Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Laborers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA), Canada’s largest construction union, has formally withdrawn from the Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL), a move that creates a major rift within the province’s labour movement.
The decision, announced Wednesday by Joseph Mancinelli, LiUNA’s international vice-president and Canadian director, stems from what the union describes as politically motivated attacks by the OFL and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) against the provincial government’s Skilled Development Fund (SDF).
In a public statement, Mancinelli said the OFL and OPSEU have attacked the fund “under the guise of protecting colleges.” He called the criticism “nothing but bad politics attacking the Ford government.”
The SDF is a key funding program of the provincial government, overseen by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. It has provided hundreds of millions of dollars to a wide range of organizations, including LiUNA’s extensive network of private training centres, to fund apprenticeship and skills training programs.
Mancinelli praised the provincial government and Labour Minister David Piccini for their partnership in investing in Ontario’s skilled workforce through the fund.
He stated that SDF-funded programs at LiUNA’s training centres have “empowered opportunities for marginalized communities, students, women in trades, youth at risk, second chance career paths and our indigenous partners.”
The dispute highlights a growing philosophical divide within the labour movement. The OFL and OPSEU have been critical of the SDF, arguing that it diverts public funds to private training providers that should instead be directed to Ontario’s public college system.
Mancinelli countered this position directly, stating that LiUNA maintains a “strong partnership with our Colleges in Ontario and it is a disservice to create a conflict between private sector training centers and colleges.”
LiUNA will no longer participate with the OFL, which serves as the umbrella organization for hundreds of unions in the province.
“We will return when the OFL starts treating private sector unions fairly as opposed to favoring public sector unions to the detriment of LiUNA and its hundred of thousand members,” Mancinelli concluded in his statement.
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