j Of the following stakeholder in a capital construction project, the contractor executing

construction work, principally related to a single construction trade , e.g. electrician ,

carpenter, roofers, painters , bricklayers , etc., under contract to a prime/main contractor,
builder, developer or the owner, since the construction industry is still relying heavily on
the skills of individual tradesmen , is called trade contractor (subcontractor). In Quebec, in
general, the average duration of apprenticeship for the top 8 trades in the construction
industry such as carpenters , window installer, etc. is approximately:

A. 6,000 hours.
B. 4,000 hours.
C. 2,000 hours.
D. 1,400 hours.
ANSWER: D

v The on-going construction of a$ 1.7 billion mega-Mall in Montreal's Town of Mount Royal
(TMR) by developer Carbonleo and the new multi-billion REM electric train currently under
construction in Montreal, which is being planned , designed , built and will be operated by
Quebec'.s largest pension fund manager, the "Caisse de depot et placement du Quebec",
are classified , respectively, as:

A. Commercial and transpor.tation project, respectively.

B. Infrastructure and Industrial project, respectively .
C. Commercial and infrastructure project , respectively.
D. Both are infrastructure projects.
ANSWER: D

The construction industry in Canada usually reflects a true picture of the demographic and
economic condition of a country. The province of Quebec and Ontario represent
approximately 60% of the whole population of Canada ; British Columbia and Alberta
amount to 20% while the six other Canadian provinces make up the remaining 20% . In
general, the distribution of construction work, as expressed by the value of total work
performed , presents much the same pattern. Which of the following characteristic is not
correct in the Canadian construction industry:

A. General or prime/main contractors assume responsibility for the coordination of

construction activities and project completion whereas trade contractors perform
work related to the various trades carried out by trade workers.
B. When the consfruction industry is in a growth mode, there is tangible evidence that
the economy is healthy, and vice versa . Good onsite labour relations management is
pivotal for construction productivity improvement.
 C. A very large number of small construction contractors having five employees or
fewer which account for a major share of the business. It is both a production
industry and a service industry.
D. None of the above.
ANSWER: D

J The historical development and evolution of labour and industrial relations leading to
organized labour in society, can be traceable to :

A. The growth of Craft Guilds in Europe as social and economic institutions with its
rapid growth in power and influence during the Middle Ages.
B. The establishment of the American Federation of Labour (AFL) in the U.S. and
the Dominion Trade and labour Congress (TLC in Canada in the late 20th century.
C. The challenges of employees for better working conditions in ancient times .
D. The enforcement of working conditions by governments in the 13th century.
ANSWER: A

v In the province of Quebec, the construction labour and industrial relations l~gislation which
governs all labour relations related issues is called an "Act Respecting Labour Relations ,
Vocational Training , and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry", commonly
known as Act R-20 . Act R-20 , currently updated to 1 June 2021 , is administered by the
Construction Commission of Quebec (CCQ) , a governmental organization funded mainly
by the construction industry. Which of the following is not true about this law:

A. Provisions associated with the Quebec labour relations system dividing the
construction industry into four sectors (residential ; institutional/commercial ;
industrial; civil engineering and roads) for the purpose of negotiating the
collective agreements in the province.
B. Provisions associated with labour relations negotiations in the construction
industry between government associations and employees' associations.
C. Provisions associated with mandatory union membership and application of
working conditions for all construction workers and employers as well as
mechanisms for the degree of employer and union representation in the province.
D. Provisions associated with the designation of employers' associations and
representative associations of workers designated for the purpose of collective
agreements negotiation .
ANSWER: B

J Which of the following labour relations characteristic reflects the current construction
industry in Canada:

A. Construction labour relations in Canada come under federal jurisdiction , i.e.,

federal legislatures have enacted their own legislations on labour relations .
B. Construction labour relations in Quebec follow a distinctive pattern from the rest
of Canada by applying industry-wide bargaining for each of its four sectors of the
industry. ·
C. Construction labour relations in Canada are governed by municipal laws,
applicable according to the location of the construction work to be carried out.
D. Construction labour relations in Quebec are administered by the Quebec
Construction Labour Relation Board (LRB).
ANSWER: B
Accurso loses his appeal,
must report to penitentiary
21 M41 'ZO'l/)rlf::vifc-
PAUL CHERRY
The Quebec Court of Appeal has or-
dered that construction magnate
Antonio (Tony) Accurso report to
a federal penitentiary next week
to begin serving his sentence in a
Laval municipal corruption case
after rejecting both of his appeals.
Accurso appealed both the ver-
dict and the sentence in the case
that revealed he was part of a large
group of people who fixed bids to
be awarded contracts from the
City of Laval. In a unanimous de-
cision, all three of the judges who
heard the appeals rejected both.
The court also issued an order that
Accurso report to a federal peni-
tentiary on June 1.
The bid-rigging scheme was
created by people who worked for
the city, including former mayor
Gilles Vaillancourt, and dozens of
companies tookpart in it.
Accurso denied he was involved
in the scheme and had a trial be-
fore a jury. In June 2018, a jury
convicted him on all five charges
after deliberating for a week.
During the trial, the Crown
brought forward three witnesses
who testified that Accurso was not
only aware of what was going on
but was involved in managing the
scheme.
One of the witnesses, the owner
of a company, said Accurso met
with him in 2002 in an effort to
convince him to stay within the
corrupt system. Another witness
said he met with Accurso person-
ally to discuss a dispute involving
how one company was awarded a
contract by mistake. The witness
testified that Accurso told him
he would discuss the matter with
Vaillancourt. The third witness, a
man who collected money for Vail-
lancourt, said that, either in 2001
or 2002, Accurso personally hand-
ed him $200,000 in bribe money.
The jury found Accurso guilty of
taking part in a conspiracy, between
1996 and 2010, with more than 60
people, including Vaillancourt, "to
21 fv1~y 21JZ2.. C,7adk.
Quebec construction magnate Antonio (Tony) Accurso has been ordered
to report to a federal penitentiary on June 1. DAVE SIDAWAY FILES
commit acts of corruption in mu-
nicipal affairs" and breach of trust.
He was also found guilty of conspir-
ingwith 56 people to commit fraud;
defrauding the City of Laval; brib-
ing Laval city officials and helping
Vaillancourt and Claude Deguise,
who was Laval's head of engineer-
ing from 1997 until he resigned in
2008;to commit a breach of trust.
In July 2018, Superior Court
Justice James Brunton sentenced
Accurso to a four-year prison term.
Accurso has avoided having to
serve time behind bars so far be-
cause of the appeals.
One part of Accurso's appeal of
the verdict involved how his first
trial ended in a mistrial in 2017.
While a Crown prosecutor was
just about to finish his closing
arguments in the case, Brunton
was informed that one of the ju-
rors told two others that her un-
cle had told her he saw suitcases
stuffed with cash at the offices of
one of the companies involved in
the scheme. The uncle also alleged
that the scheme was "like a Mafia."
Brunton determined the jury
had been contaminated, declared
the mistrial and ordered the sec-
ond trial that was heard in 2018.
Accurso's defence lawyer, Marc
Labelle, later learned that there
was a police investigation into how
the jury was contaminated. Labelle
called the investigation intrusive
given that jury deliberations in
Canada are supposed to be secret.
He requested that a stay of pro-
ceedings be placed on the charges
before the second trial began.
Labelle argued that the investi-
gation might have given the Crown
an unfair advantage as it could
have revealed what the jury in the
first trial thought of the evidence.
The appellate court disagreed
with Labelle.
"In a trial that concerns the
corruption of elected officials and
municipal bureaucrats, it would
be very naive for the police to
not consider the possibility of an
inappropriate intervention, or a
criminal one, even if it is true that
the information communicated
by the uncle could not have forti-
fied the conclusion that (Accurso)
was guilty," Justice Guy Cournoy-
er wrote in the 76-page decision.
"Since the investigation should be
complete, it should not necessari-
ly have stopped after the meeting
with the uncle. For one part, the
niece's version could have been
different. For another part, it was
not unreasonable to want to verify
the information that was shared
among her colleagues on the jury."
Labelle could not be reached for
comment on Thursday.
pcherry@postmedia.com
U I I I
Judge approves deal made between
SNC-Lavalin, prosecution in bribery case
Firm charged with paying kickbacks
to obtain contracts for work on bridges
PAUL CHERRY
A Superior Court judge has ap-
proved the deal reached between
SNC-Lavalin and the prosecution
in a case where the engineering
firm was charged with paying
bribes to obtain contracts to do
work on Montreal's Jacques-Cart-
ier Bridge two decades ago.
Justice Eric Downs approved
the agreement, through which
two companies that are part of
SNC-Lavalin will pay a total of
$29.6 million over the next three
years.
The judge made the decision
on Wednesday after hearing ar-
guments in support of the agree-
ment from several lawyers over the
course of two days at the Montreal
courthouse.
Franc;ois Fontaine, a lawyer for
SNC-Lavalin Inc., told Downs that
the engineering firm no longer re-
sembles the one that became the
target of several corruption alle-
gations in past years.
The charges filed last year dated
back to events that took place be-
tween 1997 and 2004.
As part of the agreement,
SNC-Lavalin acknowledged that
it paid more than $2.3 million in
kickbacks to Michel Fournier, the
former head of the corporation
that maintains the Jacques-Carti-
er and Champlain bridges, in order
to obtain a $128-million contract
for refurbishment work on the
bridge.
Quebec's office of criminal
prosecutions (DPCP) offered the
company a chance to negotiate
a remediation agreement from
the outset, and the two sides an-
nounced they reached an agree-
ment on Friday.
As part of the written agreement,
the two companies will pay afine of
more than $18 million described as
"efficient, proportionate and dis-
suasive."
It will be paid to Quebec's trea-
sury department and is based,
in part, on how the companies
THURSDAY. MAY 12, 2022 MONTREAL GAZETTE A7
struction Inc. was sentenced to
pay a $280-million fine over a five-
year period and to three years of
probation for committing fraud
"against various Libyan author-
ities."
The charges against SNC-La-
valin International Inc. and
SNC-Lavalin Inc. and two of their
made $6 million in profit from
former executives emerged last
the bridge contract. The compa-
year as part of an RCMP investi-
nies have agreed to pay the fine
gation called Project Agrafe. But
in six instalments beginning in
June 2023. the charges involved events that j
occurred long before it put its in-
The companies will also pay $3.4
tegrity program in place.
million to The Jacques Cartier
and Champlain Bridges Inc., the The two former executives, who
are now both over 75 years old,
Crown corporation considered to
still have charges pending against
be the victim in the case, as "com-
them. One of the accused has opted
pensation forthe harm caused" by
to have a trial before a jury.
SNC-Lavalin's "acts of omission."
They also agreed to pay a Fournier, the first person
charged in Project Agrafe, plead-
$5.4-million compensatory sur-
ed guilty in 2017 to accepting
charge to the provincial govern-
ment. more than $2.3 million in bribes
from SNC-Lavalin between 2001
Both of the SNC-Lavalin firms
and 2003. He was sentenced to a
also agreed to continue to follow
its Integrity Program. 66-month prison term and was
granted full parole on April 24,
In 2019, the engineering firm
agreed to follow the same pro-
2019.
gram when SNC-Lavalin Con- pcherry@postmedia.com
REM rail cars will be delivereCJ on
time with initial flaws fixed: Alstom IS~JoZI ~ .
FREDERIC TOMESCO

Initial quality flaws won't prevent

Indian-made cars for the Reseau
express metropolitain light-rail
network from being delivered on
time and on budget, according to
the French company that's build-
ing the rolling stock.
Production of the trains will re-
sume early next year after a series
of corrective measures were put
in place, said Michael Keroulle,
Alstom SA's new president for the
Americas. Quality checks at the
subcontractors responsible for the
defective parts have been stepped
up, he said.
A preliminary inspection of train
cars destined to be used in the REM
revealed manufacturing flaws that
could represent a "potential risk of
injury'' to passengers, Radio-Can-
adareportedlast month.Assembly,
wiring and finishing all fell short of
the best train-building practices,
Jean-Marc Arbaud, head of proj- Alstom has so far delivered 37 cars, which is more than the 28 that are required to start service on the first
ect promoter CDPQ Infra, said in section of the REM between Brossard and Montreal's Central Station next year. DAVE SIDAWAY FILES
a letter to consortium director Eric
Appert, adding that the quality of between Brossard and Montreal's at the REM's maintenance centre, "To build a train involves bring-
the product delivered was "not of Central Station - next year, Ker- without having to ship the cars ing together parts that are built
the level expected." oulle said. Under their agreement back to India, she said. around the world. Whether it's
Controversy erupted in Quebec with CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin "We have the right processes in built here or in India, there are al-
in 2018 when Alstom - which is and Alstom will maintain and op- place to ensure the final quality of ways issues that surface and must
part of the SNC-Lavalin-led con- erate the light-rail network for 30 the REM rolling stock, including be corrected," he said. "The main
sortium picked by CDPQ Infra to years. many tests that are performed thing is to have a process that al-
build the first sections of the REM Issues with the first series of daily," said Rouillard-Moreau. "To lows us to see issues early. We're
- said it would produce the train trains include incomplete han- date, this process is advancing in still several months away, so this
cars in India. Alstom has said the dlebars and "imperfect" welding, accordance with our expectations. is the right time for us to get this
cars would be customized to with- Keroulle said. The collaboration of the teams is kind of feedback and ensure that
stand Montreal winters. "There are parts that were sub- very good." the trains meet specifications. We
"We've taken all the remarks contracted," he said. "When we Pausing deliveries for a few know the expectations are high.
made by our client very seriously," know that a supplier has given us weeks will ensure "that we not This is a project with a lot of vis-
Keroulle said in an interview when products that fall short ofrequired only fix the problems on the trains ibility."
asked about the first batch of train quality levels, we correct that by already delivered, but that these Alstom recently completed an-
cars. "Nothing in this is critical for doing_more frequent quality con- problems don't recur on the trains other highly publicized project
passenger safety, but it's important trols." that are still being built," Keroulle when it handed over the last of
and we've dealt with itwith the re- Corrections requested are "be- said. "All these action plans have 639 Azur metro cars built for the
quired urgency. There will be no nign" in nature, and focus on the been shared with the client, in a Societe de Transport de Montreal.
additional costs or delays on the painting, the interior panels and spirit of transparency. We're quite The STM subsequently put the fi-
project." parts of the wiring, Emmanuelle confident about this contract. We nal Azur train built at Alstom's La
Alstom has so far delivered 37 Rouillard-Moreau, a spokesperson think it will be a great success." Pocatiere plant in service, thereby
cars, which is more than the 28 for CDPQ Infra, said Tuesday in All rail-equipment projects ex- capping an additional 17-train or-
that are required to start service an emailed response to questions. perience manufacturing issues of der announced in 2018.
on the first section of the REM - Fixes are being made in Brossard, some kind, Keroulle insists. ftomesco@postmedia.com

Government engineers ready
to strike, paralyze work sites
.2.~ '11Aht.:- :lul {:,
CAROLINE PLANTE
QUE 8 EC A conflict opposing the
Quebec government and its en-
gineers will come to a head next
week_, when both parties meet for
an intensive bout of negotiations.
About 1,400 engineers working
forthe government, who have been
without a collective agreement
since April 2015, have threatened
to launch a general strike as early
asJulyll.
The strike, which would para-
lyze thousands of work sites across
Quebec during peak construction
time, can still be avoided, said
Michel Gagnon, president of the
Association professionnelle des
ingenieurs du gouvernement du
Quebec (APIGQ).
"The government is realizing
that our group cannot be over-
looked," Gagnon told the Montreal
Gazette on Thursday. "Wewillhave
to evaluate the seriousness of their
proposal next week."
Gagnon said if a strike is de-
clared, it would be the first one in
52 years. He said government en-
gineers have had enough - they
are "sick and tired" of being con-
sistently underpaid.
According to the APIGQ, gov-
ernment engineers earn about
$82,000 a year, which is 24 per
cent, or $20,000, less than their
peers at Hydro-Quebec.
That difference will grow to 37
per cent by 2019, Gagnon argued,
because Hydro engineers obtained
raises in a 2013 agreementwith the
government.
"Engineers at Hydro-Quebec are
seen as assets by the government
... they generate $3 billion for the
province ... whereas engineers who
work in the transport, municipal
affairs and environment depart-
ments are seen as expenses," Ga-
gnon said.
Quebec is offering government
engineers a 5.25-per-cent raise
over five years; they are asking for
30 per cent over the same period.
Both parties met in Quebec City
• onThursday.Itwasaboutthe30th
meeting since negotiations began,
Gagnon said.
Catherine Poulin, spokesperson
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 MONTREAL GAZETTE AS
.
in-house or outsourced.
Gagnon said the Quebec govern-
ment has had trouble attracting ex-
perienced engineers. "At $82,000
there isn't one engineer from SNC-
Lavalin who is going to come work
for the government," he said.
Practically all of Quebec's struc-
tures which were built in the 1970s I
need to be fixed, added Gagnon.
"We are less expensive than out-
. sourcing and we are not in a con-
flict of interest; in other words,
our client is the government, not
a private firm."
"This negotiation is important
because many young engineers are
being hired. And what they are tell-
ing us is, 'If this isn't solved soon,
I'm leaving'," he said.
Quebec government engineers are threatening to strike as early as July 11. The Coalition Avenir Quebec,
They haven't had a contract since April 2015. TIM sNowtFILES which produced a report on gov-
ernment efficiency last fall, said the
for Treasury Board President and ing expertise was eroding. Justice government needs to recognize it is
Finance Minister Carlos Leitao, France Charbonneau recommend- lacking engineering expertise. "We
said negotiations are progressing, ed rebalancing the relationship think it's a shame the government
and Leitao -who is on a work mis- between internal expertise and can't come to an agreement with
sion in Europe -Will not negotiate private engineering firms, and re- its engineers," said party spokes-
in the media. "We have to respect storing the transport department's person Samuel Poulin.
Quebecers' capacity to pay," she ability to determine whether cer- cplante@postmedia.com
said. tain works should be carried out twitter.com/cplantegazette
There have been three treasury
board presidents in Quebec in the
last year: Martin Coiteux, Sam Ha-
mad and Leitao.
About 800 of the APIGQ's 1,400
members work for the transport
department. If they strike, thou-
sands of construction sites across
the province would be disrupted.
"The most important month for
the transport department is Au-
gust," Gagnon said. "It would have
an impact, for sure."
Already, Gagnon said, APIGQ
engineers have stopped working
between 6:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. "Most
of the inspections of structures in
Montreal are at night, so they can-
not be done."
Night work on the Laviolette
Bridge in Trois-Rivieres has also
been suspended. Gagnon estimates
that so far the government has lost
$200 million.
In 2015, the Charbonneau
Commission into collusion and
corruption in the construction
industry concluded the transport
department's internal engineer-

Blue-collar
union placed
under
trusteeship
31 MA>f 2cq
CUPE appoints
administrator due
to internal turmoil
Montreal's blue-collar workers'
union has been placed under
trusteeship by its parent union
because of "serious operational
difficulties."
The Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE) announced
Tuesday that it has named an
administrator to oversee the
7,500-member Syndicat des cols
bleus regroupes de Montreal, Local
301.
The move comes two weeks after
Marc Ranger, CUPE's Quebec
director, was reportedly cornered
and intimidated by several Mon-
treal blue-collar workers outside
a union meeting in Quebec City.
The blue-collar union represents
workers in the city of Montreal as
well as in demerged suburbs.
In a news release, CUPE said the
administrator will "assume the
duties of (local union) leaders and
ensure the proper functioning of
the union for an indefinite period."
That person, whose name was
not made puplic, "reports to the
national president and CUPE
national executive board and will
exercise authority to resolve seri-
ous operational difficulties within
the local," CUPE said.
The administrator has "full
authority to conduct the affairs of
the union and ensure the continu-
ity of services to I;ocal 301 mem-
bers and their union representa-
tion. Once the internal problems
have been resolved, new elections
will be held and the local manage-
ment of the union's affairs will be
re-established with a new elected
executive council."
In a statement released late
Tuesday, the blue-collar union
called the decision "unfortunate"
and reiterated that it had hired an
auditor, on May 8, to look through
its books going back four years.
"We expect that the appointed
trustee will respect the demo-
cratically-elected representatives
chosen by nearly 60 per cent ofour
members," the statement reads.
"We are honest people with our
members' best interests at heart."
CUPE, known in Quebec as the
Syndicat canadien de la fonction
publique, said its bylaws allow the
national president to place a local
temporarily under trusteeship "in
an emergency to protect the inter-
ests of its members."
The parent union said it would
make no other comments about
the situation.
In January, ChantalRacette, the
embattled president of the blue-
collar union, survived a no-confi-
dence vote, securing 66 per cent
support from the 914 members
who cast their ballots.
Racette was elected president
of the union in April 2015. She is
facing a backlash over criticisms
of how she has handled negotia-
tions with Mayor Denis Coderre
and after a Journal de Montreal
article revealed she ordered GPS
devices be secretly installed on the
cars of members of her executive
in November to track their where-
abouts.
In addition, Racette and the
union were ordered to pay just
over $100,000 in fines by Quebec's
Superior Court for calling an illegal
strike in December 2015, after the
Commission des relations du tra-
vail had already issued an injunc-
tion against holding a general Of
assembly during work hours. so
wi
Postmedia News (Z)
Se
Striking construction
workers plan protests
cU"" f'vt/l\A/ 20 I 7 tt~ ufi c ·
Back-to-work legislation would
erode bargaining rights, union says
CHRISTOPHER CURTIS
Quebec's labour minister is bank-
ing on the threat of back-to-work
legislation to force the province's
union leaders and construction
magnates back to the negotiating
table.
The minister, Dominique
Vien, held emergency meetings
with both parties Wednesday
just hours after 175,000 work-
ers walked off construction sites
across the province. The deci-
sion, by Quebec's largest labour
unions, to call a strike has effec-
tively paralyzed Quebec's major
infrastructure projects, costing
the government an estimated $45
million per day.
After meeting with representa-
tives from both sides, Vien told
reporters she wants to see a time-
table for renewed negotiations.
.
"i feel they are able to sit down
and renew the discussion," said
Vien after the emergency meet-
ing, adding the two parties may
be disappointed if they expect a
special law to solve their dispute
for them. Other than hopeful rhet-
oric, however, it didn't appear that
much tangible progress was made
Wednesday.
For his part, Premier Philippe
Couillard says he's prepared to in-
voke the nuclear option and pass a
bill that would force the labourers
back to work.
"I must send this signal very ear-
ly, because Quebec's economy is at
stake, it is the best interest of Que-
bec that is at stake," said Couillard,
who is on an official trip in Israel.
Despite his tough talk, the premier
said he isn't ready to call an emer-
gency session of the legislature to
vote on back-to-work legislation.
Negotiations dragged on until
midnight Tuesday and, in some
cases, well into Wednesday morn-
ing. The points of contention vary
by sector, but they centre on work
schedules, salaries, overtime pay
and work-family balance.
The Federation des travailleurs
et travailleuses du Quebec has ac-
cused industry leaders of goading
the government into forcing work-
ers back on the job. FTQ president
Daniel Boyer said Wednesday that
coercive legislation would erode
the union's bargaining rights.
The union is gearing up for a se-
ries of protests Thursday in Mon-
·treal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke,
Rimouski and four other cities.
This is the second general strike
in the construction sector since
2013.
Over the past 34 years, the prov-
ince has imposed 17 laws forcing
union member s back on the job
and adopted three bills restricting
the kinds of pressure tactics labour
organizations can use.
SEE CONSTRUCTION ON A4
 we show up injured, we work in
It's a worrisome trend, one la- the blazing heat with cars speed-
bour relations expert said. ing way too close to us. We need to
"This is troubling, because it's know that someone has our back."
an attempt (by the government) The starting salary, in Yves'
to short-circuit the collective bar- trade, is about $22 an hour, and
gaining process," McGill Univer- after years of experience and ex-
sityprofessor Barry Eidlin told the tra training, workers can earn as
Montreal Gazette. "Rather than much as $39 an hour. But as one
address the problem, they shunt fellow union member said, years
it off ... This sort of coercive legis- on the job can exact a costly toll
lation is the government's trump on labourers.
card." "Guys break their bones, they ge
Among many of the rank-and- cut and maimed and suffer second
file workers, there's a sense that degree burns," said Frank, an in
both sides in the labour dispute dustrial roofer who did not want
need to make concessions. his name published. "And there
"We can't expect to go to the are no guarantees. It's a game of
negotiating table and have all our extremes: when business is boom-
demands met, that's crazy," said ing, you're working seven days a
Yves, who repairs highways and week, 12 hours a day and when it's
overpasses. "We work long hours not, you end up looking for a part-
and in gruelling conditions, but time job in the winter.
we're fairly compensated for it. At "We're paid well, yes, and we
the same time, though, I think the shouldn't complain, but we're not
bosses have too much power over just a bunch of bums who couldn't
our working conditions. finish high school."
"If it rains during the week and While the labour dispute plays
they make us come in on week- itself out in boardrooms and street
ends, I totally disagree with that. protests, some of the province's
We have a right to our lives, to see most critical projects are on hold.
our kids and be with our families. On construction sites like the Tur-
It has to work on a voluntary basis. cot interchange replacement and
My company is good, theywouldn't the new Champlain Bridge, heavy
punish a guy for saying no to extra machinery sits idle and further de-
work. But not every company re- lays are an unwelcome for the gov-
spects its workers and that's what ernment, commuters and union
the union is for." members.
Yves, who did not want his real "I take note of their decision (to
name published, says he under- strike) but can't (help) but express
stands the negative public percep- my disappointment and deep con-
tions of labour unions. cern for the Quebec population
"Look, there are situations and the economy of the province,"
where the union protects e worst Vien said.
among us, the 400-poundguywho The Canadian Press contributed to
won't get off his ass," he said. "But the report.
CONCORDIA'S
CHARBONNEAU CONNECTION
Why is Concordia Still Doing Business with Genivar?
.~Y..~~!.'!..~P~~!<!..~~R.~~!<!_~~!.'!............................. .
Enter Concordia's Guy-Metro Building and
head to the third floor to come across an
office space belonging to Genivar Inc., a
Canadian engineering consulting firm and
one of the largest of its kind in the province.
It's not terribly shocking that the univer-
sity provides space for external businesses
on campus, especially one that the univer-
sity regularly deals with, but what raises red
flags is the fact that Genivar has been named
repeatedly in the Charbonneau Commission
as being heavily involved in collusion in
Quebec's construction industry.
Despite allegations of corruption against
Genivar, the university has continued to in-
clude them in its construction projects.
Headed by Quebec Superior Court Jus-
tice France Charbonneau, the eponymous
commission began in October 2011. It aims
to shed light on activities involving corrup-
tion and collusion in the way public con-
struction contracts are managed in the
province, as well as to find possible solu-
tions to help rehabilitate the industry.
So far the commission has led to the resig-
nation of former Montreal mayor Gerald
Tremblay, interim mayor Michael Applebaum
and former Laval mayor Gilles Vaillancourt.
Those who have testified have painted a
dark and depressing portrait of the Quebec
construction industry characterized by intim-
idation, threats, bid rigging and millions of
dollars being funneled into political parties at
both the municipal and provincial level.
'
Former Genivar vice-president Franc;ois
Perreault testified in March before the commis-
sion, stating that subcontractors like Exekut
routinely invoiced Genivar without the latter
ever having performed any actual services.
Exekut made headlines earlier this year
when an employee of the Terrebonne-based
construction company was sentenced to two
years in jail for fraud related to the com-
pany's involvement with Genivar.
Concordia University spokesperson Chris
Mota s<rid that Genivar being named in the
Charbonneau Commission isn't cause for the
university to rethink its relationship with the
company-but why not? Being linked to an
organization that has been named in an in-
quiry into just how deep corruption runs in
Quebec construction projects can bring no
good to Concordia's reputation.
The university certainly doesn't need any
more bad press, especially in relation to
how they manage their money.
The projects that Genivar and Concordia
collaborate on are by no means insignificant:
the John Molson School of Business Building
ended up costing $118.5 million, while the
current renovations of H-110 will reportedly
cost $4.25 million. These aren't minute sums
to the university, and it's important that the
money goes towards a company that has a
cleaner record than Genivar allegedly does.
Genivar isn'tthe only engineering consulting
firm in the city, and accepting that the university
will not switch to a different, less shady organi-
zation despite the tangible ties to corrupt prac-
tices being uncovered is a tough pill to swallow.
\.
/ '-
l.£YUArr-014 {
From a purely financial standpoint, it
makes little sense to be involved with a
company that has allegedly been invoiced
for services it ultimately never provided, al-
though that might explain why our escala-
tors are constantly broken (Genivar was
involved in the latest batch of renovations
to the Hall building escalators).
It's distressing that the university has
chosen to involve Genivar in such high pro-
file and important projects when the com-
pany is supposedly so heavily involved in
the province's deep-rooted problems of cor-
ruption and collusion.
It sends a message to the Concordia
community-and to the city as a whole-
that the university is not overly concerned
about the implications that come with being
involved with such companies; nor does it
matter if a company is named repeatedly in
the Charbonneau Commission-they can
still find people more than happy to give
them more money.
It's a reality that is represented in Genivar's
financial statements: the company's profits
have consistently grown, with their second-
quarter earnings jumping nearly 200 per cent.
While Mota maintained that Genivar
was the best candidate for the job, it seems
impossible to believe that an organization
l~nked to false invoices and shadowy behav-
iour could be best suited to play such a sig-
nificant role at Concordia.
To make matters worse, Genivar isn't the
only Charbonneau-linked company that
Concordia has connections with. EBC, the
5~ /V~. ~'/U-
I · r
I I "7,,0/).
general contractor in charge of the Richard
J. Renaud Science Complex at Loyola, has
been cited as one of the key players in the
system of collusion currently under investi-
gation by the commission.
In light of this, it's even more pertinent
that Concordia reconsider the organiza-
tions it associates itself with. Our badly
battered reputation is at stake, but so is the
hope that these companies will be penal-
ized for their actions.
Rewarding them with prestigious build-
ing contracts and projects to oversee ac-
complishes nothing; it merely reinforces the
idea that things like bid rigging and sys-
temic corruption are acceptable.
I
Concordia ought to start looking for a
different contractor, one that doesn't have
such direct ties to allegations of corruption
that see the price of construction inflated 25
to 30 per cent; one that did not engage in r-
bid rigging for public -contracts; one that did
not allegedly donate $200,000 to now-de-
funct municipal party Union Montreal at
the request of the party's director of financ-
ing, Bernard Trepanier.
The university 'has been penalized time
and time again for its financial mismanage-
ment, whether it's in the form of a $2-million
fine from the provincial government for the
!
school's hefty severance packages, or from
donors withdrawing their pledges because of
the way Concordia handles its funds.
Having the relationship it currently does
to Genivar will do the university no favours.
It's time Concordia put an end to it.
!
1in11 rep;esentative who testified at the Charbonneau Commission convicted of intimidation Page 1 oJ

Union representative who testified at the Charbonneau Commission convicted

~uebec construction union has confirmed that Bernard (Rambo) Gauthier's was convicted of intimidating a
con.tractor

The Canadian Press

December 5, 2Q14

p: , /\.vww. macleans. ca/news/ canada/charbonneau-commissi on-convicted-of-intimidation/ 2015-10-1

ii on rep1 esentative who testified at the Charbonneau Commission convicted of intimidation Page 2 o1

SEPT-lLES, Que. - A high-ranking Quebec union representative who testified at the Charbonneau
,
Commission has been found guilty of intimidating a contractor.
(Fr& -tcmk/,m )
The c nstruction..wing of the Quebec Federation of Labour has confirmed Bernai;d (Rambo) Gauthier's

conviction today at a courthouse in Sept-lles.

Ic says he was acquitted on a charge of harassment.

The intimidatio n conviction is related to an incident involving contractor Frederic Boucher during a strike in

the construction industry in june 2013.

i\t the time union members were visiting construction sites to ensure the strike mandate was being respected.

Gauthier testified last February at the Charbonneau Commission looking into corruption in the construction

industry and denied using intimidation on sites.

Sente ncing arguments have been set for Feb. 3.

The construction wing said it is studying the file to determine whether it should appeal the decision.

Gauthier told the Charbonneau Commission his main goal as a union boss was to ensure his workers were all

J.bl e to have a job.

His name had come up in previous testimony as the commission heard about threats and extortion on the

province's North Shore.

The heavy-machinery operator was described as a controlling figure who was not above advocating violence
and intimidation to ensure local workers were hired.

A corruption inquiry investigator described the North Shore region as a state within a state, with Gauthier and

hi s lleut:e:nants using-intimidation and thuggery to maintain control.

Gauthier disputed some of those allegations, telling the inquiry that work was hard to find in the far-flung

region and that if collective agreements were stfictly adhered to, it was to ensure everyone had access to work.

/
1"': 1\vww. macleans.ca/news/canada/charbonneau-commission-convicted-of-intimidation/ 2015-1 Q-1
1ion representative who testified at the Charbonneau Commission convicted of intimidation Page 3 o1

The fo rmer Canadian Forces member also explained that his memorable nickname was not linked to his

military service.

He said he came by it because he would spy on security at one of his first jobs in the early 1990s .

.p:/I www. macleans.ca/news/canada/charbonneau-commission-convicted-of-intimidation/ 2015-10-1

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

DIVISION III
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

1998, c. 46, s. 100.

26. (1) A person convicted, in Canada or elsewhere, of common assault, mischief, assault causing
bodily harm, theft, intimidation, intimidation of justice system participants, an offence against freedom of
association, criminal harassment, uttering threats, uttering threats and retaliating, drawing a document without
authority, offering or accepting secret commissions, trafficking in substances under the Controlled Drugs and
Substances Act (S .C. 1996, c. 19), importation, exportation or production under that Act, conspiracy to
commit any of those acts or a criminal offence under sections 467.11 to 467.13 of the Criminal Code (R.S.C.
1985, c. C-46) or, if related to the activities the person carries out in the construction industry, an offence
against a fiscal law or a criminal offence other than those listed in subsection 2, may not hold a management
or representation position in or for an association listed or described in any of subparagraphs a to c.2 of the
first paragraph of section 1 or an association of employees affiliated with a representative association, or be
elected or appointed as job-site steward, or be a member of the board of directors of the Commission or of a
committee established under this Act.

Except where the person convicted is granted a pardon under the Criminal Records Act (R.S.C, 1985, c.
C-47), the disqualification provided for above shall subsist for five years after the term of imprisonment fixed
by the sentence; in the case of a sentence to a fine only or in the case of a suspended sentence, the
disqualification shall subsist for five years from the date of the conviction.

(2) A person convicted, in Canada or elsewhere, of murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, robbery,
extortion, arson, breaking and entering, fraud , kidnapping or aggravated assault, or of conspiracy to commit
any of those acts, may not hold a management or representation position in or for an association listed or
described in any of subparagraphs a to c.2 of the first paragraph of section 1 or an association of employees
affiliated with a representative association, or be elected or appointed as job-site steward, or be a member of
the board of directors of the Commission or of a committee established under this Act.

(3) (Subsection repealed).

1975, c. 50, s. I ; 1990, c. 4, s. 777 ; 2011 , c. 18, s. 55 ; 20 11 , c. 30, s. 17.

27. The conditions of employment of the employees in the construction industry shall be governed by
collective agreement.

No association of employees in the construction industry shall be certified under sections 21 to 47.6 of the
Labour Code (chapter C-27) or make a collective agreement under the said Code.

However, section 4 7 .2 of the Code applies to such an association, with the necessary modifications. An
employee who believes that the association that represents the employee has contravened that section may,
within six months, tile a complaint with the Administrative Labour Tribunal and request that it exercise the
powers granted under section 4 7 .5 of that Code. In addition to the powers entrusted to it by that Code and the
Act to establish the Administrative Labour Tribunal (chapter T-15.1 ), the Tribunal may allow an employee to
elect a new representative association within 30 days of the Commission's decision, in accordance with the
procedure established by regulation under section 35.2 of this Act.
1968, c. 45, s. 3; 1977, c. 41 , s. 73 ; 1993 , c. 61 , s. 13; 2011 , c. 30, s. 18; 2015, c. 15, s. 193 .

CHAPTER IV
REI!RESENTATIYE ASSOCIATIONS

28. Only the Centrale des syndicats democratiques (CSD-CONSTRUOTION), the Confederation des
syndicats nationaux (CSN-CONSTRUGIIO ), the Consei l provincial du Quebec des metiers de la
U dated to'March 15, 2023
~ Quebec Official Publisher R-20 / 31 of84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

construction (International), the Federation des travailleurs et travailleuses du Quebec (ETQ-Construction)

and the Syndicat quebecois de la construction (SQ ) may have their epresentat<iveness ascertained by
;resenting their application for such purpose to the Commiss-ion in the first five days of th thirteenth mo.nth
receding the expiry date of a collective agreement made under section 47.
1968, c. 45, s. 4; 1973, c. 28, s. 5; 1975, c. 51 , s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. I; 1980, c. 23, s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 8, s. 50; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 3;
1993, c. 61 , s. 14; 1996, c. 74, s. 31; 1998, c. 46, s. 10 1; 1999, c. 13, s. JO; 2005, c. 42, s. 4; 201 1, c. 30, s. 19.
,,.......rl .
29. The Commission shall, not later than the last ~day tbe thirteenth month preceding the ·e'f]Jiry dare of a
collective agreement made under section 47, cause to be published in the Gazette ofjicielle du Quebec and in a
French daily newspaper, the name of eao.h association mentioned in section 28 that ha.s presented an
application to the Commission.
1968, c. 45, s. 5; 1973, c. 28, s. 5; 1975, c. 51 , s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 4; 1993, c. 61, s. 14; 1996,
c. 74, s. 32.

30. The Commission must prepare a list of al1 the employees:

(a) holding a journeyman competency certificate, an occupation competeJ)cy certificate or an apprentice

competency certificate issued by the Commission;

(b) having worked at least 300 hours in Quebec during the first twelv of the fifteen monthly perioas
preceding the month during which the poll provided for in section 32 begins, according to the monthly reports
sent by the employers; and

(c) (subparagraph rep ealed) .

Such '1ist establishes incontesta61y the names of the onl}" employees whq may avail themselves of
section 32.

The Commission shall send to each employee whose name appears on the list established in accordance
with this section a document identifying the employee as an elector for the purposes of section 32.

Such list is sent to the associations contemplated in section 29 not later than fifteen days befo re the holding
of the poll provided for in section 32.
1968, c. 45, s. 6; 1973, c. 28, s. 5; 1975 , c. 51 , s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 3; 1986, c. 89, s. 9, s. 50; 1987, c. 11 0, s. 2, s. 5; 1993, c. 61, s. 15;
20 11, c. 30, s. 20.

31. No publicity o any form whatever and o solicitation may be mad of employees to obtain their
membership in an associatio~ of employees excep~ during a J;'~riod that begins on_the first day of the twe1fth
month that precedes the expiry date of the collective agreement made under sect10n 47 and ends on the day
oefore the first day of the voting period.

Such publicity and such'solieitation must be made outside the place of employment.

Any person who co.ntravenes this section commits a contravention and is liable to the penaltres provided
for in sections 115 and 119 .11.
1968, c. 45, s. 7; 1973, c. 28, s. 5; 1975, c. 5 1, s. 3; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 6; 1992, c. 6 1, s. 530; 1993, c. 61, s. 16; 20 11 , c. 30, s. 21.

32. During t e eleventh month preceding the expiry date ofa collective""ag;reementmade under section 47,
every employe whose name appears on the list prepared in accordance with section 30 must, in accordance
with this section, inform the Commission of his election rcespecting one of the associations indicated on the
list contemplated in section 29.

Updated to March 15, 2023

©Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 32 of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

The election is made by secret ballot heJd under the _supervision of a re_presentative of the Commission, as
prescribed by regu ation of the Government.

The voting period begins on the first working day of the eleventh month preceding the exl?iry date of the
collective agreement made under section 47 and ends 20 days later. The counting of t\l~ votes begins on the
first working day after the voting period, wi,_th all th ballot papers that have been received by the- time the
counting begins.

The Commission must designate an independent presiding officer to supervise the poll. A re resentative of
the Commission acts as returning officer, assis ed by the necessary personnel.

Any dispute reJating to the poll must be decided by the presiding officer within 30 days of the end of the
oil. The,_presiding officer's decision is final.

An employee who is entitled to make an election, but has not expressed it in accordance with this section,
is deemed, for the purposes of sections 33 , 35 and 38, to have elected for the association in favour of which
the employee already made an election in the cases provided by this Act, provided that the name of that
association is published in accordance with section 29.

A person who does not qualify as an independent member under the fourth paragraph of section 3 .2 may
not be designated to act as presiding officer.
1975, c. 51 , s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 4; 1980, c. 23 , s. 3; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 7; 1993, c. 61 , s. 17; 1996, c. 74, s. 33 ;
2011, c. 30, s. 22; 2015, c. 15, s. 194.

