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1-80 DUNCAN BC

Doman-Western Nanaimo

mill adds a third shift

The local reports that the Doman-
Western Nanaimo sawmill has added on
a third shift, thereby creating 40 or
more jobs. Local 1-80 president Bill
Routley says the company has agreed to
employ laid-off workers from the com-
pany’s Nanoose Forest Products mill in
Chemainus, which permanently closed
in March of last year. About 60 workers
there are looking for a job. The takeover
of Doman by a subsidiary of Brascan
and other investors is still tied up in
court, as pending government legisla-
tion on tenure reform is further compli-
cating the transition.

PORT ALBERNI BC

Licence transfers taking place
as mills back to work in Port

In January the Weyco Sproat Lake div-
ions only called back half the crew as
the company is negotiating the possible
transfer of its cutting rights to NewCo,
a partnership between the Coulson
Group of companies and three local
First Nations bands. Weyco is forcing
the use of contractors at Sproat. At
Franklin River, Hayes Trucking has
taken over the licence in a deal that has
“worked about as well as it could have,”
says local president Monty Mearns. In
the north end of the local, Doman-
Western contractors went back in
January. In Port Alberni the Weyco
Somass cedar mill is up as well as the
Coulson cedar operations. The Weyco
APD mill is cutting for the Japanese
market and operating a K-D line.

© 1-207 ALBERTA

Most mills going full steam

Local president Mike Pisak says most
IWA sawmills are going full out.
Meanwhile negotiations are slow with
Atlas Lumber in Crowsnest Pass, a 45
member sawmill and planing facility.
Talks began in November of last year
and went into mediation in early
March. Other mills have been
producing on a continuous basis to
reduce unit costs. Weyco’s Grand
Cache mill changed to five day-a-week
production, 24 hours a day, adding an
additional shift, with some workers
rotating between the mill and planer.

SASKATCHEWAN

Wapaweeka sawmill to close

for a two month minimum

The Saskatchewan local reports that, due to
market conditions and the U.S. softwood
lumber tariff, the Wapawekka sawmill in
Prince Albert is scheduled to undergo a
minimum two month layoff starting April
17. The announcement was made on
March 20. Meanwhile Weyerhaeuser
sawmills in Big River and Carrot River con-
tinue to operate as does the Norsask Forest
Products Inc. sawmill in Meadow Lake.
The local union is heading into negotia-
tions with Norsask at Meadow Lake and
union president Paul Hallen says the IWA
expects to hear lots about the softwood lum-
ber dispute at the table. Elsewhere, the
local continues to work towards a first
agreement with Cabtek, a custom cabi-
net shop in Regina.

POTLIGHT

LOCALnNeWS

PHOTO COURTESY SLOCAN FOREST PRODUCTS

= Pictured at a committee meeting were (I. to r.) trucker Chris Griffin, and the
IWA’s Morris Turmel, Walter Matwee and Warren Oja.

Workers join business plan committee

They are doing the kinds of things that need to be done to keep their mill
operating during these difficult economic times. IWA Local 1-417 members
at Slocan Forest Product’s Valemount operation, have been serving ona joint _

committee to come up with solutions to restart their specialty mill which
closed in September of last year. The IWA’ers joined with company officials,
logging contractors, truckers and town council reps to work on a business
plan. The joint entity, known as the Slocan Valemount Futures
Committee, was organized by company president Jim Shepard. On |
January 20 the stakeholders took a business plan to the company’s ||
senior management, which then endorsed a possible mid-March
start-up date. But by March 6 Mr. Shepard announced the mill would

not open, in part because of the rising Canadian dollar, and low lumber prices
and other market conditions. “Our people still remain optimistic that the mill
will reopen,” says local union president Joe Davies. Numbers have been
crunched and other ways are being sought to reduce wood costs. Local union
business agent Warren Oja, who sits on the joint committee, says that IWA
members Morris Turmel, Walter Matwee and Shirley Gonyou have repre-
sented the union’s interests well and have been working hard with the rest of

the stakeholders to find a solution.

