Brian Zinchuk is editor and owner of Pipeline Online
Brian Crossman. Photo by Brian Zinchuk
Unions and the Oilpatch
I am like an onion; I have many layers. Well, I think I heard that in a movie once. I think maybe “Shrek” or some other beloved children’s classic. Yeah, that’s right, I watch cartoons sometimes. I am truly looking forward to the “Wiley Coyote vs The Acme Company” movie. Loves me some “Looney Tunes.” These cartoons are the main reason my generation knows anything about opera. (“Kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit!”) If you are a younger person, Google it.
Today’s layer is something many people wouldn’t expect from a long-term oilfield hand. My first full-time job out of high school was for a company known as “Dominion Bridge.” They were a Canada-wide structural steel operation that manufactured and assembled many things. Bridges, buildings, potash and uranium mines were just some of the projects they built. Poplar River Power Station, Lanigan Potash Mine, the flood gates at the Nipawin power station and Key Lake Uranium are some of the Saskatchewan projects alone.
I must now make a confession to you all. I was a card-carrying union member of the “United Steelworkers of America Local 5917.” Now you might think that since I have been in the oilpatch for the last forty years (service rigs in particular) I would be averse to unions. That assessment is not totally wrong, but I do have many positive takeaways from trade unions.
I started out as a “paint/blast operator,” and eventually was trained to be a “Fitter-Welder” at the Dominion Bridge plant in Regina. It was a pretty great place to work while getting paid to learn a trade. It was a great experience as I was able to learn many skills from some very talented men. Many of these guys were excellent mentors as well.
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Probably my favorite memory was being taught early on by an Italian born fitter-welder by the name of Angelo Zanni. He spoke excellent English, albeit with a very thick accent. (Think “The Godfather” movie) He was patient and treated me like a son. One of my first tasks (new guy grunt work) was to fill weld holes in the very large I-beams that were punched in the wrong place (the prep department that punched these holes often had trouble reading blueprints).
Angelo showed me how to clamp a brass plate to the backside of the 1” or bigger hole and then use the flux-core mig welder to circle around the hole toward the centre thus closing off the hole so it could be re-punched in the correct place. He quickly filled one in while I watched through my welding mask, then turned to me and said, “Nowa you doa the same.” (Heavy Italian accent.)
So I attempted to follow his good example for about twenty-plus holes. I then proudly showed him my work. He then said, “Youa needa to grinda them a flush,” as they were a little bit higher than the level flange of the I-beam which looks bad and the inspector would point out. So, with my skinny eighteen-year-old arms I picked up the air-powered grinder. This weapon of mass-destruction had a 10” to 12” disc on it with a 1” air line to power it. The best description is to say it felt and kicked like a high-powered dirt bike when you squeezed the trigger. It was fun at first, but once you ground down a shitload of bumps, it felt like your arms were going to fall off.
Angelo came back and said, “Youa looka tired,” which was the truth. He then proceeded to show me once more how it was done, talking to me as he fill-welded the hole and said told me to watch when he stopped. He then knocked the flux off the weld and lo and behold it was perfectly flat. Wow. I looked at him and said, “Why didn’t you teach me that in the first place?” He used his long finger to poke me in the forehead and said, ”Nowa youa remember.” This is one of the best teaching methods ever. It sure worked for me.
- 0121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 20260121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 2026
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- 0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden
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I’m off topic, but I love telling that story. Working in a union shop at that time provided that level of safety, benefits and pay that was fantastic, especially for a young farm kid. (Double-time for working on weekends) There is also the brotherhood that gives you a sense of belonging and family, which is no different than a good rig crew.
The other side of the coin has some examples of laziness were seen, not all the time of course, but it existed. Some people enjoyed the union protection and knew it was nearly impossible to be fired. Having some guys come up and tell you to slow down, or “fuck the dog” so they didn’t look bad happened on occasion as well. Many of them would look for ways to do as little work as they could get away with. (To be fair, this happens everywhere.)
Having said this, trade unions have been the main driver behind worker’s rights. They have created an environment that protects workers. This has bled into the energy industry with safety, wages and benefits by being forced into treating workers better to attract people into the industry. This seems to be a common thread, and workers everywhere owe a debt of gratitude to the men and women that made all this happen over the past 100-plus years.