33. The Commissiolbshall prepare a list indicating the decti n made by the employees in accordance with
section · 2.
1975, c. 51, s. 3; 1986, c. 89, s. 50.

34. The Commission ascertains the degree of representativeness of an association in accordance with the
criteria set out in section 35.

Jt issues to each association whose name has been published in accordance with section 29, a certificate
establishing its degree of re resentativeness and the list of the employees who have become members of su-ch
association in accoraance with section 32.

The certificate has effect from the first day of the eighth month preceding the expiry date of a collective
agreement made under section 4 7.
1975, c. 51, s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 5; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1987, c. 110, s. 8; 1993, c. 61 , s. 18; 1995, c. 8, s. 16.

35. The representativenecss of an association of employees corresponds to the percentage that the number
of employees who have elected in accordance with section 32 in favour of that association, is of all the
employees who have voted in this matter.
1975,c. 51,s. 3; 1978,c. 58, L6.

35.1. (Repealed).
1993, c. 61 , s. 19; 1995, c. 8, s. 17.

35.2. An employee whose name does not appear on the list prepared under section 30 may, during the
month referred to in the first paragraph of section 32, make known to the Commission, according to the
procedure established by regulation of the Government, his election respecting one of the associations whose
name is published pursuant to section 29. For the purposes of section 38, an employee who does not avail
himself of that right is deemed to maintain his last election respecting one of the said associations.

Updated to March 15, 2023

© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 33 of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

The Cqmmissioo must draw up a list of all the employees who may make an election under this section.
The list is sent to the associations referred to in section 29 not later than 15 days before the holding of the poll
provided for in section 32.
1996, c. 74, s. 34; 2011 ,c. 30, s. 23 .

35.3. The presumptions as to an election or the maintenance of an election respecting an association of

employees which are established by the third paragraph of section 32 and by section 35.2 are applicable, with
respect to an association referre.d to in section 28 whose name has not been published pursuant to section 29
for the purposes of the most recent ballot held pursuant to the second paragraph of section 32, only until the
last day of the ninth month preceding the date of expiry of a collective agreement provided for in section 4 7.

An employee who, until that date, is deemed to have made an election respecting an association whose
name has not been so published or to maintain his election respecting such an association must, in accordance
with the procedure established by regulation of the. Government, make known to the Commission, during the
month referred to in the first paragraph of section 32 or at any other time determined in the regulation, his
election respecting one of the associations whose name has been published pursuant to section 29.
1996, c. 74, s. 34; 2011 , c. 30,s. 24.

35.4. The Commission shall inform the representative association concerned of any election made in its
respect by an employee under section 35.2 or 35.3.
1996, c. 74, s. 34.

36. The Commission shall send to each employee whose name appears on the list contemplated in section
33 or who has made his election known to the Commission pursuant to section 35 .2 or 35.3, a union card
indicating, in particular:

(a) his name;

(b) his identification number;

(c) the name of the representative association respecting which the employee has made an election;

(d) the date on which the card becomes valid and that on which it expires.

This card has effect from the first day of the eighth month preceding the expiry date of the collective
agreement made under section 4 7.
1975, c. 51 , s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 7; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 9; 1993, c. 61 , s. 20; 1996, c. 74, s. 35; 2011 , c. 30, s. 25 .

36.1. The Commission may, at any time, issue a union card to a person who wishes to begin working as an
employee in the construction industry and who makes known to the Commission, according to the procedure
established by regulation of the Commission, his election respecting one of the associations whose name has
been published pursuant to section 29.

In such a case, the union card issued to the person by the Commission indicating the person's election has
effect from the day of issue, and the Commission shall inform the representative association concerned
accordingly.
1996, c. 74, s. 36; 2011 ,c. 30,s. 26.

37. Subject to the first paragraph of section 35 .3, the name of the representative association respecting
which an employee has made or is deemed to have made an election pursuant to this chapter, as it appears on

Updated to March 15, 2023

ID Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 34 of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

a union card, is deemed to correspond to the last election respecting a representative association actually made
by the employee, until such time as the card is replaced to indicate a new election made by the employee.
1975, c. 51, s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 8; 1986, c. 89, s. 10; 1987, c. 110, s. 2, s. 10; 1993, c. 61 , s. 20; 1996, c. 74, s. 37; 2011, c. 30, s. 27.

38. The fact that an employee has made an election in accordance with this chapter authorizes an employer
to deduct in advance from the salary of such employee the union assessment and requires the employer to
remit such assessment to the Commission with his monthly report.

The Commission shall remit the assessments so received to the representative associations accompanied
with a nominal roll.
1975, c. 51,s. 3; 1986 , ~ 89, s. 50; 1996,c. 74,s. 38.

39. No employer may, as regards construction work, use the services of a person subject to this Act as an
employee, or assign such a person to construction work as an employee, unless the person holds a union card
validly bearing in accordance with this chapter the name of one of the associations referred to in section 28.
1975, c. 51, s. 3; 1978, c. 58, s. 9; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1996, c. 74, s. 39; 2011, c. 30, s. 28.

40. Every employer of the construction industry must be a member of the employers' association and send
his assessment to the Commission with his monthly report.

The Commission shall remit to the employers' association the assessments received, along with a nominal
roll. The assessment may include a part that is common to all sectors, on the basis chosen by the employers'
association, and a part that is specific to a sector, on the basis chosen by the sector-based employers'
association. A part that is specific to a sector shall be remitted to the sector concerned.
1975, c. 51, s. 32 (part); 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1993, c. 61, s. 70; 1995, c. 62, s. I ; 2011, c. 30, s. 29.

41. The employers' association and the sector-based employers' associations are the agents of the
employers for the purposes of negotiating, making and applying collective agreements under this Act.

The employers' association is the s.ole agent of the employers as regards matters mentioned in section 61.1.
In that respect, the employers' association shall be given its mandates by the sector-based employers'
associations. It shall also provide them with assistance in labour relations matters.

A sector-based employers' association is, for its sector, the sole agent of the employers as regards matters
other than those mentioned in section 61. l. Each, sector-based employers' association may, however, entrust
the employers' association with a mandate to fulfil that function wholly or partly for its sector.

A condition of employment which only concerns the members of one of the representative associations
must, to be negotiated, first be approved by the association concerned .
.
1968, c. 45, s. 8; 1973, c. 28, s. 5; 1975, c. 51, s. 3; 1993, c. 61, s. 21; 1995, c. 8, s. 18.

41.1. The employers' association shall allocate, in the proportion and according to the basis of
apportionment it determines, a share of the assessments remitted by the Commission under section 40 to each
sector-based employers' association.

The employers' association shall also, as regards its members who have the right to participate in the
meetings of and ballots · held by the sector-based employers' associations, provide the sector-based
associations with all information relevant to such purposes.
1995, c. 8, s. 19.

Updated to March 15, 2023

© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 35 of84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

41.2. The constitution and by-laws of every association listed in subparagraph c or c.2 of the first
paragraph of section 1 must, among other things, set out

(1) the mode of calling meetings at which labour relations matters are to be discussed;

(2) that every employer belonging to the employers' association who, during the period and according to
the reports referred to in the second paragraph of section 44. l, has declared a number of hours as having been
worked in the sector concerned has the right to participate in· such meetings and in the ballotSheld under this
Act and express his views freely without incurring any penalty;

(3) the type of majority required in such ballots and, where the sector-based association deems it
appropriate, a method to determine, according to the number of hours declared as having been worked in the
sector, the relative value of the vote cast by each member of the employers' association participating in a
ballot;

(4) that every officer entrusted with the financial management of the sector-based association must
deposit with the Commission security in the amount determined by the Commission;

(5) that every member of the employers' association who has the right to participate in the meetings of
and ballots held by the sector-based association is entitled to obtain free of charge from the sector-based
association, at the end of each fiscal year, a detailed statement of its income and expenditures.
1995, c. 8, s. 19; 2018, c. 12, s. 7.

CHAPTERV
NEGOTIATIONS

41.3. A representative association may take part in negotiations for a collective agreement applicable to
the employees it represents.
2011, c. 30, s. 30.

41.4. In addition to the rule established by section 42 .1, the representative associations take part m
negotiations in the manner set out in a protocol agreed to among the associations.

The representative associations as a whole must notify the Minister that they have agreed on a protocol at
least six months before the date set in section 42 for the sending of the notice of negotiation. Failing that, the
Minister shall appoint an arbitrator to decide on the applicable protocol.

Sections 75 to 77, 79 to 81, 83, 88 to 91.1and139 to 140 of the Labour Code (chapter C-27) apply to the
protocol arbitration, with the necessary modifications.

In rendering a decisio{l, the arbitrator draws on protocols previously agreed on or decided, as the case may
be. The parties may at any time agree to modify the content of the arbitrator's decision.
2011, c. 30, s. 30.

42. One or more representative associations may, as determined in the protocol provided for in section
41.4, notify in writing a sector-based employers' association, or a sector-based employers' association may
notify in writing one or more representative associations, that its or their representatives are prepared to
negotiate a collective agreemeqt applicable in the sector of the sector-based association.

Such notice shall not be given later than the first day of the seventh month preceding the expiry date of the
collective agreement made under section 47.

Every other representative association and the employers' association must be informed of it without delay.
Updated to March 15, 2023
© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 36 of 84
Accurso loses his appeal,
must report to penitentiary
21 MW-j ?O'll)-r:::v#c.
PAUL CHERRY
TheQuebecCourtofAppealhasor-
dered that construction magnate
Antonio (Tony) Accurso report to
a federal penitentiary next week
to begin serving his sentence in a
Laval municipal corruption case
after rejecting both of his appeals.
Accurso appealed both the ver-
dict and the sentence in the case
that revealed he was part of a large
group of people who fixed bids to
be awarded contracts from the
City of Laval. In a unanimous de-
cision, all three of the judges who
heard the appeals rejected both.
The court also issued an order that
Accurso report to a federal peni-
tentiary on June 1.
The bid-rigging scheme was
created by people who worked for
the city, including former mayor
Gilles Vaillancourt, and dozens of
companies took part in it.
Accurso denied he was involved
in the scheme and had a trial be-
fore a jury. In June 2018, a jury
convicted him on all five charges
after deliberating for a week.
During the trial, the Crown
brought forward three witnesses
who testified that Accurso was not
only aware of what was going on
but was involved in managing the
scheme.
One of the witnesses, the owner
of a company, said Accurso met
with him in 2002 in an effort to
convince him to stay within the
corrupt system. Another witness
said he met with Accurso person-
ally to discuss a dispute involving
how one company was awarded a
contract by mistake. The witness
testified that Accurso told him
he would discuss the matter with
Vaillancourt. The third witnesSi a
man who collected money for Vail-
lancourt, said that, either in 2001
or 2002,Accurso personally hand-
ed him $200,000 in bribe money.
The jury found Accurso guilty of
taking part in a conspiracy, between
1996 and 2010, with more than 60
people, including Vaillancourt, "to
2 7 fv1Ay
Quebec construction magnate Antonio (Tony) Accurso has been ordered
to report to a federal penitentiary on June 1. DAVE SIDAWAY FILES
commit acts of corruption in mu-
nicipal affairs" and breach of trust.
He was also found guilty of conspir-
ing with 56 people to commit fraud;
defrauding the City of Laval; brib-
ing Laval city officials and helping
Vaillancourt and Claude Deguise,
who was Laval's head of engineer-
ing from 1997 until he resigned in
2008, to commit a breach of trust.
In July 2018, Superior Court
Justice James Brunton sentenced
Accurso to a four-year prison term.
Accurso has avoided having to
serve time behind bars so far be-
cause of the appeals.
One part of Accurso's appeal of
the verdict involved how his first
trial ended in a mistrial in 2017.
While a Crown prosecutor was
just about to finish his closing
arguments in the case, Brunton
was informed that one of the ju-
rors told two others that her un-
cle had told her he saw suitcases
stuffed with cash at the offices of
one of the companies involved in
the scheme. The uncle also alleged
that the scheme was "like a Mafia."
Brunton determined the jury
had been contaminated, declared
the mistrial and ordered the sec-
ond trial that was heard in 2018.
Accurso's defence lawyer, Marc
Labelle, later learned that there
was a police investigation into how
the jurywas contaminated. Labelle
2()22. C.71zdk.
called the investigation intrusive
given that jury deliberations in
Canada are supposed to be secret.
He requested that a stay of pro-
ceedings be placed on the charges
before the second trial began.
Labelle argued that the investi-
gation might have given the Crown
an unfair advantage as it could
have revealed what the jury in the
first trial thought of the evidence.
The appellate court disagreed
with Labelle.
"In a trial that concerns the
corruption of elected officials and
municipal bureaucrats, it would
be very naive for the police to
not consider the possibility of an
inappropriate intervention, or a
criminal one, even ifit is true that
the information communicated
by the uncle could not have forti-
fied the conclusion that (Accurso)
was guilty," Justice Guy Cournoy-
er wrote in the 76-page decision.
"Since the investigation should be
complete, it should not necessari-
ly have stopped after the meeting
with the uncle. For one part, the
niece's version could have been
different. For another part, it was
not unreasonable to want to verify
the information that was shared
among her colleagues on the jury."
Labelle could not be reached for
comment on Thursday.
pcherry@postmedia.com
U I I I
Judge approves deal made between
SNC-Lavalin, prosecution in bribery case
Firm charged with paying kickbacks
to obtain contracts for work on bridges
PAUL CHERRY
A Superior Court judge has ap-
proved the deal reached between
SNC-Lavalin and the prosecution
in a case where the engineering
firm was charged with paying
bribes to obtain contracts to do
work on Montreal's Jacques-Cart-
ier Bridge two decades ago.
Justice Eric Downs approved
the agreement, through which
two companies that are part of
SNC-Lavalin will pay a total of
$29.6 million over the next three
years.
The judge made the decision
on Wednesday after hearing ar-
guments in support of the agree-
. mentfromseverallawyersoverthe
course of two days at the Montreal
courthouse.
Fran~ois Fontaine, a lawyer for
SNC-Lavalin Inc., told Downs that
the engineering firm no longer re-
sembles the one that became the
target of several corruption alle-
gations in past years.
The charges filed last year dated
·back to events that took place be-
tween 1997 and 2004.
As part of the agreement,
SNC-Lavalin acknowledged that
it paid more than $2.3 million in
THURSDAY, MAY 12, 2022 MONTREAL GAZETTE A7
struction Inc. was sentenced to
pay a $280-million fine over a five-
year period and to three years of
probation for committing fraud
"against various Libyan author-
ities."
The charges against SNC-La-
valin International Inc. and
kickbacks to Michel Fournier, the made $6 million in profit from
SNC-Lavalin Inc. and two of their
former head of the corporation the bridge contract. The compa-
former executives emerged last
that maintains the Jacques-Carti- nies have agreed to pay the fine
year as part of an RCMP investi-
er and Champlain bridges, in order in six instalments beginning in
gation called Project Agrafe. But
to obtain a $128-million contract June 2023. the charges involved events that
for refurbishment work on the occurred long before it put its in-
The companies will also pay $3.4
bridge. tegrity program in place .
million to The Jacques Cartier
Quebec's office of criminal and Champlain Bridges Inc., the The two former executives, who
prosecutions (DPCP) offered the Crown corporation considered to
are now both over 75 years old,
company a chance to negotiate be the victim in the case, as "com-
still have charges pending against
a remediation agreement from pensation for the harm caused" by
them. One of the accused has opted
the outset, and the two sides an- SNC-Lavalin's "acts of omission."
to have a trial before a jury.
nounced they reached an agree- They also agreed to pay a
Fournier, the first person
ment on Friday. charged in Project Agrafe, plead-
$5.4-million compensatory sur-
As part of the written agreement, charge to the provincial govern-
ed guilty in 2017 to accepting
the two companies will pay a fine of ment. more than $2.3 million in bribes
more than $18 million described as Both of the SNC-Lavalin firms
from SNC-Lavalin between 2001
"efficient, proportionate and dis- also agreed to continue to follow
and 2003. He was sentenced to a
suasive." its Integrity Program. 66-month prison term and was
It will be paid to Quebec's trea- In 2019, the engineering firm
granted full parole on April 24,
sury department and is based, agreed to follow the same pro-2019.
in part, on how· the companies gram when SNC-Lavalin Con- pcherry@postmedia.com
REM rail cars will be delivered on
time with initial flaws fixed: Alstom IS~'JoZI ~.
FREDERIC TOMESCO

Initial quality flaws won't prevent

Indian-made cars for the Reseau
express metropolitain light-rail
netv,:ork from being delivered on
time and on budget, according to
the French company that's build-
ing the rolling stock.
Production of the trains will re-
sume early next year after a series
of corrective measures were put
in place, said Michael Keroulle,
Alstom SA's new president for the
Americas. Quality checks at the
subcontractors responsible for the
defective parts have been stepped
up, he said.
A preliminary inspection of train
cars destined to be used in the REM
revealed manufacturing flaws that
could represent a "potential risk of
injury" to passengers, Radio-Can-
ada reported last month.Assembly,
wiring and finishing all fell short of •
the best train-building practices,
Jean-Marc Arbaud, head of proj- Alstom has so far delivered 37 cars, which is more than the 28 that are required to start service on the first
ect promoter CDPQ Infra, said in section of the REM between Brossard and Montreal's Central Station next year. DAVE SIDAWAY FILES
a letter to consortium director Eric
Appert, adding that the quality of between Brossard and Montreal's at the REM's maintenance centre, "To build a train involves bring-
the product delivered was "not of Central Station - next year, Ker- without having to ship the cars ing together parts that are built
the level expected." oulle said. Under their agreement back to India, she said. around the world. Whether it's
Controversy erupted in Quebec with CDPQ Infra, SNC-Lavalin "We have the right processes in built here or in India, there are al-
in 2018 when Alstom - which is and Alstom will maintain and op- place to ensure the final quality of ways issues that surface and must
part of the SNC-Lavalin-led con- eratethelight-railnetworkfor30 the REM rolling stock, including be corrected,'' he said. "The main
sortium picked by CDPQ Infra to years. many tests that are performed thing is to have a process that al-
build the first sections of the REM Issues with the first series of daily,'' said Rouillard-Moreau. "To lows us to see issues early. We're
- said it would produce the train trains include incomplete ban - date, this process is advancing in still several months away, so this
cars in India. Alstom has said the dlebars and "imperfect" welding, accordance with our expectations. is the right time for us to get this
cars would be customized to with- Keroulle said. The collaboration of the teams is kind of feedback and ensure that
stand Montreal winters. "There are parts that were sub- very good." the trains meet specifications. We
"We've taken all the remarks contracted,'' he said. "When we Pausing deliveries for a few know the expectations are high.
made by our client very seriously,'' know that a supplier has given us weeks will ensure "that we not This is a project with a lot of vis-
Keroulle said in an interviewwhen products that fall short ofrequired only fix the problems on the trains ibility."
asked about the first batch of train quality levels, we correct that by already delivered, but that these Alstom recently completed an-
cars. "Nothing in this is critical for doing more frequent quality con- problems don't recur on the trains other highly publicized project
passenger safety, but it's important trols." that are still being built," Keroulle when it handed over the last of
and we've dealt with it with the re- Corrections requested are "be- said. "All these action plans have 639 Azur metro cars built for the
quired urgency. There will be no nign" in nature, and focus on the been shared with the client, in a Societe de Transport de Montreal.
additional costs or delays on the painting, the interior panels and spirit of transparency. We're quite The STM subsequently put the fi-
project." parts of the wiring, Emmanuelle confident about this contract. We nal Azur train built at Alstom's La
Alstom has so far delivered 37 Rouillard-Moreau, a spokesperson think it will be a great success." Pocatiere plant in service, thereby
cars, which is more than the 28 for CDPQ Infra, said Tuesday in All rail-equipment projects ex- capping an additional 17-train or-
that are required to start service an emailed response to questions. perience manufacturing issues of der announced in 2018.
on the first section of the REM - Fixes are being made in Brossard, some kind, Keroulle insists. ftomesco@postmedia.com

Blue-collar
union placed
under
trusteeship
31 MA>.f 2otJ
CUPE appoints
administrator due
to internal turmoil
Montreal's blue-collar workers'
union has been placed under
trusteeship by its parent union
because of "serious operational
difficulties."
The Canadian Union of Public
Employees (CUPE) announced
Tuesday that it has named an
administrator to oversee the
7,500-member Syndicat des cols
bleus regroupes de Montreal, Local
301.
The move comes two weeks after
Marc Ranger, CUPE's Quebec
director, was reportedly cornered
and intimidated by several Mon-
treal blue-collar workers outstde
a union meeting in Quebec City.
The blue-collar union represents
workers in the city of Montreal as
well as in demerged suburbs.
In a news release, CUPE said the
administrator will "assume the
duties of (local union) leaders and
ensure the proper functioning of
the union for an indefinite period."
That person, whose name was
not made puQlic, "reports to the
national president and CUPE
national executive board and will
exercise authority to resolve seri-
ous operational difficulties within
the local," CUPE said.
The administrator has "full
authority to conduct the affairs of
the union and ensure the continu-
ity of services to Local 301 mem-
bers and their union representa-
tion. Once the internal problems
have been resolved, new elections
will be held and the local manage-
ment of the union's affairs will be
re-established with a new elected
executive council."
In a statement released late
Tuesday, the blue-collar union
called the decision "unfortunate"
and reiterated that it had hired an
auditor, on May 8, to look through
its books going back four years.
"We expect that the appointed
trustee w:ill respect the demo-
cratically-elected representatives
chosen 'by nearly 60 per cent of our
members," the statement reads.
"We are honest people with our
members' best interests at heart."
CUPE, known in Quebec as the
Syndicat canadien de la fonction
publique, said its bylaws allow the
· national president to place a local
temporarily under trusteeship "in
an emergency to protect the inter-
ests of its members."
The parent union said it would
make no other comments about
the situation.
In January, Ch_a ntal Racette, the
embattled president of the blue-
collar union, survived a no-confi-
dence vote, securing 66 per cent
support from the 914 members
who cast their ballots.
Racette was elected president
of the union in April 2015. She is
facing a backlash over criticisms
of how she has handled negotia-
tions with Mayor Denis Coderre
and after a Journal de Montreal
article revealed she ordered GPS
devices be secretly installed on the
cars of members of her executive
in November to track their where-
abouts.
In addition, Racette and the
union were ordered to pay just
over $100,000 in fines by Quebec's
Superior Court for calling an illegal
strike in December 2015, after the
Commission des relations du tra-
vail had already issued an injunc-
tion against holding a general Of
assembly during work hours. so
w;
Postmedia News (2)
S•

Government engineers ready
to strike, paralyze work sites
.2.~ .Jwne. :lot{:,
CAROLINE PLANTE
QUEBEC A conflict opposing the
Quebec government and its en-
gineers will come to a head next
we~k, when both parties meet for
an intensive bout of negotiations.
About 1,400 engineers working
forthe government, who have been
without a collective agreement
since April 2015, have threatened
to launch a general strike as early
as Julyll.
The strike, which would para-
lyze thousands of work sites across
Quebec during peak construction
time, can still be avoided, said
Michel Gagnon, president of the
Association professionnelle des
ingenieurs du gouvernement du
Quebec (APIGQ).
"The government is realizing
that our group cannot be over-
looked," Gagnon told the Montreal
Gazette on Thursday. "We will have
to evaluate the seriousness of their
proposal next week."
Gagnon said if a strike is de-
clared, it would be the first one in
52 years. He said government en-
gineers have had enough - they
are "sick and tired" of being con-
sistently underpaid.
According to the APIGQ, gov-
ernment engineers earn about
$82,000 a year, which is 24 per
cent, or $20,000, less than their
peers at Hydro-Quebec.
That difference will grow to 37
per cent by 2019, Gagnon argued,
because Hydro engineers obtained
raises in a 2013 agreementwith the
government.
"Engineers at Hydro-Quebec are
seen as assets by the government
... they generate $3 billion for the
province ... whereas engineers who
work in the transport, municipal
affairs and environment depart-
. ments are seen as expenses," Ga-
gnon said.
Quebec is offering government
engineers a 5.25-per-cent raise
over five years; they are asking for
30 per cent over the same period.
Both parties met in Quebec City
on Thursday. It was aboutthe 30th
meeting since negotiations began,
Gagnon said.
Catherine Poulin, spokesperson
SATURDAY, JUNE 25, 2016 MONTREAL GAZETTE AS
.
in-house or outsourced.
Gagnon said the Quebec govern-
ment has had trouble attracting ex-
perienced engineers. "At $82,000,
there isn't one engineer from SNC-
Lavalin who is going to come work
for the government," he said.
Practically all of Quebec's struc-
tures which were built in the 1970s
need to be fixed, added Gagnon.
"We are less expensive than out-
sourcing and we are not in a con-
flict of interest; in other words,
our client is the government, not
a private firm."
"This negotiation is important
because many young engineers are
being hired. And what they are tell-
ing us is, 'If this isn't solved soon,
I'm leaving'," he said.
Quebec government engineers are threatening to strike as early as July 11. The Coalition Avenir. Quebec,
They haven't had a contract since April 2015. TIM sNow1FILEs which produced a report on gov-
ernment efficiency last fall, said the
for Treasury Board President and ing expertise was eroding. Justice government needs to recognize it is
Finance Minister Carlos Leitao, France Charbonneau recommend- lacking engineering expertise. "We
said negotiations are progressing, ed rebalancing the relationship think it's a shame the government
and Leitao -whp is on a work mis- between internal expertise and can't come to an agreement with
sion in Europe -will not negotiate private engineering firms, and re- its engineers," said party spokes-
in the media. "We have to respect storing the transport department's person Samuel Poulin.
Quebecers' capacity to pay," she ability to determine whether cer- cplante@postmedia.com
said. tain works should be carried out twitter.com/cplantegazette
There have been three treasury
board presidents in Quebec in the
last year: Martin Coiteux, Sam Ha-
mad and Leitao.
About 800 of the APIGQ's 1,400
members work for the transport
department. If they strike, thou-
, sands of construction sites across
the province would be disrupted.
"The most important month for
the transport department is Au-
gust," Gagnon said. "It would have
an impact, for sure."
Already, Gagnon said, APIGQ
engineers have stopped working
between 6:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. "Most
of the inspections of structures in
Montreal are at night, so they can-
not be done."
Night work on the Laviolette
Bridge in Trois-Rivieres has also
been suspended. Gagnon estimates
that so far the government has lost
$200 million.
In 2015, the Charbonneau
Commission into collusion and
corruption in the construction
industry concluded the transport
department's internal engineer-
 ~: &L06' 't'l/t,t11
JOB CHARACTERISTICS: . r,.,,. UjJw ~~.._,
UNION-NONUNION DIFFERENCES

By William F. Maloney, 1 Member, ASCE,

and James M. McFillen 2

ABSTRACT: One of the reasons for the development of nonunion construction was to
allow management the flexibility of designing jobs without the constraints of jurisdictional
and collective-bargaining agreements. The job-characteristics model was developed to
identify differences in jobs and the motivational potential of a job . This paper reports
the results of studies of a large sample of unionized construction workers and of a large
sample of nonunion construction workers. Six hypotheses were formulated based on
expected differences between union and nonunion environments and tested . In terms of
the job-characteristics model, there is no difference in the perceptions of union and
nonunion construction workers for task variety, task significance, and feedback . Union
workers perceive greater task identity, while nonunion workers perceive greater auton-
omy. The implications of these findings are discussed and recommendations made for
improving the motivational potenti al of jobs . The results of the study indicate that there
is considerable opportunity for redesigning jobs in the construction industry.

INTRODUCTION
Until approximately 25 years ago , construction in the United States was performed primarily
by contractors whose workers were members of a building and construction trades union . The
work was organized along craft lines, with each union establishing a jurisdictional claim to
specific work activities. Work was performed by journeymen and apprentices , i.e ., journeymen
in training. This method of organization had been employed in the industry for decades. The
development of the open-shop or nonunion contractor in the 1960s and 1970s brought about a
different approach to work organization .
Instead of the two categories of journeymen and apprentice or skilled worker and trainee,
the open-shop contractor placed workers into three categories: skilled, semiskilled, and un-
skilled. The skilled-worker category in the open shop is analogous to the journeyman classifi-
cation in the union sector. Semiskilled workers possess identifiable craft skills, but the skills are
a subset of the skills possessed by the skilled worker or journeyman . Unskilled workers possess
few craft skills and perform tasks requiring manual rather than technical skills.
The categories of workers can be combined in a variety of ways in both the union and nonunion
sectors to create wor·k crews. Even though the job to be completed, e .g., construction of
formwork for foundation walls , may be the same for two work crews, differences in the com-
position of the crews in terms of skills will result in differences in the tasks to be performed by
each crew member. One crew may consist of three journeymen and one apprentice, while
another may consist of one skilled worker , two semiskilled workers, and one unskilled worker.
A crew member's reaction to the characteristics of the tasks he or she is to perform will signif-
icantly influence his or her motivation and performance .
There has been a significant change in work organization and job design in the construction
industry in the last three decades. These ch anges parallel the changes in manufacturing that
began at the turn of the century. An understanding of the changing work paradigm will under-
score the changes in the construction industry .

WORK PARADIGM
An examination of the literature on work organization reveals a shift in work paradigms early
in the 20th century, which can be viewed in terms of the craft versus the scientific management
paradigm. The shift, which began in manufacturing , has occurred in construction to a large
degree as well.
Historically, construction work has been organized on a craft basis where crafts were organized
according to specific skill categorieS'. Membership in a craft was obtained after serving a lengthy
apprentice.ship during which the apprentice mastered a specific set of skills. The apprentice

'A.J . Clark Chair , Prof. of Constr . Engrg. and Mgmt., Dept. of Civ. Engrg . . Univ. of Maryland at College
Park, College Park, MD 20742.
'Chmn. and Prof. of Mgmt ., Dept. o f Mgmt ., Bowling Green State Univ., Bowling Green , OH 45402 .
Note. Discussion open until August I . 1995 . To extend the closing date one month, a written request must be
filed with the ASCE Manager of Journals . The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and possible
publication on March 9, 1994. This paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Management,
Vol. 121, No. 1, March , 1995 . ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9364/95/0001-0043-0054/$2.00 + $.25 per page. Paper No .
7978.

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 43

 learned from a master craftsman (classroom instruction did not become the norm until after
World War II) . The acquisition of skill and knowledge as well as the performance of the craft's
work were limited to members of the craft guild or union who in turn exercised a great deal of
freedom in defining how a task was to be executed . As reported in an analysis of work orga-
nization (Cummings and Srivastra 1977) :

Once an apprentice mastered the skills of his craft, he was able to exert considerable
control over most facets of his work life. Depending upon his level of competence, he
was able to decide upon the type and quality of his goods and services to produce ; he
could choose his raw materials , his tools, and his methods of production ; and he could
market his goods and often develop new products and techniques of production. The
performance of these activities enabled the craftsman to use and involve himself totally
in his craft. Because of his acquired knowledge and experience , he was able to employ
his sense organs to scan the work environment and to detect subtle types of information
helping him to guide his behavior.

Craft-type work was extremely rewarding; workers were well rewarded economically, and
were socially and psychologically satisfied. The craftsman's ability to produce a high-quality
product ensured economic support and recognition in the community. His or her abilities also
provided a social identity that fostered a sense of belonging and social significance . Although
he or she was economically well rewarded , the craftsman's primary motivation to perform the
work was derived from the intrinsic rewards associated with work that was meaningfully designed
and worthy of self-respect. This concept is illustrated in Fig. 1.
The craftsman's knowledge and skills were acquired through his or her .apprenticeship . Physical
and mental ability is innate>. Role perceptions, i.e ., perceptions of how to do the job , were also
acquired through the apprenticeship as the apprentice learned by watching autonomous crafts-
men use those skills deemed appropriate by an analysis of the task . Motivation arose from the
opportunity to secure intrinsic as well as extrinsic rewards in performing well. The result of the
interaction of these factors is high performance .
Through his or her total involvement , the craftsman was able to create a work structure that
accommodated both environmental demands in terms of customer requirements as well as the
craftsman's own needs. He was able to sense changes in those requirements and to regulate his
or her behavior in response to those changes through goal-directed activity . Craftsmen were
able to gather sensory data, which were used to create a variety of adaptive responses. The
result was that the craftsman was empowered, i.e., able to make decisions about his work
structure and organization . He or she exercised ownership of the work process.
The craft method of work organization was the norm until the advent of the Indu strial
Revolution in the 19th century and the development of "scientific management" by Frederick
Taylor in the late 19th and early 20th centuries . Scientific management has had a far gre ater
impact on the construction work process than the Industrial Revolution .
Taylor (n.r.) advocated the determination of the single best way to organize work . He believed
that it is the responsibility of a management expert to determine the one best way and that the
improvement of work involves an analysis of the entire context and environment within which
the work is done . To analyze work , the field of motion study was developed with the objective
of determining a preferable work method with consideration given to raw materi als, product
design, order of work, tools, equipment, workplace layout, and the hand and body motions
required by the workman. Motion study enabled the analyst to decompose work into its simplest
elementary components, specifying in detail the tasks of each component and using the com-
ponents as building blocks to produce a specified component sequence. Scientific management
proposed the rationalization of work in terms of efficiency, which yielded predictability of results.
Man becomes an extension of the machine ; the more the machine is simplified , the more costs
are lowered .

Ability, Skills

Motivation Performance

Role Perceptions
FIG. 1. Performance Characteristics

44 JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT

 Once the best method had been determined , workers were to be scientifically selected and
trained in the method . Supervision's responsibility became that of insuring that the work is done
in accordance with the specified method. The workers' compensation was to be a functi o n of
their performance ; the more they produced , the more they earned.
In contrast with the craftsman, the worker whose job was organized along scientific-manage-
ment principles saw his or her ro le severe ly constrained. He or she possessed little control over
work life . Involvement in his o r her work was significantly reduced. Worker discreti o n was
limited . The worker was relegated to performing a series of highly prescribed, qu asi-mec ha nica l
tasks. In a practical sense, the worker became a se t of hands, the function of which was to apply
routine skills to highly repetitive tasks . For such a job, thinking was a distinct liability . The
workplace gradually evolved into a hierarchy based on gradations of discretionary power . At
the bottom of this pyramid was the worker, reduced to performing a task that no longer e ngaged
his full range of abilities, was not under his control, nor worthy of his full involvement.
Although many times highly paid , scientific-management-designed jobs were greatly dimin-
ished in terms of social identity, sell-respect. a nd significance. The worker no longer had ow n-
ership of his job. He simply followed directions. Motivation became a function of the ex trin sic
rewards associated with the job rather than the job itself. Even though the pay was hi gh . it was
unrelated to performance . Pe rform ance-based pay was one of Taylor's major tenets (Weisbord
1989) . Most authors forget thi s point, and the vast majorit y of scientific-management interven-
tions ignore it. When scientific-management principles are employed to redesign jobs and pay
is not based on performance, intrinsic rewards a re taken away as a result of the work redesign
and extrinsic rewards are not provided , as called for by Taylor. The result is a loss of motivation
because there are no rewards associated with the performance of the work or as a result of
performance. This mistake has been made in both manufacturing and cons,truction .
Construction , the most craft-orie nted industry , has been influenced significantly by the phi-
losophy of scientific management. If construction today were to be placed on a continuum
representing worker power and discretion with scientific management as one anchor and the
craft paradigm as the other, it would fall nearer the scientific-management end of the continuum.
Craft work has been "rationalized" into elements and workers trained to perform those
elements. For example, a "carpenter" today may only possess the skills to construct concrete
forms or to do finish carpentry rather than the full range of skills in the carpentry craft. As
competition in the construction markets increases, contractors appear to be accelerating the
movement from the craft to the industrial or scientific-management paradigm. for more to less
involvement. The shift toward scientific manageme nt can best be summarized as follows (Lawler
1988) :

[I]t seemed as if American managers had discovered the ultimate approach to manage-
ment : a combination of careful contrQls, centralized top-down decision making. and
carefully programmed and prescribed tasks for prod uction employees. In short. separate
thinking from doing and concentrate expertise. decision-making power , and inform ation
at the higher levels of organizations. where highly trained man age rs can make the de-
cisions.

However, the scientific-management approach began to receive serious criticism. and many
business organizations began to move back toward a craft paradigm . The construction industry .
which entered the scientific-management movement late, appears to have continued to move
toward the scientific management paradigm . The efficacy of this trend must be rigorously chal-
lenged.
Because of the impact that a job's characteristics has on the worker performing the job. it is
important that the worker's perceptions of those characteristics be understood. This und erstand -
ing will allow construction ma nagers to design jobs to improve performance .

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
Hackman and Oldham (1980) have provided a theoretical framework with which to examine
jobs and their characteristics . Their model , called the job characteristics model. is presented in
Fig. 2. As the figure shows, the model consists of four major components: core job characteristics .
critical psychological states, outcomes, and moderating variables. The basis premise of the mode l
is that un~er certain conditions (moderating variables). the content of the job (core job char-
acteristics) affects worker reactions to the job (critical psychological states) that in turn affec t
worker motivation, performance . and satisfaction (outcomes).

Job Characteristics
The pivotal element in the model is how worke rs react to the job characteristics. These
reactions or psychological states are grouped into three categories : experienced meaningfulness.
experienced responsibility for outcomes, and knowledge of results . Experienced meaningfulness

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 45

 CORE JOB - CRITICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
- OUTCOMES
CHARACTERISTICS
STATES

SKILL VARIETY } - HIGH INTERNAL

EXPERIENCED
TASK IDENTITY MEAN INGFULNESS WORK MOTIVATION
TASK SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORK

HIGH "GROWTH"
SATISFACTION
EXPERI ENCED
RESPONSIBILITY
AUTONOMY·-------------
FOR OUTCOMES
OF THE WORK HIGH GENERAL
SATISFACTION

FEEDBACK FROM JORoB----1111•~ KNOWLEDGE OF HIGH WORK

ACTUAL RESULTS EFFECTIVENESS

j'

MODERATING VARIABLES

1. KNOWLEDGE AND SKILL

2. GROWTH NEEDS STRENGTH
3. "CONTEXT" SATISFACTION

.....
FIG. 2. Job-Characteristics Model

represents the ideal that the worker must see the work as something that is meaningful within
his or her own set of values . Responsibility for outcomes refers to the feeling that the worker
is pe rsonally accountable for the quantity and quality of the work performed. Lastly, knowledge
of results is the availability of information from the job itself that allows the worker to evaluate
level of performance. Hackman and Oldham (1980) postulate that each of these states must be
prese nt for strong internal job motivation to develop. The absence of any one of the three
reduces the potential for the work itself to be motivating to a worker .
Five core job characteristics influence the degree of meaningfulness, responsibility for out-
comes, and knowledge of results experienced by the worker. Three of these job characteristics
contribute directly to meaningfulness:

• Skill variety : The degree to which a job requires a variety of different activities in carrying
out the work, involving the use of a number of different skills and talents of the worker.
• Task identity: The degree to which a job requires completion of a "whole" and iden -
tifiable piece of work; that is, doing a job from beginning to end with a visible outcome.
• Task significance: The degree to which the job has a substantial impact on the lives of
other people, whether those people are in the immediate organization or in the work
at large .

Whe n· workers perform tasks that make full use of their skills and abilities or cause them to
develop additional ones, the workers experience the tasks as being meaningful. Workers given
a complete job to perform care more about their work than those given only a portion of a job
beca use the results can be clearly identified as a function of their own efforts. When a task is
pe rceived as having a substa ntial impact on the psychological or physical well-being of others,
e .g., other workers or the customer, workers feel that they are making a significant contribution
to somethi ng. Generally speaking, jobs displaying th ese characte ristics are perceived by workers
as more meaningful and, thus possess greater motivational potential. Although maximum mean-

46 JOURNAL OF CONSTRU CTION ENG INEERING AND MANAGEM ENT

 ingfulness requires high degrees of all three of these characteristics, a worker may experience
a job as meaningful even if it is somewhat low on one or two of the characteristics.
Experienced responsibility in a job is a function of the degree of autonomy provided to the
worker in the job . Autonomy is defined as the freedom, independence , and discretion that the
worker possesses in scheduling and performing the work assigned. Jobs that are high in autonomy
allow workers to perceive the performance outcomes as dependent on their own decisions and
efforts, and therefore they feel responsible for their actions.
The last psychological state , knowledge of results, is affected by the amount of feedback
received by the worker. Feedback is defined as the direct and clear information about the
effectiveness of performance that the worker receives by performing the activities required by
the job. For example, an electrician who has completed the installation of lights in a room flips
the switch to turn on the lights. If the lights do not go on, the electrician has received immediate
feedback that his or her performance was not satisfactory. The use of feedback in this model
must be clearly distinguished from the feedback received by workers from supervisors or fellow
workers. The concept of feedback in this model performs the same function as that coming from
supervisors or coworkers, but can be thought of as "built-in," and therefore more immediate,
more automatic, and less subject to distortion and bias.

