Manitoba has five locals: 343, 1443, 1614, and 1515.
Carpenters Local 343
Carpenters Local 343 was originally founded in 1888. The Local currently represents approximately 700 carpenters and Interior System Mechanics throughout the Province of Manitoba. The work our members perform is predominantly concrete forming however that is not to say that other types of work do not exist for our members. Many of our contractors have a “Special Projects” division and this type of work includes a broad scope of the Carpenter Trade. Additionally, as mentioned above, the Local represents a number of Interior System Mechanics. This is the trade historically known as the Drywall Trade. There are also a number of contractors that work with the Local in the Scaffold Trade. This is a trade which specializes in the construction of access structures.
As our work is predominantly concrete forming, many of the contractors that are signatory to our collective agreement excel in this type of work. They include such contractors as PCL, Bird, Stuart Olson, and Ellis Don. This is where the bulk of our membership work but certainly not exclusively.
Our employers and the Union are committed to training and encourage our membership to take advantage of the Apprenticeship Program and ultimately secure their Red Seal Certification. As we are active in the Apprenticeship Program we need to comply with ratio requirements as outlined by the Province. It is the ratios of Journeypersons to apprentices in addition to the workload of our contractors that dictate the number of new members we bring in to the organization.
Millwrights Local 1443
Millwrights Local 1443 is a group of approximately 200 Red Seal Millwrights, Apprentices, and Welders. Contractors that are signatory to our Collective Agreement contact the Union Hall for Millwrights to work for them on jobs throughout Manitoba.
As Millwrights, our work consists of: shut down and maintenance work on existing plants such as Gerdeau Rolling Mills, Koch Fertilizer, and Griffin Wheel; Power House facilities throughout the province, performing teardowns and overhauling the units from the bottom up; Refurbishing the gates and guides at several different Power House locations Working at several mines throughout the province.
Most of our jobs are short-term, from 1 to 3 weeks when there are shutdowns, but there are large jobs such as overhauling a hydro unit that can provide employment for 10 months to 1 year. Some of our signatory contractors are ABCO, Black and MacDonald, Trotter Morton, Derksen Mechanical, and WesCan.
Local 1614
Local 1614 is an Industrial Local with Hudson Bay Mining and Smelting Co. in Flin Flon, Manitoba. Carpenters and scaffolders work in the mines for access / egress as well as building safe work platforms. They also perform all carpentry tasks, doors / hardware, and all maintenance duties. Workers in this Local live in both Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Local 1515
Local 1515 is a carpentry local working in the Winnipeg #1 School Division. They are tasked with duties such as doors & hardware, forming and placing concrete, drywall, structure repair, additions, and general maintenance. They specialize in keeping our children, teachers, and administration staff safe in our Winnipeg schools.