My only really negative thought is that over the past several decades some unions as with many large organizations have gained too much power. I think much of the union leadership, while believing in their mission, fail to look after the common good. Public sector unions seem to be the most proficient at holding the public hostage at the most critical times. Canada Post is probably the one that comes to mind. Threats of striking just before Christmas was play number one in the postal workers playbook. I’m sure every Canadian will have not so fond memories of this. What is worse is the leadership of Canada Post (government employees) continue to get paid very well with bonuses in spite losing over 1.5 billion dollars in 2025. Most government operations including healthcare, education and government workers are always over administrated and poorly run. This is compounded by union leaders who often try to make things difficult for often political reasons.
- 0121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 20260121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 2026
- 0134 SASPO-2956_ Safety 20260134 SASPO-2956_ Safety 2026
- 0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden
- 0132 UMWA 20260132 UMWA 2026
- 0129 Turnbull drivers operators0129 Turnbull drivers operators
- 0128 OSY Rentals updated0128 OSY Rentals updated
- 0126 Steel_Reef_Promo_0126 Steel_Reef_Promo_
- 0118 IBEW 30 sec0118 IBEW 30 sec
- 0114 Prospera Bold Vision0114 Prospera Bold Vision
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
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The question has always been, why hasn’t the oilpatch embraced unions? There are sectors of energy business that are already there, mostly in the downstream end in processing and refining. The union blueprint seems to work reasonably well in these areas. In my humble opinion, unions don’t mesh well with the work in the field. Once you are at the rig or anywhere in the field for that matter, workplace grievances that involve shutting down the job can and will result in major disruptions. When office people are having to drive out to location to resolve issues or switch people out because they refuse overtime or other issues can make things extremely difficult. Speaking for southeast Saskatchewan, the profit margins are as good as other areas, and every time operating costs rise, investment in our area will eventually decrease. This will cause job losses; service providers will move to other areas or shut the doors all together. The current volatility in the market already creates much doubt. The workers that I talk to do not like the idea for the most part.
Again, I will never dismiss all the good unions have brought forth. Higher wages, benefits, worker protection and human rights are all things we have to be thankful for. Employment standards that were once largely ignored are now protected by law. These are good things.
I had much inspiration for both side of this conversation. I have some personal friends who happen to be union leaders; Jody Dukart-UMWA, Ken Hoste-IBEW local 2067, and Garett Rosko- USW local 5890. (Interpro Pipe & Steel Regina) (Garett has family members related to men I worked with at Dominion Bridge, small world.) On the other side there are too many to list, so with a broad brush it is every oilfield worker I know from the roughnecks, entrepreneurs, up to presidents of oil and gas companies, many of whom worked their way up to where they are today.
Brian Crossman is a partner at Independent Well Servicing based in Estevan. While he isn’t the biggest union guy, he does acknowledge the part they played in the many positives in the modern workplace. (Bet many of you didn’t see this coming…)
- 0121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 20260121 Ministry of Energy and Resources April 2026
- 0134 SASPO-2956_ Safety 20260134 SASPO-2956_ Safety 2026
- 0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden0133 LC Trucking hiring Class 1A Payden
- 0132 UMWA 20260132 UMWA 2026
- 0129 Turnbull drivers operators0129 Turnbull drivers operators
- 0128 OSY Rentals updated0128 OSY Rentals updated
- 0126 Steel_Reef_Promo_0126 Steel_Reef_Promo_
- 0118 IBEW 30 sec0118 IBEW 30 sec
- 0114 Prospera Bold Vision0114 Prospera Bold Vision
- 0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer0113 Miller Epic Cinematic Hollywood trailer
- 0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended0102 Lori Carr Coal Extended
- 0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p0099 Mryglod Steel 1080p
- 0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it0095 Fast Trucking nearly 70 years good at it
- 0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser0046 City of Estevan This is Estevan Teaser
- 0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech0077 Caprice Resources Stand Up For Free Speech
- 0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask0061 SIMSA 2024 For Sask Buy Sask
- 0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly0051 JML Hiring Pumpjack assembly
- 0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar0049 Scotsburn Dental soft guitar
- 0032 IWS Summer hiring rock trailer music
- 0022 Grimes winter hiring
- 0018 IWS Hiring Royal Summer
- 0013 Panther Drilling PO ad 03 top drive rigs
- 0002 gilliss casing services0002 gilliss casing services
- 9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX9002 Pipeline Online 30 sec EBEX
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