By Haylee Winger
Approximately 150 welding trucks took part in a Grande Prairie stand-down on October 1, according to Fort St. John, B.C.-based rig welder Vahid Aghdasi, as rig-welding businesses pushed for higher contract rates and changes to how some of their operating costs are covered.
Aghdasi helped organize the stand-down in Fort St. John and said he also pushed to get organizers involved in Grande Prairie and other Alberta communities.
The effort began in northern British Columbia, where participating rig welders stood down on September 1 after seeking a new minimum contract rate of $150 per hour. The revised terms also included provisions for contractors to supply fuel for field and out-of-town work.
The B.C. welders said they were prepared to return to work once agreements reflecting the revised rate and conditions were in place. The same push then moved into Alberta, with Grande Prairie among the communities involved in the October 1 stand-down.
The stand-down is part of what participants have called the “Welder Wobble,” an effort by mobile rig welders to address rates they say have not kept pace with the cost of operating their businesses.
Rig welders are mobile contractors who bring their welding trucks and equipment to job sites. The contractors cover the costs of operating and maintaining their equipment.
Aghdasi said rates have remained stagnant for more than two decades while the cost of operating a welding truck has continued to rise.
“What led us to wobble today was our rates staying stagnant for over 20 years, which makes operating a welding truck impossible,” he said. “We also got tired of rate cuts, and with inflation being drastically high, it’s not feasible to operate.”
“The cost of welding equipment has doubled to tripled in the past 15 to 20 years. Our rates have stayed the same.”
The $150-per-hour figure being sought is a contract rate paid to the welding business, rather than a $150-per-hour wage paid directly to an individual welder.
Aghdasi said the goal is to establish a $150-per-hour minimum rate across Alberta.
The Alberta welders are also seeking changes to how supplies and other operating costs are covered.
“We are going to get full supply just like every contractor, which is going to be called welding supply now,” Aghdasi said. “That means we are going to charge for everything that we burn, that we wreck and that we have to use to get the job done.”
“We want our fuel paid for that we burn to make their products,” he said.
Aghdasi said some companies have been cooperative so far, while welders continue working to establish the new rates and terms across Alberta.
“We are going to get $150 an hour across all of Alberta as a base minimum,” he said.
