Sash and Door Workers
join Local 1-424

PRINCE GEORGE, BC. — Local
1-424 gained 99 new members after a
certification ballot was counted on
July 16. The new IWA members,
employees at Woodland Sash and
Door and Scana Industries, decided
to join the union during a five day
campaign coordinated by national
organizer, Rick McRae.

The pro union vote count was 64-30
in favour of the IWA as the workers
refused to believe company literature
which pretended to address their
concerns.

During the campaign the company
sent the employees a message which
was a standard form letter from a
“union busting kit” designed to per-
suade the workers from going union.

Brother McRae produced a similar
letter he had picked up during a previ-
ous campaign at another plant which

had some of the same words, verbatim.

After seeing the letter the crew saw
through the companies’ smokescreen
and fell more solidly behind the union.

The two companies, owned and
operated by the Byl family, winner of

entrepreneurial awards in Prince
George, are an important addition to
Local 1-424.

Local president, Frank Everitt,
says “We're moving into the value-
added products sector because we
believe that’s where the future of the
IWA is.”

Brother Everitt says there is more
interest today for workers to join TWA
-CANADA because of the higher pro-
file the local has taken in the commu-
nities where it has operations.

Scana Industries manufactures fur-
niture components, for such compa-
nies as IKEA while Woodland Win-
dows produces wood frame windows
and doors:

Issues to be addressed during nego-
tiations, other than rates of pay and
job security, include pay equity for
women. The employer has practised
wage and job discrimination against
80% of the workforce which is female.
Women have been unable to receive
training on equipment which would
increase their wages.

Shelley, B.C. mill closes

© Operating on the same mill site since the 1920's Northwood Shelley operation
finally closed in June. Above: tail sawyer Les Blake-Knox working by a double
circular head rig, one of the last of a kind, Below: Miklos Kiraly Jr. steers the large
diameter lumber into the edger. See story page 12.

© Workers outside dry kiln at Woodland Sash and Door, recently signed up with the

IWA.

Base rate in the plant is $9.25 with
a higher rate of around $13.00 for
trades.

Occupational safety is a major issue
for the workers. Several of them have
lost fingers and experienced severe
cuts.

During the unionizing campaign
the employer fixed some machinery
that had been neglected repeatedly.

Missing machine guards and poorly
maintained equipment needs to be
addressed.

Future proposals for the workers
are good, as the company has been
awarded timber through a small busi-
ness licence. The company is now in
the process of building a new manu-
facturing facility on the present site
which will create additional jobs.

Photo by Rick McRae

Business Agent Murray Cantelon (r.) presents Ed “Buster” LeRoy with a gift from
Local 1-71. The local honoured him for his 50 years in the logging industry.

Loggers’ local has
fortieth annual

COURTENAY, B.C. — This year's
Logger’s Local Annual Convention
held on May 4 and 5 saw many resolu-
tions, about one third, referred to next
year’s wage and contract conference.

The delegation gave full support to
local officers as there wasn’t even any
debate over the officers’ report.

Local MLA (North Island) Colin
Gabelmann was present to field ques-
tions on the NDP’s labour policy. He
explained the resolution passed at the
NDP convention in March of this year
which will see a province wide land
use strategy, or “jobs and environ-
ment accord” put through by an NDP.
government.

The resolution, which calls for a
doubling of B.C. parkland from 6% to
12% does not necessarily mean that
the full 6% will be taken from existing
forest lands.

Gabelmann went on to explain that
areas such as desert and alpine regions
of the province will be considered for
the additional 6%.

Delegates welcomed a motion to
support nurses on strike at the Comox
Medical Clinic and an IWA rally was
held to support the striking women
who are members of the United Food
and Commercial Workers’ Union.

Guest speaker Fernie Viala, Nat-
ional Third Vice-President told the
delegates that support of the NDP is
a must and that union people must
work to get the IWA’s position across
in the ridings. 3

Local 1-80 First Vice-President Bill
Routley was on hand to say an NDP
government was the part of the solu-
tion to tempering the radical environ-
mentalists and getting provincial lab-
our laws which are fair to unions.

LUMBERWORKER/JULY, 1990/13

Photo by Bill Owens,