Tragedy in the woods Continued from page nine nisms to open lines of communication between all crews to stop isolation of the skyline crew. All em- ployees from the yarding and loading crews should attend quarterly meetings. 7. Test meters - to prevent overloading of turns, tension meters should be installed on each yarder in the skyline operations. Local 363 member Bob Wright, the union’s chairman on the APC, says that to his knowledge MB has made good on fulfilling Ready’s recom- mendations. He says that the company does not fly hot and cold chokers on the skyline and that if it does, full permission of the APC must first be sought. A tension meter has been installed on the sky- line which gives an automatic readout to the yard- ing engineer. “We have some more technical issues to deal with in the problems on long line yarding but we are making headway,” says Brother Wright. He also says that MB management has increased its core supervision of the yarding. Most impor- tantly, there has been a change in managment - something that was really needed. “It's going to give us a choice to breathe some fresh air and hopefully put the fatalities behind us...not that we'll ever forget them, but that we can start on the new.” A NEW DIRECTION FOR THE DIVISION Brother Wright, who has been a faller in the di- vision for the last 22 years and has been in the in- dustry for 37 years, says that the general attitude in the past at Kelsey Bay has been production be- fore safety and segregation of certain crews to boost that production. He says that the “general attitude in the past was to put aside and make little of safety represen- tatives and safety concerns.” “They (management) were warned many, many times about the longline situation, working in the bight and not in the clear,” he adds. “Production seemed to be a priority, a very costly priority.” Wright says that it remains to be seen whether there will be long term changes that stick. “There’s nothing worse than sending a crew off to work in the morning when you've had a squab- ble or your safety concerns have been ignored,” he says. “We don’t want any of our crews conducting unsafe acts or working in unsafe conditions.” Since the three fatalities happened, MacMillan Bloedel has introduced a new Division Manager. He is George Nyman, recently shifted up to Kelsey Bay from MB’s Eve River logging division. In an interview with the Lwmberworker, Mr. Ny- man said that the division will embark on new Bay dryland sort. ideas to assist in getting over the tragedies that took place. “Certainly there’s a healing process that’s going to have to take place and it’s going to take some time,” he says. “It’s been very difficult for every- one who has worked in the operation.” Nyman stresses that both management and labour must start with the core value that safety is first and foremost, now and in the future. “The start of the chain starts with safety - be- yond that we have government regulations to abide by,” he adds. “Tm a firm believer in training and giving people the right skills to do a job,” says Nyman, stressing that safety and production go hand in hand. All green employees will be properly trained. “We'll have a standard of training here that I would feel comfortable letting my two sons come and work here starting setting chokers,” he says. “I can’t make it any clearer than that. That’s the level of comfort that I want when the day is done and when I do leave here.” Terry Kachanoski says that the union has a new resolve to deal with safety issues. “If the situation develops to a point here it was prior to Gordie’s death, the whole camp will stop working until the problems are dealt with,” he says. “If we see red flags pop up, we'll stop it right there. I don’t think that anybody is going to allow the situation to deteriorate at all.” ¢ Arrow marks the area where Brother Rabien was struck by load of logs in heavy traffic area at Kelsey “The culture of safety-first at Kelsey Bay had been eroded because of management’s emphasis on productivity,” says Brother Pederson. “Workers have to establish safety first in practice. If we leave it to employers, the emphasis will swing away from safety towards production.” “In other words, you have to work safely first,” adds Pederson. “And whatever you produce safely is what the employer is entitled to.” Neil Menard echoes Brother Pederson’s state- ments. “I.W.A. members must put their safety first and other considerations behind that,” he says. “The union’s presence is very important to ensuring that this takes place.” Kachanoski says one of the major factors relat- ed to workplace conditions has been the fact that during the past several years, MB has been cutting the work year from an average 180 days to around 150 days. The shortened work year has put too much pressure on crews to produce the some 600,000 cubic meters that MB’s annual allowable cut calls for. As a result there has been a speed up in pro- duction which has compromised safety condi- tions. Brother Kachanoski says that the union has brought the issue up with management and that the crew will hopefully see a return to a full work year. Whale’s Tale Skills Centre Continued from page eleven “There has always been a reduction (in AAC) and it’s always been at the expense of workers,” says Dizama. “The public thinks that workers are being taken care of and that’s far from the truth. We have to fight every step of the way.” Dizama also points out to the fact that FRBC has been quick to hand out payments for out-of- town consultants to come into the Clayoquot Sound when jobs have been lost by local residents. “When we start talking about union rate and putting out guys to work in an effective, sustain- able manner at a pay level that is acceptable, it’s a shock to FRBC,” he adds. LOOKING TO THE FUTURE Just what will happen to the Whale’s Tale Skills Centre after 1996 is uncertain. The Board of Direc- tors wants a minimum of three years funding from FRBC. Wage supplements for the 90 remaining crew members will be there until the end of the year. Right now the Centre is working hard to devel- op a comprehensive package that will give training and education to all displaced workers. Pemberton says that all kinds of options must be looked at including early retirement and prefer- ential pension bridging. But the bottom line for FRBC funding must be to create jobs in the community that were not there before. There are between $30-50 million worth of wa- tershed restoration projects that are to be done in the Clayoquot Region over the next few years. That’s work that should be done by displaced for- est workers, says Pemberton. He says that there will be a lot of administrative type jobs that should go to I.W.A. people who will be upgraded on computer skills in order for them to take those jobs. Pemberton points out to the fact that, this Spring, the Ministry of Forests hired 260 people province wide. =| g 5 8 é ° One of the heavy equipment courses offered is operation of front end loaders and road rehabilitation. Since the Clayoquot Sound is about 30% park- land, there should be some full and part-time jobs coming up. Some workers at the Whale’s Tale are now studying how to become park wardens. Through the Central West Coast Forest Society, which includes all elected community officials, in the Clayoquot Region, FRBC funding should be put to work to create more employment opportu- nities. There are camp ground and trail building pro- posals pending FRBC approval. The Society is also looking at new value added industries in Ucluelet. One proposal being discussed is that of a char- coal manufacturing plant that would utilize alder. Canada is a net importer of activated charcoal. Other products that can be derived can be used in cosmetic products, burnable oils and glue resins used in the plywood industry. Pemberton goes back to Andrew Petter’s state- ment on no job loss in Clayoquot Sound. “We're going to stick the government to that statement,” he says. “We're willing to go through a transition period but there has to be jobs available for us. We'll do our best to make ourselves avail- able to the jobs that are out here...we expect to be fully employed at the end of the day.” The skills centre will hopefully be a vital part of training for jobs in the years ahead. “If we didn’t have the skills centre going, we would be out blocking highways and making such a ruckus that we'd have to be dealt with,” adds Pemberton. Pemberton hopes that the crew will try to stick together although he realizes that there are forces that will separate it in the years ahead. “We believe in the master agreement and stand- ing behind the I.W.A. That plays a key role in our decision-making,” he says. “If you are an I.W.A. member and have come through a union facility and it has helped you out in your life and you step out of the I.W.A. or out of the forest industry, hopefully you will remember how the union has assisted you.” ee a 14/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1996