Assessment Referral Service
first step in EFAP

For many employees who need
access to an Employee and Family
Assistance Program, the first impor-
tant step in seeking help is to contact
an Assessment and Referral Service
(ARS).

IWA-CANADA participates in fif-
teen ARS's nationwide. Our union is
helping to promote the awareness and
understanding of the EFAP through
the promotion of ARS’ across Canada.

The Lumberworker visited an ARS
in Vancouver's Lower Mainland in an
attempt to find out more about the
EFAP.

Charlie Fitt, coordinator for the
Lower Mainland Assessment Referral
Service in Burnaby, B.C. says that in
most cases when people first approach
the ARS they are often nervous about
their problem.

IWA Locals 1-217 (Vancouver),
1-357 (New Westminster) and 1-367
(Haney) have members which can uti-
lize the service for their family and
themselves.

Mr. Fitt, who is a veteran counsel-
lor with the non-profit society says
that the EFAP is designed to deal
with a whole array of problem areas.

Counselling for alcohol addiction,
drug dependency, financial problems,
child/parent difficulties, marital rela-
tionship conflicts, and legal problems
is available through the services of
the ARS.

“We deal in the whole ‘broad brush’
approach,” says Mr. Fitt. “It doesn’t
matter what the issue is, we'll try and
find a way of dealing with it.”

So that the employees become
aware of the EFAP, ARS staff and
program consultants put on “Aware-
ness Sessions” in the workplace.
These sessions, which run approxi-
mately 40 minutes, include an eleven
minute video. Each employee is told
of the EFAP and has his/her ques-
tions answered.

“The general awareness of IWA
members in this part of the province
has increased 100-fold since our pro-
gram began in 1985,” comments Mr.
Fitt.

The coordinator stresses the fact
that what is discussed in the ARS is
kept totally confidential and is not
provided to either the company or the
union.

ARS personnel do an assessment of
the client’s problem, make a referral
for treatment, and then follow-up on
his/her progress. The resource base
that the Lower Mainland ARS can
call upon, includes psychologists, psy-
chiatrists, medical doctors, marriage
counsellors, financial counsellors, and
alcohol/drug experts.

Mr. Fitt and his fellow coordinator,
Lynne Anderson, will do short term
counselling themselves on occasion.
Temporary counselling may be re-
quired, for instance, if an individual
with an extreme alcohol problem and
no personal resources must wait for
six to eight weeks to receive hospital
treatment. The counsellor will also
monitor the client’s early commitment
to the program.

e MEMBERS OF IWA LOCAL 1-306 were in attendance at an

e EFAP coordinator Charlie Fitt talks with client at the Lower Mainland Assessment
and Referral Service. The IWA participates in fifteen EFAP’s nation-wide.

However, Ms. Anderson points out
that the ARS does not duplicate ser-
vices in the community.

One of the reasons for the high
success rate of the Lower Mainland
EFAP is that the counsellor provides
an intensive after-care program. The
progress of a client is monitored and if
a client doesn’t like the referral first
given, he/she may contact the ARS
for a different approach to the matter.

If the client has a serious problem
that requires that individual to be
away from the job for a period of time,
the ARS coordinator will refer the
client to a family doctor. The doctor
will than make a determination
whether or not the employee should
apply for health and welfare benefits
provided in his/her collective agree-
ment.

IWA Local 1-217 President, Doug

Fires claim over
2.2 mi

on hectares

Evans, who has been on the ARS’
Board of Directors since its beginning
in 1985 says that there has been a
positive response to the program.

“We have been able to save jobs for
numerous people because of the pro-
gram. Before the EFAP came around
there was no means of referring people
for help.”

Brother Evans says that the EFAP
has been extended to millworkers
whose employers are not part of the
ARS. Employers can then pay on a
fee-for-service basis rather than a
funding formula given to member
mills.

