Born in hard times, open shop movement association has thrived through effective advocacy and solid benefits and services Canadian Design and Construction Report staff writer Merit Alberta’s success and history reflects the progress and achievements of the open shop labour movement. The association has more than 1,450 mem- bers who have lived through the province’s boom and bust resource cycles. Today’s eco- nomic conditions are not great – yet Merit Al- berta’s history traces back to even more challenging times in 1985, when 15 contractors met to consider their futures. 38 – March 2016 — The Canadian Design and Construction Report