Work at Site C is “moving fast,” said Business Agent Justin Roylance. He spends as much time as he can in Fort St. John meeting and talking to members who work at the Atco Two Rivers lodge.
Roylance acknowledged that there is some opposition to Site C in the region, but the people working at the construction site “take it with a grain of salt. Obviously some people are opposed to it,” he said. “But in today’s day and age, they need to work. There is some oil and gas work popping up sporadically but it’s still pretty slow [in the North].”
There are 181 members of Teamsters Local 213 working at the camp.
The union represents 20 job classifications including cooks (first, second, and third), pot- and dishwashers, sandwich & salad makers, bakers & assistant bakers, general kitchen helpers, bartend- ers, baristas, housekeeping and maintenance workers, commissary staff, general helpers, atten- dants, janitors, maintenance staff, tradespeople (electricians, appliance technicians, carpenters, plumbers, HVAC technicians, and maintenance technicians), road maintenance and grounds crews, and soon water treatment workers–all job classifications connected to camp services.
Wages range from $20 to $39 per hour. Workers have the choice of working 14/7 (2 weeks on, 1 week off an favoured by out-of-towners) or five days on, two off (which enables locals to go home every night).
The lodge, with its double-wide stacked three-high trailers fabricated on site, is permanently placed.
Currently, there are 900 occupants, but the facility is capable of housing 1,600 workers and managers. Everything is being done to keep people entertained and cared for. The facility includes a large cafeteria, lounge, coffee shops, barbecue pits, commissary, games room, running track, tennis courts, gymnasium, work-out equipment, personal trainers, movie theatre, hair salon, massage clinic, and medical clinic.
But it’s no resort. Everyone is putting in long days and working very hard.
(Read more in Today’s Teamsters)
