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Saskfor workers refuse their government's attempts
to thwart bargaining with new wage control tactics

Union negotiators representing
approximately 300 workers at
Saskatchewan Forest Product’s
(Saskfor) Hudson Bay plywood
pe and Carrot Rivers sawmill

ave been battling back against the
Provaeie government’s attempts to

reeze wages during ongoing con-
tract talks. Negotiators for Saskfor,
a crown corporation, have been
instructed to inform the IWA that
its members will now be treated to
the same restraint measure offered
to all public sector employees in the
province.

The union is saying that it will
not accept the push for restraint
package and refuses to be lumped
in with public sector workers. Sask-
for employees are employed in the
forest industry sector, not the public
sector and any such moves to put a
different spin on that are not being
accepted by the union.

For decades the IWA has jointly
negotiated a collective agreement
which includes both operations and
their office staff workers. This year
the contract expired on March 31st
and the union has had seven meet-
ings with Saskfor negotiators before
talks broke off on July 21st.

“The government is trying to say
we are public sector workers and
that we should be treated exactly in
the same manner as the rest of pub-
lic sector,” says IWA-CANADA Local
1-184’s president Dennis Bonville,
who sits on the negotiating commit-
tee with national first vice-presi-
dent Neil Menard. Rank and file
members of the negotiating commit-
tees are Kathy Wilson, Pat Schultz,
and John Gonzalez at Hudson Bay
and David Grime, Albert Salsbury
and Gordon Lowe at Carrot River.

In previous contract negotiations
Saskfor has, more or less, followed a
settlement pattern established at

either MacMillan Bloedel’s Aspenite
ant in Hudson Bay or the former

impson Timber Company mill
which closed its doors in June of
1990.

This year in March, Local 1-184
reached a three year agreement
with MB which saw a 3 year wage
increase of 85¢ hour, most of which
is in the first year. The union also
bargained pension improvements, a
better health and welfare agree-
ment and some contract language
improvements.

“All in all for these tough econom-
ic times the Aspenite agreement is
not a bad deal,” says Brother
Menard. “We believe that we can
reach realistic agreement with
Saskfor if they drop their unreason-
able demands.”

Saskfor’s chairman of the board
and minister responsible, Eldon
Lautermilch, has been told to talk
to the powers that be to get off try-
ing to lump the forest industry in
with the public sector.

“Our members work hard in those
operations to generate a sizeable
profit for Saskfor,” adds Menard.
“They deserve a better considera-
tion from the government.”

Apparently the government is
targeting all crown corporations to
the two year no wage, and maxi-
mum benefit increase of 2 1/2%.

The United Steelworkers, who
represent workers in the provinces
potash mines have also been asked
to join the wage freeze.

To support the IWA’s position, the
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour
has sent a notice to the provincial
government that says the IWA has
never been or is now considered
part of the federations’ public sector
work forces.

“We have got the ears of a whole
lot of people in the government late-

° On the putty patch line at Saskfor’s plywood plant in Hudson Bay is
negotiating committee member Kathy Wilson.

ly,” says Brother Bonville. “Now
hopefully Saskfor negotiators will
talk some sense at the table.”

The Local Union hopes to get
back to contract talks in early
November. The IWA position is
steadfast.

“Any union that is certified to a
crown corporation and is a manu-
facturing operation, should not be
treated the same as the rest of the
public sector workers,” says Brother
Menard.

Carrot River
sawmill going
strong in ’93

The Saskatchewan Forest
sawmill and planer mill in Carrot
River have been operating steadily
even through the worst parts of the
recession. They produce a wide
range of dimension lumber from 1
inch lumber grades to 2x10’s in 20
foot lengths.

All production is kiln dried and
planed. It produces 2 inch No. 2
grade and better in spruce, pine and
balsam (white fir).

The mill, which has about 130
IWA members on its seniority list,
produces over 50 million finished
board feet a year. The lumber is
shipped directly to Toronto, Montre-
al and the United States. Some of
the production also goes to make up
yards in Winnipeg from where it is
widely distributed.

The mill can handle up to 30 inch
logs in its 2 line saw system but
most of the logs go through its small
line chip and saw system.

The small line can handle over
8,000 logs on an eight hour shift in
a steady production stream.

The sawmill works in cooperation
with the Saskatchewan plywood

Continued on page twelve

Local 1-184 canter operator Dawn Milligan at work at Saskfor’s Carrot River sawmill, now in negotiations.

8/LUMBERWORKER/NOVEMBER, 1993