e At the Whitby plant is stock transfer operator Mark Vandermuelen.

a

¢ three plants join up
for corrugated talks

The three corrugated operations
which are currently under negotia-
tions (see opposite page) with Smurfit-
M.B.I., are the company’s Etobicoke
and Whitby operations in southern
Ontario and its Pembroke plant, about
a 1-1/2 drive north of Ottawa.

The Etobicoke operation is one of
the company’s highest-end produc-
ers, which produces corrugated prod-
ucts with high quality graphics in
complete colour.

Since about 1990, when the plant
went into high-end printing, a lot of
new machinery has been introduced,
increasing the product lines and
business opportunities.

There are over 180 workers on the
seniority list on three shifts, some
which work a “continental shift” of
12 hours, 7 days a week, continuous
production.

In addition to having a number of
smaller colour presses, the plant’s
big money machine is a MasterPlex
203-A seven-colour press (see below)
which can print an additional three
colours or apply additional varnish
finishes.

“It’s an unbelievable machine that
will put out a product that looks like
somebody just took a picture and
pasted it on the side of the box,” says
Tom Lowe, the union’s national
safety director and service represen-
tative for the two southern Ontario
operations.

e Operating the Masterplex 203-A is
Etobicoke’s Percy Walker.

It will output between 7-10,000
impressions per hour, depending on
their size. The sheets are automati-
cally piled on pallets which move
along an automated conveyor sys-
tem. Then they are strapped in bun-
dles and shipped.

The plant has machinery which
corrugates the board, adds colour
laminates, and die-cuts to size. It
also has gluers. The corrugators
handle straight corrugated board,
white board, kraft paper and differ-
ent types of board. The best quality
stock is known as “80 Brite,”-now
produced by Weyerhaeuser.

While the Etobicoke deals in spe-
cialty items, the Whitby operation
produces corrugated blank and jobs
that have one, two and three colour
finishes.

It also produces standard box sizes
of plain and high strengths that are
purchased by numerous clients and
are adapted to their needs.

The plant has been operating on
three shifts starting in the Spring of
1997 and has seen a lot of overtime.
The plant’s main corrugater oper-
ates seven days a week. It can pro-
duce double-wall stock and cut it
into lengths at the rate of 550 feet
per minute, which is very efficient
and smooth.

The plant has a three colour Mar-
tin press which operated by two peo-
ple on an auto-feed system that feeds

¢ Local 500 member Dio Bal, a clamp truck driver at the Etobicoke plant.

into a Unitizer that die-cuts and
glues the boxes.

According to vice-chairman Dave
Gibson, who toured the Lumber-
worker through the plant in late
1998, in the last 10 years the plant
has hired more people that it has in
the past 25 years. There are now
about 200 union members on the
seniority list. .

Over the past decade he has seen
an increase in automation in every
department and has seen more jobs
with less physical labour involved.’

The bargaining unit joined the
I.W.A. in 1956 when it was an inde-
pendent local know as Local 2-242.

The oldest unit in the bargaining
group is the Pembroke plant which
has over 140 workers on its senior-
ity list. It had its own independent
certification under the International
Woodworkers of America before join-
ing Local 1000 (then Local 2-1000)
in 1959.

While the Etobicoke and Whitby
plants are geared to high production
volumes, the Pembroke operation,
produces smaller-run specialty
orders. The workers can meet tight
guidelines with high quality produc-
tion.

e With a beer box at the Etobicoke plant are committee member Ed

Eveleigh, and national union representative Tom Lowe.

During the 1990’s the plant lost
some major clients like Black and
Decker, Sanyo and Hitachi, as the
manufacturers headed south in
search of cheaper labour.

In 1995 the plant passed exami-
nations with the American Institute
of Bakeries to reach strict hygienic
standards for food container produc-
tion. The plant has been modified
for complete rodent and insect con-
trol.

Some production includes cheese
boxes and pizza boxes. It also helps
it sister plant in St. Laurent, Que-
bec when extra Molson’s beer boxes
are required.

In 1994 the plant got a new flexo
rotary die-cutter, which die-cuts,
scores and folds. The machine, which
has an operator, a feeder and 1-2
offbearers, depending on the product
line, has doubled productive capac-
ity in the department.

“Our members have been of great
assistance in making these plants
very competitive,” says Norm Rivard,
national fourth vice president. “We
hope the employers will recognize
this at the bargaining table and that
we can reach collective agreements
without conflict.”

° Orma Doucet, Whitby’s first helper
on the Langston Flexo.

LUMBERWORKER/APRIL, 2000/7