In Local 1-217 each operation has
been asked to set up a four-member
EFAP Committee, equally composed
of management and workers. These
Committees act as information pro-
viders for concerned workers.

organizing seminar taught by National Director John Smithies in
June. The classes, held in Chatham, New Brunswick were the first
ones held in several years. Left to right front row are: Local First
Vice-President Eric Barrieau of Burchill Plywood and Don Collins
of the Miramichi Stud mill. Back row are: Local President Robert
Bradford of Miramichi and Frank Girovard and Art Young of

Burchill Plywood.

Settlement at Jackson
Building Supplies

IROQUOIS, ONTARIO —
The membership of Local 1-73
(now a sub-local of 1-1000)
working at Jackson Builders’
Supply Ltd. in Iroquois, on
the seaway, has ratified a new
three-year agreement.

The contract runs from
January 21, 1989 to January
20, 1991, and provides for a
$1.75 an hour increase over
three years and increases in
the dental plan, shift pre-
mium and weekly indemnity
plan. 3
Most of all, the wording

was completely revamped in
all major areas: union secu-
rity and representation, seni-
ority and job vacancies.

The bargaining committee
was comprised of Glenn
Brownell, Chairman; and
Kevin Duff, Financial Secre-
tary; Michael McCarter as
the Local 1-1000 representa-
tive; and Rene Brixhe, Na-
tional Organizer who acted as
spokesman.

— Michael McCarter
Representative Local 1-1000

THE PAS, MANITOBA —
This summer’s catastrophic
forest fires in this province
were the worst in 30 years
with more than 2.2 million
hectares destroyed or par-
tially destroyed.

During the fire’s worst
period in late July, in excess
of 24,000 people were evacu-
ated from 23 small communi-
ties. On July 23 Manitoba’s
Emergency Measures Minis-
ter Albert Driedger declared
a state of emergency as over
250 blazes covered virtually
all of Manitoba from border
to border.

More than 1,500 fire-
fighters, 30 helicopters, six
waterbombers and other air-
craft were used to combat the
fires.

It is believed by provincial
authorities that lightning
caused most of the fires
although two fires, one near
Norway House, and one near
Cross Lake were believed to
be caused by humans.

While the present damage
is still being assessed by
authorities, the impact on
IWA members appears to be
minimal.

Manitoba Local 1-324 Pres-
ident Jim Anderson says
there will be little effect on his
membership.

“There is a fair amount of
area that Repap intends to
salvage,” says Brother Ander-
son.

Repap Enterprises Corp. of
Montreal bought out Manfor,
the provincially owned Crown
Corporation, in May, thereby
acquiring more than four mil-
lion acres of provincial land.

By the forest fires’ worst
stage Repap had lost more

than 220,000 hectares of tim-
ber. Damage is still being
assessed.

Local 1-324 loggers had
been laid off in late June and
early July before the rash of
fires began. Some of those
loggers joined with others in
battling the fires on the front
line.

In the north eastern region
of the province, fires at Bol-
ton Lake and the Land Lake/
Sipiwask area each consumed.
more than 210,000 hectares
while a 220,000 hectare blaze
covered forest lands in the
Burntwood Lake area in north
western Manitoba.

&

BRANTFORD, ONTARIO
— One hundred and twenty
employees at the Cascades
Dominion Inc. plant here set-
tled on a two-year collective
agreement in late July, nearly
three months before their cur-
rent contract expires.

The workers, members of
IWA-Local 1-500, agreed to
two wage increases of 45¢
per hour in each year.

New breakthroughs in bar-
gaining include a vision-care
program and an early retire-
ment option. Employees with
at least twenty years’ service
are now eligible for full pen-
sion at age 60.

Short strike at
Lytton Lumber

Pee,

¢ Pictured above are (1.to r.) Gilbert Isaac, George Jmayoff, Bryan
Moorman and Eric Pickard of Lytton Lumber Ltd. who were out on
strike for two weeks. The members of Haney Local 1-367 voted 84%
in favour of a three-year settlement on July 31 with the full wage and

benefits package included in the Southern Interior Master
Agreement.

]

LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1989/19