* Rob Stephens hoists insides of sorter cylinder on a refitting job at Newnes Machinery plant in Revelstoke, B.C.

Chances may be that if you are
working in a sawmill anywhere across

_ Canada you might look around and
‘See sawmill equipment made by work-
ers that are now in the IWA. Since
December of 1991 IWA-CANADA, Local
1417 has been the official bargaining
agent for workers at Newnes Machin-
er, one of the world’s foremost manu-
facturers of modern sawmill equip-
ment.

The Newnes operation is located in
Salmon Arm B.C. about 100 km. east
of the local union’s headquarters in
Kamloops. Salmon Arm is in the mi
dle of scenic logging and milling coun-
try where the company has developed
its reputation over three generations
of family ownership.

Today Newnes sells and services
equipment all over the world. From
B.C. to the southeastern U.S. to New

Zealand, the former Soviet Union,
Japan, Europe as well. It’s a high

skilled, high-tech operation where the
workers receive good wages and ben-
efits.

Prior to 1991 the workers were rep-
resented by the Ironworkers Local
712, affiliated with the International
Bridge, Structural, Ornamental, and
Ironworkers International Union.
However the workers unanimously
agreed to leave their former union and
join the IWA in search of better servic-
ing and a stronger presence at the bar-
gaining table.

In 1992 the IWA negotiated its first
two year agreement for the workers
which saw some wage and benefit
improvements. That contract expires
on April 1, 1994, when an IWA negoti-
ating team will head back to the table
to seek pension and other improve-
ments.

Kevin Kelly, president of IWA Local

1-417 says the local is happy to
include the workers at Newnes in its

- Sawmill equipment manufacturing workers turn
_ to IWA-CANADA for better representation

activities. It’s been a unique experi-
ence for the local.

“We've had to learn to negotiate an
agreement in a very specialized indus-
try and we are designing a contract
for the’workers which they want and’
also fits into the IWA framework,”

says Brother Kelly.

Currently there are just over 100
workers employed at Newnes’ main
production facility in Salmon Arm.
Overall the company has over 250
employees working for various parts
of the company such as engineering,
drafting, electric, sales and support
services, etc.

Newnes has branch sales offices in
Tennessee and Oregon and a smaller
manufacturing plant in Portland to
service its world-wide customer base.

During the 1960’s the company
patented a “J” bar stacker system
which catapulted it into prominence
in the sawmill industry. Since that
time Newnes has concentrated on
sawmill equipment such as edgers,
optimizers, and systemized trim saws.

“To our knowledge it’s the only IWA
sawmill equipment manufacturing
plant there is,” says Brother Kelly.

Dave Brien, a fabricator apprentice
and sub-local union chairman says
that the workers looked to the IWA for
better representation and have
received that.

“We've built a lot of equipment for
IWA mills,” says Brother Brien. “So we
looked around and saw that the IWA is
a significant presence in communities
in this part of the province that can
understand our situation.”

The workers are employed in a
global machinery manufacturing and
marketing system where they have to
compete against competitors that pay
their workers less and are closer to
their customers.

Over the decades Newnes has built
a reputation for quality and reliability.
It has successfully competed against
U.S, and European equipment manu-
facturers.

During the worst period of the
recession, the company managed to
keep 60 tradesmen employed. Now
that lumber markets have bounced
back, previously cancelled orders are
being filled and the company can
hardly keep up with demand. In fact
the company plans on expanding the

floor space at the Salmon Arm opera-
tion.

The plant runs two shifts; five days
a week with optional weekend over-
time work. Currently day shifts run 8
hours and night shift work 4 x 10’
hours shifts.

According to Brother Brien about
10% of the workers are now undergo-
ing apprenticeship training.

The major job categories are fabri-
cators, welders, machinists (all ticket-
ed tradesmen) helpers, and fork lift
drivers.

Base rates for fabricators and
machinists is $22.16/hr and welders
get a base rate of $21.08/hr. All over-
time is paid as double time - a feature
negotiated by the previous union to
encourage the company to employ
more workers.

The plant is broken down into four
major worker crews, each of which
build a different line of custom and
standard equipment. Those crews
generally stick together although
there is movement amongst work
teams.

One team specializes in trimmer
and edgers while another workers on
edgers, stackers, and stick placers.
The other two crew working on edger
positioning tables, sorters (i.e. J bars),
transfer and loading systems.

Currently large pre-edger position-
ing tables are a hot item. These tables
are used to automatically position the
flitches before they travel into the
computerized edger.

The majority of the mechanical
equipment is manufactured with elec-
tronic gadgetry which Newnes has
developed. As this issue goes to press
the IWA is going before the B.C.

In the 1960s the com-

pany patented a J-bar
sorter system which

gave tt prominence in

the sawmill industry

Labour Relations Board to have 13
electronic workers included in the
master bargaining unit.

Brother Kelly says that the electron-
ic workers’ wages are behind and
must at least be brought up to the
master agreement.

Currently the workers are governed
as non-union workers under the
Employment Standards Act.

“They need a union to represent
them,” says Kelly. “The Employment
Standards Act means nothing because
if you raise issues with your employ-
er, in many cases you haven’t got a
job!”

The workers at the plant are a solid
bunch of trade unionists who can
make an important contribution to the
IWA, says Brother Kelly.

In fact about 15% of the workers are
involved as union committee mem-
bers in one form or another. There’s
no problem getting workers together.

After the IWA gained certification it
had to go on strike for a week in the
September of 1992 to get a contract
with Newnes. It was the first strike in
the company history, - one in which
the workers were solidly behind.

“We think the relationship (between
Newnes and the IWA) is very good
now,” says Brother Kelly. “I hope we
can sit down to further resolve prob-
lems in the future in a peaceful man-
ner.”

The shop committee consists of
Brother Brien as chairman, vice-chair
Ted Spelay, secretary Harold Fugins-
ki, and stewards Stewart Gulliford,
Brian Elam, Nandor Jeszensky, and
Lothar Thien.

The union members on the joint
safety committee are chairman Pat
Tanguay, Randy Bellows, Leo Maas,
Dewey Walters, Mark Zimmer and
Lucas Martin.

LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1993/11