Union joins forest industry to support Kid’s hospital This year IWA-CANADA will be join- ing with other groups in the forest industry in a widespread fund raising effort for the B.C. Children’s Hospital. For the past five years the forest industry has been involved in fund raising for the hospital, which is the province’s only acute-care medical centre devoted just to children. The hospital, which is located on Oak Street in Vancouver, receives over 90,000 patient visits a year. About two-thirds of the kids treated are from outside of B.C. and a third of those come from towns and cities spread throughout the province. The hospital also received nearly 7,000 patient visits from children outside of B.C. Almost every com- munity that the IWA has an operation in has used the facili- ties of the B.C. Chil- dren’s Hospital The hospital's renowned pathology lab is one of the most respected in North America and its laboratory spe- cialists run over 2 million tests a year to assist in diagnosis and treatment of kids at Children’s and other hospitals. It’s Pediatric Cancer Program looks after 100 new cases a year and does follow up on 1,000 kids with cancer. It has also done over 70 kidney trans- plants for children since 1983. The list of good things goes on. For those of us in the forest indus- try the cause is a special one says IWA-CANADA’s first vice-president Neil Menard. Brother Menard, who sits on an 11 member forest sector committee which is planning fund raising efforts, says the involvement “is new for the IWA as a whole although a number of our local unions have participated and donated money in past years.” In the past year the hospital received kids from 55 communities in B.C. alone. In almost every one of those communities the forest industry has a presence. The IWA is also in the majority of those communities. “Just about every community that we have a operation in has used the B.C. Children’s Hospital at one time or another,” says Neil. “I’m sure that our members will agree that this is a very worthy cause. I don’t think there is anything that is more important to us than our kids.” “We have a heart - we've got a big heart and we can work together with the industry to make our fund raising efforts successful,” adds Menard. Gordon Gray, the forest sector’s committee chairman the Industrial Relations Director with Weldwood of Canada, says the fund raising effort will also create more awareness of the hospital in communities. “This hospital is for all kids and our industry covers just about every com- munity in this province,” says Gordon. “There are a lot of initiatives that employers and employees can take together.” The B.C. Children’s Hospital has its own fund raising foundation which oversees all fund raising by different sectors. Last year it raised over $10 million. “The Children’s Miracle Net- work Telethon,” alone raised $4 mil- lion of that amount, which included the forest industry’s contribution. This year the telethon will take place on June 5 & 6. The hospital’s operating expenses are met to the tune of $100 million by the B.C. government. The $10 million raised through the Miracle Network is used to pay for additional medical equipment, program development and education, and research. In 1992 the forest industry sector raised over $96,000. This year the goal is $100,000. ° National First Vice-President Neil Menard is the IWA’s representative on for- est industry sector fund raising committee. The eleven member committee doing the ground work includes Gor- don, Neil, Alison Nickel of Weldwood, Doug Daniels of Canadian Forest Products, Rick Fortunaso and Brenda Stringer of Lignum Ltd., Trevor James of Fletcher Challenge Canada, Brian Payne of the Communication, Energy and Paperworkers of Canada, Rob Dorey of Canadian Pacific Forest Products, Peter Lawrie of MacMillan Bloedel, and Camille Cuthill of the B.C. Children’s Hospital Foundation. The committee will be working through the industry to plan a number of events. Gordon lists a number of fund rais- ing events that workers can jointly participate in. They can include golf tournaments, jeans day, (May 28), fishing derbies, baseball tournaments, fun-runs and walks, garage sales, bar- becues and curling bonspiels. Whatever sponsored events can take place in any area that can be run jointly by management and labour should be given a green light. It’s a good cause. Gordon points out to the fact that there are already a lot of employee events out there that are not connect- ed to fund raising events and the B.C. Children’s Hospital could become a benefactor. Of course he says the forest compa- nies themselves will be solicited for donations and have responded well in the past. All forest industry donations will go into a pot and there will be a presenta- tion to the telethon in June. Neil will be sending out more infor- mation to local union’s from B.C. to Ontario in order to organize events or send donations. He says that the for- est industry which is the largest indus- trial sector in B.C., should be right at the top in its fund raising efforts. There will be similar efforts taking place in 11 other corporate and employee divisions - from the mining industry to the public sector, petro- leun/utilities and professional groups. During the telethon the Miracle Net- work will thank and provide recogni- tion for many corporations and com- munity groups who have donated their support. “This will be a joint voluntary effort,” adds Neil. “I think we can walk around with our head up high knowing that we have helped out our kids.” IWA members have always given of their voluntary time generously. By working with others in the industry, we can help meet this year’s fund rais- ing goal of $100,000. Louisiana-Pacific Continued from page eleven ° Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt. ments Everitt. “The question remains as to whether they are willing to work with us or be in a confrontational mode.” There has always been high turnover rate in the plant, which is sit- uated in the Peace River Country near the Alberta border. The plant is in an isolated area of the province with few other quality employment opportuni- ties, yet workers come and go. “It’s a plant that demands real hus- tle from the start of the shift to the end,” says Everitt. “L-P’s philosophy is they run the plant - they've made a profit - so they will keep doing what they are doing.” Markets for oriented strand board are good. There is an increase demand for the products which should remain high for the foresee- able future. The IWA is there to help the work- ers and community out whenever pos- sible. “I think the community of Dawson Creek knows the IWA wants to keep the mill competitive and protect workers’ rights at the same time,” adds Brother Everitt. “Many people were told by L-P, as far back as 1988, that we would drive them out of the province - that hasn’t proved true at all.” Base rate in the plant before the wage increase were $11.00/hr. L-P continues to run a production bonus system which can average out to $100 - 400 more per worker per month. Along with wages, health and safety issues are a concern. Brother Everitt hopes the crew will now be able to address this inside safety committees. Mont Roc Continued from page seven Brother McCarter said that manage- ment was very straight forward in its approach to the bargaining and that negotiations only took 2% days. “The company was ready to deal with us,” says Brother McCarter. “They were decent and there was no b.s. during negotiations.” The workforce is split even between full-time and part-time posi- tions. Full-timers received a $500 sign- ing bonus and part-timers received $250. Most work of similar nature has probationary periods of up to 3 years before workers can get the full rate. The IWA committee negotiated a fair deal in that new workers will only receive 30 cents an hour less for a period of 3 months before getting the full rate. There was considerable headway made in the benefits departments as well; in terms of sick pay, holiday pay, life insurance, and accidental death and dismemberment. coverage. In addition the union negotiated language which will get the company to put in $1,000.00 a year into the Local 1-1000 education fund. Since 1990 the local union has put a demand for education funding on the table in every set of negotiations. It spends about $35,000 a year on edu- cating its members. By representing workers at the Place Mont Roc retirement home, the union is expanding its membership base while fulfilling its primary pur- pose. “Whether it’s a retirement home or a sawmill or a textile plant, the pur- pose (of union organizing) is to repre- sent workers,” say Brother McCarter. “Representing retirement home workers is a change, and we have to put on a different hat when we are thinking about their needs.” Local 1-1000’s moves to represent this group of workers is not out of the ordinary for the IWA. In various locals of the union, workers in the service industries are represented. Did you know B.C’s Children’s Hospital is the only Hospital an Wester Canada to perform bone marrow transplants for children with malignant Ate other blood diseases? RL British Columbia's = Children’s Hospital Putting smiles back where they belong, re sem 16/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1993