Weldco workers in Fort McKay, Alta., join IAM

95 employees in oil sands service company unionize

Workers at Weldco Heavy Industries in Fort McKay, Alta., joined the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local 99 on March 13.

“We got this lead from one of our chief stewards at Kal Tire who knew some workers that needed help,” said Matt Barnable, IAM district lodge 14 business representative. “We had a lot of support on the shop floor and were able to get automatic certification.”

The 95 new members consist of welders, tool room attendants and maintenance and yard personnel, said the union.

Weldco Heavy Industries, assembles new bodies for mining trucks and refurbishes existing bodies for current and future fleet trucks operating in the oil sands. It specializes in repairing large capacity shovel buckets and track frames and rebuilding crawler dozer blades, large loader buckets and mining truck frames.

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