Local 1-830

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crease of 7% over 3 years on wages in
the $15.00 - $21.00 range.

‘At MBI the workforce has held
steady at 120 workers since 1983
when a wave of tech-change resulted
in dozens of layoffs. In addition to the
plants 4 colour printer it has two
colour printer and die cutters.

The Domtar plant, which is smaller,
was built in 1968. The workforce
there is on 4 x 10 hour shifts then gets
Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Into
that schedule they get a 20 minute
lunch and 3 - 15 minute coffee breaks.

In the 1991 - 1992 period the plant
Jost 30 workers.

“We were hit like MBI wasn't,” says
Thurston. “We lost some production
workers, maintenance workers, and
electricians.”

The plant’s corrugator made by Mit-
subishi can run a maximum of 900
feet per minute which is very fast. At
the dry end of the plant it has an up-
stacker system.

The other Local 1-830 unit,
Unisource Inc., is also under a 3 year
collective agreement which expires in
February 1994,

Unisource is a U.S. owned ware-
house and distribution operation
which operates out of Winnipeg.
Presently there are 20 - 22 fulltime
IWA members employed.

In late 1992 Unisource bought out
Price-Daxion where Local 1-830 mem-
bers were employed. It also bought
out the Crown Paper division of
Fletcher Challenge Canada.

“They (Unisource) bought the two
outfits that compete (Price-Daxion
and Crown Paper) and merged them,”
says Brother Alexander. “Now they’ve
just about got all the local business
locked up.”

Alexander says the merger went
smooth as the IWA and the company
were able to merge the seniority lists
and keep the whole amalgamated op-
eration as a union one. The Crown Pa-
per employees were not covered
under a union contract before.

_ With over 20 union employees,
Unisource is the number one supplier
of paper goods, plastics, styrofoam
and other products of the food indus-
try and other industries.

Sub-local union chairman Ernie
Drul says one of the bigger customers
is Costco’s superstore division.

“We're getting more new items all
the time,” he says. “Work has been on
an even plane after the buy out and
nobody got laid off.”

The employees wages are in the
$15.00 plus range with some great
benefits such as 100% dental cover-
age, 66% of wages to weekly indemni-
ty program to a maximum of UIC
equivalent, and a strong Long-Term
Disability Program.

‘The company serves Western Cana-
da and does some business in Ontario
as well. It’s inventory and storage sys-
tem is computerized and workers are
the best paid in the business.

“The people who work there are a
good solid union bunch and are an im-
aa part of the local,” says Alexan-

ler,

Recently the Local Union has been
concentrating on the education of its
members and in looking at organizing
some non-union operations in the

area.

In November of last year, IWA-
CANADA National Organizing Director
Lyle Pona went to Winnipeg to put on

four day job steward training and or-

course for union members
all three of 1-830's operations.

The course went well and there
was a lot of enthusiasm shown say

those in attendance. There is some
f for organizing in the Win-

area.
y looking at a number of
ae have contacted us in the
months,” says Brother
ler. “We have to analyze
there is sufficient interest in
for organizing.”

Putting the C-clamp on a roll for the corrugator at Domtar is Local 1-880's financial secretary Dwayne

Thurston.

Local 1-324 negotiates for small mill

In addition to representing workers
in front of Manitoba’s major forest in-
dustry employer, Repap Enterprises,
IWA-CANADA local 1-324 is doing the
job of going to bat for those working
for smaller employers in the industry
as well.

One example of this is Perimeter
Lumber on the outskirts of Winnipeg
where the IWA is certified. Today
about nine full-time union members
are employed at the softwood and
hardwood remanufacturing facility
which is a wholly owned subsidiary of
the FINMAC corporation.

The mill gets most of its lumber
from Manitoba. It kiln dries and re-
manufactures most of the wood right
on the property. Most importantly, the
mill is known for its ability to sort and
re-sort lumber, thereby getting the
best grades separated for value-added
production customers. %

The company buys lifts of mill-run
lumber and then the wood is pulled
off one by one and is high graded.
‘Then the wood is sorted for width and
length.

Production is shipped to various
customers including furniture makers,
kitchen cabinet makers and other
manufacturers.

In recent years the operation has
turned more of its production over to
hardwoods. Some other competitors
in the hardwood business have gone
under, therefore giving some new op-
portunities to the Perimeter mill. The
majority of the hardwood lumber is
imported from the United States and
Ontario.

Workers are trained to grade and
sort a wide variety of hardwood

species including ash, oak, birch, elm,
maple, and cherry, etc. In general if
the mill hasn’t got a specialty item in
stock, it can soon get a hold of it. Al-
though most of its hardwood is sold
to Canadian purchasers, the world
market is growing steadily including
Germany, England and Japan.
“Thousands of cords of birch go to
waste each year,” says Jim Anderson,
president of Local 1-324. “These type

of mills (i.e. Perimeter) could salvage
the birch and get the best value out of
the tree. Since there is a good market
for birch there is no reason why this
can’t be done.”

Fortunately the company could
source its birch supply right in Mani-

Continued on page nineteen

fe : ee

Randy Dirks.

With a load of pine from the kiln are left, Phil Meleck, and forklift driver

LUMBERWORKER/APRIL, 1994/13