Motivation Potential Score

In creating a motivation potential score, i.e., a measure of the degree to which a job might
be expected to have the capacity to create internal work motivation, Hackman and Oldham
(1980) explicitly recognized the relative importance of each psychological s~ate in the equation:

motivation potential score

skill variety + task identity + task significance

x autonomy x feedb ack ( J)
3

The effect is to give greater weight to experienced responsibility and knowledge of results. Thus,
high scores on autonomy and feedback will have much greater impact on the motivation potential
score than low scores occurring on any one of the core dimensions affecting experienced mean-
ingfulness.

Moderating Variables

A high motivation potential score indicates that a job has the capacity to create a motivating
work situation, but that is not the same as saying that the worker assigned to that job will be
motivated by it. Other factors called moderating variables contribute to whether the match of
job and worker will prove to be motivational. These moderating variables are a worker's job-
relevant knowledge and skills , growth-need strength, and satisfaction with the work context.
When jobs are high in motivating potential, workers who have the required knowledge and
skills will experience greater satisfaction from the job than will workers lacking the necessary
skills and knowledge. Workers who are missing significant aspects of the training and experience
necessary to such jobs will feel stretched beyond their capacities and may react negatively to
the challenges created by the job demands . They will tend to withdraw physically or psycho-
logically from the job .
The second major moderating variable is growth-need strength, which is defined as an indi-
vidual's needs for personal accomplishment, learning, and the further development of one's
skills and abilities . The stronger the needs for personal growth, the more a worker is expected
to respond favorably to jobs high in motivating potential. Workers high in growth-need strength
will experience stronger, more positive reactions to the core job dimensions in the form of the
psychological states and will react more positively to the psychological states as exhibited by
their motivation, work effectiveness, and satisfaction.
Worker satisfaction with the work context is the last of the moderating variables . Workers
who are relatively satisfied with their work context-e .g., pay, supervisors, coworkers. and
physical working conditions-will view enriched jobs as more motivating than will workers who
are dissatisfied with their pay or other contextual factors. Before motivation and performance
can be improved through the use of job design principles, efforts must be made to achieve basic
satisfaction with the job context. This does not mean that workers must be completely satisfied
with all of the contextual factors before redesigned jobs can be effective in improving perfor-
mance, but they must be relatively satisfied with those factors overall .
Given the three moderating variables, the most promising situation for job design would be
when workers possess the basic skills necessary for the enriched job, have strong needs for
personal growth and development, and are basically satisfied with the contextual factors present
on the job. In such a situation, workers should exhibit a high degree of internal work motivation

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 47

 and should perform well under their own direction . Both management and workers would benefit
from this situation because management would receive both high quality and quantities of work
with less need for close supervision, and workers would be permitted to perform more rewarding
work resulting in higher work satisfaction and reduced turnover and absenteeism.
The least promising situation for job design would be the case in which workers lack necessary
skills, have weak needs for personal growth, and are dissatisfied with their pay, supervision ,
and working conditions . Because the growth needs are weak, attention to job design probably
would produce only minimal improvement in motivation even after attention had been directed
toward improving the contextual factors . Fortunately, the probability of this situation occurring
is low . Mana~rs are much more likely to face the situation in which workers have the basic
skills necessary to perform the work (even after job enrichment) and are moderate in their
needs for growth and development. This· means that the degree of context satisfaction is likely
to be the greatest source of uncertainty regarding the potential contribution of job design .
Consequently, job design may be expected to have considerable potential for improving worker
motivation, performance, and satisfaction. The work to be performed may satisfy needs in all
three need categories of existence , relatedness , and growth. Consequently, it may be used to
motivate workers to engage in the four required organizational behaviors of joining the orga-
nization, performing the minimal job requirements, remaining with the organization , and per-
forming beyond the minimal job requirements .

RESEARCH OBJECTIVES

Other than anecdotal evidence, there has been little information gathered in a systematic
manner on construction workers and their view of their jobs and job environment. What little
information that is available was not collected within a theoretical framework designed to bring
about an understanding of the important variables and relationships between variables .
Therefore. a large-scale. exploratory study of construction workers and their work environ-
ment was undertaken to develop an understanding of construction workers and their perceptions
of their jobs . The overall study consisted of two separate but related studies, one involving
unionized construction workers and the other nonunion workers. The two studies have been
described in detail (Maloney and McFillen 1984; 1986b). One major objective of the study was
to identify and analyze the differences between union and nonunion cons.truction workers·
perceptions of their jobs.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Two samples of construction workers were drawn for the studies . he first was a broad cross-
sectional sample of unionized construction workers from a major midwestern city; the secbnd
was a similar sample of nonunion construction workers in western Michigan . The sampling
procedures and demographics of the respondents as well as the questionnaires employed have
been presented by Maloney and McFillen (1984, 1986b). A response rate of approximately 26 %
was obtained for both surveys. In both studies, respondents were asked to indicate the extent
of their agreement or disagreement with a series of statements that could be used to characterize
their work (see Appendix I). In addition, respondents provided information on their experience
and training ; choices of type of work preferred, which indicates growth-need strength; and their
agreement or disagreement with a series of statements about satisfaction with various aspects
of their jobs and work.

HYPOTHESES

A series of hypotheses was framed to enable the differences between union and nonunion
construction workers to be determined . The construction unions allege that the apprenticeship
programs conducted by the joint labor-management apprenticeship committees train workers
to perform the broad variety of skills contained in the craft. Thus, craft-based training should
provide workers with a broad set of skills that allow them to perform a wide variety of tasks .
Conversely, training in the open shop has been skill-based rather than craft-based. Workers are
trained in specific skills, which are typically a subset of the total skills of the craft . Although
an open-shop worker may be trained in a subset of the skills of a particular craft, that worker
may also be trained in the skills of other crafts.
Union workers may be trained in the skills of a craft and open-shop workers may be trained
in subsets of skills for several crafts. It is possible for open-shop workers to possess more sets
of skills than union workers because of the concept of jurisdiction in which unions established
claim to specific activities. Members of unions claim particular work and strive to protect that
jurisdiction from incursions by other unions. Even though a worker may possess the skills to
perform certain work, if that work is within the jurisdiction of another union and that jurisdiction
is enforced, the worker will not be allowed to perform the work. Strict enforcement of jurisdiction

48 JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT

 will serve to reduce or limit skill variety . Conversely , lax jurisdiction enforcement will allow
greater skill variety.
If union workers are trained in a broader set of skills and their employers assign them to
tasks that allow them to use their skills, the union workers should perceive their jobs as having
more task variety that would nonunion workers. Thus , the following hypothesis can be stated:
Unionized construction workers perceive more task variety in their work than do nonunion
construction workers .
If workers are equipped with more skills , they have greater versatility, which provides their
employers greater flexibility . Rather than performing small, relatively unidentifiable parts of
the job, the worker may be assigned to larger and more identifiable parts . For example , instead
of installing conduit for a small part of a job, a worker may be assigned as part of a team to
install conduit and fittings , pull wire, and make the terminations for a complete area of a project.
As a result, the workers should experience more identity in their work . The second hypothesis
follows from the first hypothesis : Unionized construction workers, because of their broader
skills, should perceive their jobs as higher in identity than nonunion workers .
The work to be performed on a construction project is determined by the site and the design
of the project. It is the same whether the project is constructed by unionized or nonunion
workers . How tasks are grouped to form jobs for individual workers may vary between union
and nonunion jobs as well as within union and nonunion jobs. What the workers are constructing
will influence their perception of significance as much as, if not more than, the work the worker
is performing. Thus, there should be no difference in the perceived significance of the work
between union and nonunion workers which forms the third hypothesis.
Proponents of union training programs assert that workers participating in those programs
receive better training in a broader set of technical skills than do workers participating in
nonunion programs . In addition , the union programs claim to provide better training in work
management, including job analysis , planning , and organizing. Workers with good technical
and job management skills would probably be granted more autonomy in their work. If the
claims of the union training proponents are valid, union workers should perceive more autonomy
than nonunion workers, which is hypothesis 4.
Feedback is the information that flows directly from the work to the person performing the
work about how well the work is being or has been performed. It is a function of the specific
tasks being performed . Although there may be a difference in how tasks are grouped by em-
ployers to form jobs, there should be no difference in the tasks performed between union and
nonunion construction workers. If there is no difference in tasks, there should be no difference
in the perceptions of feedback between union and nonunion workers (hypothesis 5) .
Three of the first four hypotheses state that union workers will perceive their jobs as higher
in the job characteristics than nonunion workers. The third and the fifth state that there will
be no difference in perceived feedback . Thus , from (1), the following hypothesis can be for-
mul ated: The motivation potential score for unionized construction workers is greater than that
for nonunion construction workers .

RESULTS

The responses for the job characteristics were factor analyzed using principal component
factoring with oblique rotation. Factor scores were calculated for each of the factor scales using
a regression procedure . Statistics for the six scales are presented in Table 1. Because this study
was the first to examine the perceived characteristics of construction work using the Hackman
and Oldham ( 1980) instruments, no data exist with which to compare these factor scores.
Because of the relatively large sample size (nu 11 ; , ,,, = 650, n""""";"" = 407) and the fact that
it is less sensitive to departures from normality than the F-test , the I-test was used to test the
differences between the means of the two samples . The separate variance version of the I-test
was used. A level of significance of 0.05 was employed .

Hypothesis 1

The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between the mean scores for skill variety
for union and nonunion workers. Because the observed significance level of 0.119 is greater
than the. level of significance , 0.05 , the null hypothesis cannot be rejected . Thus , we must
conclude that there is no difference in the perceptions of task variety between union and
nonunion workers.

Hypothesis 2

The null hypothesis that there is no difference is perceptions of job identity between union
and nonunion workers can be rejected because the observed significance level of 0.000 is less
than the level of significance of 0.05. With a one-tail test of significance, which is obt ained by

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINE ERING AND MANAGEMENT 49

 TAB LE 1. Factor Score Statistics

Observed
Sample Sample Standard significance
Sample maximum minimum Sample mean deviation t-value level
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7)
(a) Task variety
Union 9.46 1.19 6.70 1.04 1.56 0. 119
Nonunion 8.73 1.75 6.60 1.06
(b) Task Identity
Union 8. 69 0.92 6.38 1.31 4.43 0.000
Nonunion 8.60 1.20 6.01 1.33
(c) Task Significance
Union 8.82 1.52 4.86 1.78 -0 .71 0.479
Nonunion 8.74 1.17 4.94 1.58
(d) Autonomy
Union 8.27 0.78 5. 10 1.60 -5 .96 0.000
Nonunion 7.97 1.45 5.66 1.38
(e) Feedback
Union 9.58 2.51 7. 18 1.09 0.00 0.999
Nonunion 9.27 2.76 7. 18 1.12
(/) Motivation Potential Score
Union 539.31 21.29 223 .62 93.40 -3 .32 0.001
Nonunion 528.58 29.68 243 .22 93 . 16

dividing the observed significance level by two, it can be concluded that union workers perceive
greater task identity in their work than do nonunion workers .

Hypothesis 3
For task significance, the null hypothesis that there is no difference in the perceptions of
union and nonunion workers cannot be rejected because the observed significance level, 0.479 ,
is greater than the level of significance of 0.05 .

Hypothesis 4
The null hypothesis that there is no difference in perceptions of autonomy between union
and nonunion workers can be rejected because the observed significance level of 0.000 is less
than the level of significance of 0.05. A one-tail test allows us to conclude that nonunion workers
perceive greater autonomy than union workers.

Hypothesis 5
The sample means for feedback are equal and the observed significance level of 0.999, which
is much greater than the level of significance of 0.05, indicate that the null hypothesis of no
differences in feedback perceptions between union and nonunion workers cannot be rejected.

Hypothesis 6
For the motivation potential score, the null hypothesis is that there is no difference between
the scores for union workers and nonunion workers. There is a difference in the means of the
two samples and the difference is significant at the 0.001 level. Thus, the null hypothesis is
rejected and , using a one-tail test, it can be concluded that nonunion workers have a higher
motivation potential score than do union workers .
Thus, in terms of the job-characteristics model, there is no difference in the perceptions of
union and nonunion workers for task variety, task significance, and feedback . Union workers
perceive greater task identity, while nonunion workers perceive greater autonomy . As a con-
sequence. of the weight attached to autonomy compared with that for task identity in the cal-
culation of the motivation potential score, nonunion workers have, on average, higher motivation
potential scores than do union workers .
Because of differences in the number and weighting of items contained in each factor resulting
from the factor analysis, a simple presentation of scale means provides limited information. To
overcome this problem , the mean scores for the two samples for each factor scale were trans-
formed into the corresponding proportion of the respective scale's potential range. The resulting
values may range from 0.00 to 1.00. Because the transformed scores are proportions, they permit
easy comparisons between scales . The transformed sample means are presented in Table 2.

50 JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEER ING AND MANAG EMENT

 TABLE 2. Transformed Sample Means

Sample
Job characteristics Union Nonunion
(1) (2) (3)
Task variety 0.70 0.69
Task identity 0 .65 0.62
Task significance 0.47 0.47
Autonomy 0.52 0.56
Feedback 0.64 0.64
Motivation potential score 0 . 15 0. 16

The motivation potential score is the critical factor because it incorporates the five job char-
acteristics . As concluded, nonunion workers have higher motivation potential scores than union
workers. Although the difference between the mean scores and the two samples is statistically
significant, it is evident that the difference between the two transformed mean scores of 0.01
has little practical significance and is of little importance. The relatively large sample sizes
resulted in the difference between the two sample means being statistically significant.
What is important is that, as measured by the motivation potential score, the construction
workers in these samples perceive their work as providing only 15% of the potential motivation
that could be provided . Motivation is derived from two components of a job: the extrinsic
elements such as compensation and rewards, physical work environment , coworkers and su-
pervision; and the intrinsic element of the work itself. If the work itself is perceived as providing
little motivation, which is evidenced by an average transformed motivation potential score of
0.15-0.16, a worker's motivation must come from the extrinsic elements of the job. However,
construction workers report that there is little likelihood of their receiving desired rewards as
a consequence of performing their job well (Maloney and McFillen 1986a) . If there is little
intrinsic motivation and little extrinsic motivation in a construction job, the only remaining
source of motivation is the individual's pride in himself or herself and his or her work . which
has limitations. A worker, with pride in oneself as the only source of motivation, will perform
well until one of two things occur: The worker will quit the job to move to another . one that
is perceived to provide greater extrinsic and intrinsic rewards; or the worker remains with the
organization because of a lack of opportunities or other reasons, he or she will reduce his or
her work effort until a more equitable ration of outcomes or rewards to effort is attained.

POTENTIAL ACTIONS
Many construction organizations have adopted an approach to work organization that incor-
porates one or more of the following elements: Work is planned and estimated in great detail,
schedules are developed to allow tight control , tasks are subdivided to reduce training time and
increase proficiency, performance is closely monitored, workers are permitted little participation
in decision making, and little if any information about work performance or the business is
shared with workers. It appears that many construction managers apparently subscribe to the
tenets of Frederick Taylor's scientific management: divide each job into finite tasks; identify
the "optimal" method of performing each task; assign workers with the skills necessary to
perform each task, or train workers; if necessary, in the desired method of performance; and
closely monitor the worker's performance of the task to ensure that the prescribed method is
followed.
Jobs that have high motivation potential scores are the antithesis of jobs organized with a
scientific-management philosophy. A high-scoring job will have workers perform a greater
number and variety of tasks that comprise identifiable elements of a project. Workers are made
to understand that what they are doing is important and the impact that it has on other workers ,
the project, and the client. The workers are given greater autonomy and are allowed to make
decisions about how to do their work . The desired end results are specified, the determination
of the means to achieve those ends is left to the workers. Workers are trained to use feedback
from the work itself to monitor and control their performance rather than relying on inspectors
and supervisors. Thus, if the work itself is to provide motivation to workers, the work will have
to be organized in accordance with the job-characteristics model with the focus on achieving
high mo0vation potential scores .
The motivation potential score can only be increased by addressing the five job characteristics.
An examination of the transformed mean scores reveals that there is opportunity for improve-
ment in all five characteristics and, particularly, task significance and autonomy. Because of its
weighting in the calculation of the motivation potential score, which is three times that of task
variety, task identity, and task significance, increased autonomy offers the opportunity for
increasing the motivation potential score. Potential actions that can be taken with regard to
each of the five job characteristics from the job-characteristics model are described in the
following.

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 51

Task Variety

Job enlargement and job enrichment are two concepts that must be addressed to fully under-
stand the issue of task variety. Job enlargement has a horizontal focus and consists of adding
additional technical or manual tasks to those already performed by a worker . For example, a
worker may be assigned the task of installing electrical conduit, fittings, and fixtures in a specified
area. Job enlargement would occur when the worker is assigned the additional task of pulling
electrical wire into the conduit and fixtures . It would also occur if the worker is assigned a third
task of making all the electrical terminations .
Job enrichment, with its vertical focus, addresses the issue of adding managerial tasks to the
technical or manual tasks performed by the worker. For example, the worker who has been
assigned the three described tasks may be given responsibility for determining the layout of the
electrical system and the equipment , materials, and tools required for the installation. The
worker may be given quality-control responsibility to ensure that the installation is in compliance
with all specifications .
To improve worker perceptions of task variety, jobs must be both enlarged and enriched .
This will require moving back to the concept of a craft and away from the scientific-management
approach .

Task Identity

Task identity involves the concept of performing an identifiable component of a project and
being able to complete all the work for that component. Continuing with the preceding electrical
example, a worker would likely perceive having greater task identity if ass;gned the installation
of the complete electrical system in a specified part of a building. The worker would have the
responsibility for performing all work related to that system. The completed system would be
perceived as resulting from the worker's effort.
Task identity can be attained by having workers responsible for work packages involving
identifiable elements of the project. Simply installing conduit in an area does not result in task
identity because conduit may be covered by walls and hidden in the ceilings, and it is only part
of the electrical system. Allowing a worker to perform all the work for the installation of the
electrical system and turn on the lights, and have power in an outlet leads to task identity .

Task Significance

Given that task significance has the lowest transformed mean score, it can easily be concluded
that many workers do not perceive that what they do is important or significant on a construction
project. One means of changing this perception is to employ a principle from total quality
management (TOM} that established every worker as both a customer and a supplier . Every
worker receives input from someone and every worker produces outputs that serve as inputs
to someone . If the TOM philosophy is adopted, satisfying the customer becomes critical. If a
satisfied customer is important, what is done to satisfy that customer is also important and is,
therefore, significant . To improve perceptions of task significance, it is incumbent on construction
managers to develop TOMs customer philosophy in their workers.

Autonomy

Autonomy has the second lowest proportional mean score, and thereby offers an excellent
opportunity for influencing motivation potential scores. Job enrichment offers opportunities for
increased autonomy, but job enrichment is normally viewed from the perspective of an individual
worker and construction workers rarely work as individuals . Typically, construction workers
work in teams. Self-managed or self-directed work teams are an approach to work organization
that requires management to grant some degree of autonomy to work teams. How much au-
tonomy is granted is a function of the organization, project, work team, and other factors . The
important issue is that workers be granted some measure of decision making about their work .

Feedback

Construction work is an excellent example of feedback from the work itself. The cited example
of the electrician flipping a switch to turn on the lights illustrates the concept of feedback from
the work. Similarly, if forms collapse as concrete is placed in them, the carpenters who built
the forms receive feedback on their performance in constructing the forms.
Adoption of another TOM principle-quality should be built in, not inspected in-can result
in additional feedback. Workers need to have the ability to assess their performance . Giving
them the information on objectives and specifications and allowing them to measure and evaluate
their own performance provides feedback.

52 JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT

CONCLUSIONS
Various approaches have been tried to obtain a better fit between the worker and his or her
job, or to state it another way, between what the worker wants from his or her work and what
her or she actually gets from it. Four approaches have been used extensively:

1. Changing the people who do the work, through improved selection, placement, and
training procedures.
2. Changing other people, specifically supervisors, by improving supervisory selection and
training practices.
3. Changing the context in which the work is performed by adding workplace amenities
and improving the scheduling of working time.
4. Changing the consequences of work by altering the contingencies that determine the
benefits (and costs) to employees of hard and effective work.

To improve the cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of its workforce, a contractor

should be continually monitoring his or her operations and using any or all of these approaches
as appropriate. Successful implementation of these approaches is necessary, but not sufficient
for improved organizational functioning. Successful use is not guaranteed .
Selection and training deal directly with the worker and his or her job . The objective is to
select people who are "right" for the job and train them to perform the job as effectively and
efficiently as possible. The problem with this approach is that most selection processes are
designed to select the individual who is most qualified rather than the one appropriately qualified
for the job he or she is to perform , with the result that many people are overqualified for the
work to which they will be assigned. This would be the case when a contractor hires a journeyman
who has completed an apprenticeship program over an untrained worker to perform unskilled
or semiskilled work in the trad . In this case, the selection process made the fit between the
worker and his job worse. Thus , rather than upgrading the quality of the worker performing a
task , it may be necessary to downgrade the quality.
The second approach involves changing the quality of supervision by improving the selection
and training of supervisors. The underlying premise of this approach is that better-quality
supervisors will be able to elicit high productivity and high job satisfaction from their subor-
dinates. Some observers have questioned the effectiveness of this approach. Their concerns
have centered on the effectiveness of supervisory training in terms of influencing the productivity
and work satisfaction of subordinates. A training program that enables a supervisor to learn
and avoid behaviors that have negative consequences will have a positive impact on the orga-
nization . If supervision programs can teach what should be taught , the supervisors can transfer
their learning from the training setting to the actual work setting, and the supervisors can control
the actual behavioral style they employ, supervisory training programs will provide additional
positive benefits to an organization. The results of the programs have been mixed . In terms of
selection, any procedure that will weed out incompetent supervisors before they are put in
charge of workers will make a positive contribution to organizational functioning .
The third approach derives from the human-relations school of management, and is based
on the premise that when individuals work in a socially satisfying organization and a sufficiently
congenial, attractive , and convenient work environment they will be productive in their work
and satisfied with their organizational experiences. Hackman and Oldham (1980) state:

It is clear that most people like and appreciate satisfying social relationships at work ,
more convenient schedules, and on-the-job amenities. And for that reason , people may
come to work more regularly and remain with the organization longer than they would
if the workplace were unpleasant and work schedules inconvenient. So improving aspects
of the work context can directly improve the quality of work life for employees, which
is of merit in its own right and which sometimes results in reduced absenteeism and
turnover. ... Unfortunately, there are no data of which we are aware to support the
view that improvements in the work context or the human relations climate will result
in long-term gains in productivity or work efficiency.

The short-term gains observed when the work context is changed are probably the result of the
Hawthorne effect, i.e., the gains are simply a result of the intervention and are not related to
the content of the intervention. People quickly become accustomed to the amenities, and the
amenities are soon perceived as part of the surroundings. If the work context is mismanaged,
it becomes a negative factor in organizational functioning . On the other hand, if it is well
managed, it only has a neutral or at best a slightly positive influence. The work context loses
its salience when the workers are faced with boring and meaningless work, inequitable pay
practices, capricious management systems, and discriminatory personnel practices.
The last approach deals with changing the contingencies for the receipt of rewards . The
assumption is that workers, who perceive that they will receive rewards they value when they

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT 53

 exhibit productive behavior, will work more productively to gain the rewards. The receipt of
the rewards will increase the workers' satisfaction with their work and the organization. For
rewards to be effective in improving productivity, three conditions must be met: The individual
must value the rewards; the rewards must be administered on a contingent basis, i.e., only when
the behavior desired by the organization has actually occurred; the worker must understand
what behavior is being sought and rewarded. The use of contingent rewards is not always effective
in improving productivity and satisfaction. In some instances, workers become satiated with a
particular reward and the reward loses its motivational value. It is no longer valued. The nature
of the relationship between the person giving the rewards and the person receiving them influ-
ences the effectiveness of the rewards system. Workers who perceive themselves becoming
dependent on the reward giver may decide to behave in a manner different from that being
sought as a means of demonstrating their independence. Some workers experience motivational
conflict because they have to make decisions between similarly attractive behaviors that are
mutually exclusive.
The work of Hackman and Oldham ( 1980) suggests that using these approaches by themselves,
may not be effective in bringing about real and lasting improvements in person-job relationships
unless the work itself is also basically satisfactory to the workers. They suggest that rather than
viewing the person-job relationship situation as one of finding round pegs for round holes, i.e.,
adapting people to the job, .that considerations be given to changing the holes as well as the
pegs to achieve a match . This will require adapting jobs to the workers as well as adapting
workers to the jobs.
The results of this study indicate that there is considerable opportunity for redesigning jobs
in the construction industry in accordance with the job-characteristics model. If the construction
industry is to become more cost-effective, jobs will have to be changed to allow workers to
satisfy their intrinsic needs better through their work.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The writers thank the Exxon Education Foundatio n and the Construction Industry Institute. Austin. Tex .. for
their financial support of this research .

APPENDIX I. JOB-CHARACTERISTIC ITEMS

Skill variety:
My work provides me with a great deal of variety.
My work provides much variety .
My work provides me with the opportunity to do a number of things .
Task ident.ity:
My work is arranged so that I have the opportunity to complete the work I start.
My work is arranged so that I have the chance to do a job from beginning to end .
Task significance:
My ork is "Significant or impo rtant in the broµtler scheme bf rhing
My work is re.lafivel y significant on a construction project.
Autonomy:
My work gives me considerable opportunity for independence and freedom in how I
work.
My work provides an opportunity for independent thought and action.
My job permits people to be left on their own to do their own work.
Feedback:
My work provides me with an opportunity to find out how well I am doing.
My work provides me with feedback on how well I am doing.
My work provides me with the feeling that I know whether I am performing well or
poorly.

APPENDIX II. REFERENCES

Cummings, T. G., and Srivastva , S. ( 1977). Management of work: A sociotechnical systems approach . Kent State
Univ. Press, Kent. Ohio .
Hackman, J. R., and Oldham, G . R . (1980) . Work redesign. Reading. Addison-Wesley Publishing Co .. Reading,
Mass.
Lawler, E. E., Ill. (1988) . High -involvemem management. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, Calif.
Maloney, W. F., and McFillen, J. M. (1984). "Unionized construction workers and their work environment ."
Technical Report No. I , Ctr. for Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich .
Maloney, W. F., and McFillen. J. M. (1986a) . "Motivation in unionized construction ." J. Constr. E11grg . and
Mgmt., ASCE . 112(1), 122-136.
Maloney , W. F .. and McFillen , J . M. (1986b). "Nonunion construction workers and their work environment."
Technical Report No. 2 , Ctr. for Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt .. Univ . of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich .
Weisbord, M . R . ( 1989) . Productive workplaces-Organizing and managing for dignity, meaning, and community .
Jossey-Bass. San Francisco, Calif.

54 JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT

 COMMISSION
DE LA CONSTRUCTION
DUQUl:BEC

LABOUR RE IONS SYSTE

In Q.uebec,· the la~o-"-iff, rel~tlons systertl in the coffitractivi"I lm::l l1'51:<y;;tl; •11Jef"lf. 'SP€£Jfr~. It is one of the few
industries, with the public and parapublic sectors, that do not fall under the Labour Code.

The construction industry is special in a number of ways, including its economics and its
specific characteristics, such as mobility: of its workforce and companies, cyclical and seasonal instability,
and the, Q,µebec union sy-f?tam. For these reasons, as well as the history of the industry in Quebec, a
lapour relation system was developa;i::J that offers a unique model in this sec~or 4n-North America t

The Act Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training, and Workforce Management in the Construction
Industry (Act R~20 ).. governs labour relations in the sector. Under this statute, the provisions of the Labour
Code, and the Act Respecting Collective Agreement Decrees dQ.,,J Wt '@,pply inthe construct~on indu ~f)'
unless there is an express provision to the contrary.

• WQrking c_onditiops applicable to the entire industry 13r9vif.)ce~wi~;

• Four sector-oaSfd eoflective agreeA1etfs with common clauses on union security, union
representation, grievance-settlement procedures, recourses against disciplinary measures,
arbitration, the insurance and pension plans, and all compensation funds that the parties deem
necessary;

• Fqur ~mpJ-eyera~sod_g_tior\l:S designated for the purpose of negotiating the collective

· agreements: Association de la construction du Quebec (ACQ); Association des
constructeurs d.e routes et grands travaux du Quebec {ACRGTQ); Association des
entrepreneurs en construction du Quebec {AECQ}; Association des professionnels de la
construction et de !'habitation du Quebec (APCHQ);

• Recognition of UQion pluralij m: Centrale des syndicats democratiques (~

CqpstructioJl}, Confederation des syndicats nationaux (&SN-Constructien}, Federation
des travailleurs du Quebec (:FTQ-Constructi:on), Conseil provincial du Quebec des
metiers de la construction - l;nternational (CPQM!CI}, Syndicat quebecois de la
construction=( SQ~) ;

• Obligatory union membershj p;

• Obligatory membership by employers in the Association des entrepreneurs en construction

<t}:I Quebec ( ~) ;
 COMMISSION
DE LA CONSTRUCTION
DU QUl:BEC

THE cca·s POWERS

To be effective in the fulfilling of it5~.lJ.@A'f$\,.J}.'Jj!1J.d,~:lj: , the OEQ1Jhas been invested with ~fl!ge of \
p ~.e.r~-~~~~ ·

The cCC:t"'mW, among other things:

• ~~~a ur, ~te:r · a ~ob ;si·~ and visit the officer of the employer.

• Demand from any person concerned any iirrformati-0~,d@tufh'eti t rel at{n~;rto tti~~~tructi~
~t"kdn. q:ei~Won .

• IQ.s,,~!t..Mf;JkS!XJ1J,.~~~w,~s, for example, to recover unpaid wages to employees.

For more information about compliance, verifications and investigations, consult the dedicated section.

To fulfil its mandate of compliance, the Commission de la construction du Quebec ~-) ti as .c;~ rtai ~
p ~~f:§ . 9.Ee~!>l-~e Act Res{d_ecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce
Management in the Construction Industry.11,f,Act R~20J..

Among other things, the CCQ can:

• Ret'JW-&tbii!Jt aH, ~t?l:PJ'.fl). ~00;11can::ied -p t:evk:le aN info-r ma ttiD,r:;it"8tii1~-©~:;,umB:filt6 rn,i.ated .t~h e

c&in£t11u ction ·. -.ptIDject

• Recommend that the Directeur des poursuites criminelles et penales bring suit when infractions
are detected.

• File civil lawsuits, notably to recover unpaid wages for workers.

Susp,OO!Sl'i,on ~f.cW•:~klfandc.o mn~i.S§Mute·r's .powers

The CCQ also has ext ~Dci1.t<1:af¥. f>OWer,sr,, including that of o-r:;Q,~ J;J~oo&i.aFJ . 0~.~"VJOr~ · e~fi~he
cwmtssi'®'ll.e.~.~-P.~Vll~ set out in the Act ResRecting Public Inguiry: Commissions.
Th ~"CW~¥f~:S.~,o,61.vv£)ir~f¥.ooe~cm§,tr41)iit·iQ-!1 $1te when that-worl< i s being ·done by individuals wh ~ do
not ~~~~iil.nt~IDm~et>en-cy 'C~rtm~a't'%£i.

During an ~vest·igii)·tioo.; t he CCQ may use its po wt;.es, ~~~~-e~-q;t~.$J O_Q er. It may, amon g other t hings,
r~Dire B pm;s~ull4'Qii<fJ,lmt?W-!il1 riq~~~~~:-C ~I t~~its ;C.HM3~tiqn~, r~iJ¥4iU\:JJtl~ ~t\~rs tt~~S -:i.r~ .~.~~ ,ju bjec;:t of ~
iRquit-y. ,

TO LEARN MORE

) Labour Relations System

) Regulation Respecting Volunteer Construction Work (Volunteering): Information Questionnaire

) Regulation in the Construction Industry

) Workers' Obligations
 COMMISSION
DE LA CONSTRUCTION
DU QUl:BEC

. awkl (cco.)
APPLIC ION OF ACT R ~ e-w.t.,.d;~ c,,,,.,.,,..,, ~
The Commission de la construction du Quebec . . . .) is . _. ,
Respecting Labour Relations, Vocational Training and Workforce Management in the Construction Industry
p-7£),
. r t: the r s, and the col

As the organization that targets compliance, the e ' ~p:Qiiab_s to er:i{:~Fa-9e A- industry's em~luy-f'S
an d orker t o adopt appropriate oefiaviour.s .

Fai rG-emp>:eititiGn-~ai::id~·. h ~;.!!,ijjl_,.,~Qlmate,Jl,rl £onst-Pl!l·etie rit-simes-•

To ~Sttte;-~!G:0tm1D'et4 ·an and foster a healthy climate for work in the industry, the CCQ pays particular
attention to certain elements during its interventions. It de(;.f:=K;t~~i_tuatio11s that qre. not i!fl,<fGfUPliance witio
tt:ie rules in fo.rcR, as well as illegal schemes.

Guar~w:Qttlt_~kf~O'.-~~'P l~~ti'Fist1'Uctibtrs-fies

The CCQ verities"'tn ~,~fWJ~ working on sites have the ~kiJls r&quireQ .·Wl'fJUa.r.qnA~~ tbt:!,.;(il:l,!&)kt.¥,cl- wo~
d on ~ and the safety of people and property. W$f'ke11s prove their skills by earning a C{6'l!ijJilJ4€lo~§a£'V
cer-OOc-a~ . Contractors who wish to do work on sites must fulfil a number of o,9_ 1J:g:g_Jttqrny, including ~l.¢.4_49J­
a,, y~~~~~~ti'l111Wl'ilt ,"fil:a~epe;c , when required, and ~~ij,g 0.~J.-s~~<;i-s ta n
eijWlP..Y~~~

C9_nt1rU~·t1ti<ng .r~orthed:r9 b't-rei1§a1 ns :'UWi:te'f.'.;f'f1e;;.t,ab.le....wor~.>i!.~~~~:v sion

The CCQ contributes to the qt.g~~~~ nd tax evasion by ensuring, among other
things, that h gur,S,s;Q·~~~,£l. :m~llltl~kiH1Jt>~S.!l0.~~oe~s~~'Fete:J:r.re<!li'.tsc~:riai1r-.es1JE1et:t!Ei:dl The
CCQ is also a member of the ACCES construction committee, directed by the ministere des Finances du
Quebec.

FiQj[t'ilfi'g ~ gain s~ fntirrf.iaafi.'6'n~ n't'I a isC:rimia'at i-06

To ensure a healthy climate on construction sites, the CCQ systematically intervenes in all ~ti pj
in t'tmi:dOO;@FiWS!?l~ -©+&_fil1f)J;L.r_:ta!li-on reported to it. Such situations may occur between workers and employers
or be directed against CCQ employees.

The team devoted to compliance

Almost 4'.Q,~~~f$l;a'f-~ .- in ~~ auditing tee ·~~ ' i nf!._~..@i~, and others - maJ~'@l~e tfij~
a <UW4~£~f.~~i'l\ltlmti'~at:li!'.+q~~$v . With a presence throughout Quebec, they intervene
in the field and use the Qowers granted to the organization.

