A a

¢ THE B.C. PROVINCIAL NEGO’

Vice President Barry King (substituting for president Sonny Ghag),
Local 1-80 President Bill Routley, Local 363 President Sy Pederson,
National President and PNC Chairman Dave Haggard, Local 1-405 Pre
President Kevin Kelly, Local 1-71 President Darrel Wong,

Vice President Dave Tones.

Contract accepted
Continued from page one

lations. The committee moved on

to conclude agreements with three _

large northern independents:
Weldwood Canada, Northwood Pulp
and Timber and Canadian Forest
Products.

The entire I.W.A. membership,
not including Slocan, voted and
virtually all operations have
approved the agreements. There
have been some operations in B.C.
where the agreement was rejected.

Brother Haggard said the union
pushed to get money in each year
of the three year agreement. Across-
the-board wage increases of 1% are
payable retroactively to June 15,

1997 (the effective dates are June
80 in the Interior regions).

Then there are wage increases
of 2% in each of the remaining
years of the collective agreement.

“Obviously we always wonder if
we get enough money - they (the
employers) didn’t want to give us
anything at the outset of negotia-
tions and stuck to that position
until near the end,” he said. “We
are on the upper echelon of agree-
ments that are being negotiated in
this country.”

With the improvements negoti-
ated by the I.W.A., the base rate
for the membership will break the
$20.00/hr. mark in the second year
of the collective agreement.

“Our members welcome a three
year agreement which tends to
offer them and their families more
stability so they can plan ahead,”
said Haggard. “The employers were
pushing for a five year deal so basi-
cally we told them where to go.”

“When you look at what is hap-
pening on the pulp side of the indus-
try where employers are pushing
for long-term agreements and
unlimited flexibility in their opera-
tions, I think we can be very proud
about what we have achieved.”

Union members and their depen-
dents can now benefit from a med-
ical travel allowance if they need
to go over 250 km.(over 500 km. on
a round-trip basis) to see a spe-
cialist.

The union negotiated severance
pay improvements which will now
pay 7 days pay for each year of ser-
vice, up from five days. Workers
can take their severance at the
time of layoff or when their senior-
ity runs out.

“We've opened the door for paid
educational training, paid for by
the employer,” added Haggard.

* “This is a first for the industry in
the province. The money will go to
educate our members on trade
union issues and issues that affect

the forest industry. The I.W.A. will
be calling the shots as to how the
money is spent.” The education
trust fund in which employers will
contribute 3 cents per employee
hour worked by June, 1999, will
make millions of dollars available
to the .W.A.

On pensions, the union was suc-
cessful in its demands that the
$2.50/hr. contribution rate stay as
is and that union trustees will work
during the next three years to build
a better plan.

“We cleared some major hurdles
on pensions because employers
wanted some of that money back
when the plan becomes fully fund-
ed,” commented Haggard. “We told
them no way.”

The union made major improve-
ments to benefit packages as out-

- lined below. Both life insurance

and accidental death and dismem-
berment coverage are being bumped
up to $80,000 by the end of the con-
tract.

Haggard said that there were
moments during negotiations when
the committee thought about going
to the members for a strike vote
and possibly striking F.I.R. employ-
ers.

“Fortunately we averted a strike
as the employers got off their high
horse over their position that there
would be a ‘no-cost’ agreement,”
commented Haggard. “On the
employers’ side, Keith Bennett
(F.LR.s chief negotiator) brought a
lot of respectability to the industry
and to some companies that don’t
deserve a helluva lot.”

The highlights of the collective
agreements are as follows:

ACROSS-THE-BOARD WAGE INCREASES

° Retroactive to June 15/97*- 1%

° Effective June 15/98*- 2%

° Effective June 15/99*- 2%
Note: When indicated by an

asterisk (*) above and below, effec-

tive dates in the Northern and

Southern Interior regions are July
1st.

LIFE INSURANCE

e Effective June 15/97* from
$60,000 to $70,000

° Effective June 15/98* from
$70,000 to $80,000

ACCIDENTAL DEATH AND DISMEMBER-
MENT INSURANCE

° Effective June 15/97* from
$60,000 to $70,000

° Effective June 15/98* from
$70,000 to $80,000

EDUCATION FUND

Employers will contribute to a
new Education Trust Fund as fol-
lows:
¢ 1 cent per hour per employee hour
worked effective January 1, 1998.

