e National First Vice President Neil Menard pre-
sents a token of appreciation to John Connors of
the Ontario Natural Resources Safety Association,
who gave delegates a presentation.

Union activists push
increase in EFAP’s

National First Vice President Neil Menard in-
formed convention delegates that, since his report
last year, more and more I.W.A. CANADA mem-
bers have access to Employee and Family Assis-
tance Programs (EFAP’s).

“We hope that the day when every single I.W.A.
member and their families have access to a pro-
gram that is not far off,” said Brother Menard. “As
most of you know, our union has devoted much
time over the years to the development of the

“EFAP/ Assessment Referral Service (ARS) model.”

“We all know that times are changing and that
the rate of technological and other types of
changes is faster than ever,” said Menard. “An out-
come of this is increased stress on all of us, which
results in increased use of our EFAP’s.”

He said that the federal and provincial govern-

ments are downloading and downsizing health and
social services, which adds to the pressure that
the EFAP's are facing.
__ ‘It is evident that we will all be in a position of
increasing accountability for ensuring the health,
safety and well-being of our members, retirees and
families,” commented Menard.

Across Canada there are now 20 ARS societies
that cover over 250,000 employees in cooperation
with 280 public and private employers and 125 lo-
cal unions of various affiliations.

In 1995 a new ARS was opened in the Fort Nel-
son/Liard area. This was initiated by the involve-
ment of I.W.A. Local 1-424’s Frank Everitt, Gerry
Smith, Neil Meagher and Rob Watt.

The I.W.A. has also lent its support to Edge-
wood, a new residential alcohol and drug treat-

e At the head table were Resolutions Committee members Jeff Broughton of Local 1-85 (middle) and Local

Wik ——

1-71’s Bob Freer (right) joined by National Fourth Vice President Harvey Arcand.

ment centre in Nanaimo. Local 1-363’s Jim Work
sits on its Board of Directors. After one year of op-
eration it is running at 75% capacity with a high
level of response to its one-week program for fam-
ilies.

In Alberta the West Yellowhead ARS, estab-
lished in 1993, is expanding its membership. At
Weyerhauser’s Edson operation, certified to Local
1-207, an EFAP has been estabished using I.W.A.
guidelines. This has also happened more recently
at the Daishowa sawmill in High Level.

In Saskatchewan, EFAP programs have been im-
plemented at the Weyerhauser Big River operation
and other workplaces in Saskatoon and Biggar.
The Hudson Bay ARS, which has been open since
1989, has been successfully operating and the
union anticipates that the recent merger between
MacMillan Bloedel and Saskatchewan Forest
Products will benefit the program.

There has been a good deal of activity in Ontario
in the last year. Since 1994 a steering committee in
the Kirkland Lake and Tri-Towns area has been
functioning and it is anticipated that an ARS will
begin operation in early 1996.

Local 1-2995 President Norm Rivard has played
a significant role in those areas while Damien Roy
has been actively involved in a steering committee
in the Hearst area along with the help of Gilles
Fournier at Lecours Lumber. The committee
hopes to have the model up and running by the
end of next year.

Elsewhere in Ontario the I.W.A. was invited to
the Niagara EAP Association’s annual workshop
on alcohol and drugs in the workplace. A steering
committee has been set up to establish the model
in the Niagara region before the end of 1996.

Both Brother Menard and MacBlo’s EFAP spe-
cialist Jim Stimson gave a presentation to the New
Brunswick government’s Secretariat on the Status
of the Family and now that government is encour-
aging the development of the model in the
province.

Early in 1995 the EFAP/ARS gave a presentation
at an International Year of the Family conference
held in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition the Inter-
national Labour Organization invited Menard and
Stimson to a conference in Brazil attended by del-
egates from South America and the Carribean.

Safety and health
policies adopted
by union delegates

WCB FIRST AID - the union will lobby the appro-
priate provincial body and WCB so that the WCB
Level III first aid ticket becomes the minimum
standard in the B.C. forest industry.

DISCIPLINE FOR SAFETY INFRACTIONS - the
LW.A. reaffirmed its policy that union members

shall not recommend or endorse discipline against
any other member for safety infractions.

WCB REGULATIONS - all WCB’s in Canada will
be urged to implement whistle blower protection

and institute penalties for abuse of WCB file dis-
closure information.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CEN-
TRE - the union will support and participate in ef-
forts to establish a worker administered, govern-
ment funded, Occupational Safety and Health
Centre in B.C.

DISCRIMINATORY HIRING PRACTICES - the
I.W.A. demands that the B.C. government intro-
duce and enforce legislation which will prevent
employers from inquiring about past WCB claims
or unrelated medical problems, prevent employers
from using file information for reasons other than
claims appeals and will stop them from denying
employment on the basis of past claims or medical
history.

CLAIMS CONTROL CONSULTANTS - action
must be taken against consultants that improperly
obtain or release confidential information on em-
ployees.

WCB CLAIM DELAY - the I.W.A. will lobby the
WCB to amend policies to pay claims immediately
once a claimant’s doctor says the worker is not fit
to work because of a workplace-related injury or
illness.

WHMIS TRAINING - the union will lobby the ap-
propriate government agency demanding that the
WCB develop a program to certify WHMIS instruc-
tors and standardize the WHMIS courses taught in
all workplaces.

WCB RETRAINING - government agencies and
the WCB will be lobbied to take full responsibility
for the effective retraining of injured workers who
can not return to their jobs.

LOG MARKING - the union will lobby the Min-
istry of Forests to encourage other methods of log
identification to reduce injuries to members re-
sulting from hand stamping of logs.

MENIERES SYNDROME - the I.W.A. will contin-
ue to lobby the WCB to recognize Menieres Syn-
drome as an industrial disease.

ANTI-SAPSTAIN CHEMICALS - the convention
demanded that testing and studies of exposures to
temporarily registered anti-sapstain chemicals be
completed immediately and that only fully regis-
tered anti-sapstain chemicals be permitted for use.

COBALT EXPOSURE - the union will urge the
WCB to conduct appropriate studies of cobalt ex-
posure to workers.

DUST CONTROL - all appropriate government
agencies and WCB’s must be called upon to imple-
ment and enforce regulations which would require
control of dust at the source.

EMPLOYERS AND POLITICS AT WCB - the
I,W.A. will continue to work for progressive
change at the WCB in B.C. and will urge the goy-
ernment to stand firm against employers and the
B.C. Liberal Party which are out to sabotage the
Board.

14/LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1995