Ousted from the Brotherhood
Out-of-work scaffolder says he’s been suspended from his union for taking temporary job
With the economy lagging and not many jobs on the go here or out West, scaffolder Dave Snook jumped at the chance for temporary work at the North Atlantic oil refinery, but now he says his union has suspended him for it.
“Let me kiss your feet,” he said, recalling his response to a call in January about the Come By Chance opportunity.
He expects to be on the job there until June.
But this week, he got a letter from the union that he’s been a member of for years — the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA) Local 579 — notifying him of his suspension.
“Dear Brother Dave… We have determined that you have been working for a contractor whose employees are represented by another union, and that you have accordingly become a member of that union,” the letter reads, adding it’s an offence under the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners to be a member of any other union in competition with the Brotherhood.
“You are no longer a member in good standing of Local 579…”
“It’s very unfair what they are doing. … We’re trying to put bread on the table and they are trying to take it away.”
Dave Snook
Snook told The Telegram this action affects his union health benefits. He said he’s not a card-carrying member of another union, and isn’t sure if union dues are being deducted as he hasn’t been able to check his online pay stub.
It’s possible he could get a fine, too, and if his union standing was eventually restored, he can’t be put back on the work list for a month. As well, for two years he is off the list in which contractors can ask for him by name.
The letter ends by warning him he could be expelled from the union unless he takes steps to restore his good standing.
Given the hiring climate, Snook feels the union’s letter is heavy-handed. He says he is paid up on dues to the Brotherhood until the summer.
“It’s very unfair what they are doing. … We’re trying to put bread on the table and they are trying to take it away,” he said, adding he knows of others in his situation.
Snook said for years he worked out West as a member of the same union, but often got jobs on his own. He also worked on the Hebron construction project in this province.
When he took the Come By Chance job, he said, his unemployment had nearly run out.
He thinks it’s a bit much for the Brotherhood to ask him to give up work.
“If the union would pay my mortgage for me, I would gladly quit and stay home,” he said.
Late Friday, Ivan Gedge, president of Carpenters Local 579, responded by email to a Telegram request for comment.
“This is an internal union matter and I will not be discussing it with the media,” he wrote. “Every member has the right to contact us if they want to meet to discuss any concerns they may have.”