The CCQ also has specialized teams that provide support for its compliance operations, notably in the
areas of information management, application of collective agreements, and legal services.
Workers are ferried to shore near the Champlain Bridge on Tuesday after a
worker fell into the water and died. JOHN KENNEY/ MONTREAL GAZETTE

Champlain Bridge
worker who died
in collapse identified
JOHN MEAGHER exact cause of the collapse.
MON TREAL GAZETTE /7 ~f 2,t,/t' He said work on the platforms
has been halted until adequate
The 44-year-old man who died af- safety measures are put in place.
ter falling from a platform at the Boucher said workers are obliged
Champlain Bridge work site Tues- to wear safety harnesses, but he
day has been identified as Dany could not say if Cieroux was wear-
Cleroux, from Ste-Marthe-sur- ing one at the time of the accident.
le-Lac, his employer confirmed Groupe TNT released a state-
Wednesday. ment on Wednesday that said the
"Safety was very important to company is assisting the CSST and
him . ... He was very careful and government authorities in the on-
he always gave 100 per cent to his going investigation, but will not be
work," his wife, Dominique Nan tel, granting interviews.
told the Journal de Montreal. The It also noted that Cleroux was a
couple had a 16-year-old daughter. "safety-first" worker.
"He loved the atmosphere," she "Dany Cleroux was a very well-
told the newspaper. "He said it was liked, competent and experienced
a nice gang." site foreman who applied a safety-
Cleroux was an employee with first approach; he had worked for
the construction company Groupe Groupe TNT for over 10 years. His
TNT, and had been working with passing is a heavy loss for his family
scaffolding~ one of at least a few and loved ones, but as well for all his
people placed underneath the work colleagues and the company."
structure commonly known as the The Jacques Cartier and Cham-
Ice Bridge. It somehow gave way plain Bridges Inc. issued a state-
at one corner at around 12:20 p.m. ment Tuesday night offering its
After an extensive search, the body condolences to the man's family.
was found shortly after 6:30 p.m. "The Ice Control Structure will
downstream near the Champlain reopen Wednesday; the shuttle
Bridge. service for pedestrians and cyclists
Maxime Boucher, spokesperson will resume accordingly," it said.
for Quebec's workplace health and "However, work at that construc-
safety commission, said its inves- tion site will be suspended until
t igators have yet to determine the further notice."
Taking WSP to
The Next Level
CEO Pierre Shoiry builds on Genivar's purchase of the larger U.K. designer to
create a top-tier global firm by sticking to its core By Debra K. Rubin and Peter Reina
~~~he headquarters of design firm WSP Global Inc., tucked WSP TODAY
away from Montreal's commercial hub in a laid-back
neighborhood, belies the core of what has become a (U.S.)
$2.1-billion juggernaut. The quiet pace of activity in the
firm's 16th-floor executive suite, a remnant of its origin
as much smaller engineer Genivar Inc., hardly reflects what has be-
come an operation of more than 17,000 employees and 50,000-plus
projects in 300 global offices-that is not yet finished with its world-
wide expansion. But as CEO Pierre Shoiry's mission to grow WSP-
both organically and through acquisition-moves to a new phase and
attracts similarly visioned executives to help manage the expanding
company, the team is adamant that WSP's professional-services 17 000 300+
111
30+
foundation and culture will remain intact. EMPLOYEES OFFICES COUNTRIES

"We're trying to build something
unique and different," says former Genivar
CEO Shoiry, two years after he engineered
the friendly $431-million purchase ofWSP.
At $1 billion in revenue, WSP was twice its
buyer's size but lagging in stock value dur-
ing the U.K.'s economic woes, despite its
preeminence as a designer of such iconic
landmarks as the Shard skyscraper in Lon-
don. Municipal engineer Genivar had been
making numerous small acquisitions in
Canada but needed a larger global
leap and had the cash as a publicly
owned firm with large and loyal
institutional investors.
The 57-year-old Shoiry, an
engineer who had run Genivar
since the mid-1990s, says he "just picked
up the phone" and called Chris [Coles,
then WSP CEO], who became chairman
of the enlarged company after the deal c~.m­
cluded in 2012. "We had a shared vision,"
says Shoiry, who looked at numerous other
acquisition candidates. "I knew this was the
right one." Andy Brown, a stock market
analyst with N+l Singer Capital Markets
Ltd., London, says the purchase "was a
good deal" for Genivar, with WSP's per-
share price down to $1.50. He suspects the
U.K. firm's former investors "may be kick-
ing themselves" over the combined com-
panies' share price, which closed on July 21
at $36.45 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
"Once we got to the point of knowing
we couldn't continue to be a con-
solidator in our sector, we needed
to find a company that could meet
our shareholder and employee
aspirations while having the abil-
ity to continue a consolidation
journey," says Paul Dollin, who now is the
enlarged firm's COO.
Staff soon realized "there was no geo-
graphic overlap and that a big corporate
machine wasn't about to change every-
thing," says Dollin.
Kamram Moazami, who led WSP's
Shard design team, observes of the Mon-
treal leadership, "When they make an im-
portant decision, they like to get our advice
because we have that maturity." CFO Al-
exandre L'Heureux, a former private-equity
executive recruited by Shoiry in 2010 to
help move the firm "to the next level,"
makes clear management's push to em-
power its global enterprise, saying, "We're
not changing how Stockholm is managed
from the 16th floor in Montreal."
Even with all the WSP integration de-
tails not fully completed, Shoiry believes
there is still plenty of market and geo-
graphic capacity to be added to the firm.
"We're focused on building a pure-play
consultancy," WSP's chief told a packed
house of investors and analysts in Montreal
last month, reiterating the firm's intention
to be a 45,000-person company with rev-
enue of nearly $5 .3 billion in six years. "We
think we can build something that doesn't

24 • ENR • July 28/August 4, 2014 e nr.com

 WHAT WSP GLQ~L AIMS TO BE BY 2020
a
Executives envision professional-services giant of more
than 45,000 employees that will be among the top three
providers in its key market sectors.

Infrastructure AMERICAS
15,000 employees
Buildings
15,000 employees
Industrial
& Energy
10,000 employees
Environment
5,000 employees

.. f
500 /
Austra lia &
New Zea land

..
SOURCES; WSP GLO BJ.L INC.; DUND EE CAPITAL MARKETS

enr.com July 28/August 4, 2014 • ENR • 25


FINANCIAL FUNDAMENTALS WSP Global is pushing to broaden its revenue stake in the U.S. through acquisition. The firm
reports that net revenue and backlog in its Middle East sector is the highest in a decade. The company aims to have $5. 3 billion in
total revenue and $747.9 million in earnings by 2020, with predictions of stock value at $65 per share.
2013 WSP GLOBAL NET REVENUE
21°/o
NORTHERN
EUROPE
16°/o
REST OF
THE WORLD
15°
UK
/o
SOURCE' BMO CAPITAL MARKETS
really exist out there," said Shoiry. "There
are a few competitors that we're looking at,
and they're looking at us, also. We want to
get big and stay light."
Staying agile means not venturing too
far into areas of work that have more
bottom-line risk-construction, conces-
sions, asset ownership and some aspects of
public-private parmerships, for
example-as other engineers,
particularly Montreal neighbor
t SNC-Lavalin, have done to boost
growth. That firm said on July 21
that it had won an engineer-
procure-construction management con-
tract for $395 million worth of facilities at
the Renard diamond mine in Quebec.
WSP does offer limited EPC services
and has worked closely with firms such as
Kiewit on North American projects and
Carillion in the U.K, says Shoiry. "We can
team with great contractors th:;a.t under-
stand and value our innovation," he notes.
L'Heureux adds, "I have yet to see two cul-
tures work together in one firm."
Although some observers say the strat-
egy limits efficient client service and others
speculate that WSP's deal-making has not
raised its share price significantly, the firm's
" Our people ... have to be
empowered. We're not changing
how Stockholm is managed from
the 16th floor in Montreal."
-Alexandre L' Heureux, CFO, WSP Global
26 • ENR • July 28/August 4, 201 4 enr.com
WSP GLOBAL STOCK CHART l$us1
15
2011 2012
approach appears to be resonating with
financial analysts.
"WSP's growth strategy as it pertains to
further acquisitions is especially compelling
at present," says Yuri Lynk, construction-
sector equity research director for Vancou-
ver-based investment bank Canaccord
Genuity. "Management's 2015 goals appear
highly likely to be achieved early,
which could catalyze WSP
shares." Maxim Sytchev, sector
analyst for Dundee Capital Mar-
kets, Toronto, adds, "[WSP]
comes out as attractive in a
crowded marketplace. It's been very judi-
cious about identifying quality assets and
not overpaying for them."
Market Outlook
WSP is optimistic that some core markets
are improving-such as in Scandinavia,
where it has a lead market position and, this
month, won a design contract for the
$3.9-billion expansion of the Stockholm
subway. As the U.K. recession eases, the
high-rise market there is rapidly reviving,
with more infrastructure potential as well,
says Moazami. WSP reported last month
that its order book is at a five-year high.
'.
2013 2014
SOURCE, GOOGLE FINANCE
Tom Smith, WSP global director of
property and buildings, also sees urbaniza-
tion spurring the market. "We are working
on high-rise projects in China, the Emir-
ates, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Australia, the
U.S. and U.K, and many are significantly
taller than the Shard," he says. WSP's 2014
purchase of an Australian structural engi-
neer and the design unit of French contrac-
tor Technip also boosts its geographical
reach and aviation-sector capability.
More significant and potentially game-
changing was WSP's $340-million cash
purchase this spring of Focus Holdings.
The Calgary-based engineer broadens
WSP's position across Canada and into the
booming North American power and
energy sectors, where the parent has not
been a major player.
Focus, a leading firm in areas such as
geomatics and oil-and-gas facility design,
chose WSP as a growth alternative to pri-
vate-equity ownership, its former CEO
David Ackert said last month. Ackert, a for-
mer executive of oil-and-gas giants Halli-
burton and Schlumberger, now is CEO of
all WSP Canadian operations. He foresees
a $700-million business in Canada this year
and said that, while Focus-infused WSP is
"not an LNG design house,'' its 900-person
oil-and-gas division is now "one of the big-
gest shops in western Canada."
Export of that expertise across the bor-
der may help WSP to boost its U.S. pres-
ence, one of the geographies that is cur-
rently "substructure," says L'Heureux.
"We have 7,500 engineers in Canada for a
population of 30 million," says Philippe
 "We do not ... see the need to take
on construction. We have a very
good track record ... to deliver skills
you can improve the future. The inquiry
beyond those we have in-house." has reinforced the issue of reputation."
-Paul Dollin, COO, WSP Global WSP due diligence in its M&A transac-
tions includes looking at a prospect's ethics
stance, he adds. "It's not about policing. It's
Honnorat, a U.K.-based building sector their findings to leadership. "This allows helping to develop reflexes," says Louis-
manager. "You just cross the border and the us to really see the potential in the com- Martin Richer, WSP's new chief risk and
population multiplies by 10, but the num- pany,'' says Seguin, who adds that a new ethics officer. "There's no bright line on
ber of engineers in WSP divides by five." e-learning global platform will be launched issues. We want people to understand what
Dollin says that while improving econom- next month and a "boot camp" on key bends and what breaks." He says that, last
ics in the U.S. could boost WSP's organic company issues will be held in the fourth year, Canada tightened its business ethics
growth, he anticipates a transformational quarter. "We want to be the first choice for rules to comply with the strongest global
acquisition "to position us as a key player." talented people in the market," he told laws and that WSP will complete training
Sytchev says, "A lot of cross synergies can investors. for all executives by year's end.
be exploited, but it doesn't mean there will COO Dollin sees a busy time ahead in
be no hiccups along the way." Culture Issues keeping company operations on track and
The push for WSP integration to take "Over the past five years, and particularly profitable to free up its acquisitor-in-chief
advantage of its growing global workforce the past two, I have led many initiatives to to pursue his growth strategy. "Profitability
has boosted human-resources management nurture and develop a collaborative culture improvements will come from being
to new importance.Jean-Luc Seguin joined that blends a strong regional model with a smarter rather than running faster," he
the firm last year as vice president of human globally connected business," says Smith, says. According to analyst Lynk, some risks
capital from a previous role at a Belgian a WSP veteran of two decades. "As profes- include "worsening organic growth in Can-
contractor. "When I joined, we had no sionals, we have an insatiable appetite for ada in a highly competitive market, an in-
global HR approach," he says. The firm self-development and knowledge." ability to consummate further acquisitions
now has HR vice presidents in key regions WSP also has sharpened its ethics and and high sovereign debt further constrain-
and is developing compensation ap- governance stance. Shoiry disputes some ing public infrastructure spending."
proaches for each country and market. media reports that the WSP name pre- But Dollin says the strategy is "not just
WSP also is honing its internal and vailed to distance the firm from issues faced about getting bigger and closing the geo-
external branding and social-media strate- by Genivar in Quebec's recent investigation graphic or sector gaps we have through
gies as it pushes recruitment. In its 2013 of municipal construction corruption. He acquisition. We need to get better ... and
annual report, the firm said that 55% of its says he was one of the few industry CEOs leverage the skills and knowledge we have
staff was aged 40 and under. WSP is ex- in Canada who supported the Charbon- across the globe for the best effect." He
panding its task-force initiative, in which a neau commission that is now conducting points to WSP's roots working for private-
group of eight to 12 employees with less the ethics probes. sector clients that give the business a very
than five years of experience must develop Mindful of what SNC-Lavalin has faced "outcome-focused" approach the company
solutions for a management problem, such in rooting out its legacy ethics problems, will push to its advantage. •
as retention and sustainablility, and present Shoiry says, "You can't change the past, but With Tim Newcomb

EXPANDING
WSP, which designed
London's Shard sky-
scraper (right), now is
working on an adjacent
$1.4-billion rail project
The firm also has
expanded into western
Canada and in the North
American energy sector
with the acquisition
this year of Calgary-
based Focus Holdings,
which specializes in
geomatics, pipeline and
transmission engineer-
ing (far right), and LNG
support.

enr.com July 28/August 4, 201 4 • ENR • 27

 The Challenges of Transferring Modern Project Management Principles and
Methodologies to Developing Countries
Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP.
President, NDV Project Management Services Inc, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Introduction

Projects worldwide are sure to fail if effective project management principles and methodologies are not provided
for their execution. Ample evidence of these failures exists throughout the world and is particularly severe in
developing countries where necessary skills have not been successfully developed in its project management related
work force. Asia Pacific developing countries whose economies had been transformed into market-oriented
environments have been fuelled by years of significant economic growths resulting in urgent needs to improve all
facets of project management operations as they are accelerating their strategy of industrialization, modernization
and globalization with the execution of all kinds of projects of increasing diversity and complexity in a wide variety
of industries. As a result, the project management profession has been evolving rapidly in recent years in these
developing countries whose rigors of competitive market economies had particularly unfortunate results for those
slow in adapting project management tools.

Other factors creating barriers to successful project executions in developing countries include political and social
systems, cultural blocks and lack of financial support. These difficulties, however, could be mitigated through
successful project implementation provided through effective transfer of project management expertise from more
industrialized, developed countries of the world. Vietnam, with its open door economic policy, considered to be one
of the world’s top economic performers over the last ten years, has been recognizing the effective application of
project management for successful project implementation and receiving project management technology transfer
from developed countries and international organizations with limited results. As a country about to be admitted as a
member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2006, Vietnamese project managers and related professionals
will be functioning in an increasingly, globally competitive and project-driven market in which project management
knowledge is indispensable. Consequently, an attempt is made in this paper to present and discuss challenges
associated with effective project management transfer mechanisms in this country and suggest approaches for
improvement. These challenges can also be applicable to other developing countries as well.

The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss the challenges of transferring modern project management
principles and methodologies to developing countries, the resulting complexities as well as recommendations for
transfer mechanism improvement, using Vietnam as a typical example. It examines and discuss the following key
areas of project management:
• Types and complexities of project management transfer mechanisms to developing countries
• Challenges for effective transfer of project management technology to a developing country
• Recommendations for process improvement and future trends
• Conclusion

Types and Complexities of Project Management Transfer Mechanisms to Developing

Countries

In general, to speed up their economic development with the implementation of a significant number of
infrastructure projects, developing countries are depending on different types of funding from Official Development
Aid (ODA) donors, e.g., Japan’s Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF), the World Bank (WB), the Asian
Development Bank (ADB), etc., in which financial sources are attached to effective management of funded projects.
The international aid program for developing countries is a major undertaking on a global scale. However, the slow
pace of ODA disbursements reflects a lack of confidence from donors caused by the poor quality of implementation
of development projects which often face delays, cost overruns and many require major costly project changes.
While there are many factors that contribute to the poor performance, the most significant problem is lack of
effective, modern project management training for project managers, staff and professionals responsible for
preparing and managing these projects. Consequently, developing countries, not being familiar with the project

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 1

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
management practice required by their donors, are instrumental in obtaining project management principles and
methodologies technology transfer in globalized project management knowledge in order to improve its foreign aid
management capability, maintaining a high growth rate, and continue to improve their people’s living standards.

Since 1986, Vietnam has instituted an open door economic policy of restructuring its economy towards a market
one. Project management transfer mechanisms had been applied to train thousands of its project managers aiming at
serving the cause of making Vietnam an industrialized country by 2020. Complexities, however, had been observed
in the lack of senior management support for fear of weakening their strong hold on how projects should be run, the
perception of the so called “in-applicability” of the project management methodology as this could be related to the
transparency and accountability aspect of managing projects, the lack of financial contribution for training programs
from government authorities citing ODA support justifications, lack of training credentials recognition from
government authorities for private training firms due to monopoly of government authorized training to be provided
by public organizations such as universities and colleges as well as lack of up-to-date educational resources. In
addition, bureaucratic red tapes, lack of consistent project organizational structures, inappropriate project
management tool applications, governments’ indecisiveness and procrastination contributed to the complexity of the
training programs to be transferred. Consequently, although Vietnam is increasingly recognizing the importance of
high quality, urgently needed training in project management skills in the era of globalization and heightened
international competitiveness to tackle future project challenges, these skills are likely to be too slow to compete in a
complex, fiercely competitive global economy

Challenges for Effective Transfer of Project Management Technology to a Developing

Country

Developing countries may be in different stage of project management maturity but they, especially Vietnam, share
a common aspiration to improve the management of their projects in all industries through effective, modern project
management training for their professional project managers to successfully plan and execute their projects. They
are increasingly recognizing the importance of effective transfer of project management technology in an era of
business globalization and heightened international competitiveness. However, success in meeting the challenges of
transferring project management technology can only be achieved if the following issues, caused by the above-
mentioned complexities as well as the project management maturity of the developing country involved, can be
overcome. In the case of Vietnam, whose situation could be applied to other developing countries as well, negative
issues of significant importance are:

• Frequent contradiction in terms of projects’ planned completion dates and existing, available capabilities
resulting in unrealistic project plans and scheduled completion forecasts
• Lack of team work concept due to individual team member’s momentary interests and ambitions
• Ineffective and inefficient management of subcontractors
• Rigid vertical organizational structures and staff assignment unsuitable for a market economy
• Poor project control implementation
• Low level of professional training in project management from institutions of higher learning
• Current methodologies for managing projects are useless for effective, efficient and practical application
• Lack of active exchanges of ideas pertaining to project management training concepts and methodologies
• Lack of suitable training materials and piecemeal training in modern project management body of
knowledge, mostly in the mode of fire fighting covering such areas as international procurement and
selection and evaluation of development projects

Consequently, an urgent need exists in Vietnam, as well as in other developing countries, to improve all facets of
project management operations as this developing country is accelerating its strategy of industrialization and
modernization through effective execution of projects of all types. This could be achieved through successful project
management training being impaired by problems identified in each area associated with the Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Most of these can be associated with those of a developing country’s open market
environment. Attempt will be made to identify these issues, propose possible approaches for their mitigation, if not
their solution. Conclusions will be drawn and assessment made as to the vitality of the proposed approach. Problems
discussed and approaches proposed are derived from the author’s experiences in providing project management

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 2

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
training to developing countries’ project managers and related professionals for the last ten years. The challenges
present themselves in the following problems, identified along the PMBOK practices:

Project Integration Management includes the processes and activities needed to identify, define, combine, unify,
and coordinate the various processes and project management activities. It ensures that the various elements of the
project are properly coordinated. The greatest challenge in integration management training is to expose trainees to
the concept of project integration, i.e., making trade-offs among competing project objectives and alternatives to
meet or exceed stakeholder needs and expectations. This could be difficult due to the fact that the most effective
way of working with developing countries is a top-down approach associated with overcoming the institutional
problems within the client’s implementing agencies where authorities, responsibilities and accountabilities are often
fragmented, overlapping or totally undefined leading to inefficient decision-making on project implementation. It is
imperative to transfer the process of realistic, effective project planning processes so that project priorities are
known culminating in proper execution of project trade-offs for effective integration purpose.

Project Scope Management includes the processes required to ensure that the project includes all the work
required, and only the work required, to complete the project successfully. Training in this area encounters difficulty
due to the fact that the majority of projects implemented in Vietnam were managed by the owners (investors)
represented by the Project Management Units (PMUs) whose responsibilities involve the day-to-day management of
the project. Managers within the PMUs rarely use modern project management techniques in running their projects
and, hence, do not have the basic understanding of scope management application. Cost overruns and schedule
slippages are frequent due to lack of effective scope change control process. Lack of expertise in scope management
in developing countries often lead to contract disputes particularly when clients ask for more than they contract for
and when developers believe that the requests are changes to scope. The quick pace of opening to world’s
economies and the dynamic changes of social, economic environment of developing countries require intensive
training mechanism in this particular area of project management. In Vietnam, complicated bureaucracy is very
heavy for any type of projects, particularly when it came to engineering projects. In addition, in the area of scope
management, there often exists a lack of a common, shared perception and concurrence on the objectives of the
project by not only the project team members but also the project stakeholders. Training approach focussing on the
scope planning and control processes and how to implement these effectively, particularly the application of the
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for scope definition and verification processes, must be the most important
commodity urgently needed to be transferred to developing countries. The task, however, could be difficult and self-
defeating taking into account the context of project operations and environments, thus the challenge is great.

Project Time Management includes the processes required to accomplish timely completion of the project.
Notwithstanding the fact that direct transfer of time management training is well-received thanks to today’s
availability of project management software products, e.g., Microsoft Project, Primavera, Artemis, centralized
planning and ineffective and inefficient project execution whose activities are closely connected with that of scope
management continue to impair effective planning and scheduling processes to meet the time objective of the
project. In Vietnam, lack of detailed, realistic and current project plans are quite common. Hence, forecasts of
project completion dates are often unreliable. Training must be provided in the context of how to de-centralize the
planning process leading to clearly defined project activities for effective planning, scheduling, estimating and
control of project parameters for project stakeholders. In other words, the success of time management often relies
on the commitment and knowledge of the client to understand and implement the planning and scheduling
techniques to be transferred to them. The client’s perception of the time management training, and his/her
willingness to receive the type of time management training can only be enhanced if we are able to provide a well-
proven methodology that had been implemented properly in the developed world, maintained and demonstrated to
the trainers’ satisfaction.

Project Cost Management includes the processes involved in planning, estimating, budgeting, and controlling
costs so that the project can be completed within the approved budget. The cost parameter is one of the most
important elements during project implementation in developing countries. It normally is considered to be closely
connected with the time parameter and senior executives’ realistic budget approval is an obstacle to be overcome.
The challenges in term of training in cost management in Vietnam include a lack of experience in effective cost
management practice such as the Earned Value Management (EVM) approach, inadequacy of existing base for
costing approach, lack of cost estimating and control tools adaptable to the tendencies of cost changes in market
conditions and lack of personnel training in cost management methodologies and tools to be used in market

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 3

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
economies. In addition, continued bureaucratic regulations and corruptions impeded the training of effective cost
management process whose main objective is to promote budget transparencies. Training in cost management must
focus on the various cost management processes to be applied through various phases of the project implementation.

Project Risk Management includes the processes concerned with conducting risk management planning,
identification, analysis, responses, monitoring and control on a project. The concept of managing risks is quite new
to developing countries, especially Vietnam. Normally, accumulated experience on risks are mainly related to
technical systems failures, not management issues where heightened risks normally exist in non-technical areas such
as time, cost and scope management. Delayed, poor feedback and inefficient control mechanisms for early detection
and warning of potential problems often result in high project risks. In addition, added headaches of pervasive
corruption, red tapes and developing countries’ failures to develop project management procedures contributed to
potential risks to projects. Training in risk management, therefore, should concentrate on the basic necessity of the
development and adaptation of fundamental approaches, methods, and tools of risk management to be used in an
unstable social, political and economic environment for mitigating potential risk impacts on projects.

Human Resource Management includes the processes that organize and manage the project team. It involves the
activities required to make the most effective use of the people involved in the project during its entire life cycle,
aiming at successfully completing the project by achieving the project’s objectives within the constraints of scope,
time, cost, quality with acceptable risk level in order to meet the requirements of all project’s stakeholders. Although
opened to world economy over the past decade to meet globalization challenge, Vietnam is still lacking the ability to
organize effective, structural project team to meet the project’s objectives. Human resource training has never been
considered as essential for project managers in Vietnam due to the fact that project staffing is basically aiming at
meeting the project’s external and internal constraints as state-owned enterprises are still dominating this developing
country’s economy. Lines of authority, responsibility and accountability in terms of project organization structure
are often unclear. In addition, the lack of understanding other cultures particularly those associated with the
transparency and accountability aspects of managing projects impairs effective project management. Training in this
area should be concentrated in the concept of how to form project teams and set up the Responsibility Assignment
Matrix to effectively execute projects in an environment of open market economy as opposed to a centrally planned
one as well as proper selection of the project organization structure while respecting the cultures of developing
countries’ organizations.

Project Quality Management includes all the activities of the performing organization that determine quality
policies, objectives, and responsibilities so that the project will satisfy the needs for which it was undertaken, i.e.,
provides necessary results of project implementation to meet clients’ requirements and expectations. The definition
of project quality in Vietnam is strictly associated with the technical specifications as opposed to the real, critical
factors of stakeholder needs, wants and expectations normally relating to stakeholder needs analysis performed
during the scope management process. In addition, poor fulfillment of project responsibilities in the delivery of
products and services in a manner that meets stakeholders’ requirements and expectations is a key factors leading to
poor quality in a project. Quality management must start with a thorough understanding of the clients’ requirements
and end with the clients’ evaluation of the project performances against those requirements. This is a real challenge
to overcome as there continues to exist countless government documents, providing minute, ministry-level
directions on how to meet quality requirements on projects. The stringent, rigid and bureaucratic application of
quality control based on these also resulted in poor quality on projects. Training should, therefore, be concentrated
on modern methods, tools, and techniques of quality management, concentrating on a dynamic and client-focused
approach of continuously improving project performance to satisfy the customer by constantly and incrementally
achieving higher quality products and services resulting in superior quality products for client satisfaction and their
adaptation to Vietnam’s existing conditions of open economy.

Project Communication Management includes the processes required to ensure timely and appropriate generation,
collection, distribution, storage, retrieval and ultimate disposition of project information. , i.e., successful
coordination of all project team members’ activities and the on-time delivery of the required information for project
implementation. In Vietnam, the lack of appropriate procedures for project progress audits and reviews to monitor
and control the project tasks accomplishment and forecast its trends , e.g. the Earned Value Management technique,
oversight management, effective project reports and reviews, etc., frequently contributed to ineffective
communication of project information and status to stakeholders. Training in this area should be concentrated on
techniques to improve effective and timely information exchanges by using formal (meetings, reviews, audits) and

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 4

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
informal (inter-personal contacts) approaches. Project resources should only be expended on communicating
information which contributes to project success or where lack of communication can lead to failure.

Project Procurement Management includes the processes to purchase or acquire the products or services needed
from outside the project team to perform the work. Project procurement in Vietnam is still characterized by the
planned distribution of goods and services through a centralized system of planning and procurement. Services of
external organizations have been implemented based on centrally controlled planning process and are dependent on
implementation directives from central organizations. Training is urgently needed for better, more effective
procurement processes in Vietnam where recent corruption case involving project management members of the so-
called Project Management Unit (PMU) #18 had sent shock waves through ODA donor community. Historically,
there has been little need to establish clear procurement principles for professional conduct for management people
in a project as most infrastructure projects were built in developed countries where effective procurement practices
were well trained and established. It is, however, predicted that by 2020 nearly 80% of new infrastructure will be
built in developing countries where these systems are in need of strengthening. In Vietnam, the application of
different contract types was adapted to respond to both centrally controlled and open market economy resulting in
complication associated with the processes. Intensive personnel education and training need to be carried out to
support efficient implementation of projects in this area to meet stringent WTO era requirements.

Recommendations for Process Improvement and Future Trends

The difficulties encountered for project management training in developing countries may be mitigated and
successful training transfer mechanism can be attained if project managers of developing countries can start with an
honest appraisal of their countries’ capabilities in project management and actively seek support from their senior
management, senior business executives, organizational decision makers and, if possible, country leaders for this
endeavor. With growing global competition and the explosion of new knowledge, skills and tools in project
management, increasing recognition of project management as a profession of choice for the future and couple with
concerns over project risks culminating in the urgent need for training to support and enhance the project
management maturity processes of developing countries’ organizations, the following recommendations should be
carried out to encourage and support the project management training mechanisms to be provided by competent
project management professionals from developed countries of the world:

1. Develop and establish the “Train-the-Trainer” approach to provide effective, globally recognized project
management training for developing countries’ competent project management workforce by planning and
organizing training programs for those who eventually will participate in the training and supply of future
project managers to support their burgeoning national and international economies
2. Governmental support and recognition of professional training development in project management,
including technical seminars and continuing education sessions provided by private firms.
3. Support local, regional and national interests in project management training by introducing technical
seminars relating to state-of-the art project management knowledge being used by developed countries’
project managers and providing forums for matters that concern project management.
4. Encourage professionals with experience in project management to explore ways to fund and put in place a
specialized body of knowledge, associated quality training, potential certification program and cooperate
with the world’s project management community for the advancement of the profession and its disciplines.
5. Enhance exposures and exchanges of project management through joint activities such as conferences,
seminars, certifications and others to support and advance the training needs of project managers in
developing countries and keep pace with the progress in this profession worldwide.
6. Re-evaluate current project management practices which, in many cases, resulted in irregularities and
potential corruption in project operations and explore the possibility of training for weak areas.
7. Promote E-learning programs that allow project managers to gain training and knowledge in project
management without having to leave their homes or offices
8. Enhance the social and industrial recognition of the project management discipline and project management
professionals
9. Seek support from the government for the transfer of project management development training from
experts of the developed countries in order to prepare their project managers for work in conditions of open
economies. Project managers must be prepared to move from a training phase-approach of project

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 5

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
 management implementation towards greater ownership and accountability of the project management
skills in their management responsibilities. Courses should include those from introductory project
management through basic, intermediate and advanced topics responding to their responsibilities and their
clients’ needs and expectations.
10. Make public and private sectors’ project managers aware of the usefulness, necessity and effective
application of project management principles and methodologies obtained through state-of-the-art training.
They must be fully involved in the process of training mechanisms.

Effective transfer of modern, state-of-the art project management principles and methodologies to developing
countries through practical, effective training mechanisms will help their project managers adapting to world-class
project management skills to effectively compete for and better manage projects of all types in their own business
environments whose trends reflect dramatic increases in the number of projects in infrastructure, energy,
information technology and industrial processing areas. In addition, the eventual creation of free trade zones among
developing countries of the world, particularly in Asia Pacific region, will culminate in fierce competitions for
projects where project management skills are indispensable and pivotal for project implementation success. Also,
business globalization, fast pace technological development, rapid urbanization of these countries’ populations are
critical trends which must be addressed through successful executions of all types of projects where successful
transfer of project management knowledge, skills, tools and techniques through training mechanism plays a role of
utmost importance.

Conclusion
Developing countries are increasingly recognizing the importance of successfully managing all types of projects in
an era of globalization. Although in different stages of development, they all share a common aspiration - receive
effective project management training transfer mechanisms from countries of the developed world where effective
project management practices have been contributing to significant economic growths. Successful execution of
projects, a prerequisite for the success of global, competitive businesses in the rigors of open market economies, is
the cornerstone of improved global, trade and investment of all countries of the developing world. Effective project
management training will help developing countries, like Vietnam, to continually upgrade the skills of their project
managers in managing and executing projects and the technologies they employ and becoming more transparent and
accountable for how they manage their projects as well as how to satisfy they projects’ stakeholders. Effective
project management training transfer mechanism has been a powerful driver for the development of China’s
economy for the last decade. It is believed that, with project management knowledge, skills, tools and techniques
effectively transferred to them by competent professionals from developed countries of the world through training
programmes, developing countries’ managers will work smarter, not harder to accomplish the objectives of their
projects and contribute to the growth of their own organizations leading to higher growth rates for their societies and
continuing to improve their people’s living standards. Only through this effective training transfer mechanism can
project managers in the developing countries be equipped with the effective project management skills to face the
challenges of effectively and efficiently managing their projects in an ever changing world. Project managers in
developing countries should step up to the plate and demand state-of-the-art project management training as a
measure of their management excellence. Overcoming the challenges of successfully transferring modern project
management principles and methodologies to developing countries will result in eventual project management
maturity urgently required for their industrialization and globalization processes.

References
Nghi M. Nguyen (2005, May) Global Project Management for Market Economies: An Asian Pacific Perspective.
Pan-Pacific Conference XXII, Shanghai, China.
Nghi M. Nguyen (1998, October) Project Management in a New Market Economy
PMI Congress, Long Beach, California, USA
Nghi M. Nguyen (1995, April) Quality Management in Engineering Projects
The American Society of Civil Engineering (ASCE) Management Division Joint Conference with
The Project Management Institute (PMI) and the American Consulting Engineers Council
(ACEC), Chicago, IL, USA.

©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 6

Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
 ©2007 Nghi M. Nguyen, Ph.D., P.E., PMP 7
Originally published as a part of proceedings 2007 PMI Global Congress – Hong Kong
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PERKINS&WIU, Chicago, Ill. IA 685.1 127.1 93 0 7
MICHAEL BAKER INTERNATIONAL, Pittsburgh, Pa! M 681 .9 12.9 17 17 59
-+-------+----+-------+--t------
AE 617.9 273.4 13 O 84
-I---+-----------------~
• &.ii!ilil- - - - - - - - ; - - ' - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -M
--l- 603.1 119.8-+-_ 2_ _ _ _ _8+,__ 3 ,___5_1_ _ _ _~
15-+-_-+-_1_
M 602.7 5.9 26 9 0 31
WOOD PLC, Houston, Texas E 584.3 0.0 0 11 84 0
UNIVERS_AL_E_
NG_IN_EE_RIN_G_SC_IE_
NC_ES_, O
_r_
la_
nd_o_
, F_la_.t_ _ _ _ _ _ _-+-_G_E_, 556.1 0.0_,___ 10_ _2
_ _-+----+----.--.---1_8+ - - - -04
Ho'M11-- '----'---,-- - - - - - - - AE I 553.5 7.2 10 84 0 0
ARUP, New Yo_rk_,_N._v.t_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _+l_ M 518.8 106.3 1---40- i-- 51 0
PAGE SOUTHERLAND PAGE INC., Washington, D.C. _ - - +M 517.0 150.0 .__7_
5 +-_15-+---+---'---------+--~
GEOSYNTEC CONSULTANTS, Boca Raton, Fla! M 507.9 68.6 0 0 12 20 56
BROWN AND CALDWELL, Walnut Creek, Calit.t 505.4 0.0 0 20 59 21
--+-- - - - - - + - - - + - - - + - - - - - - - - - -
KLEINFELDER, San Diego, Calif.t M 500.3 18.7 13 17 10 21 23 O
llltilliil----'---_:e__:_--------------1----11---- - - + -- - - + - - - + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - <
HKS, Dallas, Texas • M 495 .6 55 .4 100 0 0
• mPl!li!i!ll--- --------------------- --+-- - + - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
H0K, New York, N.Y. M 487.8 85.0 85 15
+---+-----+--r------+-------+-~
EN ENGINEERING LLC, Warrenville, 111.t E 484.3 2.7 82 11
463.0 13.0 54 14 29 0
----t- t----+--
446.3 o.o 8 26
-+---+--~--l----+---+--~---i---'---
39 6
M 440.6 0.0 13 12 0 43 19
