About Ottawa CLRA

Association history

Where It All Began

There is over 130 years of history of collective bargaining between local building trades unions and various iterations of Ottawa contractor associations starting in June 1889 when the Contractors and Builders Association of Ottawa was established.

The first known collective agreement signed by the association on behalf of signatory contractors was on May 3, 1890 with the Bricklayers and Masons’ Union. The agreement was notable for ending a strike over the daily hours of work. The agreement to reduce the work-day from 10 hours to 9 hours was a significant breakthrough for the unions.

View the May 3, 1890 Collective Agreement (PDF) →

Construction unions evolved earlier than construction associations having existed in Canada since the early 1800s. In general, it can be stated that British tradesmen coming to Canada brought with them their tradition of Societies or trade unions and some of our earliest unions were, in fact, Branches of British Trade Unions.

There is record of some skilled tradesmen having a union organization in Saint John, New Brunswick, during the War of 1812. The Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Joiners (a British Society) established locals in Hamilton, Toronto and Kingston during 1871. The "Society" was the first permanent union in the building trades although a "Stone Cutters Union" claims to have been formed in Montreal as early as 1845.

It was during the construction of the Parliament Buildings (1859-1866) that activity grew in the Masonry and Stonecutting trades in Ottawa, and it was a few years later in 1872 that the Ottawa Building Trades Council was formed and in the ensuing years additional building trade unions established locals in Ottawa as the city grew.

The original 1889 Contractors and Builders Association of Ottawa ultimately had to close its doors due to poor economic times but was followed over the years with different reincarnations – all of which carried on a labour relations role. The association history includes:

• Ottawa Builders Exchange from 1908 to 1915 (closed due to World War I),
• Ottawa Branch of the Association of Canadian Building & Construction Industries from 1919 to 1949 (closed as the ACBCI was restructured as the Canadian Construction Association (CCA) and their charter excluded labour relations functions which the Ottawa Branch was undertaking),
• Ottawa Builders Exchange (1950 to 1967) renamed the Ottawa Construction Association (1967 to 1999)
• Ottawa Construction Labour Relations Association (1999 to present)

The Ottawa CLRA was incorporated in 1999 as a stand-alone association for negotiating and administering the Ottawa schedules of three provincial ICI trade collective agreements for the Industrial, Commercial, Institutional (ICI) sector – the Carpenters, Labourers and Operating Engineers.