Evans recovery
Continued from page twelve

also won an agreement from the
contract workers, including loggers,
to defer payments for 12 months.

Pettman praises the union’s
involvement. “The I.W.A. was able
to convince the government that
this wasn’t an inefficient plant —
that we had a plant here worth sav-
ing.

“Traditionally, we’ve had a strong
and positive relationship with the
L.W.A.,” says Pettman. “Their sup-
port has certainly been critical in
the restructuring.”

I.W.A. Local 1-405 president Bob
Matters and retired Local 1-417
president Kevin Kelly sit on an advi-
sory board representing the union.
Included on the board are staff,
contractor and company reps, the
mayor of Golden, and the area direc-
tor of Malakwa (site of the reopened
Evans sawmill). It meets once a
month. =

The mill is a “year ahead” on its

Bob Navarretta

Continued from page seven

much of the past 12 years.

Both business agents from the
LW.A. and national representatives
from other CLC affiliates have taken
the course.

“I think that they (the arbitration
classes) are something that is being
encouraged more through the
LW.A.,” he says. “It gives both the
instructor and the students a forum
to share their experiences.”

As for the issue of fighting griev-
ances, Brother Navarretta is
emphatic.

“We have to take grievances and
arbitrations very seriously,” he says.
“They are some of the most impor-
tant bread and butter issues that
our union has to deal with.”

Navarretta says he has a dream
that one day the I.W.A. won’t need
any professional lawyers to handle
arbitrations.

“When the employers are the ones
shelling out big money for lawyers

and we are taking them on time
after time with our own people, they
will become more likely to resolve
problems before they go to arbitra-
tion,” he adds.

16/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1999

plans, says Pettman, proudly. “It’s
been a huge challenge for every-
body. There have been tremendous
changes in the plant. It was a huge
job just in the training and it’s a
credit to the employees that they’ve
been able to deal with that as well
as they have.”

There are some dark spots in the
generally rosy picture. Plywood has
not been selling well over the past
year, and the price of cedar, pro-
duced at the Malakwa mill, has sky-
rocketed. And a sober assessment of
the situation includes acknowledge-
ment that, “we’ve lost a lot of money
in the last two years,” says Pettman.

Key to the mill’s survival is the
continuing growth in LVL markets.
That growth accounts for a good
deal of the recent hiring at Evans,
and about 29 more employees will
be added once phase two is opera-
tional.

Says Pettman: “We look forward
to the day when profitability is here
and we can repay all those debts.
That will be the success story.”

IX Z
e Swarnan Narwan (left) and Luann Buhler straighten and glue sheets for
plywood cores.

Photos by Dan Keeton