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He spoke of a project that went exceptionally well, to build the second phase of the Alouette aluminum plant in Sept-Îles. The contract was won by Simard-Beaudry, the construction company owned by Tony Accurso. It was completed three months ahead of schedule, because contractors “bought” labour peace.

Witnesses told Comeau that contractors in the project would submit extra sums of money of between $15,000 and $50,000, often in the form of false invoices. The money apparently went to union representatives.

Another witness told Comeau that a union rep of FTQ Construction told the owners of Alouette that they would have to hire Simard-Beaudry or they wouldn’t be able to find any workers for the project.

The commission also heard at length about the strongman for FTQ Construction in the North Shore, Bernard Gauthier, who was widely known as “Rambo.”

Rambo apparently ruled with an iron fist, with the ability to slow down construction sites when things didn’t go the union’s way.

One particular project, a $5-billion hydroelectric dam in the Romaine River in the Saguenay, was fraught with work stoppages. Rambo was said to have organized major disruptions and protests. For example, if one worker had to urinate during a bus ride to a construction site, all the workers would get off the bus and take a break. He said a 20-minute ride could sometimes take more than an hour and a half. There was also rampant equipment sabotage, the commission heard.

Rambo managed to get workers from rival unions fired in favour of ones from FTQ Construction, and he successfully pressured companies to rehire workers fired for incompetence.

Because of such tactics, Comeau said contractors accepted that labour in Quebec’s North Shore would cost 20 to 30 per cent more than elsewhere in the province. No one seemed to want to challenge this system. He said contractors realized it was cheaper to pay off the unions than to endure work stoppages.

This article originally appeared in the Montreal Gazette