Two trade unions will go before the Ontario Labour Relations Board sometime in late June to contest the City of Sault Ste. Marie's claim that unionized labour is not needed for a component of an east-end sewage treatment plant. It is the continuation of a long-running dispute between the city and two unions, the Labourers International Union of North America and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, dating back to a controversial 1987 labour board ruling. The board ruled the city use unionized labour on municipal projects and the city is challenging the legal opinion.
The city awarded a $7-million contract to North American Construction Ltd. of Morriston, Ont., for the construction of a 12,000-cubic-metre underground storage and overflow tank for the larger $35-million project.
