They’re the ones who came
up with our new name!!

The new name of our national
newspaper The Allied Worker, was
thought up by two grass-roots
members of our
union. They are
Local 1-425's
Robin Randall, a
mill floor opera-
tor at the
Riverside Soda
Creek mill in
Williams Lake,
B.C. and Local
1-405's Al
Plamondon, a loader operator at the
ATCO veneer plant in Fruitvale, B.C.
Both were suprised to be chosen the
co-winners of a national contest to
rename the Lumberworker.

“\ sent in a couple of names but
really didn’t know what my chances
were,” says Robin. “I’m really hon-
oured to be chosen a winner. The
new name shows the fact that we
are not just woodworkers - the IWA
represents workers in all kinds of
different industries and services.”
Sister Randall elected to accept a
cash prize in lieu of a vacation trip.
“The award came at the right time
last year - just shortly before
Christmas!” she says.

Robin hopes The Allied Worker
will reflect the diverse national char-
acteristics of the union membership
and the union‘s commitment to rep-
resent all workers. “I believe that all
workers should work under a union
contract - and that should be under
an IWA contract,” she jokes. “But
perhaps I’m a little biased!”

For Brother Plamondon, being
chose a winner was a “shocker - |
didn’t know how many names were
entered.” There were over 150 dif-
ferent names submitted from all
over Canada. Al himself sent in
seven entries to the contest.

“| think the new name really
shows that we
represent all
Canadian workers
in all fields and
that we can work
hard to do a good
job as a union,”
he says. Brother
Plamondon elect-
ed to take a pack-
age tour prize with his wife. They
went from Vancouuver to Laughin,
Nevada, spent some time in nearby
Las Vegas and then took a bus to
San Diego to connect with a cruise
ship journey up the west coast to
Vancouver. “We think it was great —
our first time on a cruise ship!” Al
notes that the newspaper has
already made some positive
changes which he hopes it will build
upon. “In our local union alone we
represent forest industry workers
and workers in other areas like cred-
it unions and insurance companies,”
he says. “I think we need to have a
newspaper that reflects that diversi-
ty and links our membership togeth-
er in one union.”

Congratulations Robin and Al.
The new name is growing on us!

= Robin Randall

Pot
= AlPlamondon

PHOTO COURTESY STEACY FAMILY

= Pat Steacy, a proud hockey dad, is seen here with sons Curtis (.) and Connor, who plays for an WA sponsored team.

LOCAL 1-80 MEMBER’S SON CARRIES ON TRADITION BY PLAYING FOR IWA TEAM

Hockey night in Duncan

ONE AFTERNOON LAST YEAR WHILE searching
through some old collectibles, [WA member Pat Steacy
found old photos of himself and his minor hockey team
from 1969. Upon closer examination of the photo, Pat
noticed that the sponsor of the team was none other
than his own Local 1-80.

Today the second generation IWA member, who
works as a driller-blaster for TimberWest’s Honeymoon
.Bay Division, has a 10 year-old son Connor who plays
for a Local 1-80 team in the Atom division in Duncan.

“I was surprised as I didn’t make the connection
between the IWA and years of the union’s support for
minor hockey until last year,” says the 47 year old
Brother Steacy. “I thought it was totally neat and some-
thing to be proud - our local union has stood behind
minor hockey over the decades.”

Connor and Pat’s 15 year-old son Curtis, a budding
star in the local Midget AAA league, both play at the
Cowichan Arena, nicknamed “The Stick” because the
world’s largest hockey stick, from the Expo ‘86 site, is
mounted on the building’s side. Duncan is a hockey-
crazy town and the Steacy family takes full advantage of
that fact.

They eat, breath and sleep the game. For all but
maybe one day a week Pat and wife Susanne motor
around, taking their kids to the local rink and other are-
nas on the Island. “It’s fun to help our kids out and give
something back to minor sports in the community,”
says Pat, who coached Connor’s team for 4 years.

Last year Connor’s team took first prize in a tourna-
ment and won a special prize for having the least penal-
ty mintues — they actually had no penalties!

Meanwhile, Curtis won the best sportmanship award
in the Bantam B division at the end of the year. Such
play goes in lead with the philosophy that Pat instills in
both his sons.

I believe in encouraging
both of them have fun and to
reach their potential,” he
says. “How far or where they
go with the game is up to
| them. I’m just glad to be

there for them and enjoy the
experience.” If the boys want
to go to power skating school
in the future, they’ll have that
chance, he adds.

Pat says that the IWA’s and
local business’ support of
amateur athletics helps build
a stronger sense of community. “With the way the econ-
omy is going, it’s harder for minor teams to hang onto
current sponsors, let alone get new ones,” he com-
ments. “I think it’s remarkable that our local union has
been there for so many years with the kids and the
community.” The local union donates to various causes
for youth, including Duncan Junior Baseball and the
Chemainus Baseball Association. It also supports other
associations to broaden the participation of kids in com-
munities. Local 1-80 financial secretary Pat Kinney, who
worked with Brother Steacy at TimberWest, says “it’s all
about our kids and trying to help them by instilling val-
ues of interacting in ways that help build community.
We're proud to be sponsors and keep up the tradition.”

= Pat back in 1969.

National has gone to a new place

AS THIS ISSUE of The Allied
Worker hits the press, final renova-
tions are underway at a new national
IWA office on 3920 Norland Avenue
in Burnaby. After more that 22 years,
the IWA has left its West Pender
Street office in Vancouver. One big
move took place on November 30
and the new office was up and oper-
ating on December 2.

The new facility will be a benefit to
the national union membership as
significant cost savings will be real-
ized. For the past five years, the IWA
was leasing floor space at 1285 West

Pender Street, a building it had been
a co-owner in from 1980 - 1997.

“We think it makes a lot of sense
to own our building now and rent
space to commercial tenants,” says
national secretary-treasurer David
Tones. “The IWA is making the nec-
essary adjustments to stabilize the
organization financially and build for
the future.”

The new facility includes, on the
third floor, separate offices for all
officers and staff, several meeting
rooms, ample space for office staff, a
lunch room and several storage

areas. On the first floor of the three
story structure there is a board room
and small meeting rooms. There’s
also parking spaces for visitors
beneath and behind the building.

“We should have an open house in
the spring,” says Brother Tones.
Prior to 1980, the Western Regional
Council of the IWA had its head.
quarters on Commercial Drive in
Vancouver. The union’s Eastern
Regional Council office in Weston
Ontario, which opened in 1960,
became the Eastern National office
of IWA-Canada in 1987.

24 ] THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2002