Missed Opportunities & Short-Sighted Thinking – 1611’s Lost Decade

For over 30 years, the same group has passed leadership of LiUNA 1611 from one to another, serving their own interests while failing to secure a strong future for our members. Their leadership has been defined by missed opportunities, short-sighted decisions, and election-year pandering.

One of the biggest failures? The mishandling of the CCW Red Seal program.

At the end of 2014, BC’s building trades and the ITA introduced the CCW Red Seal program for labourers, years behind other provinces that had already established it under the CCL designation. The goal?

• Legitimize our wages to compete against low-cost foreign workers 

• Secure BC workers' jobs on major government projects like Site C & LNG Canada 

• Strengthen relationships with First Nations by creating job opportunities and long-term careers

  
  

1611 was at the forefront of this push, receiving government grants rumored to be $400-$800 per worker trained, with a target of 1,100 members trained by 2017. But once the 2017 election was over, so was their effort. The program stalled. Training only resumed under pressure from members, but even that was short-lived.

• Coincidence? No. This follows the same election-year pattern we still see today:

• Before an Election – promises, action, and rushed training programs 

• After an Election – silence, inaction, and ghosting members

  
  

The latest example? The Business Manager’s so-called 15-point plan in response to Donald Trump’s tariffs. Why did they need the threat of tariffs to implement these initiatives? If these were truly in the best interest of members, they should have been working on them all along—not scrambling to make election-year promises.

This is just another empty campaign promise ploy. If leadership had been doing its job, our union wouldn’t be reacting to external threats—we’d already be ahead of the curve, ensuring stable, long-term employment for our members.

Instead, over 1,800 of our brothers and sisters are sitting on the out-of-work board, struggling for job opportunities while the Business Manager is embroiled in allegations of misconduct.

But the damage doesn’t stop there. Look at how 1611 has lost ground in major projects:

•  The TransLink agreement was signed with non-union contractors, shutting 1611 members out of long-term maintenance jobs.

• In addition to TransLink, Wilkinson announced $200 million for the $6 billion Haisla First-Nation-led Cedar LNG project from the federal strategic innovation fund—another opportunity lost. 

• See the article here:  https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/federal-liberals-surge-pre-election-spending-1-5-billion-translink

• Ledcor proudly displays billboards showing their partnership with the Haisla Nation. Meanwhile, 1611 has lost its foothold in LNG-related projects, despite billions of dollars being invested into Cedar LNG and future infrastructure projects.

  
  

Where is 1611’s leadership?

•  Why isn’t 1611 leading the charge to get our members on these jobs? 

• Why aren’t we ensuring that BC workers—not non-union or foreign labour—get these opportunities? 

• Why has 1611 abandoned its First Nations partnerships, missing out on projects that could provide union work for years?

  
  

This is what happens when leadership is only focused on short-term wins and election-year optics.

We need leadership that thinks long-term—that protects our jobs, our wages, and our retirees’ pensions. Not a leadership that disappears for three years and reappears only when they need your vote.

This spring, Your Voice is Your Power to Bring About Change.

Are you going to let them silence you?

Take charge. Make a difference. Vote for Change. Vote for Your Future!

• Attend union meetings & demand real answers 

• Show up to the nomination meeting on April 5th at 10 AM at the LiUNA 1611 Union Hall 

• Most Importantly - Vote for change

  
  

In solidarity,

The Voice of the Members