Independent Sask. welders walking off job sites, seeking rate increase

These welders are demanding better pay. And they're joining hundreds of welders across Western Canada in non-unionized job action to make their point. They're largely independent contractors who work with oil field companies. And some gathered in Regina this week. They say that what they earn hasn't kept up with inflation. I made more money 20 years ago than I did today. It shouldn't work that way. You should hone your craft and be able to do better as you get older. Badiou says rates set by oilfield companies for the welders have grown 5% at most since he started. Far behind the costs independent contractors have to cover with inflation. A truck's double what it was when I started. Welders are triple. Cost of living, like I said, is 38% higher. And you're going to get the same wage. It's hard to go get a job and make it work. One professor who specializes in labour relations says independent contractors organizing like this can be tricky. Any kind of collective action has to put pressure at the point of production on the employer. So that means they have to have enough people supporting their cause who are going to walk off the job and not stay on the job. Because the right to strike only applies to employees who are protected by labour codes, Smith says independent contractors may be risking their livelihoods. For the most part, it's a non-unionized industry. I wouldn't say hostile to collective action, but not one that I think has lent itself historically to collective action. The fact that it's happening there, I think, is very unique and something that's really worth watching closely. Smith says if the action is effective, it could spread to other professions that surround the oil industry. It just doesn't make sense anymore. For Badiou, he won't be returning to work if wages don't improve. Alex Kozrowski, CBC News, Regina.