A recently fired Alberta oil sands electrician says his union has yielded to one of Canada’s largest energy producers.

“This is a very clear, basic violation of a number of my rights and my union has not stood up for me,” Mike Thomas told the Tyee.

The contracted electrician was fired in early October after blogging about “inhuman” living conditions at several work camps operated by Suncor Energy. His union, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 424, decided to drop any legal challenge last week.

“The advice given was that there would be little chance of success with the grievance,” reads an official union document obtained by the Tyee.

Another legal opinion suggests the opposite. Legal Aid Alberta wrote to Thomas’ union in late October, urging it to pursue the case.

“I believe there is a basis for going forward with the grievance,” staff Lawyer Jackson Lee wrote. “I would assume that the IBEW would not stand for a member being summarily dismissed without recourse.”

The union is undergoing negotiations right now with an association representing several electrical contractors, Thomas said. One of the largest of those contractors is Thomas’ former employer, Aecon/Lockerbie. That contractor in turn answers to Suncor, Thomas said, which has final say over who gets to work at its oil sands operations.

“We’re not in the strongest position this year because of the recession and the union is basically afraid of rocking the boat,” Thomas said. “I can understand that. But at the same time, we’re not a union if we don’t stand up for each other.”

Earlier this fall, Thomas took pictures of unhealthy eating options and filmed video of shower heads covered in “green slime and rust” at several Suncor work camps.

“What we have is the absolute bare minimum that any company can get away with providing without having some kind of riot,” he wrote on his blog.

Suncor decided shortly after to bar Thomas from company property, effectively terminating his employment. Suncor argues that capturing images or film within its operations violates a strict prohibition on recording devices.

"It's also a privacy matter," spokesperson Brad Bellows told the Tyee. "We don't think it's unreasonable to provide assurances to guests in our camps that there won't be recording devices in the camps."

Thomas argues the rules only apply to company work sites, an assertion Bellows called "incorrect". A signed copy of the “Rules and Regulations for Residents of Suncor Lodges” obtained by the Tyee contains no mention of recording devices.

IBEW Local 424 business manager Kevin Levy said the union can't comment on an individual member, unless that member signs a release, something Thomas has not yet done.

"We feel some of the things we've read about our union are being portrayed incorrectly," Levy said. "We would love to comment but we don't have the ability."

Geoff Dembicki reports for the Tyee.