‘WE JUST WANT SOME RESPECT’ Last summer workers at a Thunder Bay, Ontario sweatshop reached out to the I.W.A. After an intense organizing drive in which the employer fired and threatened workers, the Ontario Labour Relations Board granted the I.W.A. an automatic certification. n Thunder Bay, Ontario there exists a plant where Third World working condi- tions have existed right underneath the nose of the business and labour commu- nities. It is a place where the employer has not traditionally respected his employees, paid them at discriminatory wages levels, fos- tered racial discrimination, and provided unsafe and unsanitary working conditions. These are all conditions that cry out for unionization - and that’s just what happened. On August 16, following a hearing in front of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, I.W.A. CANADA Local 2693 received an automatic certification at Industrial Hardwood Products Ltd., a small hardwood remanufacturer in the city’s old industrial basin. Following an organizing campaign, where there was gross interference and intimidation of those who wanted to join the union, includ- ing firings and phony layoffs, the OLRB ruled that the Industrial Hardwood Products, headed by owner Mike Chorney and his son would be automatically certified to the I.W.A. Now it’s up to the union to try to negotiate a first agreement and create peace in a workforce that has been traumatized by years of abuse and neglect. Local 2693 First Vice President John Lorenowich, who heads the union’s negotiating committee, told the Lumberworker that there’s much work to be done. “With all of the problems that the workers have been through, there needs to be a great deal of healing that has to go on,” he said. “We also have to build a new relationship with the employer where there wasn’t much of a rela- tionship to begin with.” “The main thing that we have to achieve is some job security and respect for the workers,” added Brother Lorenowich. “We've been talking with (mill owner) Michael Chorney and hope- fully we can resolve some issues and get on the right track.” Lorenowich said that Chorney has to realize that the union is on the scene to work with the company to turn things around. “When the company accepts that the I.W.A. is not a foe and is an organization to work with, then we will get somewhere and relations will improve,” he said. The management and workers also have to deal what with the ugly events that went on in the past. THREATS AND INTIMIDATION Industrial Hardwood Products Ltd. is a little sweatshop factory which employs approxi- mately 40 workers at low wages, starting at $7.50/hour. It produces hardwood flooring material out of stock that includes oak, red oak, maple and birch. Conditions in the plant were threatening and intimidating, according to the workers who first contacted the I.W.A. for representation. The first contact to Local 2693 came in late July of this year when workers Juan Hernan- dez and Pat Mooney contacted the local through labour lawyer Wally Dubinsky. Juan Hernandez, a 32 year old press opera- tor, who was born in El Salvador and moved to Canada 11 years ago, has worked in the plant for over 9 years. In an interview with the Lumberworker he said that Mr. Chorney tried to intimidate the workers when he cut an article out of a local paper about the closure of the Leo Sakata elec- tronic component plant. That plant had been certified to Local 2693 when the owner closed production and moved south of the border in January of this year. “Many of us Latinos didn think we would see the same kind of conditions in Canada and even worse.” - Juan Hernandez Chorney took a clipping of the article and called the workers into the lunchroom where he made a threat. “Mr. Chorney said this (a closure) is the same thing that is going to happen to us if we try to get a union in here,” said Brother Hernandez. The owner’s son Mark, also began to push the workforce for more production and told workers that they should “move ahead.” “I thought we would ‘move ahead’ but ina different direction,” said Hernandez. “We decided to contact a union. We became sick and tired of them pushing us to work harder and produce more and more and pay us nothing.” Some workers who were being paid between $9-$12/hour would work for several years with no promotion and no increases. The cmiployen fostered an atmosphere where several of the supervisors and workers influ- ence by them would call workers names. Nine of the employees, including Hernandez, originate from Central America. Verbal abuse, with racial overtones would come theirx way on a regular basis. “Most of the fellow Canadian workers don’t see us (Latinos) as from another country - they see us as just regular people,” said Hernandez. “I think that some of the workers were encour- saged by management to say things to us now that they may regret.” Working conditions in the plant, at least prior to the certification, were not good. This summer a friend of Hernandez chopped four fingers off on a knotching saw. “As far a I am concerned he wasn’t trained properly,” said Hernandez. “I have worked there for almost 10 years and I haven’t been hurt but all that time I have not been properly ¢ New Local 2693 members are (I. to r.) Juan Hernandez, Jose Bairez, Ennio Zaravia, Mauricio Mendoza, Tony Mendez, Pedro Blanco, and Oscar Romero. trained either.” There is no air conditioning and no dust ven- tilation. Sanitary conditions are atrocious with open sewage running by a cubicle lunch area which is also next to saw grinding equipment. The local union got government health inspec- tors to try and clean the place up. “Now they (the management) are trying to keep the washroom and the lunch facilities a little bit reasonable,” said Hernandez. “But before the toilets were too dirty for people to use. “In Third World countries like E] Salvador there are poor working conditions,” added Her- nandez, who left his homeland at the age of 14. “Many of us Latinos didn’t think we would see the same type of conditions in Canada and even worse.” ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN CONDUCTED QUICKLY After the initial contact with the local union in late July, a team of organizers went to work after the August civic holiday. That team con- sisted of local union Second Vice President Lloyd Szkaley, executive board members Manny Ranger, Laval Dallaire, Bruce Frost, John prehD and local union member Rolando Quin- tul. They had to act fast. After two days they got 19 of 35 cards signed. Then the organizing crew ran into a brick wall. Two pro-union workers, Pat Mooney and Carl Bilokryli were summarily “laid off’ by Chorney on August 7. Mooney had worked at the plant for about 6 months, without a single complaint against his work. When he was terminated, some less expe- rienced, more recently hired workers remained on the job. ; Bilokryli, a friend of Mooney’s, had been hired the day before and was promised at least two months relief work by mill manager Glen McGinn. i Not long after, Chorney, accompanied by McGinn, summoned Brother Hernandez into his office to question him on his activity in the campaign to organize a union. Chorney told Hernandez that Mooney and Bilokryli were fired for union activity and that other fingers were pointing at Hernandez. Chorney ordered Hernandez to give him a list of names of employees who nad menea up for the union and that it should be delivered to him in 24 hours. He refused. Harassment continued for over one week until, on August 12, Chorney accused Hernan- dez of putting up union stickers in a bathroom on company property. He ordered Hernandez to remove them. “I told Chorney that I didn’t do it and that my job is a press operator,” said Hernandez. _The mill owner followed Hernandez back to his work area and threatened him with physi- cal violence and asked Hernandez if he wanted a black eye. Continued on next page