GROWING MARKET SHARE

“Getting you more work for more pay remains my absolute top priority.”

The adage, “there is strength in numbers, but organizing those numbers is one of the great challenges,” couldn’t hold more truth here.

The key to boosting our market share rests in growing our membership. But faced with some of the toughest labour laws in North America, this can be difficult.

Simply put: more members = more market share, and that’s why I will continue to put resources into organizing.

I commit to:

- Increase both bottom-up and top-down organizing drives

- Expand our organizing efforts in the public sector

- Continue to increase our presence at trade shows; school and post-secondary career days; industry events and more to ensure the value and benefits of being IUOE 955 are being exposed to all relevant audiences

- Continue to showcase our Budd Coutts Apprenticeship and Education Centre to highlight our world-class training capacity to the public, students and youth to attract more of the next generation to train and work union

STRONG CONTRACTS THROUGH COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

“I will ensure we negotiate you the best agreements possible.”

Hitting the jobsite every day knowing you have a solid collective agreement behind you ensures the labour you provide is valued, respected and delivered at the fair rates your hard work deserves.

I’m proud of my record of not accepting rollbacks or enabling in our collective agreements, and I will always do what it takes to get you the strongest contract I can.

As recent Crane Rental bargaining shows, with your support, I will go to whatever lengths may be needed – including strong social media strategies, organizing nation-wide support, and air war campaigns – to get us the best deals possible.

I commit to:

- ALWAYS upholding our democratic principles and allowing members to choose the agreements that best meet their needs through free votes on all agreements

- Continue to use all resources available to negotiate from a position of strength

- Ensure our bargaining committees remain well-equipped with the best market info, stats and precedent to ensure 955 proposals are backed with all relevant data needed to create success at the table

- Continue to promote and publicize the importance of the work IUOE 955 members do through strong campaigns and communications efforts – this helps highlight the value of members to the employer when bargaining – and helps get the public and others on side should there be a dispute

EFFECTIVE STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS

“We will always tell our own story.”

Over the past few years, I’m proud to say that our Local has transformed into a national, and international leader when it comes to union stakeholder relations.

Those stakeholders include members, government, media, industry, the public, students, youth and others.

From communications to government lobbying, social media, member outreach, advertising strategies and much more, IUOE 955 has led the pack in union relations, publicity and messaging.

This has:

- Given us greater brand recognition, which helps in everything from organizing to bargaining

- Transformed us into a “go-to” for media when it comes to labour, union and industry expertise

- Transformed us into a “go-to” for politicians and lawmakers for counsel on policy development

- Led IUOE 955 to receive historical funding for union training from the Alberta government through an April 2024 agreement (the first time any provincial government has ever funded any union training in Alberta)

- Led to the allocation of public dollars for union training for the first time ever in Alberta Budget 2025

- Led IUOE 955 to receive a first-ever, large-scale funding agreement for union training from private industry through The Pathways Alliance, a group of Canada’s six largest oil sands producers.

And while I’m proud of these accomplishments, I will do more to increase IUOE 955’s presence and impact with stakeholder groups over the next four years.

I commit to:

- Put resources into targeted, strategic communications campaigns focused on controlling our narrative and brand image to ensure maximum benefit at the best cost

- Continue to foster and expand our communications channels to ensure members are always up to date on all things 955

- Remain the top trade union that government and policy makers go to for consultation and comment on labour legislation and policy by continuing to expand our government outreach strategies and tactics with all levels of government

- Work with other groups and organizations that could assist IUOE 955 in highlighting our brand and increase our access to top decision makers and influencers