} 2171 | VANCOUVER/LOGGERS

Local union continues to suffer

layoffs and battles with Weyco
Local 2171 president Darrel Wong says
the local continues be affected by mass
layoffs. Last year it averaged 1,900
members less per month than in 2000.
“We're concerned with the upcoming
changes to the Forest Act which may
cause more job loss,” he adds, pointing
specifically to the issues of cut control,
appurtenancy, and tenure clawbacks.
The local is battling the contracting out of
company fallers’ jobs at Weyerhaeuser’s
Port McNeill division. On March 18
Weyco senta letter saying fallers could go
to a new company or stay with Weyco in
another job, but not a fallers. “They are
fallers with good safety and productivity
records,” says Wong. The IWA Council
of Locals has filed a contracting out griev-
ance, asking for an immediate hearing
with arbitrator Vince Ready to ensure a
clear understanding of what the current

contracting out language means prior to
negotiations. Weyco also wrote that it will

put a two-year moratorium on “sale or
transfer of other phases.” Wong says this
signal indicates Weyco wants to bust up
the bargaining unit piece-by-piece. “We
faced the same issue before the ‘86 strike.”

324 |THE PAS MB

Settlement reached despite
demands ‘from another planet’

In late March, workers at the Wescana
Inn in The Pas, ratified a two-year
agreement with 6 per cent wage
increases and better vacations. At one
time during negotiations the employer
asked the union for a 15 year agreement
with a 25 cents an hour rollback, “We
didn’t know if this was a weird dream
or came from another planet,” laughs
local union president Judy Anderson.
IWA business agent and committee
chair Chris Parlow says the crew, had
less than a one per cent wage increase
since 1994. National third vice presi-
dent Wilf McIntyre, headed the negoti-
ating team to a successful conclusion
which avoided a strike.

Local 363 concerned a
increased use of contractors
Local 363 president Rick Wangler
the local union is seeing more compa-
nies force what used to be compan
employees into the role of “so-call

contractors.” He says that labour can
tractors are bidding against each othe;
until their benefits, including pensions,
are reduced or gone. “We are tired of
having our crews beat up,” he says
Elsewhere the local has numerous ongo-
ing grievances over the issue of alterna.

tive shifts and the employers’ refusal to

pay OT. “It’s important for our local to
be involved in the negotiations of any
alternate shift arrangement so we can

enforce the contract,” says Wangler.

CRANBROOK BC

Slocan mill starts up in

March as pact negotiated —
Members at the Slocan Forest Products
sawmill in Slocan accepted a deal that —
got one shift back to work on March to, —
says local president Bob Matters. The
crew voted to accept four 10 hours shifts
to allow for more maintenance. Logs in
the nearby lake should last for at least
two months and it is hoped an
additional shift will be added. Bush
crews agreed to accept mill jobs, early
retirement if eligible or severance pay.
In other news, financial secretary Doug —
Singer will lead a negotiating team in
upcoming contract talks with the
Castlegar Credit Union’s Castlegar

1-417 KAMLOOPS BC

Union looks for new jobs for
Weyerhaeuser Vavenby crew —
Local 1-417 president Joe Davies says
the IWA has been working hard to find —
jobs for members losing their jobs at
the Weyco sawmill in Vavenby. The
mill closure will cause 170 direct job —
losses in the communities of
Clearwater and Vavenby. Ninety-one
have been offered jobs at Weyco millsin
Kamloops, Princeton or OK Falls, which
will operate on five 8 hour shifts, while —
ai elected to retire. In Kamloops the local
has tried to negotiate an alternate 10 hour
shift schedule but the company refuses to

pay premium for Sunday trades work.

KELOWNA BC

Local union bucks der loss trend
with addition of ;
As the downturn in the ee ——
continues to affect the IWA’s |
membership at large, Local 1-423 1S
adding new members, reports —
president Troi Caldwell. “While we are
still persuing the organization of new
members, particularly in the banking ~
industry, the local union is increasing —
its membership due to some
unfortunate circumstances,” he sayS-
“With the closure of the Weyerhaeuset ~
sawmill in Vavenby, many of the laid ”
off employees are transferring into this
local union where they will get jobs at
the Weyerhaeuser Princeton
Okanagan Falls divisions,” 42
Brother Caldwell. He says that b
mills are moving from two shifts
three shifts,

6 | THE ALLIED WORKER APRIL 2003