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Packaging plant workers seek
renewed contract in Brantford

Like many other manufacturing
plants in Canada, the Flexia Ltd.
(formerly Twin Pak) operation in
Brantford, Ontario is going through
changing times, trying to look for
new markets while maintaining old
ones.

Today, as I.W.A. Local 500 is in
negotiations for a new collective
agreement, the plant’s ownership is
looking at introducing new tech-
nologies to run the operation ona
steadier basis.

“What the employer wants to do
is grow the business with the possi-
bility of going to a complete seven
day-a-week production schedule,”
says local union financial secretary
and business agent Saul Marques.
“That is something we’d like to see
but it’s a ways off yet.”

In 1998 the plant was up for sale
after a collective agreement expired.
It was owned by the ANCOR com-
pany of Australia. After a three year
contract was reached in the follow-
ing year, the sale of the company to
a past president was announced.

Since that agreement was reached
(it recently expired on February 28,
2001) the plant stabilized and grew
the business. Today there are 76
bargaining unit jobs at Flexia which
pay among the highest wages in
Brantford and surrounding areas.
Wages are in and around the $19.00
an hour plus range for skilled trades.

Some I.W.A. members have senior-
ity which goes back to 1973 when
the operation began under the own-
ership of Consolidated Bathurst. It
was organized into what was then
Local 2-500 of the International
Woodworkers of America.

“It’s been an important part of
our local for nearly 20 years,” says
Local 500 president Bruce Weber.
“The workers there are a solid group
and have stuck with the I.W.A.
Because they have done that, they
have been able to achieve one of the
better collective agreements in the
industry.”

The plant’s two main areas of pro-
duction are lumber and steel wrap
and commercial packaging products
like sugar packaging and other food
packaging products.

“The company is still heavily into
lumber and steel wrap,” says Brother
Marques. “But at the same time it
is trying to diversify its markets to
expand the business.”

The company is also doing some
process work, splitting rolls of paper
and packaging material. It also does
printing work on its giant, high-
speed 4 colour press.

Although the employer tried to
institute a continental shift 3 years
ago, the crew rejected it. Extended
shifts and weekend shifts are posted
and are applied for by seniority.

Most of the crew works four ten

Chile Labour Law
continued from page sixteen

Other demands include an end to
arrangements which are called “col-
lective understandings” which are
not collective agreements negoti-
ated freely by workers and an end
to social security taxes taken off
workers’ cheques. :

Important for the CUT is respect,
under the law, for acquired rights
that the labour movement has
achieved since the dictatorship.

“These are the main ideas that
we would like to incorporate and
develop in labour reform in Chile,
said Ortiz. i

Mr. Aravena briefly outline the
changes in labour law since the mil-
itary coup in 1973. After the coup,
the military dictatorship banned
unions and assigned union leader-
ship. The 1978 labour plan was put
into to place, banning strikes, free-
dom of association and free collec-

tive bargaining.

Severe restrictions were put on
public sector bargaining and the
dictatorship gave more room for
companies to negotiate weak indi-
vidual contracts with their workers
rather than legitimate collective
agreements with unions.

Mr. Aravena said that although
the Chilean government ratified
ILO conventions in 1998, the empre-
sarial sector is against their being
adopted into law.

After the Chilean’s presentations,
B.C. labour lawyer Leo McGrady
made a presentation on the diffi-
culty of organizing small workplaces
under the current provincial law
and B.C. Teachers Federation
lawyer Diane McDonald made some
comments in general on labour law
in the province and addressed some
other shortfall areas in the B.C.
labour code.

David Fairy of the TURB pre-
sented a summary of contentious
issues on the law in B.C. Fairy
pointed out that in B.C. that rates
of unionization are also dropping.

* On the job, photographed in October of 1998 were slitter operators Carl Porteous (1.) and Fred Ferrante.

hour shifts. Some weekend work
happens on two 12 hours shifts with
the workers being paid for 36 hours.
“Tt allows for choice,” says Brother
Marques. “They (the workers) can
post for weekend shift work and
they are still covered by seniority.”
During the production process for
both commercial and industrial
wraps the product goes through
extruders, printers and slitters.
One machine takes up to 120”
wide web paper and laminates an
extruded screen onto paper to pro-

duce lumber wraps, steel wraps and
looping material.

The extruder pellets are first
mixed in a hopper for colour and
are fed through hot dies by a screw.
Melted plastic goes around a chilled
drum where it is cooled down. The
objective is to get an even cooling
right across the “cool drum.”

The product, made of polypropy-
lene and paper, is trimmed to size
and as much waste as possible is
recovered.

A four colour printing press is
available to take rolls up to 140”
wide.

In the 1990’s the operation began
to produce Ti-Vek housing wrap,
much of which was exported to the
United States.

In another section of the plant, a
smaller facer makes commercial-
end products.

This year the union is optimistic
it can negotiate a better collective
agreement - one that will perhaps
achieve benefits for retirees
(improved pensions, drug plan) and
offer early pension bridging.

“Our crew will attempt, for the
second time, to achieve first-time
benefits in these areas,” explains
Brother Marques. “We may not get
everything we set out to get buy we
will give it our best shot.”

The union committee at Flexia
includes chairperson Don Bowen,
vice chair Peter Woods, secretary
treasurer Earl Smith, and trustees
Allan Brown and Gerald MacNeil.

Stewards in the operation are
Rob Pignotta, Steve Heltner, Rick
Morgan, Albert Borden, Earl Smith,
Tan Gorra, Martin Allgood, and
Gerald Lasalle.

a

CUT Visitors
continued from page sixteen

Mr. Baigent pointed out that both
union and management reps sitting
on the board accept the basic princi-
ples of the code and Mr. Kelleher told
them that all that those who work for
the Minister of Labour believe in
workers’ reais to join a union.

Ms. Parkinson gave them a run-
down on certification procedures,
including automatic certifications in
B.C. and Ms. O’Brien filled them in
on unfair labour practices.

Ortiz and Aravena were especially
curious about certification proce-
dures and sectoral bargaining.

The I.W.A. held a special dinner
for the guests in Burnaby before they
left. Present were national president
Dave Haggard, third vice president
David Tones, secretary treasurer
Terry Smith, Mr. Baigent, arbitrator
Vince Ready, B.C. Federation of
Labour president Jim Sinclair and
Fed secretary-treasurer Angie Schira,
CUPE B.C. president Barry O’Neill,

CUPE local 389 president Ken David-
son, CLC representative David Rice,
1.W.A. national staffers and others.

The guests were given a good send

off. “We thank the I.W.A. and all oth-
ers who assisted us in our visit to
Canada,” said Brother Ortiz. “You
have a great country andastrong .
labour movement. We learned many
things here, many of which we may
apply in some form in Chile. What
the Chilean government has to have
is the political will to introduce
changes which support the rights of
workers, not only the rights of the
empresarial sector.”

rother Haggard thanked the
visitors.

“We hope to help Chilean workers
more in the future and we have
learned a great deal ourselves from
this experience,” said Haggard.

In late March Haggard led a five
person I.W.A. delegation to Chile to
meet with the CTF, the CUT and its
various affiliates and government
officials.

See the next Lumberworker for
details.

¢ Pictured during their visit to the LW.A.’s Ontario office in Toronto are (1. to
x) labour lawyer Pedro Aravena, fourth national vice president Wilf McIntyre,
director of arbitation and resources, and CUT secretary general Jose Ortiz.

LUMBERWORKER/April, 2001/17