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;&----'----'----------------+--~-f -:ii~: ----i~ 3: +1_ __.__32~---8-~----:-41'---1-

5 .______,
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58 • ENR • May 1/8, 2023 enr.com

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2023 2022 FIRM
FIRM
TYPE
2022 REVENUE$ Mil.
TOTAL INT'l i
$
f l ;
IL
-·
HARGROVE ENGINEERS+ CONSTRUCTORS, Mobile, Ala.t
COLLIERS ENGINEERING & DESIGN, Holmdel, N.J.
EC
M
420.0
408'.9
6.6
23.5 37
2 1
61
2
5I
0
3
0
5
95
11 2a
ol
I
0
1
o'
4 I'

." S&B ENGINEERS AND CONSTRUCTORS LTD., Houston, Texast

: SALAS O'BRIEN, Irvine, Calif.
I
I M
M 405.1
403.0
0.0
26.9 70
0
I
0
4
45
2'
I 0
0
0
0
51
7
3
0
0
0
0
16 I

I· HAZEN AND SAWYER, New York, N.Y. E 401.6 2.6 0 0 0 34 66 0 0 0 0

WOOLPERT INC., Dayton, Ohiot I 0 399.7 46.3 12 I 0 2 1 5 0 23 I 0 0

1~,,
IMEG CORP., Rock Island, Ill. I E 383.2 0.0 93 2 ol 0 0 2' 3 0 0
VHB, Watertown, Mass. E 380.8 0.0 26 I 0 a 0 0 01 5a i 4 0
m JOHNSON MIRMIRAN & THOMPSON INC. (JMT). Hunt Valley, Md.t M 375.8 0.0 4 0 ol 1 4 0 91 ol 0
CAROLLO ENGINEERS, Walnut Creek, Calif. II E 375.2 0.0 0 0 o: 42 5a 01 0 0 0
Ell t · ENGINEERING CONSULTING SERVICES (ECS), Chantilly, Va .t E 371 .8 0.0 61 I 5 3 1 1 1 7I 0 3
llmliGl· RS&H INC., Jacksonville, Fla.t M 362.7 o.o al 71 0 0 0 0 a5 o' 0
lmlt SMITHGROUP, Detroit, Mich. '
M 354.1 1.5 94 I 4' 2 o' 0 0 1 0 01
mu LIA ENGINEERING, Houston, Texast E 352.5 0.0 7 0 21 3 7 1 1a 1 2
lmll TRANSYSTEMS, Kansas City, Mo. E 345.2 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 100 0 oi

111111 DLR GROUP, Seattle, Wash. M 344.4 11.3 100 I 0 0 0 0 o, o, 0 0

lml . THORNTON TOMASETTI, New York, N.Y. I AE 340.0 54.7 76 0 1 I 0 0 3I 1a 0 2
DI SKIDMORE OWINGS & MERRILL, New York, N.Y.t I M 338.0 118.0 a9 0 ol 0 0 0 11 ol 0

DI · CHA CONSULTING INC, (CHA), Albany, N.Y.t E 335.1 9.4 33 2, 17 3 al 1 33 3 0

1:· ti •
IEJI fl
CORGAN, Dallas, Texas
CANNONDESIGN, New York City, N.Y.
GREENMAN·PEDERSEN INC. (GPI), Babylon, N.Y.t
OLSSON INC., Lincoln, Neb.
I
I
A
AE
E
E
331.2
327.0
320.5
317.2
2.9
7.0
0.0
0.0
33 I
100 :
13
51
0
ol
o'
0
0
ol
6'
a
0
0
1
6,
o I'
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1
2
0
0
2'
0
30

74
16
0
l
0
0
0
1
37
0
0
12
llZll lll ATWELL LLC, Southfield, Mich.t I M 308.0 0.0 43 0 41 I 01 3 12 I 11 0 0
I
IEJI fJ1 WOODARD & CURRAN, Portland, Maine E 303.1 0.0 4! 0 ol 15 51 7 1 22 0
IE'JI fJl RK&K, Baltimore, Md. E 302.8 0.0 3 0 0 3I 10 I 1 a4 ot 0
llDI fli CONSOR, Chicago, 111.t I M 295.6 4.9 0 0 01 1a 0 0 a2 I 0 0
-"'!"' g GRESHAM SMITH, Nashville, Tenn. I M 289.7 17.7 3a 1a o[ 0 12 11 30 0 0
Im· WESTWOOD PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, Minneapolis, Minn. M 270.2 o.o 29 0 47 6 7 0 11 0 0
:• IPS·INTEGRATED PROJECT SERVICES LLC, Blue Bell, Pa.t AE 270.1 87.4 o' 0 0 0 0 91 0 0 9
"
: : MOFFATI & NICHOL, Long Beach, Calif.t M 269.8 27.2 0 0 01 0 ol 0 100 01 01
: ' ENERCON, Kennesaw, Ga.t I E 269.2 0.0 0 01 90 I 0 0 2 o: 5 3
:
~· MEAD & HUNT INC., Middleton, Wis.t EAC 265 .7 o.o 5 0 16 21 a 9 56 o1 0
:· G· PERKINS EASTMAN, New York, N.Y.t M 265.1 66.3 100 o, o, 0 01 01 0 o, 0
: iel HALFF, Richardson, Texas I M 265.1 o.o 21 2 11 9 21 I 4 32 I 0 1
" m! JENSEN HUGHES, Baltimore, Md. l
I
E 260.9 81.4 46 0 20 I o1 ol 16 4 o' 0
5I
: Imil BOWMAN CONSULTING GROUP, Reston, Va. M 260.2 0.0 46 0 13 6 a 16 I 0 5
" Im! SAM LLC, Austin, Texast I E 257.4
-
0.0 10 I 0 44 I 1 0 13 I 26 0 4
I'll · ARDURRA GROUP INC., Tampa, Fla.t I E 247.7 0.0 a 0 o[ 34 32 0 25 0 0

...... ,
'I ~'I BARRY·WEHMILLER DESIGN GROUP, St. Louis, Mo. 1 EAC 243 .5 0.0 0 20 0 0 0 7a 0 0 1
GEi CONSULTANTS INC., Woburn, Mass. I
E 242.1 16.2 15 0 a 31 4, 11 11 27 01
~m MERRICK & CO., Greenwood Village, Colo.t I AE 242.0 14.0 72 7 61 7 ol 1 0 o' 0
Ill ZGF, Portland, Ore. M 240.0 2.2 91 ol 0 0 01 ol 9 0 0
'· NBBJ, Seattle, Wash. A 237.7 29.0 100 t 0 0 01 0 ol 0 0 0
i.EI PARTNER ENGINEERING AND SCIENCE INC., Torrance, Calif. I M 237.5 1.9 84 0 1 01 01 0 01 15 0
I M
l'im GARVER, North Little Rock, Ark. 236.5 0.0 al 0 ol 14 22 0 55 0 0
..,,.. itm CAB, Kansas City, Mo. AE 235.7 20.2 0 0 0 0 0 90 o1 oi 0
-..:-nm CIVIL & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS INC., Moon Township, Pa. M 233.9 0.0 32 4 6 3 16 30 4, 11 0
" [!Ji KPFF CONSULTING ENGINEERS, Seattle, Wash. I E 232.1 1.1 70 7 21 0 3 0 19 0 0
~ I ~ VOLKERT INC., Mobile, Ala. E 232.0 o.o a 0 13 1 0 2 0 76 I ol 0

enr.com May 1/8, 2023 • ENR • 59

 SATURDAY, MARCH 4, 2023
Building abetter future
Construction industry must help inspire
the next generation ofyoung women
MIKE HOLMES
Next week is Women in Con-
struction Week's 25th year of
celebrating and promoting the
role of women in the construc-
tion industry. This year's theme,
"many paths, one mission "
recognizes the many path~
taken by women to support and
celebrate their achievements in
the construction sector. So, it's
only fitting that I dedicate this
column to all the women who
work in the skilled trades and
construction sector. And while
we've come a long way, a lot more
work is needed to encourage
women to consider a career fn
the skilled trades.
Earlier this year, I was able to
have a roundtable discussion
with members of my builder and
product partner network at IBS
in Vegas, where we discussed
women in construction.
My line of work allows me to
interact with a wide variety of
people, and I love that more and
more women are joining this ·
dynamic field every year. Howev-
er, lack of awareness is still one
of the main obstacles for women
entering the trades, and improv-
ing this starts with parents,
teachers and business leaders.
To make decisions about their
educational and professional
futures, young women and girls
need easy access to information
and resources.
;...;.m,;;_:-_ __
MONTREAL GAZETTE C3
Young girls and women also
nee~ role models. The key to
~aking ~e perception a reality
Is observmg a female in what is
typically considered a male role.
Becaus~ seeing is believing, more
women m non-traditional occu-
pations c~n inspire young girls
to feel as If they can achieve their
goals and become carpenters,
plumbers, electricians, among so
many other professions.
The first stage in attracting
~omen to the industry is visibil-
ity and representation. A man
~~a hard hat and power tools
is still the standard depiction of
a carpenter or someone in the
trades. Social media can be an
excellent platform for positive
messagin~ and is an integral part
of collectmg and visualizing con-
tent. These online channels are
becoming significant platforms
for highlighting women in the
trades, like my daughter Sherry
my builder and product partne;s
and many other women who
chose non-traditional roles in
t~e s~led trades and construc-
tion mdustry. Seeing them and
promoting them helps inspire
a.nd encourage the next genera-
tion of young girls.
The skilled trades and con-
~ struction industry sector still
suffers from the "Old Boys club"
culture, which needs to change,
and is slowly changing, but
remains a barrier to entry for
many young women.
We also talked about how orga-
nizations can improve accessi-
bility and inclusion for women
entering the trades by making
the workplace more approach-
able and secure for them. Even
though many businesses support
hiring more women, creating
an environment where women
aren't afraid to speak up or ask
for help is something that still
requires a lot of work.
We all agreed that changing
company culture overall is a
process that begins at the top,
and requires commitment and
patience, but educating employ-
ees on how to be part of this
transformation will be instru-
mental in the shifting workplace
culture.
Better and more flexible hours,
' monthly check-ins, and weekly
meetings are a few long-term
goals that can help bring about
change. It is also important to
create strategies to enforce these
positive changes - if not it will
be very hard to make any real
progress.
To encourage change and give
our young girls and women the
best opportunity for success,
~I think it's important to asso-
ciate with like-minded people
and businesses. After all, there
is always strength in numbers.
And it's not just young girls;
many older women are making a
second or third career change by
entering the skilled trades.
Every year, there are more and
more initiatives to help support
young women and girls. Over
the years, I've supported World
Skills, Skills Canada and Skills
Ontario, who are part of the
growing network of support foI"-
women and everyone wanting to
get into the trades.

. 6:1-z.~ 2 /114:1
Construction industry
reform coming in fall
A wide-ranging reform of Que-
bec's construction industry that
will reduce the number of spec-
ified trades and open the field to
women, Indigenous people and
immigrants will be tabled this
autumn, according to Labour
Minister Jean Boulet. Twen-
ty-five trades are specified in the
construction industry, a number
Boulet would like to reduce.
My daughter, Sherry, na::.
supported the Jill of All Trades
program at Ontario's Conestoga
2o23
College for several years. It is a
fantastic program that allows
young women and girls to be
exposed to the many skilled-
trade career options. Last year,
the program expanded to six
locations across Canada -with
the hope of it being a North
American event soon.
Many of these events wouldn't
be possible if parents, business
and educational leaders, and the
government didn't collaborate.
Fostering a friendly, encouraging
work and learning environment
is everyone's responsibility but
it must.be enforced at the top. To
make the skilled trades sector
accessible to everyone, we must
all do our part.
Watch the latest episodes ofHolmes
Family Rescue on Crave.

Mike Holmes' daughter Sherry Holmes is a prominent example of a young

woman who chose a non-traditional career and actively encourages other
women to consider doing the same. THE HOLMES GROUP

MONTREAL GAZETTE
SA
SNC \oss
prompts
strateg\c
rev\ew
4 /VJMt~ 2~23.
CHRISTOPHER
REYNOLDS
SNC-Lavalin Group ~nc. saw
fixed-price construction coi:i-
tracts drag down its results m
its latest quarter, even as _the
company continues to pivot
away from the loss-prone se:-
tor and undertakes a str3:te~ic
review with an eye to optimiz-
ing its various ~usinesses.
The engineering firm report
-
ed a $ 54 _4-million loss fr~m
cbntinuing operations attrib-
utable to shareholders for the
quarter ended Dec. 31, :o~­
pared with a loss of $15.3 million
in the last three months of2021.
Chief executive Ian Edwards
said Friday the company's chal-
lenges with so-called lu~p­
sum turnkey (LSTK) pro1ects
were largely behind it. . together partners involved in the
"As such, we are conductmg
a strategic review t? furth~r
optimize our portfolio of busi-
nesses in order to focus o~ the
successful growth we ac?i~ved
in 2022," Edwards said m a
statement. . committee said in a statement.
Under his stewardship smce
June 2019, SNC-Laval~n has
shifted !ts focus to engmeer-
ing services and away from
so-called lump-sum turnkey
Firm reports $54.4M loss.
(LSTK) projects - fixed-price
contracts under which com-
panies must pay for any cost
overruns themselves.
However, the company faced
tough questions during a con-
ference call with financial an-
alysts over whether that cash
drain was truly in the rear-view
mirror, withonepointingtothe
interminable Eglinton light rail
line in Toronto that has been
under construction since 2011.
"You've been 90, 95 per cent
complete ... for three or four
quarters now and suffered writ-
edowns along the way. So what's
changed such that we're going
to see that backlog actually go
to zero and this thing finally be
put to bed?" CanaccordGenui-
ty analyst Yuri Lynk asked.
Edwards said that with con-
struction work virtually done,
the associated problems - sup-
ply chain disruption, cost ov~r­
runs due to inflation, labour dis-
ruption - are also in the past.
The Canadian Press
Hema-Quebec .
staff on strike t:r.i~
11 Mu. iA. l;,
Hema-Quebec nursing
personnel launched a
one-day strike Friday in
Quebec City. The work
action will be followed
on Monday with a one-
daywalkout in Montreal.
Because the nurses are
part of the health-care
network, essential ser-
vices will be maintained.
Disparity between the pay
of Hema-Quebec nurses ,
and their counterparts in
the public sector has been
the main sticking point.
Summit announced
to better co-ordinate
city's construction work
~; Fdu:""~ 21 z3
SUSAN SCHWARTZ
The City of Montreal, in a bid to
improve the management of work
on its territory, has announced a
summit on construction sites will
take place March 30.
The event, to be held at the Mon-
treal Science Centre, will bring
management of work in the city's
public spaces to develop an action
plan to improve the management
and co-ordination of the city's con-
struction sites, the office of Mayor
Valerie Plante and the executive
The gathering, to which Plante's
Projet Montreal committed to
during the 2021 municipal elec-
tion campaign and which the ad-
ministration announced last Sep-
tember, will bring together players
including representatives of civil
society, public-sector clients, real
estate developers and contractors
to find solutions to three major
challenges: occupancy of public
areas, signs and signalling, and
co-ordination.
Frustrating detours and road
closings and the seemingly ubiq-
uitous presence of orange cones
make life difficult for drivers, cy-
clists and pedestrians in Montreal.
"For many, constructions sites
can be a real headache," said Emi-
lie Thuillier, executive committee
member in charge of infrastruc-
ture.
"For several months now, the city
has been using new processes and
tools to rethink the planning, co-or-
dination and management of all the
construction sites in Montreal.
"We are determined to improve
the situation in mobilizing all the
sta.1<:eholders involved through the
summit on construction sites. It
is important for everyone to join
forces, because concerted actions
between the city and its external
partners are part of the solution,"
she said of the March 30 summit.
In 2021, city hall unveiled a
"charter" aimed at better man-
aging construction sites on its
territory; its goal was to make ac-
cessibility, safety and mobility, es-
peciallyforpedestrians and people
with reduced mobility, priorities
during construction work.
A mobility squad was creat-
ed in 2018 to address construc-
tion-caused traffic issues, to re-
move obstacles on the road and to
improve traffic flow. In 2022, the
squad recovered more than 7,000
abandoned signs, the city said.
"We are aware that current man-
agement of work sites could be
more efficient and that is why are
bringing together all the partners
involved to redefine the manage-
ment of the sites on the territory
of the island of Montreal," said Luc
Rabouin, executive committee
member responsible for economic
development, about the summit.
Work~from-home
~ red line for feds
in PSAC strike
.es JfrF-"il vrz3 {)ac.Jk_ .
'HUGE RISK'
Concerns a
'flurry of
.
grievances '
would result
RYAN TUMILTY
'AwA • The unstoppable
:e of public servants
' want to keep working
a their basements and
rooms is meeting the
10vable object of a fed-
government that insists
k-from-home has to be at
~mployer's discretion.
he sticking point is one
ie more significant rea-
; the largest civil service
\e in decades is grinding
mgh its second week.
Public Service Alliance
anada (PSAC) strike en-
its 10th day on Friday,
t 100,000 workers on the
:e t line and both sides ac-
ng the other of being un-
onable.
rage demands are a key
; of the dispute, and on
lnesday PSAC presi-
t Chris Aylward said the
ernment was refusing
udge from its proposed
~e-year, nine-per-cent
eincrease.
We have moved off our
;e demand but yet the
~loyer hasn't moved on
,·
their wage demand and yet
are telling us that we're the
ones that have to move;' he
said.
Aylward declined to say
where his union, which had
previously been demanding
a 13.5-per-cent pay raise over
three years, was now, but he
repeated his calls for Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau to
get directly involved.
"The prime minister has
one of two choices to make:
He can either get involved
personally and help settle
this dispute, or he can turn
his back on the workers:'
Plenty of the workers
complain about their pay
on their picket signs, but
"I'd rather be working
from home." and "Telework
Works" are also prominently
on display.
Most public servants, like
many in the private sector,
worked from home through-
out the pandemic, sparing
them daily commutes, park-
ing costs and packed lunch-
es.
When the government an-
nounced workers would be
mandated to return to the
office two to three days per
week, message boards and
Reddit groups exploded with
complaints. Workers argued
they were being forced back
into the office to help down-
town Ottawa businesses with
no consideration for how
they had performed during
the pandemic.
Treasury Board President
Mona Fortier said the nine-
PSAC president Chris Aylward, right, and Alex Silas, left, rally pickets in Ottawa on
Day 9 of the strike. Talks are stuck on wages and work-from-home issues.
per-cent increase is a fair of-
fer and PSAC's demands are
"unreasonable and unafford-
able." She said the govern-
ment doesn't have a ''blank
cheque" to resolve these
issues.
She is offering to work
with the union to update
·telework policies but has
insisted work-from-home
language doesn't belong in a
collective agreement.
"It's important to say that
telework is a management
right:'
Aylward said lots of items
in a collective agreement
are also clearly defined as
management rights, and
there is no reason work-
from-home can't be a part of
the deal.
Patrick Groom, a labour
lawyer and partner with Mc-
Millian LLP, said including
work-from-home language
would lead to thousands of
ongoing disputes as thou-
sands of individual employ-
ees file grievances demand-
ing to return to their home
offices.
"Once something is in a
collective agreement, it is
virtually impossible to nego-
tiate it out;' he said. "There's
a huge risk of it leading to a
flurry of grievances:' Groom
·said many of his clients are
pausing their own negotia-
tions as they wait to see how
the PSAC strike is settled
and many are dealing with
the same work-from-home
demands. He said employ-
ers across the country are
depending on the govern-
ment to not cave on this
issue.
Government officials who
spoke on background with
the National Post said the
number of grievances they
would face is a major con-
cern, but they're also worried
about an erosion in services
to Canadians. They believe
there is genuine benefit in
having workers in the office,
even just a few days a week,
to collaborate.
Groom said if the lan-
guage was included the gov-
ernment may have to hire
new managers just to deal
JEAN LEVAC / POSTMEDIA NEWS
with the work-from-home
issues. He said the other
challenge with the inevit-
able grievances is the gov-
ernment can't see if a person
working from home is per-
forming as required.
"In response to these
grievances, the employer is
going to be at a disadvan-
tage;' he said. "They're not
monitoring this employee, so
they can't know what they're
doing at home:'
Last week, it was revealed
that only a third of PSAC
workers actually cast ballots
in the strike vote, with about
80 per cent supporting the
strike. Groom said that puts
real pressure on the union to
get what its members are de-
manding.
''Any union facing a strike
vote that was done by a small
pool of the workers and that
mandate itself doesn't ex-
ceed 90 per cent is going to
find itself in a weakened bar-
gaining position:'
National Post
rtumilty@postmedia.com
Twitter.com/RyanTumilty
 the duties of a contractor al-
PSAC ready working with the fed-
Continued.from NPJ eral government. PSAC said

PSAC, the fo . ~i;grunm.g,•gre · ps

under the purview of the
Treasury Board. More than
12Q;'.@ !l __ J?.r-ke~ were ex-
Talks between the Union
of Taxation Employees-PSAC
and the government over
Treasury Board also agreed
to a consultation process on
issues associated with con-
tracting out.

OTTAWA pected to stoR their pickets

~d I<eturn to. en ""at _ m-.
Monday morning or for eir
next scheduled shift.
a contract for Canada Rev-
enue Agency workers were
' set to continue as key bar-
The deal also makes a
commitment to review the
bilingual allowance, an in-

REACH The ® .!!lJP.llSt'8tm ,, · ati'i

fi:00l!>.Y~RSK€'members.
"In this tentative agree-
gaining issues of telework,
wages and job security re-
main. These workers were
expected to continue their
crease to shift premiums,
leave for union business and
other types of leave, meas-
ures to create a joint com-

DEAL ment, PSAC has secured a

fair contract for members
that ell(Q,,e _ s~..,ell,lplqy-
e 'aretiginal'fQffer:ibeJor~ije
pickets at CRA buildings.
The PSAC agreement in-
cludes compounded wage
mittee to review training
around employment equity,
diversity, and inclusion, and
aa1Jk ~ Mf!:'1 uz~ l~}.!~h ,of..,sti\jketa:ctilin, and
increases of 12.6 per cent
from 2021 to 2024, accord-
an agreement to submit a
joint proposal to the Pub-
provides wage increases ing to the union, which indi- lic Service Commission of
Tentative above the recommendations cated that it had secured an
of the Public Interest Com- additional fourth year in the
eement has
ai : mission as well as those ne- agreement to protect work-
gotiated by other federal bar- UNDER THE ...
12.6% pay hike gaining agents," said a PSAC
ers from inflation. The gov-
ernment, which character-
statement. "It also provides ized the wage increases only AGREEMENT,
significant n - Fl'! ections as an 11.5 per cent boost, said
CATHERINE MORRISON a un - re,,IP;Q:t-~ :.W.c. .k f or the agreement takes workers
MANAGERS
PsAcriiembers." through to the summer of MUST ASSESS
OTTAWA • The u ·.<:°C President of the Treasury 2025.
s ~¥4<B>e!i~A1Utw~~'~f Board Mona Fortier said in On the wage front, the REMOTE-WORK
Canad.a and the fede.ral a statement Monday that the union said the agreement
g~M~~ ent have reaclied te.ntativ;Migreeirie11t is "fair>i calls for a raise of 1.5 per cent REQUESTS
a tenfative agreement on C0..lllJ>tti,tiy.~ and re.-~ ~?-abl , for 2021; 4 .75 per cent for
a new contract, which the and bring(s) stability to pub- INDIVIDUALLY.
2022; three per cent plus a
union says includes a total lic servants and Canadians. wage adjustment for 2023;
compounded wage inc~~e "We are pleased to have and 2.25 per cent for 2024. Canada to include seniority
0j l Q:.6.'ilJ1e CJlll :,..y.g, .rol..J reached tentative agree- The deal also includes a pen- rights in the Workforce Ad-
<yea1J:s~ n:-e.. r~m:Q!g." lf:K ments with the Public Ser- sionable $2,500 one-time justment process.
language and pr;::o ted;i;!(n vice Alliance of Canada for lump sum payment for bar- PSAC said several wage
against-:w:ntl'acting'ru,t. the Core Public Adminis- gaining-unit members. adjustments and other
After · d.ID:S o Qicketing, tration after many eetw Q.f The deal outlines what improvements will be an-
and in ense bar ,tifoinWY~r h&!l;w:.QJ~, negg; iatiop-i. and the union called "new and nounced shortly.
t~, l\'~. k , the union c . ll,lJ>.t.QIDi&"ft; ' Fortier said. improved remote work lan- The strike, which marked
said it had made a deal for Se PSAOon NP2 guage!' Under the tentative the largest federal public
agreement, managers must service work stoppage since
assess remote-work requests 1991, was launched April 19
individually, providing mem- for more than 35,000 Can-
bers with written responses. ada Revenue Agency work-
The new language, accord- ers and more than 120,000
ing to the statement, will workers in departments and
also allow for the creation agencies under Treasury
of joint union-employer Board.
departmental panels to ad- While only about 35 per
dress issues related to the cent of union members in
government's application of the core public service cast a
the remote work directive in ballot, according to a federal
the workplace. labour board ruling, those
According to the union, who did so were overwhelm-

i the agreement also includes ingly in support of the strike,

language around contracting with more than 80 per cent
out such that, in the event of voting in favour of joining
layoffs, members won't lose the picket lines.
their job if they can perform Postmedia News
 ·cRAunion
reaches
tentative
deal
Wage increases
totalling 12.6%,
inflation buffers
6'.zJk. ~ ~ Z,Z,?.
LAURA OSMAN
OTTAWA • The public-sector
union representing Canada
Revenue Agency employ-
ees struck a tentative deal
with the federal government
Thursday, ending a strike of
35,000 workers just after the
tax season wrapped up.
The announcement of a
prospective agreement came
in the wee hours of Thursday
morning, three days after
the government and Public
Service Alliance of Canada
came to separate deals that
ended the walkout of more
than 120,000 other public
servants.
CRA employees repre-
sented by PSAC's Union of
Taxation Employees were
off the job for 15 days, during
which Monday's tax-filing
deadline came and went.
The union told members
to return to work on Thurs-
day by 11:30 a.m. ET at the
latest.
In a statement, PSAC said
the tentative deal includes
wage increases totalling 12.6
per cent compounded over
the life of the agreement
from 2021-2024, as well as
an additional fourth year in
the agreement that protects
workers from inflation.
The tentative agreement
also includes a pensionable
$2,500 one-time lump sum
payment that represents an
additional 3.6 per cent of
salary for the average mem-
ber.
In its own release, the
CRA said it and PSAC
reached a tentative settle-
ment on telework outside of
the collective agreement. It
said both agreed to under-
take a review of the directive
on virtual work arrange-
ments, and to create a panel
to advise the Commissioner
and Deputy Commissioner
regarding employee con-
cerns.
The union threatened ear-
lier Wednesday that it would
plan to send its members to
disrupt a Liberal party con-
vention in Ottawa on Thurs-
day if the employer· didn't
table a "fair" deal.
The separate agreements
that PSAC negotiated with
the government included
largely the same terms.
But CRA workers had
pushed for even larger wage
increases than their col-
l
leagues in other parts of the
government.
Earlier in the negotia-
tions, the tax employees'
union had sought a 20.5 per
cent increase over a three-
year period.
The bargaining groups'
155,000 union members are
expected to vote on whether
or not to accept the deals in
the next few weeks.
There are already signs of
resistance.
The group that repre-
sents workers at Service
Canada, Employment and
Social Development Canada
and Immigration, Refugees
and Citizenship Canada has I
called on its members to vote
against the deal.
In a letter to its members,
the Canada Employment
Immigration Union said
the tentative deal doesn't
increase wages enough and
doesn't enshrine work-from-
home provisions in the col-
lective agreements.
The Canadian Press
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

(y) "resiaenfia sector" : the sector oI construction o buildings or complexes of adjoining buildings,
including installations ana equipment physically attached OT no.t to the buildings, at least 85% bf the area of
which, ·e xcluding parking space, is reserved for residenfial, use, and the number: of aboveground sto- eys of
which, excluding any pan of the basement and reckonea from any side oJ the building or Tomplex, does n.,ot
ex_ceed six in the case.of new buildings or eight in other cases.

Subparagraphs v to y of the first paragraph do not apply to the determination of the scope of this Act.
1968, c. 45, s. 1; 1970, c. 35, s. 1; 197 1, c. 46, s. 1; 1973, c. 28, s. 1; 1975, c. 51, s. 1; 1975, c. 19, s. 12; 1977, c. 5, s. 14; 1979, c. 2, s.
16; 1981, c. 9, s. 34; 1982, c. 53, s. 56; 1986, c. 89, s. 2, s. 50; 1988, c. 35, s. 1; 1991 , c. 74, s. 162; 1992, c. 42, s. 1; 1993, c. 61 , s. 1;
1994, c. 12, s. 51 ; 1993, c. 61, s. 1; 1995, c. 8, s. 1; 1996, c. 29, s. 43; 1999, c. 13, s. 8; 1999, c. 40, s. 257; 2011 , c. 30, s. 1; 2014, c.
18, s. 4; 20 19, c. 29, s. I.

1.1. The word "construction" defined in subparagraph ! of the first paragraph of section 1 includes and
has always included the laying ofresilient floor cov.e rings that are an integral part of the building.
1995, c. 8, s. 2.

CHAPTER II
COMMISSIO DE LA CONST.RUC'J;:ION.PU QUEBEC, COMMT'TTEE-ON VOCATIONAL T~JNG
IN THE CONSTRUCTION DUSTRY AND COMMITTEE 0 EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE
CO"NSTR.UGTION INDUSTR
1986,c. 89,s. 3;201 1, c. 30,s. 2.

DIVISION I
COMMISSION

1986, c. 89, s. 3.

§ 1. - Establishment and administration

1986, c. 89, s. 3; 20 11 , c. 30, s. 3.

2. The "Commission de la construction du Quebec" is hereby establi shed.

1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 3.

3. The Commission is a legal person.

In addition to the powers conferred on it by this Act, the Commission may

( 1) acquire, hold, improve, lease and alienate by onerous title any property;

(2) borrow money;

(3) hypothecate or transfer its property to secure the payment of the bonds or securities it issues;

(4) accept any gift, legacy or other liberality by entirely gratuitous and unconditional title.
197 5 , ~ 5 1, s. 2; 19 8 6 ,~ 89, s. 3; 199?,c. 42,s. 2; 1999,c. 40,s. 257.

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3.1. The Commission shall have its head oftke 'at the place deter.miried by the Government. Notice of the
location or of any change of location of the 11 ad office shall be published in the Gazette officielle du Quebec.
The, Commission may hold its sittings anywhere-in Quebec.
1986, c. 89, s. 3.

3.2. The Commission is composed of a board of ¢irectors cons1stmg of 17 members_, including the
chairman of the board of directors and'1he president and chief executive officer.

Other than the chairman of the board and the president and chief executive officer, the members are
appointed in the following manner:

(1) one member after consultation with the employers' association;

(2) four members after consultation with the contractors' associations;

(3) five members after consultation with the representative associations; and

(4) five independent members, taking into account the expertise and experience profiles approved by the
board of directors.

For the purposes of the consultations provided for in subparagraphs 1 to 3 of the second paragraph, each
association consulted is invited to propose at least three candidates, including one woman. If an association
fails to comply with that invitation within a reasonable time, the Government may appoint the member
cnncerned after notifying the association.

In this Act, "independent member" means a member who has no direct or indirect relation or interest, for
example of a financial, commercial, professional or philanthropic nature, likely tb interfere with the quality of
the aecisions made as regards the interests of the Commission.

A member is deemed not to be independent if that member

( 1) I'S in the employ of the Commission or was in such employ in the three years before being appointed;

(2) is in the employ of the Government or a government agency within the meaning of section 4 of the
Auditor General Act (chapter V-5 .01);

(3) i:s or was, in the three years preceding appointment to office, a member, an employee, an officer or a
representative of an association listed or described in any of subparagraphs a to c.2 of the first paragraph of
section 1 or of an association of employees affiliated with a representative association; or

(4) has an Immediate family member who is a senior officer of the Commission.

The Government may adopt a policy on the situations it intends to examine to determine whether a
member qualifies as an independent member. It may specify in the policy the meaning it intends to give to the
expression "immediate family member".

An independent member must disclose in writing to the board of directors and to the Minister any situation
likely to affect the member's status.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1992, c. 44, s. 8 1; 1993, c. 5 1, s. 72; 1993, c. 6 1, s. 2; 1994, c. 12, s. 52; 1994, c. 16, s. 50; 1995, c. 8, s. 3; 2005, c.
28, s. 195 ; 2011 , c. 30, s. 4; 2013, c. 16, s. 124; 2022, c. 19, s. 257.

3.3. Tthe chairman of the board of directors and the presidenhlnd chief executive officer are appointed by
the Government for terms of not more than five years.. The other members of the board are appointed for
terms of not more than three years.

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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

The chairman of the board must qualify as an independent director.

At the end of their terms, the members of the board shall remain in office until they are replaced or
reappointed.

The terms of the board members are renewable. However, members other than the president and chief
executive officer may not be reappointed more t an three times, whether the terms are consecutive or npt.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 2011 , c. 30, s. 5; 2018, c. 12, s. 4; 2022, c. 19, s. 258.

3.3.1. The number of women on the board of directors must correspond to a proportion of at least 40% of
the total number of persons sitting on the board.
2022, c. 19, s. 258 .

3.3.2. T4e board of directors must include at least one member 35 years of age or under at the time of
appointment.
2022, c. 19, s. 258.

3.4. Any vacancy on the board of directors shall be filled in accordance with the prescribed mode of
appointment to the office that is vacant.
1986, c. 89, s. 3.

3.5. The board of directors shall designate one of the chairmen of a committee established under section
3.13 to act as a replacement when the chairman of the board is absent or unable to act.

When replacing the chairman of the board, the person so designated exercises the same responsibilities and
has the same powers as the chairman.

If a member other than the chairman of the board is unable to act, the Government may appoint, in
accordance with the prescribed mode of appointment applicable to that member, a person to replace that
member in the interim, on such conditions as it may determine.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1999, c. 40, s. 257; 2022, c. 19, s. 259.

3.6. The president and chief executive officer shall see to it that the decisions of the board are carried out
and he shall be responsible for the administration and management of the Commission within the scope of its
regulations and guidelines.

The president and chief executive officer shall perform his duties on a full-time basis.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 2022, c. 19, s. 260.

3. 7. The Government shall determine the salary and other conditions of employment of the president and
chief executive officer.

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T e members of the board of directors other than the resident and chief executive officer are not
remunerated except in such cases, on such conditions and to such extent as may be determined by the
Government.

They are entitled, however, to the reimbursement 'Orthe expenses th~y incur in the performance of their
duties on such conditions and to such extent as may be determined by the Government.

The sums required for the carrying out of this section shall be paid by the Commission.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 2022, c. 19, ss. 261 and 459 .

3.8. nder pain of forfeiture of office, the president and chief executive officer shall have no direct or
indirect interes in any undertaking placing his personal interest in conflict with that o'f the Commission.

Forfeiture of office shall not occur, however, if such interest devolves to him by succession or gift provided
he renounces or disposes of it with all possible dispatch.

Every other member of the board of directors who has any direct or indirect interest in an undertaking
placing his personal interest in conflict with that of the Commission shall, under pain of forfeiture of office,
disclose his interest in writing to the chairman of the board of director or, in the chairman's case, to the
Minister and the person designated under section 3.5 and, where applicable, abstain from sitting on the board
and taking part in any discussion or decision when a matter pertaining to the undertaking in which he has an
interest is being debated.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 2022, c. 19, s. 262.

3.8.1. A person holding a management pos1t1on in an association listed or described in any of

subparagraphs a to c.2 of the first paragraph of section l may not be a member of both the board of directors
of the Commission and that of the Commission des normes, de l'equite, de la sante et de la securite du travail.
201 8, c. 12, s. 5.

3.9. A majority or more of the appointed members, including the chairman of the board or th president
and chief executive officer, is a quorum at sittings of the board of directors.

The chairman of the board is not entitled to vote except in case of a tie-vote.
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 2022, c. 19, s. 263 .

3.9.1. No act or document of the Commission or decision of its board of directors is invalid because the
requirements prescribed in sections 3.3.1, 3.3.2 and 3.3.3 are not met.
2022, c. 19, s. 264.

The words "or 3.3.3" will come into force on the date of coming into force of the first policy
established under subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 43 of the Act respecting the
governance of state-owned enterprises (2022, c. 19, s. 463 (1)) .

3.10. (Repealed) .
1986,c. 89, s. 3; 2011 , c. 30,s. 6.

3.11. (Repealed) .
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1993, c. 61 , s. 3; 1994, c. 12, s. 53; 20 11, c. 30, s. 6.

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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

3.12. (Repealed).
1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1992, c. 44, s. 81; 1993, c. 51 , s. 72; 1994, c. 12, s. 54; 1994, c. 16, s. 50; 2005, c. 28, s. 195; 2011 , c. 30, s. 6.

3.12.1. The board of directors must detei;mine th Commissi0n's strategic directions, see to tMir
implementation and inquire into any matter it considers importan .

The board is accountable to the Government, and its chairman is answerable to the Minister, for the
Commission's decisions.
2022, c. 19, s. 265.

3.12.2. The functions of the board of directors alsq include

(1) adopting the strategic plan;

(2) approving tl:)e capital plan, the operating plan, the financial statemenfs, the annual management report
and the annual budget of the Commission;

(3) approving the governance rules of the Commi sion;

(4) approving the code of ethics applicable to the members of the board of directors and those applicable
to the officers appointed by the Commission and to the employees of the Commission, subject to a regulation
made under sections 3.0.1and3.0.2 of the Act respecting the Ministere du Conseil executif (chapter M-30);

(5) approving the expertise and experience profiles to be used in appointing the independent members of
the board;

( 6) approving the criteria for evaluating members of the board of directors other than the president and
chief executive officer;

(7) approving the criteria for assessing the performance of the board;

(8) establishing the policies for managing the risks associated with conducting the operations of the
Commission;

(9) seeing to it that the audit committee exercises its functions properly;

(10) determining delegations of authority;

(11) approving, in accordance with the law, humap resources policies, as well as the standards and scales
of remuneration and other conditions of employment of employees and officers appointed by the
Commission;

(12) approving the succession planning program for officers appointed by the Commission; and

( 13) appr_oving the appointment of officers other than the president and chief executive officer.
2022, c. 19, s. 265 .

3.12.3. The-board of directors must appraise the integrity of internal controls, information disclosure
co trols and information systems, and approve a financial disclosure policy.
2022, c. 19, s. 265.

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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

3.12.4. The board of directors must make sure that initiation and ongoing training programs for board
members are implemented.
2022, c. 19, s. 265.

§ 1.1. - Board committees

20 11, c. 30, s. 7.

3.13. The board of directors must establish a governance and ethics committee, a human resources
committee and an audit committee.

The board may also establish other committees to examme specific issues or facilitate the smooth
o eration of the Commission .
20 11 , c. 30, s. 7; 2022, c. J9, s. 266.

3.14. The functions of the governance and ethics committee include

( 1) formulating governance rules and a code of ethics for conducting the operations of the Commission;

(2) fomrulating a code of etfiics ap lica le to the members of the board of directors, the officers
appointed by the Commission and the em yees of t e Commission, subject to a regulation made under
sections 3.0.1 and3.0.2 of the Act respecting the Ministere du Conseil executif (chapter M-30);

(3) developing expertise and experience profiles to be used in appointinR.' he ilidependen embers of the
board; the profiles must include management experience that is_relev:ant to the osition;

(4) formulating criteria for evalrratin~ board members other than the presiden and chief executive offiC'er·

(5) formulating criteria for asses·s ing the perforrnanc ~of the board; and

(6) developing initiation and ongoing training programs fo be-ard members.

The committee must conduct the assessment referred to in subparagraph 5 of the first paragraph m
accordance with the criteria approved by the board of directors.
20 11, c. 30, s. 7; 2022, c. 19, s. 267.

3.15. The governance and ethics committee is composed of five members designated from ·among the
mem6ers ofthe board of djrec ors, as fo lows :

(1) thre-e1llembers from among the independen members of the COmmission, one of whom is designated
the chair·

(2) one member from among the members of the employers' associatLon and tfic contractors'
assocjations· and

(3) one171ember from among the members of the representative associations.

2011 , c. 30, s. 7.

3.16. The functions of the audit committee include

(1) appJoving the annual internal audit plan;

(2) making sur that a plan for the optimal use of the Commission~s Tesources is pu in ,.J>lace, and
following up on tharplan;
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(3) seeing to it that appropriate rand effective internal control mechanism are put in place;

(4) aking sure that ansk managemenrprocess is-put in place;

(5) eviewing any activicy likely to be detrimenta to the Gommission~s financjal health that is brought to
itS"atten.tion by the internal auditor or an office ;

(6) examining thedinancial stalements with The Auditor General; and

(7) recommending the approval 0f the financfal statements by the b0ard of directors.

The audi· committee must notify the board qf directors in writing on discovering operations or
management praclices that are unsound or do not cdmply with the law or the regulations or with the policies
of the Commission.
2011 ,c. 30,s. 7.

3.16.1. The functions oftn uman resources committee include

(1) making sure that human resources policies are put in place;

(2) assisting in the selection of officers; and

(3) establishing a success-ion planning program for officers appointed by the Commission.
2022, c. 19, s. 269.

3.17. The human resources co;nmittee and the audit committee are composed of four members designated
from among the members of the board of directors , as follows:

(1) two members ti om among· t!;ie independent members of the Commission, one of whom is designated
the chair;

(2) one member from among the members of the employers' asstJciation and the contractors'
associations; and

(3) one member from among the members of the representative associations.

In addition, at least one of the independent members of the audit committee must be a member of the
professional order of accountants mentioned in the Professional Code (chapter C-26).
20 11 ,~3 0 ,L 7; 2022,c. 19,s.270.

3.18. Three members, including the chair of the committee, constitute a quorum at meetings of each of the
committees referred to iri section 3. 13.

In the case of a tie, the chair has a casting vote.

2011 , c. 30, s. 7; 2022, c. 19, s. 271.

§ 2. - Functions and powers

1986, c. 89, s. 3.

4. The function o the Commission ·s to administer this Act and in particular

(1) see to it that the collective agreement in force under this Act is respected;

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(2) supervise and control the application of this Act and the regulations and more particularly the
observance of the norms relating to the hiring of workers and labour mobility in the construction ·ndustzy;

(3) verify the qualifications of the workers of the construction industry;

(4) organize and .supervi~e the holding of a v.ote on union affiliation and ascertain the representativeness
of the associations referred to in section 28 or make an agreement with any person to entrust him with a
mandate for that purpose;

(5) see to the implementation, within the scope of the policies on the workforce in the construction
industry approved by the Govemme.Pt, of the measures and programs relating to the vocational training of the
employees and the employers who personally perform cons ruction work;

(6) administer supplemental-fringe benefit plans in accordance with this Act;

(7) maintain a service for auditing the books of accounts of contractors to examine and verify the receipt
of the contributions and levies prescribed under this Act or under a collective agreement made under this Act;

(8) administer the Compensation Fund for Employees in the Construction Industry established by
Division I of Chapter VIIl.1;

(9) administer the Training Fund forEmployees1n -the--Construction Industry established by Division II of
Chapter Vlll.1 ; and

(10) administer the labour-referral servrce for the construction industry provided for in section 107.7.

In the performance of its functions, the Commission shall cooperate in the fulfilment of the commitments
of the Government of Quebec under intergovernmental agreements respecting labour mobility or the mutual
recognition of qualifications, skills and work experience for construction trades and occupations; the
Commission shall also work towards the elimination of any unreported work or any work carried out in
contravention of this Act, cooperate in efforts to prevent and to fight corruption to the extent required by law
and, at the request of the Minister of Revenue, cooperate in the application of the fiscal laws in the
construction industry.
1975, c. 51, s. 2; 1979, c. 2, s. 17; 1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1988, c. 35, s. 18; 1992, c. 42, s. 3; 1993, c. 61 , s. 4; 1995, c. 8, s. 4; 1997, c. 85, s.
395 ; 2007 , ~3,s. 72; 2011,c. 17,s. 59;2011 , c. 30,s. 8.

4.1. The Commission may appoint the personnel necessary for the carryjng out of its 'functions according
to the staffing plan it estab1ishes by regulation.

The Commission shall determine the powers and duties of its personnel and, subject to section 5, its
remuneration.
1986, C. 89, S. 3; 1988, C: 35 , S. 2; 2000, C. 8, S. J 84.

5. The conditions of employment of the personnel of the Commission shall be determined at the provincial
level.

Subject to the provisions of a collective agreement, the Commission shall determine, by regulation, the
standards and scales of remuneration, employee benefits and other conditions of employment of the members
of its personnel in accordance with the conditions defined by the Government.

If functionaries of the Government are assigned to the Commission, the president and chief executive
officer, with regard to them, shall exercise the powers of the chief executive officer of an agency within the
meaning of the Public Service Act (chapter F-3.1.1).

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The functionaries employed by the Commission shall benefit by a leave of absence without pay for the
period during which they are in the employ of the Commission.
1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1977, c. 5, s. 14; 1978, c. 15, s. 133; 1983, c. 55, s. 16 1; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1988, c. 35 , s. 3; 2000, c. 8, s. 185; 2022,
c. 19, s. 272.

6. The minutes of the sittings, approved by the Commission and certified true by the chairman of the
board, the president and chief executive officer or the secretary are authentic. The same applies to documents
and copies emanating from the Commission or forming 'Part of its records when they are signed by the
chairman of the board, the president and chief executive officer or the secretary of the Commission.
