¢ Pictured here are I.W.A. CANADA Local 700 members and repairmen Peter Wojdylo and Waldermar Wojdylo (1.

to r.), proud of a newly recycled cable reel.

Cable reel plant stabilizes

hen I.W.A. CANADA

Local 700 was in nego-

tiations with Allin

Cable Reels Ltd. over

three years ago, the
picture was unclear. Negotiations
were bogged down as the company
had a “For Sale” sign outside its
Bowmanville, Ontario plant and
was asking the union for conces-
sions.

“Things were pretty uncertain
back then,” said local union presi-
dent Ron Diotte in an interview
with the Lumberworker. “The
employer said that it wanted to cut
costs and move closer to Toronto
(Bowmanville is about a 1 hour drive
east of Toronto, along the 401). We
said that the collective agreement
would stand and we wanted full
severance pay if the company was
to move.”

It’s a good thing that the sever-
ance pay language was in the collec-
tive agreement, said Diotte, or oth-
erwise the company may have shut
the plant down.

“We were very fortunate that the
company decided to remain in Bow-
manville and make more invest-
ment in its plant,” said Diotte. “In
the end we think it would have cost

Whiskey barrels

Continued from page thirteen

our members will be used to make
any necessary improvements.”

“The safety issues that we are
talking about are more housekeep-
ing in nature and are not immedi-
ately detrimental to the workers,
but certain things should be done,”
added Marques.

“These are a hardy bunch of guys
who can do any job. Most of them
have quite a background in repair,
cleaning and painting. Some of them
do it as side businesses.”

“They are ambitious workers who
are capable of doing any necessary
renovations. They have been main-
taining the plant for the last 15-20

years,” said Marques.

them more to move the operation.”
The company has another plant in
Bois Briand, Quebec.

Local 700 is going into negotia-
tions with the company in May of
this and is coming off a three year
agreement.

“Since 1996, labour relations at
the plant have improved,” added
Brother Diotte. “There are very few
grievances and when we do have a
problem, it usually doesn’t take
more than a phone call to fix things.”

Whether that improvement in
labour relations will translate into
trouble-free negotiations remains to
be seen.

“We are looking forward to get-
ting back to the bargaining table
and negotiating some good pay and
benefits improvements for the crew,”
said the local union president.

At the plant there are 40 union
members on the seniority list, about
28 of whom were working when the
Lumberworker visited the plant
early last October.

Allin produces both nailed wooden
and plywood reels for customer in
Canada and the United States.
Those reel have numerous uses for
the shipping of various typed of
cables and wires including wire
ropes, bare or insulated conductor

¢ Union member Riekie Raetson (foreground) and Kelly Dejager, put
touches on small reels.

ieee
whose family produce:
since 1938, said that at the
manville plant Allin produces

that range in sizes from 12” to 180”
in the flange. >

“We always have stock in certain
sizes in anticipation of the cus-
tomers’ orders,” said Mr. Hamelin.
“So when they call up we can get
uA order to them in a couple of

lays.”

e plant produces both new reels
and refurbishes second-hand reels.
Most recycled reels come from Cana-
dian clients, while one-time use
reels are usually made of lighter
materials which are shipped out of
the country.

Some of the Sommpanyis key cus-
tomers are Alcatel (formerly Canada
Wire), Pirelli Cables, the British
International Cable NCEE EgD) (for-
merly Philips Cable), Northern Tele-
com and Wire Rope Industries.

The operation uses both hard-
wood and softwood varieties such as
Soro aspen, poplar and pine,
which is the most common.

Quality control in emphasized
along the whole line of production
as select woods are used without
knots that will weaken the reels.
There also must be no nails which
protrude into the inside of the reels.

When the workers recondition the
reels, which includes cleaning, tight-
ening, smoothing out rough edges
and removing rusty metals, the final
products can be used again and

again. The company uses all new
materials for the repairs.

Kevin Eason, the I.W.A.’s plant
chairman, who is employed in the
painting department, said that the
number of new reels which have
left the plant painted has dropped
in recent years, yet many of the
Sepair ope require painting.

‘o decrease health and safet;
risks, the company has put in a self
contained paint tank, where the
worker does all of the spraying with
ventilation from the tank and respi-
ratory protection,

“The company has cooperated
with the union in making the plant
a safer place to work in,” said Diotte.

“In other areas they seem to be
reasonable and flexible, although
like most employers, they like the
flex their muscles every once ina
while,” he added.

ow

¢ Plant chair Kevin Eason in the
painting area.

14/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1999