Continued from previous page “I told him ‘go ahead, take your best shot,” said Hernandez. The old man terminated Hernandez the next day. But at the same time he told him he was laid offand that his date of recall was “unknown.” On August 8 laid off five more Latino work- ers. They were Jose Arquesta, Mauricio Men- doza, Tony Mendez, Rafael Flores and | Ramon Zelaya. The workers were told by supervisors Nick Dodu and Mar- cel Humeniue that it was too bad they were involved in the union because they were good workers. In the background was Local 2693 union member and bushworker Rolando Quintul, a Chilean Canadian who was keeping meticulous records on the fir- ings and ongoing events and then for- warding them to Toronto-based union lawyer Sean Fitz- patrick on a regular basis as they occurred. “After Juan Hernandez left, the rest of the ° Rolando Quintul workers got pretty scared. The old man would - do what he wanted to,” said Quintul in an inter- view session with the Lumberworker. “The motivation to us (behind the firings and phony layoffs) was very clear,” said Brother Quintul. “He was doing it because he suspected er plbyecs were involved in the drive.” otes prepared by Quintul that contained information for hearings on unfair labour prac- tices in front of the Labour Relations Board clearly documented the gross misconduct of Chorney and his supervisors. On August 7 at 4:30 p.m. Chorney and Mr. McGinn called a meeting of all employees on both shifts. There Chorney said he was aware of the upcoming certification vote and that unions “promise all kinds of bullshit” and that employees have to give the union $100 to sign a card and $40 a month dues. Chorney then said that Industrial Hardwood Products was run by a business owned by his son (Red Wing Minnesota) and that if the major- ity of workers voted to bring in the union, he and the company in Minnesota would slow down production, cancel orders from Thunder Bay and go as far as shutting the plant down. cording to Quintul’s notes McGuinn described, at some length how the union “screws things” up by asking for higher wages. He said that a plant where he once worked closed down because it could not afford higher union wages. On August 11 foreman Nick Dodu, and employee Dan Tessier, acting on behalf of Chor- ney, asked a number of employees to sign an petition that states they don’t want a union. Robert Kania, and Juan Hernandez. They promised the workers a raise in pay and protection against layoffs in exchange. Late that afternoon Dodu and Tessier approached Pedro Blanco with the petition, offering him a $2.00/hr. wage increase. Then they went to worker Nelson Garcia and offered him the same deal. Dodu even went as far as phoning the Ramon Zelaya, who had been terminated, and offering him his job back with more money, if he signed a document against the union. The same offer was subsequently made to Mauricio Mendoza and then to Rafael Flores by Dan Tessier, on behalf of Chorney. The anti-union games went on. Union docu- ments claim that on August 18 supervisor Dodu and Tessier approached worker James Hogan and told them the plant owner would shut the plant down if the union got in and that every- body would lose their jobs. They asked Hogan to sign a document to keep the I.W.A. out. A day later Tessier did more of the boss’ bid- ding, by telling workers Pedro Blanco, Nelson Garcia and Jesus Siguenza that Chorney would make things better at work, like renovate the Tunch area and clean up the bathroom. Tessier also called Raphael Flores, at home to tell him the same thing. OUTBURST ON VOTING DAY On August 15, during a government-super- vised vote, company lawyer Roderick Johansen approached Juan Hernandez to inform him that Chorney wanted Hernandez to vote and get off the property first. Johansen’s words were overheard by other workers including Pat Mooney and Car] Bilokryli. Later in the afternoon, about 15 minutes before the vote was scheduled to start, Chorney shouted out loud, in the presence of the work- ers who were lined up to vote, that he wanted Hernandez to vote first. Brother Quintul, was present at the vote with OLRB officer Joyce Caldwell and Johansen, as the union’s scrutineer. Caldwell told Quintul and Johansen not to interfere or try to influence the vote in any way. She also told Chorney that he could not determine who was to vote first. Quintul pointed out Chorney’s behaviour to Caldwell and said that Chorney was interfering with the voting process. Things then got out of hand. Chorney blocked the door where the vote was to be held. After a talk between the OLRB officer and Chorney, Caldwell asked Quintul to get Hernandez to vote first. Chorney ordered Hernandez off the company property and acted as the company’s scrutineer. The vote for the union fell apart due to the company’s intimidation. After the ballots were counred only 12 votes were in favour of the LW.A. LABOUR BOARD DECISIONS During the first week of September there was a hearing on unfair labour practices in Thunder e In front of the entrance of the plant after the automatic certification are (I. to r.) Nelson Garcia, ¢ Hernandez met I.W.A. CANADA National Pres- ident Dave Haggard during national conven- tion in Thunder Bay. Bay attended on the union’s behalf by Local 2693 President Wilf McIntyre, First Vice Presi- dent John Lorenowich and Rolando Quintul. In attendance were all of the terminated employ- ees. On the company side were Chorney and his lawyer. The final legal showdown moved to Toronto on September 16 where neither Chorney or his lawyer showed up. The union gave the company an extra half day before it started to present its evidence. The employer never appeared. The OLRB then threw the book at Industrial Hardwood Products. “The labour board is highly regarded in any province,” said Brother McIntyre. “It acts like a court. We all know what happens when you don’t show up in court.” On September 16 the OLRB granted the L.W.A. automatic certification within one week, recognizing the gross interference and intimi- dation on the employer’s part. “You'll not see too many automatic certifica- tions in the province of Ontario today,” added McIntyre. “You've really got to have a case.” All nine of the fired (terminated) employees were ordered back to work with back pay. The Board also threw two supervisors, who have the authority to hire ‘and fire, out of the bar- gaining unit. The Board also make the extraordinary rul- ing that the local union could meet twice with the crew on company property after the certifi- cation. A VICTORY FOR THE WORKERS “They (the workers) have had enough of being mistreated for years and years,” commented Brother Quintul. “Many of the Latinos in the plant have worked just as hard as anybody else. They had enough of being abused and called names.” ———- “To the major- ity of all of the pa workers, the main issue is a dignity in the workplace. They want to be treated with respect and they put everything on the line to get the union in. We are proud that they are part of the I.W.A.” Local union executive board member Manny ° Executive Board member Ranger, a plant Manny Ranger chairman at the Kruger Forest Products waferboard operation in Longlac, Ontario, said that he has never seen a case like the Industrial Hardwoods case where the employer went as far as he did to keep the union out. He commended the I.W.A. organizing team as an “excellent team of guys” who did every- thing they could to sign up the members. “The message to employers in Ontario is that we will go the extra 9 miles to make sure that people’s rights are respected and people get what they deserve,” said Brother Ranger, a union activist for the last 10 years. “Every worker should get dignity and respect in the workplace,” said Ranger. “No matter where they originate from, in our union’s eyes, nobody is a second-class citizen.” LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER 1997/11