1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 2022, c. 19, s. 273.

7.
m

The Commission shall have, for its inquiries, the power and immunities of a commissioner appointed
under the Act respecting public inquiry commissions (chapter C-37), except the power to order imprisonment.
1975, c. 51, s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1992, c. 61 , s. 529.

( 1). enter . ~.t.tO,Xe ,~,t?g.~~W.s~~t.iu,.<t~~- ano/ "Spla~e •whc;re1i:: · ns·-r:uction--.cw.P.r~ t~srcarrieci'((')tf \Qr <(ln ~{impJoyer"s
~J?.l~ sJwie.JJ~
(2) requir~ n:Y,:i.infor.nrati'© · · relat.tng~l'Wth(!"'irppl'ication-oH}li.slA~t or the regulations and to the application
of the Building Act (chapter B-1.1) or the regulations with respect to the qualification of contractors and
owner-builders, and the production of any relevant document for examination or reproduction;

Evi!reyiperso1ifalith0flzed?tb ©c.erq,is(l::t '1}.e•f!owers provfoled'"'in-<tfil~>&:r~t ~P.1:1r..agra~h . haU~i0tmeqt1€st,. . identi ~

hiIW),s_e-i~d ~~~~~ 0fi hi eap,g. i~~: is!!.eod~y-thei on.rmis'sl'on~

1986, c. 89, s. 4; 1995, c. 8, s. 5; 2018, c. 12, s. 6.

7.2. . E_v~~~ol y4. .) .: ~n¥r>f9~S~G#9.1':;.1W:~~ oi-· ~.a!J1:.t~Ke~.J;h,e,...,~n,(f<;.es.sa.f)r> ·Q1~.~ns ·to., e~able ~hfl'
Co.rmmss10n .an ano/~Jl€.{§_lil a),lt o.r-rnea .· ,' ; for,..tih at pur-pt1se...,tO"J.~~ei;c.l's.e. :tP,e,;.tn,.o~~r.s"prpv1ded:for 1u -secti0n
?. ")~'"-

1988, c. 35, s. 4.

7.3. The Co , .. i~sio. may; ·in·l.the~~erGis~ ,.,o ( -its .ppw.ers: 1,.rnder.·seeti.9Q·} ,.-1.,. req4est.-~ny. penmn w.ho carries
O~OQStl;uCti@ff'-Work'!OP.~Q'aU:ses'coiisfrnet,i on .""{o'Ff(.~rfleet-..(fuf~t ·- "'pro·· e -to•,t n ®blrirrfissi0ntffa 'lie is the
h9J4,e~~.t,4,~~10.N?J?J,qJ?fi~dlic~nc issu$,d under th~ ~~~~,ing ,Act ~c~~t~r; B.:,Ll) and,"~~··. ·. h.ft• _of tire
J•;F ~~-r.~x~!:iJ?.tJ~" - ·-~~ . !'P!i~~r~~ts · q-- ~~i!l;.tna~ any.person w~ .,se
4l!P·J:!f>Pt:tate~c.~m. · ett?_~ , ce .. eat Q
serv.t.c~s. fu'e~tt:ir s ~a ··ouf con t.!11.d 1on· work 'O r w ho!Il ~e assigns tQ ~op.struchon W9,rk 1s the holder of such
a: ompetency' certificate'of'proo fof exeinptidn or, where applicable, of such a licence.

The Commission may also, in the same manner, request any person who carries out construction work or
causes construction work to b~ carried out either under a contract described in section 3 of the Act respecting
contracting by public bodies (chapter C-65.1) or under a public contract referred to in section 65.4 of the
Building Act to prove to the Commission that they hold an authorization under Division III of Chapter V.1 of
the Act respecting contracting by public bodies to the extent that they are required to hold one, and that the
licence they held on the date they tendered for that contract following a call for tenders, or on the date the

Updated to March 15, 2023

© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 14 of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

contract was awarded in other cases, did not contain any restriction as regards the obtention of a public
contract.

The Commission shall make its request in writing and fix a time limit for compliance.
1995, c. 8, s. 6; 1997 .~ 85 , ~ 396 ; 2012 , ~ 25 ,s. 97;2022, c. 18, s. 129.

7.4. The person to whom a request under section 7.3 is addressed shall inform his client without delay.

If the person fails to comply within the time fixed, the Commission may, after providing interested persons
informed of the request with an opportunity to express their views, order the suspension of the work to the
extent it indicates.

The Commission shall make its decision in writing and send a copy to every interested person who
expressed his views, and shall post a copy of tbe decision in a conspicuous place on the premises where the
work is carried out.
1995, c. 8, s. 6.

7.4.1. No person may carry out or cause to be carried out construction work in contravention of a decision
rendered under section 7.4.
1998, c. 46, s. 83 .

7.5. Tlre Commission may authorize the resumption of the suspended construction work upon proof by the
person who intends to carry ou the work or cause the work to be carried out that

(1) they are the holder of the appropriate licence issued under the Building Act (chapter B-1.1) and,
where applicable, of the appropriate competency certificate or proof of exemption issued under this Act;

(2) that every person whose services they intend to hire to carry out the work or whom they intend to
assign to the work is the holder of such a competency certificate or proof of exemption or, where applicable,
of a licence referred to in paragraph l; and

(3) that they hold an authorization under Division Ill of Chapter V. l of the Act respecting contracting by
public bodies (chapter C-65.1) if required to hold one or that they have been permitted to continue a public
contract under section 25.0.2 of that Act.
1995, c. 8, s. 6; 201 2, c. 25 , s. 70; 201 7, c. 27, s. 208 ; 2022, c. 18, s. 130.

7.5.1. For the purposes of sections 7.3 and 7.5, a person who establishes that he is exempted by virtue of a
regulation made under the second paragraph of section 123 is deemed to be the holder of a proof of
exemption.
1996, c. 74, s. 30.

7.6. The powers provided for in sections 7.3 to 7.5 may be exercised by any member of the personnel of
the Commission authorized by the Commission for that purpose. The person shall, on request, identify
himself and show the certificate referred to in the second paragraph of section 7.1.
1995, c. 8, s. 6.

7.7. Eve.ry person who believes that he has been wronged by a decision rendered under section 7.4 may,
within l 0 days of being notified of the aecision, apply for a review of the decision to the Administrative
Labour ribunal.

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© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 15 of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

Applications for review are heard and decided by preference.

1995, c. 8,L 6; 1998, c. 46, s. 84;2006, c. 58,s. 35; 201 5,c. 15,s. 237.

7.8. The Commission may file a true s,:opy of a decision rendered unoer section 7.4 at the expiry of the
time allowed to apply for review or, if there has been a review, a true copy of a final decision of the
Administrative Labour ribunal, at the office of the prothonotary of the Superior Court of the district in which
the premises to which the decision pertains are situated. ·

Upon the filing of the true copy, the decision becomes enforceable as and has all the effects of a judgment
of the Superior Court that is final and without appeal.
1995, c. 8, s. 6; 1998, c. 46, s. 85 ; 2006, c. 58, s. 36; 201 5, c. 15, s. 23 7.

7.9. The Commission shall transmit to the Minister, at his request, the statistical data, reports or other
information concerning the application of sections'7.3 to 7.8, within the time and in the form he determines.
1995, c. 8, s. 6.

7.10. No judicial proceeding may be instituted against the Commission or any person referred to in section
7 .1 or 7 .6 by reason of official acts performed in good faith in the performance of their duties.
1995, c. 8, s. 6.

8. The fiscal year of the Commission shall be the calendar year.

The expenses incurred by the Commission for its administration shall be charged to the Commission.
1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1986 . ~ 89, s. 50.

8.1. The Commission de la construction du Quebec shall contribute to the Administrative Labour Tribunal
Fund established by section 97 of the Act to establish the Administrative Labour Tribunal (chapter T-15 . l) to
cover the expenses incurred by the Tribunal in connection with complaints, contestations or proceedings
under this Act.

The amount of the contribution from the Commission de la construction du Quebec and the manner in
which it is to be paid are determined by the Government.
2005, c. 42, s. I ; 2006, c. 58, s. 37; 2015, c. 15, s. 190.

9. The Commission must, not later than 30 June each year, submit to the Minister an annual management
re ort for the preceding fiscal year.

The report must give an account of the use made of any training fund administered by the Commission
under paragraph 9 of section 4 and to that effect, contain any information the Minister indicates.

In addition to the elements provided for in sections 9.1 to 9.5, it may also contain any proposal to promote
the achievement, in the construction industry, of the object of the Act to promote workforce skills
development and recognition (chapter D-8.3), given that employer participation in workforce skills
development is mandatory under the Act.

The Minister shall table the report before the National Assembly within 15 days of receiving it or, if the
Assembly is not sitting, within 15 days of resumption.
1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 50; 1995, c. 43 , s. 52; 2007 , c. 3, s. 66; 2022, c. 19, s. 274.

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CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

9.1. The annual management report must contain a summary of the ollowing reports, submitted to the
board o directors:

(1) the repoJt of the governance and e hies c,ommittee on its activities during th fiscal year, including a
suromary of its assessment of the er.formance oJ the boar.d of directors;

(2) the report of the audit commitfoe on the discharge of its mandate and on the optimal resource
utilization plan; and

(3) t e ~e12,ort of the.human resources committee on the discharge of its mandate.

2022, c. 19, s. 275.

9.2. The Commission shall make public the code of ethics applicable to its employees.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

9.3. The annual management report must comprise a section 'bn the governance of the Commission,
including the following information.concerning the board members:

(1) the dates of appointment and expiry of term of all board members, as well as the identification of
those with the status of independent director;

(2) the identification of any other board of directors on which a board member sit ;

(3) a summary of the expertise and experience profile of each of the board's ind~endent members;

(4) a statement of each board member's attendance at board and committee meetings;

(5) the code of ethics and rules of professional conduct applicable to board members; and

(6) a status report on compliance with the requirements relating to the independence of board members,
the proportion of women, the presen,ce of a board member 35 years of age or under at the time of appointment
and the presence of a board member representative of the diversity of Quebec society and, if the composition
of the board of directors did not meet those requirements at the end of the fiscal year, the reasons for that
situation.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

In the subparagraph 6 offirst paragraph, the words "and the presence ofa member representative
of the diversity of Quebec society" will come into force on the date of coming into force of the first
policy established under subparagraph 1 of the first paragraph of section 43 of the Act respecting
the governance ofstate-owned enterprises (2022, c. 19, s. 463 (1)).

9.4. The annual managemen report must include

(1) the remuneration and benefits paid to each member of the board of directors;

(2) in respect of each of the five officers who are the most highly remunerated officers of the Commission
and of any person with management responsibilities who does not report directly to the president and chief
executive officer and who is more highly remunerated than one of those officers:

(a) the basic remuneration paid;

(b) the signing bonus paid, where applicable;

(c) the Contribution to pension plans borne by the Commission for the year concerned;

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<C Quebec Official Publisher R-20 / 17 of84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

(d) the other benepJs paid or granted,, including those related to grou insurance or the use of a vehicle, as
applicable;

(e) the severance pay pa,jd, where applicable; and

(3) any other element or information determined under subparagraph 5 of the second paragraph of section
39 of the Act respecting the governance of state-owned enterpri{;es (chapter G-1.02).

For the purposes of subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, the value of the remuneration corresponds to the
sum of the elements referred to in subparagraphs a to e of that subparagraph and of any other element relating
to remuneration that is referred to in subparagraph 3 of the first paragraph.

In addition, the annual management report must indicate the parameters regulating the remuneration of the
persons referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph, in particular the parameters related to the
elements listed in subparagraphs a toe of that subparagraph.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

9.5. Where a person was an officer in the Commission for part of the period covered by the annual
management report, the elements referred to in subparagraph 2 of the first paragraph of section 9.4, those
relating to remuneration that are referred to in subparagraph 3 of that paragraph and the annualized value of
those elements must be disclosed in the report with regard to that person if the total of the annualized value of
those elements places the person among the five most highly remunerated officers of the Commission. In such
a case, the information disclosed in the annual report will concern more than five of the Commission's
officers.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

9.6. For the purposes of sections 9.4 and 9.5, severance pay must be disclosed in full in the annual
management report covering the date of the officer's departure, regardless of whether payment of the
severance pay has been deferred in whole or in part.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

9.7. The specifications respecting the elements, parameters and information made under section 39.3 of the
Act respecting the governance of state-owned enterprises (chapter G-1.02) and referred to in sections 39 and
39.1 of that Act apply with the necessary modifications to the elements, parameters and information referred
to in sections 9.4 and 9.5.

The elements, parameters and information must be included in the Commission's annual management
report in the form specified under section 39.3 of the Act respecting the governance of state-owned
enterprises.
2022, c. 19, s. 275.

10. The Commission must, at least two months before the beginning of each fiscal year, prepar i s budget.

Before the beginning of the month preceding the beginning of the fiscal year, the budget shall be submitted
to the Committee on employee benefits in the construction industry and to the Committee on vocational
training for approval. If the committees have not approved it on 31 December, the budget shall automatically
come into force on 1 January.
.
1975, c. 51, s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 5, s. 50; 2011, c. 30, s. 9.

11. The accounts of the Commtssion shall be audited by the Auditor General every year and also .whenever
require by the Government.

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© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I 18 of 84
The Top 8 Trades in the Construction Industry
BLDG 6811/491-2 Dr. Nghi M. Nguyen

In general, these are trades in which there is a labour shortage in Quebec according to the Association
de la Construction du Quebec:

Carpenters
What they do: Work with wood, assembling, erecting and preparing wood structures.
Training: 1,400 hrs. About 6,000 hours of apprenticeship.

Bricklayers/Masons
What they do: Work with bricks, stones,, mortar to build and repair walls, foundations, chimneys and
fireplaces.
Training: 900 hrs. About 6,000 hrs of apprenticeship in three separate periods.

Roofers
What they do: Build and re-build roofs with decking, asphalt, gravel, shingles
Training: 600 hrs. About 2,000 hrs of apprenticeship.

Tile Setters
What they do: Set ceramic, granite, marbles tiles in institutional, commercial or residential building
Training: 600 hrs. About 6,000 hrs of apprenticeship in three separate periods.

Window Installers
What they do: Repair and install windows, doors and the openings around them
Training: 1,400 hrs. About 6,000 hrs of apprenticeship in three separate periods.

Painters
What they do: Prepare surfaces for painting. Apply paint or other wall coverings
Training: 900 hrs. About 6,000 hrs of apprenticeship

Cement Finishers
What they do: Prepare surfaces (walls, ceilings, sidewalks and roads) to be covered in cements
Training: 900 hrs. About 4,000 hrs of apprenticeship

Interior Systems Installer

What they do: Apply wall panels, to build rooms. Also, erect metal mesh to secure walls
Training: 700 hrs. About 6,000 hrs apprenticeship
 +
TECHNOLOGICAL FORCES: POLITICAL/LEGAL FORCES; LABOR FORCE COMPOSITION;
IMPACT OF
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
COMMUNITY ArTITUOES; ECONOMIC CONDITIONS; UNION, STRUCTURE.• GOALS,
ON EMPLOYEES
ANO STRATEGY
• Substantive terms
of the cOllectlve
DEMANDS BY EMPLOYEES
Pressures placed on bargaining agreement
unions by constituent
• Compensation and
membe1s - Compensation
benefits
- Hours of work
- Working condi1ions
•,Job securily

LABOR • Ac;c.as 10 grievance

• Wo1king conditions
UNIONS procedUfEIS IMPACT Of"
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
.· • Enhanument of ON SOCIETY
... ~· gioup power
PRECURSOR
CONOITIONS

• Poor pers,onnel
THE UNION·MANAGEMENT
CERTIFICATION PROCESS

• Union organb:ing
(/)

~ ~
~
~ • LOSS ol lncividual
power to bargain
~ ..
• lnfllliOnlly

0 ~ ~
<( .... directly wllh Ule •Changeeln
policies camJ)llign - 11:1
rrtployer proctuc:tMly
• Bargaining unit
~ ~ ~~

n
• Oissalislied •Changee In
employees <1e1ennlnatlon
~ ~ IMPACT OF ewegate demand
::i; COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
~
• Unsatislact()f'f • Certification
ONEMPU>Y~
compensalion and elec1ion
(.) 0 ii
working conditions It
• Loss of unilale1 al

l
maNgarial diSCfllfion • OuenlltatMt lllld
• Employee feettngs MANAGEMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS 1egarding personnel ~dllnget
of powerlessness
tnllnets In lie labor bee
• Financial performance 'f • Impact on llOdal
• Greater unlforrniry
Pressures placed on In pe1&oonel ~lhdlng
•G1owth and
management by stock· practices IM~
diversification
holders, boards, and
• Social responsibHily
cEo·a •Changes in the firm's • U~
compebtive p0sture !twit
\.__
• Changes in th• firnl's ·~.itodl
TECHNOLOGICAL FORCES: POLITICALAEGAI.. FORCES; ECONOMIC CONDITIONS;
ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE ANO STRATEGY; COMPETITIVE FORCES; FINANCIAL
CONDITION OF ORGANIZATION; INTERNATIONAL FORCES
productivity and
olliciency
Into llonlDori
stdors
•
... I

Figure 1-1 An Overview of Labor·Management Relations

• .J
 DAVID SHERMAN another body blow to a union movement wages could not sustain life in North Amer-
SPECIAL TO THE GAZETTE bruised and battered here and in the U.S. ica. Even struggling workers often seem im-
With high unemployment and a strug- patient and angry with union people.
nions, the right to strike and even gling economy, unions have increasingly With the gap growing between haves and

U the principle of collective bar- been targeted. Their goals of higher wages,
gaining are seemingly under attack. job security and improved pensions have be-
When Conservative Labour Minister Lisa come the focus of resentment by politicians
have-nots, some workers' intolerance of the
union movement is an ironic form of slow
suicide, one academic suggests.
Raitt blocked Air Canada flight attend- on the right and businesses struggling to
ants from striking this week, she delivered compete internationally with firms whose Please see UNIONS, Page C6
 c9NTINUED FROM Cl / and unionrights. ganizer, who asked to remain an- begins to sink, ittakesrichandpoor
it. ·~ people live cheque to cheque, onymous, agrees. \ down together.
·uitionscontributetotheeradica- there's greater insecurity, trust "It used to be that if an employee V McGill's Hebdon says the North
tion of the large difference between erodes, everyone fights for what- made a complaint, he would just dis- American model of adversarial re·
rich and poor, not just through col- ever's left behind," Luff says. appear, be fired, that was it. But once lations between union and employ·
lective bargaining but through Luff'sunionpresident,JackClan- the unions came in, employers had er has led to decades of strife, open
strong lobbying," says Robert Heb- cy, said in a speech recently that the to deal with employees in a more warfare and wasted man hours and
don, a professor of labour-manage- huge disparity between rich and humane manner," he says. "If they money.
ment relations at McGill. ''.All work- poor has inevitably led to poorer screamed and yelled and humili- He, too, points to Europe and he-
ers benefit" education, less consumption, reli- ated workers, there was a grievance yond-Sweden, Germany and Japan
Curiously, even with much-pub- ance on cheap credit and all the risk process. Everyone just calmed down - as countries where workers were
licized attacks on public-service that debt entails, including the rise and workers didn't have to worryI welcomed into the corporate coven-
unions in the U.S. states of Wiscon- in homelessness, health costs and about gettingfiredeveryminute." ~ ant. They have a seat at the table
sin and Ohio, where Republican crimerates. Italsomeantbetterwages. Unions and their ideas and ambitions are
governors put the hammer to col- "We become a society full of di- lobbying for higher minimum welcomed.
lective bargaining rights, support verse economic groups suspicious wages,largerpensions, bettermedi- Unions in many cases, he says,
for unions stayed at 52 per cent, ac- of each other and our future togeth- care, can benefit everyone, unions embraced technology, understand-
cording to a poll cited by the New er," Clancy says. "Resentment and say. ing that more efficient production
York Times. The anti-union laws bitterness increase. Nobody wants Robert Reich, a U.S. former secre- would benefit everyone.
ushered in a wave of recall elections to pay taxes. And inequality soars. tary of labour and a professor at the The hostile attitude by the Can-
that cost Republicans two seats in And everybody loses." University of California Berkeley, adian government toward Air Can-
Wisconsin'sstate Senate. "Politicians exploit the resent- recently wrote a denunciation of ada workers and the postal workers
Jean Lacharite, a spokesperson ment," Luff adds. the growing inequalities propelling has ugly implications for the future.
for the Conf'ederation des syndicats Not everyone agrees that unions anti-Wall St. protests across North Itcondonestakingawaybargaining
nationaux (CSN), says unionism in arethefixandMcGill'sHebdonsays America, including one in Montreal rights, which means employers in
Quebec is holding up well compared a study commissioned by the World Saturday. It's a sign that the tide of future will be less likely to co-oper-
with the rest of the continent. Bank found the evidence mixed on ate at contract time and more prone
At 40 per cent, Quebec has the whether unions provided employ-
highest rate of unionized workers ers with economic benefits.
"There is no respect toWhen attempt union-busting tactics.
Andrew MacDougall, as-
in North America and they tend to A Fraser Institute report on at all for the right sociate director of communica-
earn an average of $5 more per hour unions in 1997 stated that unions tions in the Prime Minister's Office,
than non-unionized employees, not tend to decrease productivity to strike or evenfor was asked how the Prime Minister
counting other benefits like pen- growth, reduce profitabilify, ratard negotiation. " would respond to charges he was
sions andjob securify, he says. investment in physical capital and union bashing, MacDougallreplied:
CSN's JEAN l.AcHARIT~
And while many sectors bargain . research and development, andlow- "Our government is committed to
in good faith, Prime Minister Ste- ertherateof employmentgrowth. supporting unions and employers,
phen Harper's government has "Research from around the world union bashing might be ebbmg and while advancing stable labour rela-
launched a concerted attack against indicates that union firms have low- the target of resentment for some at tions."
union rights, Lacharite argues. er levels of productivity in contrast least, has become those with seven- Yet if the government prevents
''There is no respect at all for the to comparable non-union firms," figure salaries and bonuses, the unions from walking out to protest
right to strike or even for negotia- noted Professor Barry Hirsch of corporations that pay them and the members' wages, the entire econ-
tion. It's a total negation of collect- Florida State University. "In some governmentsthatsupportthem. omy suffers. The butcher and the
ive bargaining and the charter of cases, unionized firms have profit Reich wrote that Germany's econ- baker and the automaker all shed
rights." margins which are 10 to 20 per cent omy has grown faster than the U.S.'s customers as workers' wages de-
Michael Luff, director of com- lower in contrast to non-union in the last 15 years. While pay rates cline.
munications for the 340,000-mem- firms." ../ in the U.S. have grown six per cent According to Statistics Canada,
ber National Union of Public and But unions will point out tlia.t a since 1985, adjusted for inflation, in between 1980 and 2005, income for
General Employees, representing worker with a say in his job will be Germany worker's pay has risen the richest 20 per cent of Canadians
provincial workers outside Quebec, a happier employee. Better wages, almost 30 per cent. The disparity grew 16.4 per cent. For the poorest
says one in three Canadians are pensions and benefits mean em- between rich and poor is much less 20 per cent, it dropped 20.6 per cent.
unionized. ployees will stay at a job longer and than in North America and Reich For almost everyone else, or about
''The numbers of people interest- not only increase productivity but credits education and "maintaining 60 per cent of the population, in-
ed in joining unions are quite high," decrease training costs. strong labour unions." come stagnated.
Luff says. "But the fear of reprisal Workers with job security will His argument is that since the late It has become accepted polit-
turns them off." notonlybemorefaithful to the em- 1970s, instead of raising taxes for ical rhetoric from politicians of all
In general, the situation for ployer, tliey will, if given suftlcient the rich and reducing them for the stripes that job creation is a top pri-
unions in Canada is not as dire as it incentive, contribute to productiv- poor, governments have done the ority. But if the jobs created don't
is in the U.S., he says. ity gains and efficiencies, goes the opposite. "It shredded safety nets pay very well and the only institu-
Unions have for many become the union argument And the grievance ... and allowed companies to bust tion we have to fight for living wages
scapegoat for a fragile economy and process allows for a systematic way unions and threaten employees who is handcuffed, then where does that
high unemployment, rationales for to address complaints against the tried to organize." leave us as a society struggling to re-
the Harper government's get-tough employer. Reich says we're all in the same cover from a recession and massive
approach on collective bargaining A former garment workers' or- economic boat and when the boat wage inequities?
•

BLDG 491/6811 NOTES

Construction Union:

)> Local Union Level:

Business Agent: Salaried officer of the local union whose functions include
supervision and conduct of the on-going business of the local (jurisdiction);
administration of the collective agreements negotiated by the local; admission
of members; collection of union dues; calling of meeting and holding of votes;
- conduct of grievances and arbitrations, appearances to give evidence before
LRBs; conduct of negotiations for new agreements; membership campaigns
for the organization of non-union employers. He/she is elected to a term of
office by the local union's membership.
Normally, candidates for office are as business agents have gained experience
in union administration through s,ervices as a job steward and also through
participation in union committees.
J;>. At the Work Site:

Job Steward: Each union will be represented by one or more job stewards.
He/she is an on-site employee who is a member in good standing of the union,
appointed or elected to represent the day-to-day interests of the union on the
work site. The duties of a union steward are to ensure that the provisions. of
the collective agreement are fully implemented; the rules and procedures of
the union are observed; and to assist workers (construction employees) in
resolving complaints to process grievances

Construction/Project Manager, by working closely with the business agents

and job stewards of various unions will be able to:

1. Understand the prevailing local work practices and jurisdiction to

tailor construction packages to the optimum size to attract qualified
contractors
2. Determine better craft productivity
3. Taking advantage of relatively permanent craft workers
4. Understand the size s of local unions in terms of membership
availability
5. Key design decisions can sometimes be influenced to change
specifications .from those requiring chronically scarce workers to
alternate methods for which sufficient manpower is available
6. Better utilization of collective agreements for estimating project costs
and forecasting productivity
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOlJ&.RELA'I'JONS

CHAPTER I
DEFINITIONS

1. In-this Act unless the context requires a different meaning, the following words and expressions mean:

(a) "association" : a prnfession:al union represm;iting constructj<.:m,~_ployees or any group o.f; constmct~on
employees not constituted as a legal person, a trades council, a provincial trades council or a federation or
confederation of such unions, groups or councils, having for ,its object the 'study, defence and developmentq
the economic, social and educational in_ferests of it's mem15ers and which has jurisdiction throughout Quebec
in1espect of all construction trades and emplQyments;

(b) " epresentative association" : an association tq whlch the 'C ommission has issued tbe certificate
.provided for in section 34;

( c) "employers' association" : the Association of Building Contractors of Quebec:;

(c. l) "contractors' associations" : the Association des profe sitmnels de Ja construction e.t de !'habitation
du Quebec inc., the AssociatiQTI de La construction du Quebec, he Association des <;onstructeurs de routes et
grands travaux du Quebec, the Corporation des maitres ·electriciens du Que.bee and the Corporation de;S
maitres mecaniciens en tuyauterie du Quebec;

f c2) "sector-based employers' associatiop" : for the residentia,l sector, the Association des professionnels
de la CQnstruotion et de I 'habitation du Qu'ebec inc., for the institutional and commercial sector and the
industrial sector, the Association dela construction du Quebec, and for the civil engineering and roads sector,
the Association des co)lstructeurs d;e routes ce ~rands travaux du Quebec;

(d) "Commiss_ion" : the Commission de la construction du Quebec;

(e) (subparagraph repealed);

(e. V "Committee on vocational training' the Committee on v0cational training in the cbnstruction
industry;

(/) "constrtrction" : the foundation, erection, majptenance_, renewal, repair,. alteration-and demolition work
on bujldings and civil engineering works carried out on the job site ·1self and vicinity including the previous
preparatory work on the gro·un-0 ;

In addition, the word "construction" includes the installation, repair and maintenance of machinery and
equipment, work carried out in part on the job site itself and in part in the shop, moving of buildings,
transportation of employees, dredging, turfing, cutting and pruning of trees and shrubs and laying out of golf
courses, but solely in the cases determined by regulation;

(g) "collective agreement" : an agreement in writing respecting the conditions of-employment made for a
sector between the negotiating parties of that sector;

(h) (subparagraph repealed);

(i) "dispute" : a disagreement respecting the negotiation or renewal of a collective agreement or respecting
the revision thereof by t e parties pursuant to a clause provi ajng expressly therefor;

(i.1) "recognized client". : an enterprise that is the client of an employer, or an association of such
enterprises, recognized by the Minister for the purpose of the consultation held under section 42, after
consultation with the Minister of Economy and Innovation;

(j) "employ€r": anyone - ·ncluding the Gouv emement au Quebec, who has wQJ°k done-:by an employee;

© Quebec Officia l Publishe R-20 I 4 of 84

CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

(k) "professional employer" : an employer whose main activity is to do construction work and who
habitually employs employees for any kind of work which is the object of a collective agreement;

(k. I) "independent contractor/' : a person or a-partnership holding a specialized contractor's licence issued
under the Building ct (chapter B-1.1) who or which, for others and without the assistance of an employee,
carries out personally or, as the case may be, of which a director, a shareholder holding at least one voting
share or a partner personally carries out for the benefit oftbe legal person or partnership,

i. construction work defined in this Act, if the licence pertains to the "Heavy equipment contractor" or
"Excavation and earthwork contractor" subcategories;

ii. maintenance, repair and minor renovation work defined in this Act, if the licence pertains to any other
subcategory;

(l) "agricultural exploitation" : a farm habitually developed by the farmer himself or through fewer than
three full-time employees;

(m) "strike" : the concerted cessation of work by a group of employees ·

(n) "grievance" : any disagreemen relating to any oftbe, matters mentioned in section 62;

(o) "lock-out" : the refusal by an employer to give work to a group of his employees in order to compel
them, or the employees-of another employer, to accept certain conditions of employment;

(p) ''Minister" : th Minister of Labour;

(p . l) "occupation" : any activity not included in a trade within the meaning of a regulation made under
paragraph 2 of section 123 .1;

(q) " wag· " : the remuneration in currency, ana fhe indemnities ·o r benefits of a pecuniary value as
determineo in a collective-agreement;

(r) "employee'' : ahy apprentice, unslCilled labourer or workman, skilled workman, journeyman or clerk
working for an e,mpJoyer and entitled 'to wages;

(s) "permanent employee' : any employee who habitually aoes maintenance work OJl.. buildings or civil
engineering works and any employee who has been doing production work in an establishment for at least 6
months;

(t) "complementary social benefits plan" : a social security plan established by a collective agreement or a
regulation for the purpose of giving effect to a clause of a collective agreement, especially a supplemental
pension, life, sickness or salary insurance plan or any other group insurance or protection plan;

(u) (subparagraph repealed);

(v) "civil engineering and roads sector" : rhe sector of construction of public or private utility works in the
general ~nterest, including installations, equi ment and buildings physically attached or not to such works,
and in particular the construction of roads, waterworks, sewers, bridges, dams, power lines and gas pipelines;

(w) "industrial seClor" : the sector of construction of buildings, incluaing installations and equipment
physicallY. attached or not to such buildings, reserved Q imarily for the.carrying on of an economic activity
involving the development.of mineral resources, the processing of raw materials -and the production of goods~

(x) "institutional and commercial secto " : the sector of construction of buildings, including installations
and equipment physically attached or not to such buildings, reserved primarily for institutional or commercia
purposes as well as any construction that cannot be included in the resideutial, industrial and civil engineering
and roads sectors;

Updated to March 15, 2023

© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 I S of 84
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LABOUR RELATIONS

(y) "resiaential sector" : the sector of construction of buildings or C0Jllplexes of adjoining buildings,
including installations ano equipment physjcally attached or not to the buildings, at least 85% o the area of
which, excluding parking space, is reserved for res-igential use, and the "number of aboveground storeys of
which, excluding any part of tlie asemen_ and reckoned from any side of1he building or complex, oe not
exceed six in the cas~of.new buih:iings or eight in other cases.

Subparagraphs v toy of the first paragraph do not apply to _the determination of the scope of this Act.
1968, c. 45, s. l; 1970, c. 35, s. l ; 1971, c. 46, s. l; 1973, c. 28, s. l ; 1975, c. 51 , s. l ; 1975, c. 19, s. 12; 1977, c. 5, s. 14; 1979, c. 2, s.
16; 1981 , c. 9, s. 34; 1982, c. 53 , s. 56; 1986, c. 89, s. 2, s. 50; l 988, c. 35, s. 1; l 991, c. 74, s. l 62; l 992, c. 42, s. l ; 1993, c. 61, s. l ;
1994, c. 12, s. 51; 1993, c. 61 , s. 1; 1995, c. 8, s. I; 1996, c. 29, s. 43; l 999, c. 13, s. 8; 1999, c. 40, s. 257; 2011 , c. 30, s. I ; 2014, c.
18, s. 4; 2019, c. 29, s. I.

1.1. The word "construction" defined in subparagraph f of the first paragraph of section 1 includes and
has always included the laying of resilient floor coverings that are an integral part of the building.
1995, c. 8, s. 2.

CHAPTER II
COMMISSION DE LA CONSTRUCTION DU QUEBEC, COMMITTEE ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING
IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND COMMITTEE ON EMPLOYEE BENEFITS IN THE
CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
1986,c. 89,s. 3;2011,c. 30,s. 2.

DIVISION I
COMMISSION

1986, c. 89, s. 3.

§ 1. - Establishment and administration

1986, c. 89,s. 3;2011,c. 30,s. 3.

2. The "Commission de la construction du Quebec" is hereby established.

1975, c. 51, s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 3.

3. The Commission is a legal person.

In addition to the powers conferred on it by this Act, the Commission may

(1) acquire, hold, improve, lease and alienate by onerous title any property;

(2) borrow money;

(3) hypothecate or transfer its property to secure the payment of the bonds or securities it issues;

(4) accept any gift, legacy or other liberality by entirely gratuitous and unconditional title.
1975, c. 51 , s. 2; 1986, c. 89, s. 3; 1~92, c. 42, s. 2; 1999, c. 40, s. 257.

Updated to March 15, 2023

© Quebec Official Publisher R-20 / 6of84
 It is a pilot project that will last
six months and at the end of that
period, Pomerleau's executives
will decide whether it is worth buy-

Robot dog ing two of them. They rented two

because they want to have one as a
backup in case there are problems
Bl~ tg1 r - 2

to replace with one of them.

For now, Pomerleau will have a
4 J>~ . ~fu·AI. ~
s'.affer accompanying the robot to

human at n ake sure everything is working

fine, but it can be preprogrammed
and wander the site on its own.

work site
"The primary goal is ensuring
the safety of our workers, for ex-
ample to detect if there is a danger
of something falling on them,'' said
Eric Lessard, chief digital officer
Its camera takes at Pomerleau. "But it will also
provideuswithareal-timechron-
500 photos a day 1 icle of the progress on our work
sites."
T/(l ~zJk ~/ot/ioio SEE ROBOT ON A2
BRENDAN KELLY

There will be a new type of work-

er on a Pomerleau construction
site in Quebec as of Friday, a most
unusual addition to the compa-
ny's staff. It's a robot named Spot.
Montreal-based Pomerleau says it
is the first company in the world to
use this robot on a daily basis on an
active work site.
The robot, which is just under
three feet high and weighs 70
pounds, will patrol the construc-
tion sites taking up to 500 photos
per day via a 360-degree camera
mounted on its back and other
cameras on its body. The photos
will then be automatically down-
loaded and sent to Pomerleau
managers at the end of the robot's
shift.
The camera is connected to a
documentation platform called
HoloBuilder, which allows the
Pomerleau executives to analyze
the work site's progress using vir-
tual design and construction soft-
ware. The photos can be used' to
t rack the progress of the project
and to see if it looks to be coming
in under or over budget, and ifit is
on schedule.
Pomerleau, one of Canada's
leading construction companies,
is renting two robots from Boston
Dynamics, a Massachusetts com-
pany that specializes in engineer-
ing and robotics design. Boston
Dynamics is known for creating
BigDog, a four-legged robot made
for the American military.
Executives at Pomerleau would
not reveal how much they are
paying to rent the two robots,
only saying it is a costly piece of
equipment.

Construction
firm says robot
will improve ·
safety, quality
ROBOT FROM Al
Until now, Pomerleau and other
construction companies have had
to hire someone to walk through
the sites and take the photos. So if
they end up buying the robots, it
will save them having to use em-
ployees to do the job.
Spot runs on rechargeable bat-
teries good for eight hours and has
sensors on all sides to help it avoid
bumping into things.
"There's three goals," said Debby
Cordeiro, vice-president of com-
munications and marketing at Po-
merleau. "The first goal is health
and safety ... The robot has the
ability to get into tight spaces and
go into areas that would otherwise
be more risky or more dangerous
for human beings. So being able to
look at how a particular element
~ }
Issac Charbonneau Beaulieu controls a robot that will be used to make 30 images and photographs of a work site
as part of a trial by Montreal-based construction firm Pomerleau. ALLEN McINNIS
\
has been installed in an area that's quality product and in order to do finding ways to innovate ... and
a tight fit or would otherwise be that we need to have good visibility this allows us to take the person
hard to access is a definite plus," over how the project is evolving. who would have otherwise been
she said. "(Also) being able to see Although we have staff that are walking around with a camera on
the pictures after the daily down- going around, this is just an extra top of their helmet and having to
load does provide additional in- pair of eyes. take these pictures manually, and
sight into which areas need to be "The third thing is, the con- now that person can analyze the
secured in a better way or what struction industry is transform- pictures instead of just managing
areas are already well secured. So ing itself, like many other indus- the input."
it's a good assessment tool. tries," Cordeiro said. "In fact, you Pomerleau would not reveal
"The second thing is quality," could argue that the construction which ofits construction sites will
Cordeiro said. "The other thing industry is one of the last indus- be hosting Spot on Friday.
that's very important in construc- tries to transform itseif from a bkelly@postmedia.com
tion is that we want to deliver a digital standpoint. That means Twitter.com/brendanshowbiz
-

Spot the robot walks the Pomerleau construction site in Place Ville Marie on Thursday. It's one of two rented
robots that are part of a six-month pilot project to monitor work progress using photos. ALLEN McINNIS
 GODFATHER OF Al NOW WARNING
THE WORLD ABOUT HIS 'CHILD'
TORONTO PROF SAYS HE REGRETS LIFE'S WORK
_; fl/1"-Y lDl~ ~-citk
ADRIAN HUMPHREYS

sions, mixed with the an:...1ty

of an AI machine to vvrite its
own computer code, it can
lead to a "nightmare scenar-

W
hen he was a com- io;' he told the BBC.
puter science pro- "Right now, they're not
fessor at the Uni- more intelligent than us, as
versity of Toronto, far as I can tell. But I think
Geoffrey Hinton revolu- they soon may be," he said.
tionized the way machines "What we're seeing is
interact with people and things like GPT-4 eclipses a
the world. His work was so
innovative, he was scooped
up by Google and dubbed
the "Godfather of Artificial LOOKATHOW
Intelligence."
As AI explodes into the
Geoffrey Hinton ITWASFIVE
public realm with leaping "It is hard to see how you
enhancements, however can prevent the bad actors YEARS AGO
he is now frightened by hi~ from using it for bad things." AND HOW
child. .The immediate danger, he
I He has quit his job at said, was Al's ability to cre- IT IS NOW.
Google, he said, "so that I a~e convincing false photos,
could talk about the dangers VI~eos and audio - showing
of AI." thmgs that didn't happen or
Hinton's remarkable shift weren't done by the people person in the amount of gen-
from leading AI proponent seen or heard in the generat- eral knowledge it has and it
to AI klaxon pushes con- ed content. eclipses them by a long way.
cerns over the rapid pace Most people, he said will In terms of reasoning, it's not
of its development from "not be able to know what is as good, but it does already
the confines of the scientif- true anymore." do simple reasoning."
ic community and chronic He said AI can also de- His simple explanations
doomsayers. stroy job sectors by replacing in interviews show why he
Hinton, 75, is starting human workers. Then, he was a good university pro-
to regret his life's work ac- warns, could come some- fessor. He spells out an ad-
cording to a feature in'ter- thing even more frightening. vantage machines have over
view in The New York With AI systems consum- humans when it comes to
Times. ing so much data and reach- learning.
"I console myself with the ing some unexpected conclu- "I've come to the conclu-
normal excuse: If I hadn't sion that the kind of intel-
done it, somebody else ligence we're developing is
would have," Hinton told re- very different from the intel-
porter Cade Metz from Hin- ligence we have," he said to
ton's Toronto home. the BBC.
"Look at how it was five "We're biological systems
years ago and how it is now:" and these are digital sys-
Hinton is quoted sayin~ tems. And the big difference
about the pace of develop- is that with digital systems,
ment of AI "Thke the differ- you have many copies of
ence and propagate it for- the same set of weights, the
wards. That's scary." same model of the world.
Right now it is not so And all these copies can
much the machines, but the learn separately but share
people using them. their knowledge instantly.
 "So it's as if you had
10,000 people and when-
ever one person learnt
something, everybody auto-
matically knew it. And that's
how these chatbots can
know so much more than
any one person."
Hinton, born in Britain,
came to canada in 1987 after
holding teaching positions
in the United States, to work
as a computer science pro-
fessor at the University of
Toronto, and later became a
Canadian citizen.
His research here was
transformational. His Toron-
to research group made ma-
jor breakthroughs in deep
learning that revolutionized
speech recognition and ob-
ject classification.
The ideas and research on
deep neural networks emer-
ging from the startup com-
pany he created with two of
his graduate students was so
exciting Google didn't just
recruit bim, they bought the
whole company in 2012 for
$44 million.
Hinton then divided his
time between the university
and Google, and in 2016 he
was named a Google vice
president and engineering
fellow running Google's arti-
i
ficial intelligence lab in To-
ronto. He retired from teach-
ing at the university and re-
tained a professor emeritus
status.
He was named a Compan-
ion of the Order of Canada in
2018 for being "the driving
force behind the develop-
ment of a new form of artifi-
cial intelligence:'
His pioneering and in-
fluential work in AI was
honoured in 2019 when he
won the A.M. Turing Award,
dubbed the Nobel Prize of
computing, alongside two
collaborators, Yann LeCun,
of Facebook and New York
University, and Yoshua
Bengio, of Universite de
Montreal.
Hinton complained on
'l\vitter that the piece in The
New York Times made it
seem he was attacking his
former employer, Google.
"Cade Metz implies that
I left Google so that I could
criticize Google. Actually, I
left so that I could talk about
the dangers of AI without
considering how this im-
pacts Google. Google has act-
ed very responsibly," he said
in a tweet.
N ational Post
LI I Y FRIDAY, APRIL 21, 2017 MONTREAL GAZETTE A7

Top court to review

Churchill Falls deal
on hydro prices
