There are 160 Rempel employees on strike, but an additional 110 Ocean Concrete and 24 Allied Concrete employees are also not crossing picket lines
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A weeks-old strike by cement truck operators has stalled residential and commercial projects across Metro Vancouver, leaving builders and customers worried about the cost of delays.
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“I’ve had my order delayed for two weeks. It’s been a nightmare,” said Marie-Claire Howard, chair of Alliance Francaise Vancouver, a non-profit organization, which is building a four-storey, 28,700-square-foot new cultural center on Cambie Street near 47th Avenue.
The current stoppage is compounding an already precarious situation for the project after years of grinding to get approvals from the city and then months of bad weather, said Howard.
“All we want is for the job to be done. The project is already super late for other reasons, so this is adding insult to injury and we are at risk of going bankrupt. We haven’t had numbers or requests yet, but the trades are signaling that if this continues, they could ask for compensation and more money.”
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The strike by cement truck drivers at Rempel Bros. Concrete operations started on May 20, according to Jeff Sieg, director of corporate communications at Lehigh Hanson, Inc., which owns Rempel Bros. and is based in Irving, Texas.
Rempel Bros. was started by three brothers in Abbotsford in 1967 and now operates a fleet of about 75 ready-mix concrete trucks.
It has a dozen locations in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley and has supplied concrete for large infrastructure and major building projects such as the Golden Ears Bridge, Richmond Olympic Oval, as well as the new student union building at the University of BC, plus large shopping centers.
In total 160 Rempel employees are on strike, but an additional 110 Ocean Concrete and 24 Allied Concrete employees are also not crossing picket lines, according to Barry Capozzi, business agent for Teamsters Local Union No. 213, one of two unions involved in discussions.
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He estimates the three companies supply about 35 per cent of the concrete supply in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.
Smaller concrete suppliers say their phones have been ringing off the hook.
“It’s just put a real supply chain squeeze on for all the developers and builders. There’s not enough time in the day, not enough concrete trucks to ship it all. We’re trying to ship as much as we can and it’s not even coming close to what the demand is,” said Rick Rodland, customer manager at Coquitlam Concrete, which is a smaller and independent concrete supplier.
Sieg said the company and the union have been unable to reach an agreement and they are scheduled to meet again on Wednesday. Capozzi said one of the main sticking issues has been working conditions.
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In the meantime, one homebuilder says he’s not sure how to make plans.
“Smaller suppliers already have their regular clients,” said Sean Ederer at Sea-Pat Construction in North Vancouver, which has been doing home projects for over 30 years.
“Anybody like me who calls and wants 10 yards of concrete or something for a main house slab, they’re saying, ‘We’ll book you, but it’s a month down the road.’ What do I tell my client?
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