TIATING COMMITTEE MEMBERS recently got together at a national executive board meeting. They are (I. to r.) Local 1-3567 First
Local 1-425 President Brian Symmes, Local 1-85 President Larry Rewakowsky,
Local 1-424 President Fred Carroll, National First Vice President Neil Menard,
esident Bob Matters, National Fourth Vice President Harvey Arcand, Local 1-417
Local 1-423 President Troi Caldwell, Local 217 President Gary Kobayashi and National Third

¢ An additional 1 cent per hour
effective June 15, 1998
e An additional 1 cent per hour
effective June 15, 1999,

MEDICAL TRAVEL ALLOWANCE
Effective January 1/98, the

health and welfare plan will pay

up to $600 to assist members and

their families who have to travel in

excess of 500 km.(on a round-trip

basis) to visit medical specialists.
The Medical Travel Allowance

will include:

Bills for regularly-scheduled econ-

omy class air fares.

° Travel by private automobile at a

rate of 30¢ per km.

° Legitimate hotel expenses when

the member or dependent can not
return home.

SEVERANCE PAY.

In the event of a permanent clo-
sure there will be an increase from
five days’ pay for each year of ser-
vice to seven days’ pay for each
year of service. Employees will be
able to terminate their employ-
ment and accept severance pay at
either the time of layoff or at the
time that their seniority expires.

NEW AND EVOLVING WORK

Companies that sign the agree-
ment must meet with respective
local unions to fully implement the
New and Evolving Work Process
within 120 days. There is a new
commitment to the process which
will compel companies and local
unions to discuss ways and means
which company-based, I.W.A.
employees can perform any new
work in an operation.

OILERS AND HEAD OILERS

Revised job descriptions and
rates are to be set for Oiler 2 and
Head Oiler 2 positions and there
will be the establishment of new
job descriptions and rates for Oiler
1 and Head Oiler 1. In the Northern
Interior, across-the-board increas-
es have been established for Oilers.

LOGGING WAGE RATES

Anew union-industry sub-com-
mittee will investigate and recom-
mend a logging wage rate determi-
nation system during the term of
the 1997 - 2000 collective agree-
ment.

HELI-LOGGING RATES

For the first time, there will be
established wage groups for the
following jobs: Helilog Chokerman,
Helilog Chaser, Helilog Strip
Runner, Helilog Head Chaser,
Helilog Feeder Boat, Helilog Road
Runner, Helilog Second Hook-
tender, Helilog Hooktender, and
Helilog Bull Hooker.

PENSION PLAN

Contributions to plan ($2.50/hr.)
will remain untouched while a new
revised and improved plan will be
developed during the life of the col-
lective agreement.

EXTENDED HEALTH BENEFITS

Over the course of the collective
agreement there will be improve-
ments as follows:
An increase in the Vision Care
limit to a total of $250 per member
or dependent in any 24 month
period.
e An increase for Physiother-
apy/Massage practitioners to $550
per member or dependent per cal-
endar year.
¢ An increase in the orthopedic
shoes limit to $300 per calendar
year for children and $500 per cal-
endar year for adults.
¢ An increase in the Chiropractor/
Naturopath limit to $600/member
or dependent per calendar year.
e An increase in the Hearing Aids
limit to $550/member or dependent
every five years.

WEEKLY INDEMNITY BENEFITS

¢ In Health and Welfare Plan No.
1 - Laser surgery patients (except
for cosmetic surgery) will qualify
for weekly indemnity benefits.

° Plan No. 1 members will receive
benefits sent to their residence on
request.

DENTAL COVERAGE

Effective June 15, 1998* the
maximum limit for Plan C
Orthodontic coverage for children

only will be increased from $2,500
to $3,000.

REHABILITATION, RETURN-TO-WORK,
DISABILITY MANAGEMENT

The companies and the union
will work to improve the delivery
of Rehabilitation within the Long
Term Disability Plan and help facil-
itate the development and estab-
lishment of Disability Management
Systems.

APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING

A Joint Committee will be estab-
lished to review and update the
existing apprenticeship training
agreement and address such issues
as living away from home
allowance, travel allowance/and or
commuting allowance.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE FOR UNION
BUSINESS

There will be automatic leaves
of absence for union members who
are elected or hired by their local
union on a full-time basis.

‘

rrr
2/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER 1997