ST. JOHN'S, N.L. Perhaps no one establish a new contract.
was more cautiously thrilled than "It would give us the fairness that
Tom Marshall to hear Thursday the people of the province have al-
that Canada's top court will re- ways wanted."
view the long disputed Churchill A spokesman for Hydro-Quebec
Falls hydro deal - a case that could said Thursday it's "unfortunate
reap big money for a cash-strapped that both parties are devoting so ~~!:..>
province. much energy to litigation rather The Churchill Falls power development has long been a sore point for Newfoundland, which says the original 1969
Th.e former premier of New- than looking into more construc- price agreement gives unfair benefits to Quebec. THE CANADIAN PREss
foundland and Labrador was jus- tive avenues."
tice minister seven years ago when "The courts have always found in The case draws on legal opinions success, that profits of such mag- when they signed the contract,"
he read a collection of legal opin- favour of Hydro-Quebec with re- based on civil law in Germany and nitude from electricity were un- they ruled. "The uncontradicted
ions. They offered hope that there spect to its position to uphold the France, Marshall said. foreseen in 1969 and that Hydro- evidence establishes that they
might be a way to win one of the 1969 contract," Serge Abergel said · "We all owe a duty, especially Quebec had a duty to renegotiate knew that the price of hydroelec-
most bitter 'political feuds in the in an emailed statement. in long contracts, of good faith to the contract. tric power was subject to fluctua-
country: the fight over wildly lop- Under the deal, Hydro-Quebec each other - not only at the time The Quebec Court ofAppeal up- tion but theyvoluntarily agreed to
sided benefits from the Churchill agreed to buy almost all the ener- we started, when we entered into held the 2014 lower court ruling, fix the price."
Falls hydroelectric dam and power gy generated by the hydroelectric it, but when we execute it over its agreeing the provincially owned The court also found the general
station in Labrador. plapt it financed on the Churchill longterm." power utility has no obligation to principle of"good faith," as found
Terms of the 65-year contract River in Labrador. Still, Marshall is realistic about reopen the agreement. in Quebec's civil code, doesn't ap-
signed in 1969 have so far deliv- The contract set a fixed price for the prospects of the case. Vari- Under the 1969 terms, Hydro- ply to Churchill Falls as the con-
ered about $27.5 billion for Hydro- the energy that would decrease in ous aspects of the contract have Quebec may purchase the electric- tract has remained "profitable" for
Quebec versus $2 billion 'f or New- stages over time. already been argued before the ity at low prices before reselling Newfoundland.
foundland and Labrador. At issue in this latest legal argu- highest court on different legal it at much higher values on the Siobhan Coady, natural resourc-
If the Supreme Court of Canada ment is whether Hydro-Quebec principles, twice, without success. domestic market and for export. es minister for Newfoundland and
rules the deal should be reopened, has a "good faith" obligation to "There's never a guarantee you're The legal challenge said the Labrador, welcomed news that the
it could mean a massive windfall in take into account how electricity going to win, especially when a new contract was unfair and essen- Supreme Court of Canada will take
a province that ~esperately needs markets have changed since 1969, law would have to be made here." tially broken by "unpredictable another look.
one. Marshall said. · This most recent court challenge events" that have transformed "That would be of tremendous
"We're not asking for the con- "When you have long contracts, began seven years ago. energy sales. financial benefit," she said of a po-
tract to be cancelled," Marshall said in many cases the circumstances Churchill Falls (Labrador) Corp. But the five Quebec Court of tential win. Public spending soared
in an interview. "We're asking the that existed when you entered into Ltd. - whose parent company is Appeal judges rejected those ar- during an offshore oil boom and
court to orderHydro-Quebecto re- them have changed, and changed Crown corporation Nalcor En- guments. · the province has suffered punish-
negotiate the contract with us and, substantially. That's what hap- ergy - went to Quebec Superior "It is inappropriate to re-ex- ing fiscal hits since prices dropped.
if they don't, that the court itself pened here." Court in 2010. It argued, without amine the parties' circumstances The Canadian Press
Montreal-based SNC-Lavalin's acquisition of WS Atkins PLC will increase SNC-Lavalin's size by raising ann1.1al
revenues to $12.1 billion and growing staff numbers to 53,000. RYAN REMIORZITHE CANADIAN PRESS FILES

SNC-Lavalin strikes deal to buy

U.K. engineering giant for $3.68
).i ~/ u17
ROSS MARO WITZ addition of the complementary ers, regulatory and court approval.
business expands SNC-Lavalin's SNC-Lavalin's largest share-
SNC-Lavalin is making the larg- geographic reach and diversifies holder, The Caisse de depot, will
est transaction in its history after its global customer base. provide $400 million through the
reaching an agreement to pur- Founded in 1938, WSAtkins has private purchase of equity and a
chase British engineering and 18,000 employees and about two $1.5-billion non-recourse loan se-
project management consultancy billion pounds of annual revenues cured by its interest in l;Iighway
WS Atkins PLC for $3.6 billion. from activities mainly in the U.K. 407 near Toronto. The rest is fi-
The Montreal-based company and Scandinavia, along with the nanced by debt and the issuance
announced the transaction Thurs- U.S., Middle East and Asia. About of equity.
day, about two weeks after it con- 86 per cent of its revenues are in About $120 million in cost sav-
firmed making a tentative offer. infrastructure and 14 per cent in ings are expected one year after the
The deal, expected to close in the energy. acquisition. J
third q11arter and to be approved Bruce said the addition of WS "This transaction has the po-
by the boards of both companies, Atkins will increase margins and tential to transform SNC-Lavalin
will enhance SNC-Lavalin's size by improve SNC-Lavalin's position into one of the leading engineering
boosting annual revenues to $12.1 in infrastructure, rail and tran- consulting firms in the world," said
billion and increasing employee sit, and nuclear by capitalizing on la Caisse CEO Michael Sabia in a
numbers to 53,000. large-scale infrastructure projects statement. "The acquisition will
"This acquisition is fully aligned in North America and nuclear strengthen the company's posi-
with our stated growth strategy of maintenance and decommission- tion in high-growth market seg-
becoming a recognized global E&C ing projects. ments and industries, in addition
powerhouse," SNC-Lavalin CEO It will acquire WS Atkins stock to enhancing its presence in the
Neil Bruce said in a conference call for 20.80 pounds per share in cash, European market."
after markets closed. He said the subject to approval by sharehold- The Canadian Press
 the company is betting that its boosted ethics culture,
improving bottom line and marketing push will pro-
vide the edge to grow in size and geographic footprint
in a challenging and competitive marketplace.
Led since last year by its second non-Canadian CEO,
S C-Lavalin has implemented a global employee eth-
ics program and made deals at numerous government
levels to resolve infractions, repay and recover fraudu-
lently obtained proceeds, and continue its eligibility to
bid government work. Still, a trial on 2015 federal
charges over alleged bribes and fraud linked to past work
in Libya won't start until 2018. A conviction could debar
the firm for 10 years from its Canadian public-works
contracts, which include leading tl1e signature $3-billion
replacement of Montreal's Champlain Bridge that is
being done by a public-private venture. Sources close
to the case say that outcome is not likely.
President and CEO eil Bruce, 56, a veteran Scottish-
bom oil-and-gas engineer brought in to inlprove project
Pushing past its corruption crisis,
execution and accelerate growth, is impatient to push
Canadian design-builder SNC- S C-Lavalin past the scandal in his goal to double 2015's
Lavalin Group Inc. gears up for $7 .23-billion revenue total and profitability of the fiml,
traded on tl1e Toronto stock exchange. 'We want to get
global growth in core sectors back to even keel and put tl1at stuff behind us," he says.
ICONIC
By Debra K. Rubin and Scott Van Voorhis Firm plans to sell "We want to build an open, transparent organization,
its legacy Montreal where there's no tactics or hiding behind things."
building as part
n 2011, SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. published a of a $100-million A 15-year veteran of U.K.-based AMEC (now
glossy, 250-page book to mark the centennial of cost-cutting effort. AMEC Foster Wheeler), he engineered S C-
the Montreal engineer-constructor, recounting
its growth into a business and government con-
tracting giant that built or has managed much of
Canada's infrastructure, and took its expertise
global. The book, effused its publisher in an on-
line promotion, is "a whirlwind tour of the people,
projects and decision points that shaped S C-Lavalin
into what it has become."
Wit h an introduction by then-CEO Pierre
Duhain1e, the book is rarely touted at the now 40,000-
person firm, as a corruption scandal that unfolded in
2012 under his watch has resonated throughout S C-
Lavalin's 21-story corporate headquarters. Duhaime,
a four-decade company veteran, was forced to resign
and now faces trial for fraud and bribery related to the
award of a large Montreal hospital contract. He has
pleaded not guilty in preliminary heari ngs. But cor-
ruption allegations expanded to other top managers
and projects in India, Bangladesh, Algeria and Libya-
' with major bottom-line and reputation impacts the
firm has worked to overcome.
The firm enters its second century still dogged by
legal, financial and perceptional fall out from what's
known and surmised about the corruption issues, but
20 • ENR • December 12/19, 2016 enr.com

IN CHARGE
Neil Bruce was
elevated to CEO
last year to push
project execution
and culture change.
Lava lin's 20 14 acquisition o f Britain's Kentz Corp,
,.-'-jfh greatly expanded the new parent's oil-and-gas
_.,bility, particularly in the Middle East. The execu-
tive earned the prestigious Order of the British Empire
in 2011 for his contributions to engineering, but as-
sociates say he is struggling to master Quebec's domi-
nant French language. An industry source says Bruce
MAJOR PLAYER SNC-Lavalin leads a consortium that is build-
ing the $3.2-billion replacement for Montreal's Champlain Bridge,
set to finish in 2018, and it is short-listed for three other large
transportation infrastructure jobs.
$48
Amount of
left AMEC in a management dispute over its growth infrastructure
stra tegy but has implemented some of that firm's ap- backlog that
SNC-Lavalin
proaches at S _C-Lava lin.
noted on Nov. 3
The firm already has benefited from its key positions
in its latest
in surging North American infrastructure markets and quarterly results
links to new opportunities in improving power, oil and report.
gas, and mining niches globally-what Bruce considers
core markets. "Having a portfolio between these four
sectors, between design and construction and between
services and major projects, is the ideal place for us to
be," says Bruce. "We won't chase after what's the most
attractive sector at any point in time." The firm noted
nearly $9 billion in backlog as of Sept. 30, $4 billion of
which was in infrastructure work.
Even with the "commercial issues" S C-Lavalin dis-
closed on ov. 3 in its quarterly results related to an
unnamed Middle East oil-and-gas contract that hurt
earnings, analysts are bullish. Apart from that, "every
division showed positive earnings [before interest and
taxes] contribution in the E&C business," says Maxim
enr.com December 12/19, 2016 • ENR • 21
 LI NGERING Corruption found in SNC-Lavalin 's push for a 2013 Bangladesh bridge brought a 10-year World Bank debarment to
22°/o
Proportion of
a number of company units. Work now (left) is being funded and managed by Chinese entities. A recently opened
Montreal megahospital (right) also is the focus of lawsuits involving bribes paid by former SNC-Lavalin executives.

2015 revenue Sytchev, a managing director at ational Bank on-disclosure agreements prevent Card and
reported from of Canada, Toronto, who rated its shares as "out- other former S C-Lavalin executives from
the Middle East perform." The company in November said it speaking to ENR, but in a 2013 interview, he
and Africa. nearly has reached its C$100-million cost-reduc- said employees careers "depend on absolute
tion goal, an effort begun last year that includes compliance" with the firm's ethics mandates.
selling its landmarkMontreal office and adjacent Pohlmann also declined to cliscuss SNC-Lavalin
land and leasing back space. It maintained for the specifics, but ethics compliance is "the founda-
CARD
year its earnings guidance of C$1.30 to C$1.60 tion for a sustainable business," he told E-
per share. "We never were and are now not of the view " ew prospects want to see if they can be proud of t.rns
the company would have a materially more clifficult time employer. It's a prerequisite to recniit talent."
securing work because of the issues," says Yuri Lynk, di- The program included amnesty for employees to
rector of equity research at Canaccord Genuity Corp. "I report potential wron gdoing and bonuses tied to
have been covering the stock for a better part of 10 years, ethics performance. Employees now have "a duty to
and I haven't seen a funnel as big as this." report," Pohlmann told The Wall Street Journal in
S C-Lavalin has been a Canadian icon since its 2014. Current compliance chiefHentie Dirker, who
origins as two separate engineering firms in 1911. The reports to the firm's general counsel, says, "We now
two merged 80 years later, some say in a move promoted start all meetings of four or more discussing ethics as
by the government. It has had an ownership stake in well as safety." The firm also started a collaboration
valuable assets, such as Canada's only electronic tolled with global anti-bribery group TRACE International
highway, in Ontario; the country's CANDU nuclear to launch an anti-bribe and ethics awareness-raising
technology, bought in 2011; and, today, being marketed campaign in South Africa for small and medium-sized
globally in reactor construction through a subsidiary. firms and multinationals in the region. Dirker says
"We've got an increclibly good balance sheet, great as- more than 50 compani es are involved.
sets and, currently, next to no debt-quite a different Richard Leblanc, an ethics law professor at York Uni-
position than a lot of our competitors," says Bruce. versity, Toronto, notes changes S C-Lavalin made to its
"We're investing and have skin in the game." board, which failed to detect the past management failures.
"They had people in over their heads ... who really clidn't
Legacies understand the construction industry," he said, adcling that
In tl1e wake of its 2012 crisis, S C-Lavalin wiped clean directors of Canaclian companies in risky areas, such as
its former executive suite, recruiting American Robert mining, oil and gas and construction, also are rethinking
Card, a former CH2M executive and U .S. whether it is worth doing business in certain coun-
Energy Dept. official, to engineer a new "world tries. "I would think this was a wake-up call," adds
class" approach to global ethics as a priority in analyst Lynk. "It brought to light a couple of is~ -
a firm in which looser practices were long toler- with board oversight and governance." WhileL
ated, some say encouraged, by past chiefs. He clia reports and opinions have criticized the board
tapped Andreas Pohlmann, a German who for being "asleep at the switch," Sytchev says "it
advised bribe-scandal-scarred Siemens Corp., acted to preserve the continuity of the company."
DUHAIME
as S C-Lavalin's first chief compliance officer. A component of the company also remains,

22 • ENR • December 12/19, 2016 e nr. com

ON THE EDGE Canadian police raided SNC-Lavalin headquarters in 2013 (left), when the firm was charged with fraud over
work in Libya. Current CEO Nei l Bruce explains the company's plan to repay past overcharges.

since 2013, debarred from World Bank work for eight program. Toronto attorney Milos Barutciski, with cli-
to 10 years, stemming from a corruption scandal over ents indirectly involved in the SNC-Lavalin litigation,
the contract award for the Padma Bridge in Bangla- says the firm "would be an obvious candidate as a sinner
desh. The bank dropped its funding for the estimated who has repented."
$3-billion project, which has been replaced by Chinese But there are critics of the DPA approach. "SNC
financiers and contractors and is set for completion in now is changing internal procedures that may or may
2018. While a top bank official publicly acknowledged not work," says Patricia Adams, executive director of
SNC-Lavalin's ethics overhaul in a 2015 Montreal Probe International, a Toronto corporate watchdog
)ch, a spokeswoman declines to say whether the group, who thinks such agreements diminish "employee
t1iort will alter the penalty. The company says bank self-enforcement." Leblanc notes one mining company
work made up a small portion of its revenue. CEO client who point-blank told employees, "If you
As for the federal charges, levied in 2015 for alleged ever give a nickel to anyone ... I will fire you and ensure
bribes of Libyan officials after a media-grabbing raid of you are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law." Ad-
SNC-Lavalin's premises, the firm has agreed to strict con- ams also is critical of a Canadian Supreme Court deci-
ditions and third-party oversight of its
business practices. Bruce says the firm can
await its fate in court, not set to happen
SNC-LAVALIN SCOPES OUT ITS ETHICS JOURNEY
until 2020. Also in the mix is a deferred
prosecution agreement (DPA}-a legal - ONE FROM THE TOP: BUY-IN AND COMMUNICATION OF THE E&C PROGRAM BY MANAGEMENT
outcome not now available in Canada un-
der which the firm would be accountable
for past actions but not criminally con-
victed, which could impact its domestic (/)
contracting status and overseas prospects.
Former CEO Card was outspoken o6 ~
on the need for DPA legal authority in (/) ::J
Canada, something that exists in the Q) "O
BUSINESS PARTNERS: SCOPE CHECKS, DUE DILIGENCE, VALIDATION AND MONITORING
U.S. and U.K. Bruce is hopeful that,
() ~
based on its toughened ethics stance,
the firm can settle the charges without
prosecution, even without a DPA in
o
a.. a..
e
place. "We're willing to do whatever it
takes," he says, adding that DPAs
'tJnted to foreign competitors may not
~de been as rigorous. The Trudeau
government has signaled it would be - INTEGRATION WITH PERSONNEL PROCESSES: BACKGROUND CHECKS, DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS
open-minded toward a DPA, although Sl.C~LAVAL~
SOURCE

officials have been more focused on roll- AMENDS SNC-Lavalin hired its first chief compliance officer and implemented a broad global ethics pro-
ing out a major infrastructure spending gram, including a hot line, amnesty and management bonuses tied to meeting compliance mandates.

enr.com December 12/19, 2016 • ENR • 23

GROWTH STRATEGY SNC-Lavalin aims to use owned assets, such as a tolled Ontario highway (left), to fuel growth and profits.
Maintenance work in the Middle East oil sector (center) is still seen as a key growth area, despite th e price crash . Sandy Taylor
(seated at table, at right), president of the company's power unit, reached a deal in September with Chinese executives to expand
SNC-Lavalin's proprietary nuclear technology in China and jointly in other nations.
sion last May that allowed the World Bank immunity in
providing details to prosecutors and defense attorneys
in upcoming trials of former SNC-Lavalin executives.
In the meantime, Bruce is leveraging the company's
strengths. "We've got huge growth potential organi-
cally, specifically in infrastructure, and a fantastic
balance sheet once we get the stability and people have
the confidence in us delivering," he says.
"",ven with the Trump administration's talk of a
:i>1-trillion infrastructure push in the U.S. and a core of
U.S.-based employees, S C-Lavalin believes Trudeau's
Canadian infrastructure plan will provide plenty of
opportunity for the firm at home. S C-Lavalin is short-
listed on the $4.4-billion Montreal light-rail project, to
be partially funded by one of Canada's largest pension
funds; the planned $3 -billion Gordie Howe bridge,
connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit; and a
$900-million Toronto light-rail project. "These are
certainly big, chunky projects," says analyst Lynk.
In an earnings call last month, Bruce said work on
the Champlain Bridge "is going pretty well, slightly
ahead of schedule. The project is in good health." He
also foresees active project bidding next year. "If people
are struggling for revenue, they will have to wait for
2018," says Bruce. "But we're not in that position."
The CEO also foresees acquisition, to broaden the
firm's global reach into Europe and Asia, where it is
weaker. In the U.K., "they've actually kicked off a
whole infrastructure piece that North America still is
talking about," he says, pointing to announced airport
and high-speed-rail upgrades, among other projects.
SNC-Lavalin also sees huge global potential in the
nuclear sector. The firm in September signed a deal
"th China ational uclear Corp. to build CAi"JDU
~ctors in China and Argentina. In a video interview,
Sandy Taylor, president of the company's power unit
and signatory of the deal with Chinese officials, called
it a "game changer" for its ability to expand the tech-
nology's more efficient uranium-fuel recycling. "If we
41°/o
Proportion of
2015 revenue
look at the nuclear sector as a whole, it takes longer to SNC-Lavalin
get things started, but there's a lot coming to fruition." reported in
But Leblanc says the firm should tread carefully. oil-and-gas
"China is ranked as one of the more corrupt countries market work.
in the world, but it is enacting anti-bribery statutes,"
he says. "It is not Libya, but it is not a Western country,
either." Taylor said its Chinese JV "will have all the
same standards and expectations as the company."
And despite the Middle East oil-and-gas execution
issues that Bruce says will resolve with "lessons
learned," he is optimistic about the sector, particularly
as crude oil rose above $55 a barrel to hit a 16-month
high on Dec. 5, after OPEC moved to cut production.
The firm last spring won an EPC contract of undis-
closed value at Aramco's Ras Tanura refinery in Saudi
Arabia to expand asphalt production facilities, say on-
line reports. Bruce and other execs also point to S TC-
Lavalin's niche in facility maintenance.
Bruce says employees want to move on. "The more
global, experienced people join us because they see
what's the ambition of the company," he says. Adds
analyst Sytchev, "Given all the compliance procedures
implemented, this is a very different company."
But not all are so magnanimous. "Some people are not
going to forgive us," says S C-Lavalin spokesman Louis-
Antoine Paquin. An industry management consultant adds,
''.Just making assumptions that something in your culture
goes away because you will it away is not founded." Indus-
try peers are watching. "You do not change the culture
overnight, but they are on the right path, as is _the rest of
the industry in Quebec," says Robert Gomes, CEO of
Stantec, which in 2015 acquired the key assets of Montreal
engineer Dessau after its CEO resigned over bribe allega-
tions. "It was not only our industry that had to change but
the clients and government, as well ... so time will tell."
Bruce is resolute. "We've had issues in the company
we wouldn't wish on anyone," he says. "But it's been
an opportunity to build .. . the systems and processes
we want, with no surprises as our goal." •
enr.com December 12/19, 2016 • ENR • 25
 By James E. Rowings,1 Fellow, ASCE, Mark 0. Federle,2 Member, ASCE, and
Sara A. Birkland,3 Member, ASCE

ABSTR ACT: The heart of the competitiveness in the U.S. construction industry has always been the skilled
workforce that has been available to implement the technology of construction. During the late 1980s, many
experts predicted severe shortages in the skilled workforce by the year 2000. This perception was based on
demographic shifts in our population and the demands for workers in other areas of the economy. Based on this
perception, a study was undertaken to examine the issues and survey a broad cross section of the craft workforce.
This paper describes the results of a questionnaire administered to more than 4,600 craftworkers throughout the
United States concerning their perceptions of their job, career, and employment conditions. The results of this
questionnaire provide new insight into how craftworkers perceive job satisfaction, satisfaction with the financial
aspects of construction work, career orientation, and pride. The study provides a model for individual companies
to develop similar surveys to assess their employee's perceptions. The survey provided an opportunity to gather
a broad range of information regarding the perceptions of our current craft workforce. The insights provided by
this survey should provide a basis to address problems that may arise with craftworker shortages in the United
States. A better knowledge of the perceptions of the craft workforce results in the potential to improve the
management's ability to get the best out of the construction workforce, retain skills that currently exist, and
build a strong and competitive future workforce.

INTRODUCTION istics of the construction workforce. The study examined many

The construction industry faces many challenges. Many of
these challenges arise through a need to maintain a skilled and
competitive craft workforce . The source of these challenges
are the changing demographic characteristics of the United
States and the changes that have occurred in the economic,
social, organizational, and technological environment in the
United States during the last 20 years . In an earlier paper,
Federle et al. (1993) asserted that to effectively address the
challenges facing the construction industry, the most compet-
itive firms will have a thorough understanding of the charac-
teristics of their workforce. This paper presents the results of
a craft survey that identifies the characteristics of the craft
workforce and addresses the attitudes and perceptions that
emerged.
BACKGROUND
Several studies in the 1980s predicted severe labor shortages
in the U.S. workforce (Fullerton 1989; Abramson 1987; Sil-
vestri and Lukasiewickz 1989) for the coming decade and be-
yond the year 2000. The general workforce studies portrayed
a period of rapid change in the workforce demographics. The
construction industry also saw several predictions for the
shortages being made (Construction 1990; "More" 1989;
Schriener 1990). These studies portrayed a bleak picture of the
future supply of craftworkers to meet the growing demand
perceived at the time. This concern was widespread throughout
the industry and was reinforced by regional shortages being
felt in several of the trades at the time. The concern by mem-
bers of the Construction Industry Institute (Cll), comprising
primarily large industrial owners and contractors, led them to
sponsor a study aimed at learning more about the character-
1
Prof.-in-Charge, Constr. Engrg., Dept. of Civ. and Constr. Engrg.,
Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011-3232.
2
Asst. Prof. of Constr. Engrg., Dept. of Civ. and Constr. Engrg., Iowa
State Univ., Ames, IA.
3
Assoc. Proj . Controls Engr., The Pritchard Corp., 10950 Grandview
Dr., Overland Park, KS 66210-1414.
Note. Discussion open until August 1, 1996. To extend the closing
date one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Manager
of Journals. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and
possible publication on June 12, 1995 . This paper is part of the Journal
of Construction Engineering and Management, Vol. 122, No. 1, March,
1996. <OASCE, ISSN 0733-9364/96/0001-0083-0090/$4.00 + $.50 per
page. Paper No. 5441.
JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996 / 83
facets of the perceived problem and included an effort to sur-
vey a large number of craftworkers on a variety of subjects.
This survey was created around the model of influences, de-
veloped and reported earlier (Federle et al. 1993 ), of the craft
workforce to gain a better understanding of the perceptions of
workers toward their profession, employer, and job. This paper
presents some of the more significant results of the survey.
WORK FORCE MODEL
The model was developed from personal interviews with
construction industry leaders, brainstorming sessions with the
CII task-force members, and a review of literature concerning
career choice. It is a hybrid of previously developed career-
choice models (Van Maanen and Schein 1977; Sonnenfeld
1984; Feldman 1987; Holland 1966). This model is presented
in Fig. 1. A detailed discussion of the model was presented
earlier (Federle et al. 1993).
This model portrays a filter through which an individual's
values, interests, aspirations, perceived abilities, and percep-
tions about the construction industry influence whether the in-
dividual would consider a career in construction. These influ-
ences were the subject of the questionnaire. The desire for an
office position or a college degree and the concern for safety
are examples that act as filters for those individuals entering
the next pool, the construction worker pool, or choosing a
career in another industry (see the arrow leading to this career
choice in Eg. 1).
In addition to influences that determine whether an individ-
ual chooses this pool, a number of other influences affect the
relative size of the overall pool. These include individual and
family perceptions, weather, family relations, wages (both
hourly and annual), industry structure, overall industry image,
educational system, and labor unions. These influences were
also examined in the questionnaire administered to the
craftworkers.
The model of influence presents only a starting point to a
more analytical examination of the construction workforce.
The issues related to recruitment, utilization, and retention are
complex and dynamic. This model provides a point of depar-
ture for addressing the data needs that support a more quan-
titative decision support model, which in turn addresses the
inevitable convolutions in the regional workforce supply and
demand in the construction industry. The model provides a
 U.S.
Labor
Force

I1 lndlvldulaVfamlly
perceptions "'> ..,,
Filter weather .,,, Fiiter
Regional Retirement
·family.,,, "" Minimum
Values relations "=> Construction In a Career
Interests q wages<=> <=> Wortter q advancament training
Aspirations apprenticeship· · Leave Industry
lrldustry structure"" Pool Retention
Perceived Ablitles vocational education because of other
Image"" Strategies
General Perceptions etc. reasons
educational system.::>~
labor unions

Job Didn't stay In Industry long or It all

Opportunities ll

Leaves Industry Other

Job 1--------q Industries

Leaves and enters construction at will

Never enters construction Industry

FIG. 1. Model

structure for the development of the questionnaire that pro- ·
vided quantitative measures of workers' perceptions of many
.)f the influences identified in the model.
STUDY ORIENTATION
The study focused on the crafts employed by the sponsoring
firms in en. These firms are generally large industrial con-
tractors working nationwide. The questionnaire was adminis-
tered to over 4,600 construction craftworkers representing
more than 30 skills. The craft questionnaire was administered
at the jobsite during working hours. Questionnaires came from
both union and nonunion job sites throughout the United
States, although a large proportion of the questionnaires came
from the gulf coast and southeastern regions of the country.
PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was separated into three sections that: (1)
Requested demographic information about the respondents; (2)
questioned the craftworkers about their attitudes toward con-
struction work and why they chose to become a construction
worker; and (3) questioned their perceptions on the career as-
pects of construction work. The third section also asked the
respondent to describe whether certain characteristics were
true or false in regard to both the construction industry and
the manufacturing industry. In addition, workers were asked
what advice they had received about entering the construction
industry and what advice they would give an 18-yr-old high-
school senior about becoming a craftworker. This article is
primarily concerned with the second section of the question-
naire. The results from the third section will be reported
separately.
84 /JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996
Survey's Importance
Understanding the perceptions of craftworkers toward the
construction industry is important-what they enjoy, what
makes them enthusiastic, what they like to do, what they
would change, etc. This information is important for managers
of construction projects to provide opportunities for improving
the construction worksite environment. For instance, a crew
may be disgruntled because of the lack of a small hand tool.
If such a situation occurs frequently, this source of dissatis-
faction may result in productive workers leaving the company
or possibly leaving the construction industry altogether.
Demographics
Seven companies assisted with the study by distributing the
questionnaire to their craft personnel. The number of responses
received from the various companies ranged from a low of 99
(2% of the total responses) to 2,285 responses (47% of the
total responses). Although only a limited number of companies
were represented, the diversity of companies and project lo-
cations participating in this survey should make the informa-
tion generated by the responses valuable across a broader con-
struction audience.
Table 1 and Figs. 2-6 present the majority of the demo-
graphic information collected from the respondents. As shown,
the vast majority of respondents were male (94.8%, N =
4,585). Other demographic information includes racial/ethnic
data: African American (7.4%, N = 353), Hispanics (10.5%,
N = 502), Native American (2.7%, N = 127), Asian American
(0.7%, N = 32), Caucasian (78.4%, N = 3,738), and Other
(0.3%, N = 14). The minority construction workers are a
slightly larger percentage of the total (in this study) than is
reported in national statistics published by the Bureau of Cen-
sus (Statistical 1990), where African Americans were reported
to be 6.8% of total craftworkers and Hispanics 7.8%. This
 TABLE 1. (Continued)
TABLE 1. Demographic Characteristics
(1) (2) (3) (4)
Questionnaire Response Frequency Category Reason for leaving Retirement 2,470 55.6
item category of response percentage the construction Layed off 259 5.8
(1) (2) (3) (4) industry Better job 1,563 35.2
Gender Female 250 5.2 Safety concerns 152 3.4
Male 4,585 94.8 No response 407 -
Marital status Married 3,325 68.8 Willing to spend No 1,432 30.3
Single 874 18.1 weeknights Yes 3,291 69.7
Divorced 595 12.3 away from
Widowed 36 0.7 home
No response 21 •Multiple answers allowed percentage will not add to 100%.
Race/ethnicity African American 353 7.4
Asian American 32 0.7
Native American 127 2.7 discrepancy is likely due to the nature of the cooperating
Hispanics 502 10.5
Caucasian 3,738
firms' employment practices and the geographic distribution
78.4
Other 14 0.3 of the projects included within the survey.
No response 85 The job classifications of the respondents (general foremen,
Job classification General foreman 227 5 .5 foremen, journeymen, apprentice, and other) show that all cat-
Foreman 630 15.2 egories are well-represented. In addition, the wide variety of
Journeyman 2,450 59.0 crafts, listed in Table 1, are well-represented. The respondents
Apprentice 553 13.3
Other 291
were allowed to indicate all crafts for which they are skilled.
7.0
No response 700 Since this resulted in multiple responses for the nonunion-
Craft training sector employees, the percentage exceeds 100. The distribution
program Began 693 25.7 of jobs and crafts allows the comparison of perceptions and
Completed 2,006 74.3
No response 2,152 - 60 or older 19 or Younger
Apprenticeship 50 to 59 2% 3%
program Began 637 27.1
Completed 1,711 72.9
No response 2,503 -
On-the-job training No 1,045 24.3
Yes 3,248 75 .7
No response 558
Number of weeks 39 or fewer weeks 1,001 21.6
• t9 or Younger
worked per year 40-49 weeks
50-51 weeks
1,089
766
23.5
16.5
40 to 49
22%
• 20 to29 I
0 30 to 39
52 weeks 1,779 38.4 0 40to49
No response 217 • Soto 59
Craft Asbestos worker 136 2.8· 8 60 or older
Boilermaker 656 13.5
Bricklayer 136 2.8
Carpenter 945 19.5
Cement mason 334 6.9
Electrician 1,137 23 .4
Glazier 20 0.4
Iron worker-Reinf. 507 10.5 30 to 39
Iron worker-Struct. 815 16.8 3S%
Laborer 821 16.9
Marble mason 23 0.5 FIG. 2. Age of Respondent
Millwright 581 12.0
Operating engineer 375 7.7
Up to 6th Grade
Painter 498 10.3 2%
Pipe fitter 1,494 30.8 Completed 7th to 11th
Plasterer 69 1.4 Grades
17%
Plumber 461 9.5 Educllioo Beyond High
Roofer 311 6.4 School
Rigger 844 17.4 32%
Sheet metal worker 330 6.8
Sprinkler fitter 143 2.9
Terrazzo worker 15 0.3
Tile setter 95 2.0
Teamster 89 1.8
Acceptable travel Less than 15 min 244 5.1
time 16-30 min 1,139 23.8
31-59min 1,504 31.5
60 or more minutes 1,903 39.7
No response 61 -
Acceptable travel Less than 15 mi 468 9.7
distance (24 km)
16-30 mi (25-48 km) 1,372 28.4
31-59 mi (49-99 km) 1,348 27.9
60 or more miles 1,903 33.9
(100 km or more) High School Diploma or
No response 61 - GED Certificate
49%

FIG. 3. Years of Schooling

JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996 I 85

 29 or Fewer
30 lO 39
4%
•29 or Fewer
• 30 lO 39
040to49
C 50 to 59
•6-0 or more
40 to 49
46%
FIG. 4. Average Number of Hours Worked per Week
attitudes across classifications. As might be noted from the
crafts represented, nearly all the sites to which the question-
naire was distributed were industrial construction projects.
More than 80% of the respondents indicated having com-
pleted the 12th grade or beyond. In addition, 74% reported
havi ng completed a craft-training program, while 73% had
completed an apprenticeship program, and 76% received on-
the-job training. The average number of hours worked per
week was 4 7, and the average number of weeks worked per
year was 43 . On average, the respondents were 36 years old
and had 12 years of craftwork experience.
The respondents were asked at what age they expected to
leave the construction industry and why they would leave.
More than 50% of the respondents expected to leave the con-
·.ruction industry by age 55, with retirement or a better job
Jeing the two most frequent reasons for leaving construction.
Another set of questions sought to determine the willingness
of the respondents to travel, both in distance and time. Less
than 40% were willing to travel more than 1 hr (one-way) to
work, with most indicating a willingness to travel up to 59 mi
(94 .5 km). A 70% majority, however, were willing to spend
weeknights away from home if needed.
21 or more years
16%
11 to 20 years
35%
FIG. 5. Number of Years Working In Craft
86 I JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996
Statistical Analysis
To develop the scales, which are referred to in the following
sections, the writers used a four-step process, similar to that
used by Federle (1990) and discussed briefly by Federle and
Maloney (1992). In this process, the items expected to form a
scale were included within the questionnaire. Next, like items
were reduced into scales using common-factor analysis tech-
niques. As is standard practice, an eigenvalue of one, repre-
senting an equal likelihood of being explained by chance, was
used as the cut-off point to determine the number of factors
which are then transformed into attitudinal scales. The factor
loadings of the items were then multiplied by the individual
responses to develop a quantitative measure for each respon-
dent on each scale. Reliability analyses of the scales were then
conducted, and finally an analysis of variance among major
subgroups was performed. Unique to this paper is that cross-
tabulations of the demographic variables on the attitude scales
were the main form of identifying important subgroup differ-
ences. The results of the statistical analysis are presented in
the following sections. If a subgroup is not identified as having
different responses from other subgroups, a lack of statistical
significance among those groups existed.
Satisfaction Measures
The questionnaire was designed to develop measures of sat-
isfaction for two major attitudinal areas of construction work.
The first was a job satisfaction measure. This measure sought
to elicit responses on the amount of work activities the re-
spondent enjoys, feelings about working conditions, and other
like items. (Please see Appendix I for a listing of the actual
items and response categories used within the questionnaire.)
The second scale asked about the respondent's satisfaction
with the financial aspects of the craftwork. Included among
these items were attitudes about hourly wages, annual income,
how well current earnings influence their work attitude, and
how well their earnings satisfy their needs. Each item was
designed to elicit feelings the craftworker had about construc-
tion work.
Job Satisfaction
Each of the items comprising the job satisfaction scale re-
ported in Appendix I are related to the respondent's job per-
2 years or fewer
16%
3 to 5 years Ill 2 years or fewer
14% • 3 to 5 years n
D 6 to 10 years ti
0 11 to 20 years 0
• 21 or more years
v
ti
\\
el
Ii
C<
OJ
6 to 10 years m
19% ac
er.
ca
 66 o r older
15%
56 to 65 years of age
35%
FIG. 6. Age Expected to Leave Construction Industry
fo nnance. From their responses to these items, the respondents
were separated into low, medium, and high levels of job sat-
isfaction. Several demographic differences are unlike what
might have been expected. Overall, women were more likely
to repo rt higher average levels of satisfaction with their jobs
than were men . Because women comprise such a small per-
centage of the overall craft workforce, sexism might have been
expected to have reduced their overall satisfaction. This higher
job satisfaction is probably indicative of the opportunities, per-
ce ived by females, that construction work can provide. Craft
employment has repeatedly been proposed as a means of self-
sufficiency for women who are also heads of households (Klei-
man 1991; Set n.d.).
Ge neral foremen and foremen were twice as likely than
journeymen and apprentices to report high levels of job sat-
isfaction. This number was somewhat surprising since the
commen t is often heard that the extra 50 cents or dollar per
hour these individuals receive is not worth the additional head-
ache resulting from increased job responsibilities. Obviously,
to those who hold these positions, however, the job is worth
the ex tra headache. The ability to plan and control work ac-
tivities may also be a key satisfier.
Another surprise within the standard demographic variables
was that single people were much less satisfied with their job
than married, widowed, or divorced people. Yet, due to the
travel requirements, the uncertainty of a weekly paycheck, the
forced overtime, etc., one might expect single people to be
more adaptable in such situations.
Two other surprises resulted from the fact that both the
number of sites that people worked at during the past year and
the number of years with their current employer had no effect
on the likelihood of reporting a higher job satisfaction.
Whether individuals worked one or 99 sites, they reported lit-
tle change in job satisfaction. Also, whether an individual had
worked for a single company for one day or 20 years had little
e ffect on the overall job satisfaction. If viewed in the proper
light, both these facts should be considered good news for the
construction industry. That the number of sites had no effect
on job satisfaction indicates that craftworkers, perceive chang-
ing jobsites to be part of a construction worker's career. In
addi ti on, that the loyalty shown by both the employer and
employee to a long-term relationship had no effect may indi-
cate that a traditional "hire and fire" mentality for a project
JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996 I 87
Le ss than 3 5 years old
12%
36 to 4 5 years of age
15 %
fill Less than 35 years old
• 36 to 45 years of age
0 46 to 55 years of age
El 56 to 65 years of age
• 66 or older
46 to 5 5 years of age
23%
would have little effect on changing the job satisfaction of the
workers. Alternative explanations to this last supposition , how-
ever, are: (1) Due to the small number of contractors repre-
sented in this survey, too few workers had experienced loyalty
on the part of the contractor to a sufficient degree to affect
their overall job satisfaction; and (2) the company's selection
process "culls" those craftworkers who do not find the hire
and fire mentality appealing.
Another interesting difference was that those who had re-
ceived on-the-job training or craft training, or participated in
apprenticeship programs were more satisfied than those who
reported receiving no training. Further study is needed to dis-
cern the keys to this greater satisfaction.
Hispanic workers were more likely to be satisfied than the
other ethnic groups. Statistically, a higher percentage of His-
panics participated in this survey than would be expected in
the general craftworker population. Some of the contractors
distributing this survey were located among states in the gulf
coast region where there is a relatively high percentage of
Hispanic workers . Perhaps this higher percentage or some
other as yet unidentified cause may have produced this effect.
Moreover, the less-educated respondents were more likely
to be highly satisfied with construction work. Further study is
required to determine whether the less educated are more
likely to accept worse job conditions than the more educated.
If this is the case, then a plausible explanation for the increased
likelihood of job satisfaction is that these individuals would
be happy with almost any job regardless of the conditions, and
construction, therefore, fits their needs .
Worker's perceptions, such as the foregoing, are overall
symptoms of many of the problems the construction industry
faces in overcoming its current image problem. Attracting
highly qualified craftworkers to a field perceived to satisfy
only those who have a lower education level will be difficult.
As discussed by Maloney (1986), greater intrinsic satisfaction
is derived when a worker's expectation is that the job will be
demanding. The expectation of more skilled and educated con-
struction workers may be too high to generate enough internal
satisfaction.
There were separate questions on whether the respondent
would be willing to leave the construction industry. For those
willing to leave, 76% still reported satisfaction with their
work. This result indicates that the problem of retention and
rec ruitment is less attributable to the work that craftworkers TABLE 2. Normalized Responses
perform and more to the work environment. For example, the
Normalized Values
cyclical nature of craftworker employment may cause them to
be dissatisfied with the financial aspects of their job. Scale Mean Median
(1) (2) (3)
Satisfaction with Financial Aspects of Construction Job satisfaction 0.291 0.256
Work Financial satisfaction 0.384 0.385
Consider construction a career 0.465 0.425
Distinct from job satisfaction, a scale for satisfaction with Pride in construction as a vocation 0.799 0.834
the financial aspects of construction work was developed. Ap-
pendix I shows that this scale includes hourly earnings, annual
wages, and other related items such as a willingness to travel 100
and to spend weeknights away from home for employment. c
0
Obviously, those who are willing to travel farther would seem ;::
u · so
more likely to earn sufficient compensation to satisfy their ~"
c
needs and to be satisfied with their annual income. On the 0
60
other hand, those who are willing to travel might resent a low
,,u i
ho url y wage that makes traveling a necessity to support them-
