Ontario Elevator Strike 2013 – The Fight for The Sky

On May 1st, 1400 members of the International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC), including those from Local 50, 90, and 96 walked off the job. This is approximately half of the 3000 certified elevator technicians in Ontario who are on the picket line.

Contract seniority was one of the major issues that lead to the strike, as unionized elevator technicians have been able to retain their seniority if and when they switched companies. The major four elevator companies involved in the talks, Kone, Otis, Schindler and ThyssenKrupp Elevator, represented by the National Elevator and Escalator Association (NEEA), would like to see this practice grandfathered or even eliminated.

Thankfully, On June 17th, according to the Ontario Labour Relations Board order, approximately 300 members of the 800 IUEC Local 50 and 90 returned to the GTA resident construction sites, ensuring at least some maintenance work was being done.

Unfortunately, construction on new developments in Toronto has been adversely affected by the strike as the process relies heavily on both exterior hoists and interior elevators to bring materials to the higher floors. Interior elevators move three to five times the speed of the outside hoist. Since the strike, the interior elevators on construction sites have not been used.

In commercial real estate, tenant/customer accessibility to businesses has been disrupted due to some elevators being out of service in various office buildings. This is because elevator maintenance work is only being completed on emergency basis and not regular service work. In addition, there are several new office towers currently under construction in the downtown sector that have been affected.

The strike has also greatly affected the every-day lives of tenants, residents and workers in office buildings and condominiums. The internal traffic within these offices and buildings has been slowed considerably as it is typical to find only one working elevator out of four, for instance.

In the meantime, building owners and managers must remember that it becomes extraordinarily important to keep in communication with local, certified contractors. This is necessary to ensure there is a mutual understanding of what elevator maintenance calls will be prioritized.

Regardless, the GTA real estate industry and the people involved, be them residents, owners, or developers, are a strong and vibrant community that are important to Ontario’s success – the strike will end, and we will all reach the sky eventually.