Brothers Mamadou Bah and Anthony Tubbs.  Brother Hardy Jalloh from LiUNA Local 506 did a wonderful job as our informal Emcee for the evening and also told a humorous but moving story of his journey with LiUNA and the AACC.  

Caucus President and Business Manager of Labourer’s District Council of Philadelphia, Brother Ryan Boyer and his spouse also joined us to celebrate the event with the rank-and-file membership of the Caucus in Central and Eastern Canada, sending well wishes and kind regards from our brothers and sisters from the United States and the LiUNA African American Caucus.

Also in attendance to show their support for the LIUNA AACC were Brother Jack Oliveira, Business Manager of both LiUNA Local 183 Manager and OPDC his Executive Board;  Brother Roly Bernardini, President of LiUNA Local 506 and his Executive Board.  Hon. Charmaine Williams (Brampton Centre), Member of Parliament and Associate Minister of Women’s Social and Economic Opportunity also attended the event and Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development Monte McNaughton (Lambton-Kent-Middlesex) sent a congratulatory video message on the Caucuses work on diversity equity and inclusion and the adoption of the LEAD campaign at LiUNA 183. 

Associate Minister Williams, as the first Afro-Caribbean woman to be elected first as a city councillor in the City of Brampton and also the first woman of colour in the PC Cabinet spoke passionately about her commitment to getting more women in the trades and in particular more women of colour, as well her journey into the world of politics. There were also Leaders of community organizations, as well as a great representation of our rank-and-file members and their spouses.

Business Manage Brother Jack Oliveira gave a very moving speech on the importance of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in our great Local and his commitment to continue to do more to create equality of opportunity and experience for underrepresented groups to enter the construction trades.

There was also a beautiful presentation on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity presented by Brother Jason Ottey, Director of Government Relations and Communications for LiUNA Local 183, who ran through the Labourers for Equity and Diversity (LEAD) Campaign. LEAD was passed by the OPDC and LiUNA Local 183 is the first Local in Ontario to adopt and implement its key recommendations such as mandatory diversity, equity and inclusion training starting with the Executive Board and all business representative and sector co-ordinators employed at the Local.

Although this was the first appreciation dinner for the LiUNA AACC, it definitely won’t be the last and we look forward to celebrating the Caucus’ success with all of you next year.

UPDATE ON EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION

·

From its very inception, LiUNA has recognized and depended upon the hard work and leadership of immigrants and persons of diverse religious faiths. LiUNA was formed in 1903 when 23 independent local Laborers’ Unions joined together to form the International Hod Carriers and Building Laborers’ Union. The first Convention held in Washington, D.C., was attended by 25 delegates from 23 Local Unions in 17 cities, representing 8,186 Laborers. Those delegates elected  Herman Lilien, a Belgian immigrant from Chicago Local Union 4, as General President. They adopted the first Constitution of our Union which was published in three languages: English, German and Italian. 

Liuna is a Union which continues to pride itself on equity, diversity, and inclusion. With each new wave of immigration, the make-up of our membership has changed. Southern Ontario is now more ethnically and religiously diverse than at any time in the past. Our  population now includes more women than men, and women are increasingly taking on jobs in construction and other sectors represented by Local 183. Our local union membership continues to change and reflects the diversity of our communities; and we are much stronger for it. 

We cannot simply rest on our past accomplishments.  Our continued growth and future success requires that we build upon this strong foundation, and continue to welcome all workers into our Union. Employers need workers who are willing to put in an honest day’s work in exchange for the pay and benefits promised by our collective agreements. A worker should be measured based upon their ability to work, and willingness to learn, and not upon age, gender, race, religion, place of origin, or other irrelevant factors.  We all have a role to play in continuing make our workplaces and our Union diverse, equitable and welcoming. 

            Steps being taken by Local 183

A whole newsletter could be written on the steps being taken by this Executive Board and Local 183 to build a more diverse and inclusive membership. Recent highlights include: 

  1. Territorial Acknowledgements You will have noticed that Local 183 meetings are now commencing with a territorial land acknowledgment. We make these acknowledgments as part of the commitments made by LiUNA in ceremonially signing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Local 183 also recognizes and respects the findings of Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission’s calls to action.
  2. Lead Charter  Local 183 has adopted the LEAD Charter of Inclusion and Diversity which is reproduced below. A copy of the LEAD Charter is being printed on the inside cover of the 2022-2025 construction industry collective agreements.
  3. Women in the Trades  Local 183, along with the LIUNA OPDC and other LIUNA Local unions, is championing the recruitment and placement of women in construction. LIUNA has partnered with Aecon in its Aecon Women in Trades program, through which the Local 183 Training Centre provides women with Construction Craft Worker training prior to them starting jobs with Aecon. 
  4. EDI Training      Local 183 has engaged Harmony Movement to provide Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Training to its Executive Board and Business Representatives. Those training sessions occurred in January and February 2023. The LEAD Charter and EDI Training will form part of the training curriculum for the Construction Stewards and Industrial Stewards at their seminars being held in March and April 2023.  The Training Centre has also partnered with Harmony Movement and has developed an EDI component for the training of new apprentices.

Steps being taken by each member

  • Starting a new job can be tough. It can be particularly tough if you don’t feel welcome, or if you are made to feel different. Each member of Local 183, on every job site across the geographic jurisdiction of our union, has a role to play in making sure that every new member is welcomed on the job site and treated with dignity and respect. 
  • Be a mentor. If you can –  help, guide and teach. 
  • Be respectful, and welcoming. Think about how you would like your child to be treated at their new job.  Help the new worker understand the site: tell them where they have lunch; where the toilet is;  etc; and give them a chance to prove themselves. 
  • Don’t discriminate. Abide by the Union’s ByLaws and the LEAD! Charter.
  • If you see something, say something.
visit the new member portal