""
i t;
:!! u 40
selves and their dependents. The analysis showed that willing- "'c0
u
ness to travel long distances, those greater than 1 hr or 60 mi 0
.c 20
(96 km), had no effect on this satisfaction. Those willing to ~
~
spend weeknights away from home were more likely to be
Under 35 36 to 45 46 to 55 56 to 65 Over 65
satisfied.
Some of the findings from the crosstabulations included: Separation Age

older workers (those over 55 years of age) and very young
workers (18 or younger) reported more satisfaction with the
fi nanci al aspects of construction work than those between 19
and 54 years of age. Masons, both cement and marble, re-
ported the lowest levels of satisfaction among the various
trades. Satisfaction with the financial aspects of construction
work also had a dramatic effect on the age at which a worker
planned on leaving the construction industry. Participants in-
dica ting an intention to leave the industry after the age of 46
reported high satisfaction levels with the financial aspects of
construction work.
The number of years with an employer had no effect on
satisfaction with the financial aspects of construction work.
Th is fi nding cannot be attributed to the influence of union
wage scales in eliminating the relationship between longevity
wi th an employer and pay, because most of the respondents
wo rk for merit-shop contractors. Rather, this finding may be
indicati ve of the lack of seniority used by the participating
contractors in determining wage rates. If this finding was due
to the contractors who participated in this survey paying solely
on worker skill level and/or performance, these contractors
should be benefiting from a productivity-enhancing compen-
sati on package. Alternatively, this finding may also indicate
that loyalty by an employee to his/her employer, and vice
versa, is not highly regarded by the construction industry!
Table 2 shows the normalized response values of the satis-
fac tion measures . A value of zero indicates no satisfaction,
whereas a value of one indicates complete satisfaction relative
to the sample. A final finding was that once the scales were
normalized from zero to one, satisfaction with the financial
aspec ts of construction work was somewhat higher than over-
al l job satisfaction. This finding indicates that even in the
merit-shop sector of construction work, the characteristics of
the work environment are more in need of change than are
wage scales. Also presented in Table 2 are scales labeled
'' Consider Construction a Career'' and ''Pride in Construction
as a Vocation.'' Both of these will be discussed later; however,
both scales have higher normalized mean and median values
than either satisfaction measure. Thus, overall, relatively low
levels of satisfaction are felt by the average craftsperson for
his/her job and its financial rewards.
Consider Construction a Career
A scale was developed to identify those who intended to
make construction a career as opposed to those who treated
88 I JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996
FIG. 7. Expected Separation Age and Perception of Construc-
tion As a Career
construction as a place to work until a better job was obtained.
For a discussion of how and why this occurs, please refer to
the model of influence (Federle et al. 1993).
Somewhat surprisingly, no gender or racial or ethnic differ-
ences were found among the demographic variables . The re-
search team thought that the white-male domination of the
construction industry might produce a tendency on the part of
minority groups to treat construction as a job rather than a
career. However, this was not found to be true. Craftworkers
who indicated a higher likelihood of making construction a
career included: operating engineers, cement masons, and elec-
tricians. Those who indicated a willingness to travel long dis-
tances , greater than 60 mi (96 km) or 1 hr, and those who
were willing to spend weeknights away from home in pursuit
of work were much more likely to consider construction a
career.
The expected separation age provided interesting informa-
tion regarding those who considered construction a career. As
shown in Fig. 2, only 73.4% of those intending to leave the
construction industry between the ages of 56 and 65 consid-
ered construction a career, and 81 .1% of those intending to
leave the construction industry after the age of 65 considered
construction a career. Thus many of the workers in the industry
(for their entire lives) still do not think of their work as a
career. This finding provides further evidence that many work-
ers consider construction solely as a place to earn a check.
Why? Perhaps this attitude is partly due to the lack of organi-
zational investment, the lack of promotional opportunities, or
the cyclical nature of the work. Obviously, the commitment
for these individuals toward their industry is lacking. (See Fig.
7 for the expected separation age and perception of construc-
tion as a career.)
Further evidence that the lack of organizational investment
negatively affects perceptions on considering construction a
career is that those who received craft or apprenticeship train-
ing were much more likely to consider construction a career.
Thus, training represents a commitment by both the worker
and the employer. Finally, the less well-educated workers were
much more likely to consider construction a career than those
who had received at least a high school diploma. This rein-
forces the image issue of the poorly educated dominating the
construction craft workforce.
Pride in Construction as a Vocation 1. Nearly all
2. About half
The last attitudinal scale was developed from a series of 3. Almost none
items seeking to evaluate the pride the craftworker felt toward
his/her work as a vocation. As shown in Appendix I, the items
How do you feel about the kind of work you do? (Reverse
that comprise this scale asked for responses on personal pride
scored)
level and the pride level of family, friends, and the community
fo r construction jobs. The findings from the crosstabulations
incl ude: apprentices and journeymen are much more likely to 1. Don' t like it-would prefer some other kind of work.
be proud of their jobs than foremen and general foremen. The 2. I like it, but there is other work I like as much.
tradespeople who, on average, reported higher levels of pride 3. I like it very much.
included : rodbusters, laborers, painters, sprinkler fitters, ter-
razzo workers, and teamsters. While the most surprising group The.physical working conditions make working here:
in the low-pride category were the electricians, this category
also included marble masons and plasterers. Rather surprising 1. Pleasant
is that laborers and teamsters find pride in their work because 2. Neither pleasant nor unpleasant
they are typically considered to be among the least skilled on 3. Unpleasant
a co nstruction site.
One explanation for the low level of pride among electri- How do you feel about your physical working conditions?
cians could be that most of their work is not as publicly ac-
cessible as other crafts (i.e., the wiring to support lighting and 1. Satisfied
power are not seen by the typical user, whereas carpenters who 2. Moderately satisfied
construct walls etc. have their work readily available for view- 3. Moderately dissatisfied
ing). This belief, however, was not supported as rodbusters, 4. Dissatisfied
laborers , and sprinkler fitters all reported high levels of pride.
Table 2 shows that construction workers report much higher
If you could have your choice of all the jobs in the world,
levels of pride in their jobs than they report on job or financial
which one would you choose?
satisfaction or intent to make construction a career. Therefore,
small differences among the crafts would be more likely to
classify a craft in one of the attitudinal ends than would be 1. Present job
true for the other attitudinal scales. 2. Different job in same craft
Additional interesting information is that those who are un- 3. Another craft
will ing to travel or spend weeknights away from home have 4. A job in another industry
more pride in their job than those willing to travel or not
will ing to spend nights away from home. Among the plausible Satisfaction with the Financial Aspects of
explanations for this finding are that travelers grow weary of Construction Work: (!R = 0.8430, N = 3,733)
being away from home, with its negative effects on family
For the job I do, I feel the amount of annual income is :
life, and thus lose pride in construction work. Minority work-
ers were more likely to be proud of construction as a career
than white workers . Finally, the older the workers, the lower 1. Good
the level of pride they have. 2. Neither good nor poor
3. Poor
CONCLUSION
For the job I do, I feel the amount of hourly wage is:
The survey provided an opportunity to gather a broad range
of information regarding the perceptions of our current craft 1. Good
workforce. The insights provided by this survey should pro- 2. Neither good nor poor
vide a basis for addressing the problems that may arise with 3. Poor
craftworker shortages in the United States. A better knowledge
of the perceptions of the craft workforce results in the potential How does the amount of money you now make influence your
to improve the management's ability to get the best out of the overall attitude toward your job?
construction workforce, retain skills that currently exist, and
build a strong and competitive future workforce.
1. Positive influence
2. No influence
ACKNOWLEDGMENT 3. Negative influence
The financial support of the Construction Industry Institute is grate-
fully ac knowledged. To what extent are your needs satisfied by the pay and benefits
you receive? (Reverse scored)
APPENDIX I.
Job Satisfaction Items: (!R = 0.7337, N = 3,733) 1. Almost none of my needs are satisfied.
2. A few of my needs are satisfied.
How many work activities on your job do you enjoy? 3. Almost all of my needs are satisfied.

1. Nearly all For the next two questions, use the following scale:
2. About half
3. Almost none 1. Agree
2. Neither agree nor disagree
How much of your work creates real enthusiasm on your part? 3. Disagree
JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996 I 89
Personal Perception of Construction as a Career: I feel that my family respects my vocation:
(!Jt = 0.6703, N = 3, 733)
1.
I would like to contnue doing the kind of work I am presently 2.
doing for the rest of my life: 3.

1. I would quit this job in a minute if I could make the same

2. money doing something else:
3. 1.
2.
I regard my present position as a lifetime career: 3.
APPENDIX II. REFERENCES
1.
2. Abramson, E. (1987). "Projections 2000." Occupational Outlook Quar-
3. terly, Vol. 31, 2-11.
Construction Industry Workforce Foundation. (1990). "CIWF and
WHY." Rep., Associated General Contractors of America, Washington,
Construction work is the best in the world: D.C.
Federle, M. 0. (1990). "Substitutes for leadership in the environment of
construction carpenters," PhD dissertation, Dept. of Civ. Engrg., Univ.
1. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
2. Federle, M. 0., and Maloney, W. F. (1992). "Substitutes for leadership
3. and unionized construction carpenters." J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt.,
ASCE, 118(2), 332-348.
Federle, M. 0., Rowings, J. E. Jr., and DeVany, T. S. (1993). "Model of
I like my job more than my coworkers do: career choice for craftworkers." J. Constr. Engrg. and Mgmt., ASCE,
119(1), 105-114.
1. Feldman, D. C. (1987). "Career stages and life stages: a career-devel-
opment perspective," The 1987 annual: developing human resources,
2. Pfeiffer, J. W., University Associates, Inc., San Diego, Calif., 225-
3. 235.
Fullerton, H. N. (1989). "New labor force projections spanning 1988 to
Personal Pride In Construction as a Career: 2000." Monthly Labor Rev., Outlook 2000, 112(11), 3-12.
Holland, J. L. (1966). The psychology of vocational choice: a theory of
(!Jt = 0.6069, N = 3,733) personality types and model environments, Blaisdell Publishing Co.,
Waltham, Mass.
I am ashamed of my job: Kleiman, C. (1991). "Women urged to consider non-traditional careers."
Des Moines Register, (Jan. 28), 15B.
1. Maloney, W. F. (1986). "Understanding motivation." J. Mgmt. Engrg.,
2. ASCE, 2(4), 231-245.
"More evidence of construction's growing manpower problem." (1989).
3. Cockshaw's constr. labor news plus opinion, 19(8A), 1.
Schreiner, J. (1990). "Ganging up on work force problems." Engrg.
I feel that my job detracts from my status in my community: News Rec., 224(2), 38-42.
Set your sights on a career in the construction industry. Nat. Assoc. of
Women in Constr. (NAWIC), Washington, D.C.
1. Silvestri, G., and Lukasiewicz, J. (1989). "Projections of occupational
2. employment, 1988-2000." Monthly Labor Rev., Outlook 2000,
3. 112(11), 42-65.
Sonnenfeld, J. (1984). Career management: an introduction to self-as-
sessment, career development, and career systems. Science Research
I am proud of my job and the work I do: Associates, Chicago, Ill.
Statistical abstracts of the United States 1990, l lOth Ed. (1990). Dept
of Labor, Bureau of Census, Washington, D.C., 394.
1. Van Maanen, J., and Schein, E. H. (1977). "Career development." Im-
2. proving life at work, J. R. Hackman and J. L. Suttle, eds., Goodyear
3. Publishing, Santa Monica, Calif.

90 I JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT I MARCH 1996

COVER STORY WORKFORCE

crattworkers Open Up
About Their Careers

• 1 .-i.... .

. . ""... ~ . \- ,

raftworkers and their supeNisors at the jobsite are indispens-

able elements of construction success, yet they are little
known as individuals. ENR sought out a sample of tradesmen
and tradeswomen across the country to better understand
their career choices and lives. The profiles that follow show
their deep desire for economic security, pride in their work and job cond i-
tions that promote safety and dignity.

CREATIVITY TRIGGERED
BY PLUMBING SYSTEMS
Wayne Williams began picking up construction skills as a
youngster helping his father, an independent contractor
who built custom homes and additions. He noticed that his
dad did everything but plumbing . "So, my goal was to become a
plumber and hook up with my dad in a father-and-son business. "
WAYNE After college, Williams played professional basketball in Brazil for four
WILLIAMS
46 years. During the off-season, he would move to Las Vegas, where a for-
Plumber and mer teammate was a pre-apprentice in the plumbing trade.
pipefitter
Local 525, Williams entered the Local 525 apprenticeship program and devel-
Las Vegas oped an affinity for the craft. "Everything was copper pipe, steel pipe,
M~'C' Cor>tra '"r
30-inch-diameter pipe-fascinating for me. I fell in love with the whole
fabrication part of it. Once I fired up on the stick-welding machine, my
journeyman let me run a bead, and I instantly fell in love with the plumbing
and pipefitting trade," Williams says. "I've always been
good with my hands and using my mind to figure out how
to build this or that," he adds. "My dad taught me a lot-
how to be proud of my work and to have patience."
During his 18-year career, he has worked exclusively on
commercial projects, including hotels, casinos and industrial jobS!
For the past year, Williams has worked for MMC Contractors, a
national mechanical contractor. "We run all the water piping to the casinos and
construct the hydronics, taking the water from the chillers to the boilers," he
says. "The best thing is the constant challenges that the trade puts in front of
us on a daily basis. I do tungsten inert-gas welding of all types of materials-
carbon steel, stainless steel and inconel at certain angles and degrees."
"The coolest thing I've done was a water show for the Bellagio casino,"
Williams says. "It has a big lake in front of it, with super-shooter water
cannons that are synchronized to music. It was the first time I ran a job. I

28 • ENR • July 11 , 2016 enr.com

 HANDS ON
Na1asha Arnold, in front
of San Francisco's Bay
Bridge, looks out onto
the city where she
works as an apprentice
carpenter on the
Transbay Terminal.

FEMALE CARPENTER LOVES
ROUGH-AND-TUMBLE WORK
Natasha Arnold is the only 5-ft, 1-in., female carpenter's apprentice working
on San Francisco's Transbay Terminal-the biggest transit center on the
West Coast.
"It's 99% male," says Arnold, adding that she is used to being one of the
only women on the job. In the Army, she was an air traffic ccntroller; later, she
NATASHA was a forest ranger and archeologist. Then, Arnold became a carpenter's ap-
ARNO LO
34 prentice and got a job with Anvil Builders, San Francisco. "I really admire HT
c [Anvil CEO Hien Manh Tran]. We're both disabled veterans," she says.
She dislocated a knee during Army training and, years later, her reme-
dial surgery was botched. She gets along with her co-workers because of
her work ethic, she says, adding, "I always wanted to bring the integrity,
hard work and higher standards I learned in the military to the civilian
world." She adds, "Construction lets me do that."
The common theme for all of the 34-year-old's previous jobs is her desire
to work with her hands. "I enjoy a mental challenge, but being an air traffic
controller taught me that I wanted to do something physically challenging, as
well. It has to be both-mind and body," she says. The physical challenges
help to renew other aspects of her life.
"I've gotten back my creative, artistic passion outside of work," says
Arnold, who uses her carpentry skills to make cabinetry in her free time.
She also sees beauty in construction."It is amazing to see all the trades work-
ing together in a beautiful dance of hard work, as if we are performing a ballet
around each other-ooe goes this way,one dips down here,and another tiptoes
there," she says. "Before you know tt, there is a new wall or afloor where there
was once nothing but thin air. It is really cool to see and be a part of."
It's important for the industry to realize "there's a lot women have to offer,
even though we're not the biggest, most muscle-y people on the job," she
says. Her father worried about her taking "guy jobs," but she wants people to
know "you can excel in construction without having to be a big dude. "•
By Luke Abaffy

had six divers in the water. We had to learn how to dive and use tools PIPE PRO
Williams, an 18-year
underwater-and I'm not a swimmer."
veteran, is the
He adds, "Eventually, I would like to become a foreman or superintendent. co-inventor of the
Right now, I enjoy workng on tools. My aspirations are to continue to work Steelman Pro
pipe clamp.
hard and get all my kids graduated from high school and into college. Also,
I want to show them how important family is and both parents working and
getting into a good career, sticking with it and letting it work for you."
Williams admires innovation. "Innovation is only going to make what we
do better," he says. "We're constantly trying to invent something to speed
up the process. I did come up with a welding clamp, which attaches to the
underside of av-head so the pipe can't fall off the jack stand-a chain "INNOVATION
vice doesn't do that. It's called the Steelman Pro pipe clamp. My fellow IS ONLY GOING
pipefitter Alex Palominos and I hold the patent. It went on the market in TO MAKE
March and is being distributed by Grainger. " • WHAT WE
By Scott Lewis DO BETTER."
enr.com July 11 , 2016 • ENR • 29
 COVER STORY WORKFORCE

OPERATOR COMES HONESTLY

BY EARTHMOVING
Michael Sager grew up in the construction business. At age 10, he started
tagging along with his father, longtime Snellville, Ga., contractor Mike,
who introduced the youngster to the joy, satisfaction and, at times, frus-
trating business of earthmoving and civil construction. Young Michael's
penchant for pulling levers was instant and, by his teens, he was on an
MICHAEL
SAGER excavator every day. "I always worked in the summers," he recalls, "and,
37 when I was in high school, we had one of those early-release work pro-
grams and I would work from lunchtime on every day."
It paid off. Watching Sager jump up into the cab of a brand new 35-ton
Kobelco excavator at a field demonstration in Calhoun, Ga., in April 2008,
a veteran construction industry observer was impressed. He marveled at
the operating prowess: "That young man right there has the touch of a
"OVER THE classical piano player." With classic Southern humility, Sager that day and
PAST SEVERAL
still today credits his father. Now 37, Sager runs the family business,
YEARS, WORK
today Sager Grading and Pipe Line LLC, with his father. "We see
HAS STARTED
things the same," he says. "I've seen a lot of father-son deals
TO PICKUP,
BUT IT'S that don't work out so good. We're fortunate."
NOWHERE With a staff of eight, the nonunion company owns 15
NEAR WHERE pieces of equipment and has weathered the 2007-2009
ITWAS." economic slowdown that buried many contractors
BE READY "We're cautious with everything we do," says Michael
Sager, "and try to be prepared when the recession does happen."
throughout the country. For an outfit that once had $4 million in revenue
annually working for the same client for 1Oyears, it meant taking on a
range of smaller demolition, grading and pipeline jobs "to keep the ball
rolling." Having little debt allowed the company to retain its equipment.
Sager embraces technology that makes novice operators competent
and experienced operators expert. His small company was among the
first in the U.S. to add one of Komatsu's pioneer intelligent machine-
control dozers, the D61 PXi-23, able to reduce multiple days of grade work
to a couple of hours with its GPS-directed blade control.
Reminders of high school football aside, "just general late
30s aches and pains," Sager feels good. He lives on a lake,
has two little girls to remind him to have fun and sees him-
self continuing the work he's been at since boyhood. •
By Mike Anderson

SECURITY IS THE REWARD FOR
CARPENTER AND FOREMAN
Maurice O'Connor has reached a satisfying place in life by building out the
interior walls in Manhattan's landmarks and skyscrapers. One day this
spring, he led a visitor around an apartment tower called 50 West, near
the island's southern tip. Boasting or complaining isn't his style.
By age 18, O'Connor left County Kerry, Ireland-his home and a
comely tourist destination that was short on opportunity. He set up in New
York City's northern suburbs with the help of more established Irish im-
migrants, working his way from house painter to carpenter to union ap-
prentice to journeyman and foreman for Component Assembly Systems,
based in Pelham, N.Y. He and his co-workers honeycomb the bare build-
ing frames with drywall and studs, doors and cabinets, from bottom track
SATISFACTION Building out the interiors of skyscrapers and land-
marks for years, O'Connor gives little thought to retirement.
30 • ENR • July 11 , 2016 enr.com
to top, working from the floor slabs up through the building. He and his
crew frame, hang, plumb and insulate. O'Connor remembers his first day
as a union member, learning that "there was no stopping every five min-
utes." The foreman kept a sharp eye on apprentices. "You learned a work
ethic," he says.
Almost as an afterthought, O'Connor mentions some of his career-
defining projects: 432 Park, the Plaza Hotel, the National September 11
Memorial & Museum. He says, "In America, the great thing is, if you work
hard, you get rewarded."
The reward for steady employment with Component Assembly, includ-
ing during the recession and 28 years of union membership, is a house in
the suburbs where he and his wife, Carolann, raised five children. He also
has economic security: Under agreements with the union wall-and-ceiling
contractors, New York City-area journeymen and foremen are paid an
hourly wage rate of $45.51 to $55.50 an hour.
Exercising daily and having suffered no severe injuries, O'Connor has
no immediate plans to retire, adding, "My body will tell me when it's time."
Component Assembly's safety practices are impeccable, and the firm
quickly supplies any tool needed to do a job better or safer, he says.
As he looks over the city's upper harbor and the Statute of Liberty,
O'Connor says he is anticipating another field of work: grandfathering. "If
"IN AMERICA,
my kids are looking for babysitters, they'll have me and my wife," he says.
THE GREAT
Then, his thoughts shift back to his workday: encouraging everyone to THING IS,
wear safety glasses, providing data the company uses to track the current IFYOU
job, and confirming that a delivery of sheetrock and studs arrives at the WORK HARD,
dock and everything goes to the right place. • YOU GET
By Richard Korman REWARDED."
~ JOURNEYMAN MELDS STYLE AND
GLAMOUR WITH IRONWORK
Bored of her decade-long career as a graphic designer, Phoenix native Blue
Coble ditched her desk job and picked up a wrench. Now, she helps to
encourage other women to pursue careers in construction.
Inspired by seeing ironwor1<ers assemble the iconic Hoover Dam Bridge, she
visrted Local Union 75 in Phoenix and decided to give rt a go. "I ended up really
falling in love wrth rt, and the union was really supportive, so rt was easy to stay,"
she says. By providing education and employment, along with "amazing
benefrts," the union took the stress out of her career switch, Coble adds.
Coble says the biggest hurdle was the physical strain. On her first reinforc-
ing job, she carried rebar bundles in Arizona's 115°F summertime heat. "That FEMALE LEAD Coble hopes to inspire other women to explore
really took atoll on me," she says. But she got in shape. career opportunities in the high-paying construction trades.
Aself-described "girly-gir1" who models, competes in pageants and is "ob- Coble became ajourneyman last year and is now achapter trustee. She hopes
sessed with makeup," Coble's career about-face raised a few eyebrows to become a teacher or hold an elected position in her union chapter.
among family and friends. "I definitely got a few phone calls from Mom," she Coble's role provides her with a platform to inspire others. Last month, she
"IT'S NOT AN
ISSUE OF
says. But her quick-found success in the field has allayed any concerns. Some attended the first White House Summit on the United State of Women. Less
PULLING
of her male colleagues, however, were less supportive-initially. But once she than 1%of ironwor1<ers are women, but Coble labors to change her status as
WOMEN INTO
had the opportunity to prove herself, "everything changed," and other iron- an anomaly. "It's not necessarily an issue of pulling women into the trades- THETRADES-
wor1<ers began teaching her the tricks of the trade. it's an issue of retaining them," she says. Many women enter the field but drop IT'S AN ISSUE
Now 33, Coble has worked on a variety of project types during her five out quickly. "We are trying to pinpoint what they need," she adds. • OF RETAINING
years with the union. After earning her Local's Apprentice of the Year honor, By Scott Blair THEM."

COMING FULL CIRCLE TO drive two hours to and from the site. He also is on different pay scales,
ELECTRICAL CONSTRUCTION depending on whether the job is a prevailing-wage job. He can go from
For some, construction is a vocation. For Tyrone Ferrens, a journeyman earning more than $60 an hour on a prevailing-wage project to $23 an
electrician, working in the industry has been, literally, a lifeline. Originally hour, he says. "That unknown can be a challenge," he says.
from the Bronx, N.Y., Ferrens began his construction career through the Nevertheless, he has done well. He completed ABC 's apprenticeship
Navy, when he enrolled in a Seabees electrician training program in 1986. program in May. He has been able to send his youngest son to college and
At that time, he says he lacked the discipline to succeed, noting, "I don't recently went with his wife on a vacation to Hawaii. He also takes pride in
TYRONE
FERR ENS think I was ready. I wasn't mature enough for it." working on so many local projects. He credits his good fortune to finding
48 After being discharged from the Navy, Ferrens fell into dark times and his niche in the construction industry. •
Electrician
Baltimore became addicted to drugs for 16 years. But he reached a point at which By Pam Hunter McFarland
-essa flectn he realized he needed to change, and he went back to his roots: electrical
construction work.
In 2011, he found a job as an apprentice with Hersch Electric in
Baltimore and enrolled in the Associated Builders and Contractors'
apprenticeship program . "Construction had always been something I
wanted to do. It just took a long time for me to get back to doing it. "
Ferrens now works for Tessa Electric as a journeyman and loves it. He
says his company is on the cutting edge of technology and offers great
benefits. He has worked on projects all over the Baltimore area, from traf-
fic signals to stadium-lighting projects to airplane warning lights atop tall
buildings. Ferrens says he likes the variety of tasks that he performs on
"IN
different jobs. "In construction, you 're always learning something new," he
CONSTRUCTION,
YOU'RE ALWAYS says. But the variety itself can be a double-edged sword, he notes. There
LEARNING is a level of uncertainty about what or where his next job will be. For ex-
SOMETHING ample, although he feels secure about prospects for future work, he
NEW," FERRENS doesn't always know what he will be earning on his next job or whether BIRD'S-EYE VIEW Ferrens (left) stands alongside Mike Rowe, host
SAYS. the job will be conveniently located. On one recent assignment, he had to of CNN's "Dirty Jobs," on the roof of a federal courthouse building.

enr.com July 11 , 2016 • ENR • 31

 COVER STORY WORKFORCE

VINCE
GURNEAU
51
Ironworker
Local 5,
Alexandria, Va.

STAYING IN
THE FIELD
After 28 years,
Gurneau still works
on site, erecting
curtain walls and
teaching new
workers the ropes.

A PASSIONATE IRONWORKER WORRIES ABOUT SPEED OVER QUALITY

Vince Gurneau is a "working foreman." With 28 years of experience in
ironworking, he has progressed up the chain of command at curtain-wall
contractor Harmon but insists on getting his hands dirty in the field every
day. "I strap on my harness and get in there with the rest of the guys," he
says. "I show them, 'This is what we've got to do. This is how we're doing
it. This is what we learned from how we did it before.' "
The 51-year-old Alexandria, Va., resident and career member of Iron-
workers Local 5 out of metro Washington, D.C., looks back fondly on past
jobs, including stints at the White House, the Library of Congress, the
World Bank and several Smithsonian buildings. But increasingly aggres-
sive schedules and administrative requirements on jobs are taking a toll.
"If anything would make me stop working, it's because I'm so tired of
"I BECAME AN
schedules and paperwork," he says. "I became an ironworker to build
IRONWORKER
something, and I want to build it with pride. I want someone to walk by a
TO BUILD
SOMETHING, building I worked on and say, 'That looks awesome.' And I'd like to stand
AND I WANT behind them and be able to say, 'Yeah, it does look awesome.'"
TO BUILD IT Gurneau worries about the impact that time pressures can have on
WITH PRIDE." quality. "I don't care what anyone says: We might need to hurry up, but we
also need to do it right," he says. "When I started, the attitude was ... you
touch it once, you're making money. You touch it twice, you 're breaking
even. You touch it three times, you're gone."
Gurneau recalls the impact that the influx of open-shop workers in D.C.
had on opportunities in the 1990s. On his current job in Philadelphia, he
warns his union colleagues about what he sees on the horizon. "It's very
union up here, but these boys don't know what's coming: It's the guys who
are willing to do the job for half the price and they don't care if they get it
done right or not," he says.
At 55, he hopes to retire fully vested with his union pension, but painful
lessons were learned during the recession. One of his annuities lost nearly
all its value during the downturn and only recently returned to the level it
was at in 2007. "The financial world worries the hell out of me because
it's messed up and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it," he says.
Regardless, Garneau isn't ready to hang it up entirely. Even after 55, he
expects to continue working, possibly in a shop that builds panels for
curtain wall systems. "I will not be able to put my tools away," he says. •
By Bruce Buckley

CONSTRUCTION AS A Encouraged by his brother, an employee at he says, noting the heat and dirty clothes. How-
SECOND CAREER Chamberlin Roofing & Waterproofing, Sanchez ever, Sanchez says it can be fun. The best part of
Sharie! Sanchez was a barber for the first 15 joined the company nearly three years ago. the job comes at the end, "when you're working
years of his working life. "I think if I never would Sanchez has picked up a variety of skills over and you see the finished product_and what ou
have let my barber license expire, I would've the years and now works as a nonunion water- have createH t means something," he says.
kept doing it, but it just got old sometimes," proofer and caulker, doing "pretty much everything Of all the jobs he has worked on, Sanchez
he recalls. Chamberlin offers," he says. recalls a paver project in Tyler, Texas, as one of his
SHARI EL
About 20 years ago, he made the switch to The company has been good to him, Sanchez most interesting, but it is also where Sanchez was
SANCHEZ
51 construction, starting out as a laborer. That transi- says. While he hasn't thought about going any- injured on the job. While other workers were
Waterproofer tion was asmooth one, since Sanchez's father had where else, "I will weigh my options with them raising scaffolds, a jammed board dislodged a
Dallas
Chamber r '.'l fi g been in construction as well, giving the son some before I do anything else," he says. piece of rebar, which fell from six to eight stories up
tP r f
familiarity wrth the business. Construction is a difficult occupation at times, and struck Sanchez in his neck and shoulder.

32 • ENR • July 11 , 2016 enr.com

 Carpenter
Seatac, Wash.
C arter ns·· c 'ln

IMMIGRANT
SUCCESS STORY
Determined to
support his family,
Lopez tried a variety
of jobs before
becoming a
carpenter.

A JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES FINDS HIS NICHE IN CONSTRUCTION

Late one spring night,Jose S. Lopez-Calderon jumped a 10-ft concrete wall at
the U.S.-Mexico border at Tijuana, carrying only $600 he had saved. Lopez,
then 18, had lost his father and was determined to find work so he could help
to support his mother and three siblings still living in Mexico City.
The only work available for the undocumented immigrant was picking
vegetables on a ranch near Indio, Calif. He lived in a cabin and worked in
the fields beneath the blazing sun . The next year, a friend helped him to
land a job installing carpets at a mobile-home dealer in Bakersfield, Calif.
' When I was 6 years old, I started helping my older brothers with carpet
installation, so this was the perfect job for me." For a while, that is.
For a few years, he jumped from job to job. Between jobs, he lived in his
Plymouth sedan. He earned his green card while working as a taxi driver
in Bakersfield. "The heat was so intense that, by noon, I could see
the heat rising from the asphalt," he recalls.
Then, Lopez took up fishing in Alaska, gutting salmon
and cleaning the processing machinery. He carried a
sharp knife for protection from barroom fights. Between
contracts , he picked apples in Yakima . In 1996, he
worked as a residential carpenter for Bridgeway Construction , Seattle,
until the firm was acquired by Belfor USA. At Trammell Crow, he became
lead carpenter, building 25 multi-family homes in North Bend , Wash.
"Every two weeks, we built a roof on the ground, added the trusses and
lifted the roof with the frame," he says.
Back at Belfor, over the next decade, he worked his way up to the posi-
tion of finishing carpenter. In 2008, Lopez signed with general contractor
Charter Construction, his current employer in Seattle. Six months later,
Charter awarded him a four-year work-study scholarship with the Con-
struction Industry Training Council of Washington. After completing his
studies and 8,000 hours of work, he earned certification as a journeyman
carpenter. ' Although I had 16 years of work experience, I had to start from
the beginning," he says. "But it was worth it. "
"I HAD
At 44, Lopez is in good shape, "but my body is not going to
TO START
last long enough to stay in construction as long as I would FROM THE
like." After retiring, he plans to help family or friends with BEGINNING,
building projects. "That's what I love most. " • BUT IT WAS
By Johanna Knapschaeter WORTH IT."

"I was on workmen 's comp for a while," he
says. "I still get a little pain, but it's bearable."
At this point, his body is holding up, he says. "I
guess when you get to a certain age, it doesn't
heal as it did when you were younger, but I'm still
able to do the things that I do," he says. Despite
that injury, Sanchez says he definitely feels safe
on the job.
And while Sanchez hopes to retire one day, he
thinks his current wage and lack of a 401 k plan
make that prospect unlikely.
Away from the jobsite, Sanchez says he enjoys
spending time with his family and especially
his grandchildren.
"We're trying to buy a home, but sometimes
you have to crawl before you walk, so we're seeing
how things go," he says. "I'm trying to build a
future for my grandkids."
Sanchez says he aspires to be a foreman or
superintendent. "If there's the opportunity where I
can develop and go further at Chamberlin , I
wouldn't mind ," he says. "They've got great
people that you can work for." • BUILDING A FUTURE Sanchez hopes to buy a house and retire one
By Louise Poirier day, but his current pay and lack of a 401 k plan pose obstacles.

enr.com July 11 , 2016 • ENR • 33

 COVER STORY' WORKFORCE

CARPENTER QUOTES DALAi LAMA
TO REFLECT ON GLOBAL CAREER
With adegree in 1V broadcasting, Rex Symank, 66, once planned to share the
evening news; four decades later, the carpenter from Terrebonne, Ore., is
sharing job skills and Dalai Lama quotations with ayounger generation on the
U.S. military's largest-ever base-construction project
Since starting with Michael Baker International in 2014, Symank has
REX
SYMANK worked on projects in Vienna and Oslo. His latest global stop is Pyeongtaek,
66 South Korea, where he is helping the design.-builder on a communications
Carpenter
Pyeongtaek, center at the nearly completed $10. ?-billion Camp Humphreys Army Base,
South Korea south of Seoul. Symank'sglobal travels extend back more than adozen years,
Mic~ae Bake
when he worked for contractor KBR on U.S. military camps in Bahrain and in
lnternationa 1
Fallujah, Al Assad and Al Diwaniyah, Iraq. "The international scene is loaded
with people searching for a new adventure," says Chris Simons, Symank's
South Korea project superintendent, although the significant tax benefits for
U.S. nationals "is what keeps people returning to this line of work every year. "
"THE DALAi
(Simons himself is a 10-year expatrate, "visiting or living in more than 70
LAMA ONCE
countries," he says.)
SAID, 'SHARE
KNOWLEDGE. In his work, Symank most appreciates being able to "create
IT IS AWAY dwellings and facilities that will long outlast me." But "logis-
TO ACHIEVE tics issues" in non-U.S. work prevent projects from pro-
IMMORTALITY.' " gressing in a linear path, so "you really don't get to see the
appreciation the client has for your work because you 're moved to the next
job," he notes. Symank says he has not been involved in any overseas jobsite
accidents, but he "saw the aftermath of a colleague getting run over with a
40-ton forklift in Al-Assad." The nonunion carpenter enjoys "having the
chance to assimilate into another culture," noting recent visits to the War
Memorial of Korea and the Gyeongbokgung Palace, both in Seoul.
Symank laments the time away from his wife of 37 years and his family,
which now includes four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. In his
native Texas, a family history in construction was the pull that "allowed my
summer job to become my profession," he says. "My grandfather and Uncle
Otto built the firehouse in Crawford that George W Bush votes in." Symank
rules out retirement "in my near future--Bven my father is still working at
age 87." He says a big job reward is being able to teach younger workers
skills "no longer taught in schools and viewing their own satisfaction in
completing a task that they thought they were incapable of doing ." He
adds, "The Dalai Lama once said,
'Share knowledge. It is a way to
achieve immortality.·" •
By Debra K. Rubin
ON TllE MOVE Oregon carpenter
shares four decades of construc-
tion experience and gains cultural
insights as a global expatriate.

RODBUSTER IS OBSESSED WITH
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
The first day Tony Gerde, then 22, worked as a rodman-carrying rebar
like a pack animal-he went home with bruised shoulders, raw skin and
aches from head to toe. "I drew myself a bath , poured in Epsom salts,
soaked and thought, 'What the hell have I done?'" says Gerde.
In his first 18 months, the 6-ft, 2-in., rodman added 20 lb of muscle to
his 160-lb frame . His shoulders were so calloused, he didn't need to wear
a shirt to carry the 1.5 tons of rebar he would lift each shift.
Gerde's first father-in-law, Tom Sebastian, taught him the trade .
Sebastian was a tough taskmaster. "He rode me into the ground, saying
'Tony, I'm doing this to make you better,'" says Gerde.
It worked. A year later, when Sebastian folded his business, Gerde went
TYING CHAMPION Called "Rodfather" by some, Gerde won the re-
bar tying contest at his company's annual picnic-20 out of 23 years.
34 • ENR • July 11 , 2016 enr.com
to work for Central Steel. In seismic zones, including metropolitan Seattle,
rebar is placed and then tied. "The guys who can tie fast are the ones who
work the most," says Gerde. So, he concentrated on improving speed.
Called "Rodfather" by some, he routinely won the tying contest at the
company picnic. "I was notoriously known as the guy to beat," Gerde says.
"When you're on top, they want to throw rocks at you. "
Gerde was so good that, in 2001 , the Central Steel owners gave him a
TONY
piece of the action. In 2008, when Harris Rebar Co. bought Central, Gerde GER DE
sold his stock: A $35,000 investment had turned into $430,000. 53
Rodbuster
At Harris, he rose to field superintendent, overseeing all the rodbusters. Carnation, Wash.
In 2012, feeling restless, he went back to fieldwork. He is currently project ronwor1<ers
super for the 1.5-million-sq-ft Lincoln Square expansion in Bellevue, Local 116-Seattle
Wash. On the job, Gerde is obsessed with improving things-safely. "I ..;ental Steel a14ar ;s
Rebar Co. owned by
question myself constantly: 'Am I making the best decisions?'" he says.
UCO!
"Dealing with the contractor and getting a positive outcome is huge to
me," he says. "I don't demand what I need-I ask for it"
When not working, Gerde concentrates on finishing the rebuilding and
expansion of his house on five acres in Carnation,Wash. He also reflects on
the previous workday: "I think about whether I handled things that came up
in a positive way and make sure to correct and learn from any mistakes." "I QUESTION
MYSELF
He takes breaks from rebar and rebuilding to golf, fish and hang out
CONSTANTLY ...
with Susan, his wife of 27 years, and their four offspring .
AND MAKE
Last year, Gerde earned $180,000. Tne five years prior, his annual in-
SURE TO
come averaged $140,000. But his body is shot from years of abuse, so he CORRECT
is retiring in five years. His rodman legacy is his 23-year-old son , Dillon, AND LEARN
who works as his column foreman . "He's really good," says Gerde. • FROM ANY
By Nadine M. Post MISTAKES."
WORRIES ABOUT BEING PASSED
OVER FOR YOUNG APPRENTICES
Dave Perkins says that life is difficult for an older construction crafts-
person. A steamfitter in southeastern Wisconsin, Perkins has built power
plants and other facilities for Bechtel and the former Washington Group as
well as smaller local contractors. But the work moved to more distant lo-
cations and became increasingly sporadic. "It seems to happen once you
DAVE
get to be 50 to 55 years old," he says. "Once you get older, there's a lot of PERKINS
unemployment." Contractors want the young apprentices, he notes: "You 59
Steamfitter
take the scraps." He is currently unemployed-that is, retired but hoping Local601,
for a call back from the union. Oak Creek, Wis.
He has worked in a factory, but it was not satisfying or steady. "They PRAISEWORTHY Perl<ins appreciates the pensions, "rather than a
kept closing," he says. So, he went to the local technical school and got 401 (k)," that are earned worl<ing in union construction.
an associate's degree and then an apprenticeship with Trane Inc. He has tors, Perkins notes. "Their safety programs are strict. If you qualify on one
worked construction since 2003, riding the ups and downs-one week it project, when you go to another project, they test you again," he says.
is six 10-hour days and the next "you're sitting at home doing the wife's Despite the uncertainty and hardships, Perkins says the compensation in
ehores," he says. union construction "is one of the last places in the United States where you can
Perkins likes the variety. "I could never stand in afactory and work the same actually get a pension, rather than a 401 (k)." "THE BEST
widget every day for eight or 10 hours. I like meeting the people. The best He's proud of his work and of the projects he has worked on-"every one PEOPLE IN
people in the world are the travelers. They teach you everything they know. of them," he says. "I'll be going someplace with my kids, and I'll point out a THE WORLD
These people have a little bit more of a union brotherhood belief," he adds. building and say, 'I worked on that building.' There's a sense of pride in it." • ARE THE
Quality and safety at large contractors is superior to that at local contrac- By Thomas F. Armistead TRAVELERS."

BOILERMAKER HAS A SPECIAL MENTOR

For Wendy Overeem, craft work is literally all in the family. Her father was a pipefitter. Her grandfather
and uncles were carpenters. Agreat aunt was awelder of sea planes. But she took up the trade of her
mother,Inez Thomas,who used the GI benefits of her late husband to become a union boilermaker so
that she could provide support to a young family.That step inspired her daughter's career.
Also faced with children to support on her own , Overeem , now 55, opted for a three-year
apprenticeship with boilermakers union Local 454 in Chattanooga. For 28 years, she has helped
WENDY
OVEREEM build, repair and maintain massive boilers, or furnaces , for power plants, refineries and mills. She
55 has climbed to dizzying heights and crawled into claustrophobic spaces. Her biggest job as a
Union Boilermake
Local 454 foreman was a two-year project building two 14-story, state-of-the-art units at a coal-fired
Tullahoma, power plant in Wisconsin."I love everything about the job-the welding, the rigging, working
Tenn.
with metal," says Overeem. "What I love most is the camaraderie. It doesn't matter if you 've
never met the people when you go to a job. You fit in because we are all bringing the same things
to the table, and we accomplish what we set out to do. "
The money and benefits have allowed her to provide security for herself and her family. "It
enables me to never have to remarry," she says. "If I had found someone, I would have, but I
didn't need someone to help with the bills. We have a good life and a nice home." The worst part
was time away from her children when they were young , she adds.
Compared to her mother's working years, Overeem sees more women on the job and less sex-
ist behavior, although she has been passed over for jobs and endured threats and vulgar language.
Overeem is mostly accepted by her male co-workers but says she has to prove herself on every job.
"WHAT I LOVE
And subtle discrimination creeps in:All skills being equal, a man is more likely than a woman to be
MOST IS THE
chosen as foreman, she says. "Some foremen hated women and did not want them on the job.They CLIMBING THE LADDER Union boilermaker
CAMARADERIE. Wendy Overeem has built power-plant boilers
WEARE ALL would put you on the crappiest job there was or stick you on 'hole watch,'" a term for the often
and her own economic security in a 28-year
BRINGING THE monotonous task of monitoring the entrance to a confined space. "The level of respect is 90% craft-labor career.
SAME THINGS better than it was for my mother. They know we are here to stay," she says. •
TO THE TABLE." By Pam Dittmer McKuen

enr.com July 11 , 2016 • ENR • 35