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ied Pescniias (ate | d’‘Amoco Ltée
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USINE DE HAWKESBURY

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wo tpatn watie | Canine wane

Local $1066
Wek BAIT WAS BERET BG 94

On the lawn in front of the plant are union committee members and officers
with an IWA Union Made sign posted beneath company sign. L. to r. are Robert
Asselin, Yvon Rochon, Mike McCarter (local financial secretary), Gilles Créte,

Serge Gagnon, and Joe da Costa (local union president).

Union pride runs high
in Hawkesbury Ontario

Tissus et Fibres.

also agreed that the union’s flag will
hang outside the plant along side the
company’s when the flag poles are put
up.
These local union moves are a first.
for IWA-CANADA which has members
in seven provinces across the country.
Since Local 1000 negotiated a three
year agreement with the employer in
August of this year the issue of getting
a full-time or at least part-time chair-
man on the payroll has been on the
agenda of the local union in each set
of contract talks.

“We'd like to see this precedent ex-
panded into some of our other opera-
tions,” says local union president Joe
da Costa. “We think that it is impor-
tant that the sub-local union members
have enough time to properly attend
to business and are not in a rush to do
so. We believe that the chairman
should be allowed to walk around the
plant and talk with the stewards and
members to make sure the member-
ship’s needs are being met.”

At the Amoco Fabrics operation
plant chairman Yvon Rochon serves
as a full-time union chairman during
the day shift. The plant runs on a 3
shift basis between Monday and Fri-
day. The creation of the full-time
chairman position has created an ad-
ditional job since Brother Rochon has
to be replaced. He has all the time
necessary to conduct business impor-
tant to the sub-local and when fin-
ished helps fill in wherever needed.

“The whole idea of having a full-
e time chairperson stems from the fact
8 that we have very good labour rela-
3 tions with this company,” says Mike
= McCarter local union financial secre-
$ tary who also acts as a business agent
for the plant. “The company has
agreed to sit down with us and work
out any problems. The sub-local com-
mittee is involved in a number of deci-
son-making processes such as lay-off
procedures and job postings.”

At last count there are about 220 lo-
cal union members working in the op-
eration with over 260 workers on the
seniority list. Some of those not work-
ing are receiving workers’ compensa-
tion benefits or are absent for other
reasons.

In addition to a three year contract
with an overall wage increases of 7
1/2 percent and some increased bene-
fits, the committee was able to negoti-
ate the display of union colours.

2
=

A couple of firsts were scored for
the union not long ago as the result of
contract negotiations between IWA-
CANADA Local 1000 and Amoco Fab-
rics and Fibers Ltd. in Hawkesbury,
Ontario, about an hour drive east of
Ottawa. For the first time the IWA has
negotiated the position of a full-time

plant chairman into a collective agree-
ment.

In addition, union pride took a step
forward when, for the first time, the
local union negotiated an agreement

“It was something that we wanted
as a way of showing our pride in being
members of the IWA,” says Brother
Rochon. “We made it a very important

part of our demands and the company
treated the demand seriously.”

Out on the front lawn the IWA-
CANADA logo is hung in full floures-
cent colour.

“When you see the sign it gives a
sense of the pride and morale that is
in the plant,” says Brother da Costa.
“We as a local union are glad that the
workers went this course. Often
workers only consider money and
benefits to be the only issue.”

Members of the negotiating com-
mittee in the last set of negotiations
were Brother Rochon, Robert Asselin,
Gilles Créte, Guy Gagnon, Serge
Larocque, and Brother McCarter.

The issues of posting and flying the
union colours and having a full-time
chairperson are not the only areas
where the union has made a break-
through at Amoco. In 1990 the local

Workers at Amoco
have made break-
throughs in the areas
of a paid chairman,
extra union recogni-
tion and education

union negotiated, for the first time, an
hourly contribution by the company
to an education fund. Since that time
nearly two-thirds of the local union’s
certifications have successfully nego-
tiated education fund contributions
from their employers. Those contribu-
tions range from 1-5 cents an hour or
more for all individual employee
hours worked during the year.

Work at the plant has been steady
and there are no signs of layoffs or
shutdown. Most of its production
which is textile carpet backing, goes
to the U.S. where carpet fibre is added
to the backing.

In 1990 when the industry hit a
slump there was some concern that
the plant would downsize. At one time
during the last recession its work-
force did dip below 190. Meanwhile
another one of the company’s carpet
backing plants in Cornwall Ontario
‘was permanently closed.

Fortunately market demand has
bounced back with increased housing
starts in the United States.

with a company to display the union
logo out in front of the plant. The
company and the local union have

Photo courtesy Local 1000

e Local 1000 member Helen Kingsbury poses near her work station.

Photo courtesy Local 1000

o 5

At the sub-local union office in the operation are plant chairman Yvon Rochon
(seated) and committee member Gilles Créte.

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1994/15