ww’ ORGANIZING AND GROWTH

Org win at South River Planing

The IWA brought about 20 workers
into Local 1000 on June 20 when it
won a certification vote at the South
River Planing Mill in South River,
Ontario, mid-way between
Huntsville and North Bay. Union
organizer Angelo Sanservino and
Mike Hunter conducted the cam-
paign. The workers’ issues include
unfair treatment, lack of seniority
protection, and no wage increases
for the past three years. Some work-
ers with 14-15 years seniority only
get two weeks holidays and top rate
in the plant is $11.95/hr.

Drive begins at Decor-Rest
furniture in Woodbridge

Local 700 began signing cards at the
Decor-Rest Furniture plant in
Woodbridge, Ontario in mid-June,
where about 250
workers are
employed. The
union has begun a
mail-out campaign
to workers, which
produce uphol-
stered furniture

Mike Hunter items such as
sofas and armchairs. National orga-
nizing coordinator Mike Hunter says
a tip came from inside the plant that
the workers want better pay and
dignity on the workplace floor. Local
president Ron Diotte, business
agent Tom Lowe and organizer Fran
Borsellino helped out in the initial
stages of the campaign.

= Speakers corner a hit in 02.

Local 1-3567 back at the PNE
The IWA‘s ever-active Fraser Valley
local will be out organizing on the
fairgrounds of this year's Pacific
National Exhibition in Vancouver. For
the second consecutive year, the
local, in cooperation with the nation-
al office, will be setting up its
famous tent and booth between
August 16 and Labour Day, to meet
with the public and give out informa-
tion on the union.

Road crew joins Local 2174
Local 2171 is pleased to announce
that union organizer Sonny Rioux
has recently
brought in a con-
tract road building
crew into the IWA.
Seven workers
employed by the
Campbell River

Sonny Rioux based Strathcona
Contracting joined on July 14. The
full phase contractor largely oper-
ates on northern Vancouver Island.
It has rock drills, backhoes and
some gravel trucks.

PHOTO COURTESY IWA LOCAL 2693

= From the |. tor. are Donna Llewellyn, Stacey St. Marseille, Sheila Gravelle, Laura Lee Rawlyk, Jennifer Masson.

ONTARIO LOCAL ORGANIZES CANADIAN BLOOD SERVICES CREW

Life blood of the union!

THE TERM “LIFE BLOOD OF THE UNION” took
ona new wrinkle in early June, when IWA Local 2693
organized 25 workers in Sudbury, Ontario. In union
parlance, getting the “life blood” means bringing in
new members and that’s exactly what the union did
when local business agent Bert Poulin and national
organizer Fran Borselllino teamed to successfully
sign up and certify employees of the Canadian Blood
Service (formerly Canadian Red Cross) in town.

The workers, who collect blood donations in
Sudbury and many far, outlying communities, are
known as phlebotomists and clinical assistants.

“They travel away from Sudbury for at least three
days a week, putting in very long hours,” says Brother
Poulin. “Transportation conditions are very harsh and
they want these issues dealt with, along with some

respect and dignity on the job.” The workers also

have scheduling issues to address. Donna Llewellyn, who
works at CBS, says a union member in Sudbury referred
the group to the IWA. Previously they had tried to join the
Ontario Nurses Association, to no avail. “We had to do
something to protect ourselves,” she says. “The employer
was doing as it pleased with us and it was time for us to
join a union to get our issues properly addressed.”

Sister Borsellino, who has been out organizing in the
private health care field, says the [WA’s strong reputation
in the community and its growth in the health care field,
helped bring in the blood service workers.

Local 2693 president Joe Hanlon extends the IWA’s wel-
come to the crew and encourages all the workers to take an
active part in strengthening the role of the union in their
workplace. “We will work hard to get the best deal possible
for these new members and I congratulate them for taking

the step in joining our organization,” says Hanlon.

Feeling the effects of the Tories

THE CONSERVATIVE Ontario gov-
ernment of Mike Harris, now being
headed by premier Ernie Eves, has
done a huge number on the labour
movement in the province, says IWA
National Second Vice President
Norm Rivard. The Tories have deliv-
ered, in spades, what the business
sector has lob-
bied for in terms
of  anti-union
laws and the
effects are being
felt right across
the labour move-
ment. “What is
going in Ontario
is unbelievable,”
said Brother Rivard, in an interview
with The Allied Worker. “The organiz-
ing climate is getting worse as many
employers think they have an open
right to freely interfere in campaigns
as they often do. The effects on our
union, like other organizations, is
that we have often run up against
walls when workers get scared by the
boss or the employer simply refuses
to negotiate after the place is orga-
nized,” he added.

Rivard cites a current paper,
released by labour lawyers Elizabeth
Mitchell and Rob Lebi, which high-
lights the damage to labour.

Norm Rivard

The anti-union onslaught started
shortly after the 1995 election when
Harris took power. He introduced Bill 7
which, among other things, took away
automatic certifications and faster
hearings for unfair labour practices
(threats or firings of workers). In ‘98
they enacted Bill 31 the “Wal-Mart
amendment” to the labour code, nulli-
fying a 25 year-old law which granted
automatic certification to a union
where there was “egregious” conduct
on behalf of the company. Now the
OLRB can only order a second vote.
The list of changes to a fair playing
field goes on. OLRB staff has been gut-

FILE PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA
= Seen in April of ‘96 was an IWA contingent protesting Harris’ policies.

ted, and four vice chairs fired dur-
ing the term of their office in ‘96.
Seven vice chairs were not reap-
pointed, upping the work load on
the remaining ones.

In the 2002-2003 fiscal year only
13,708 people were able to join a
union in a province of over 13 mil-
lion inhabitants, versus the ‘94-95
fiscal year when 32,166 joined
unions. There were only 489 suc-
cessful applications versus over
1000 per year in the early gos. “We
have to get active politically to boot
the Tories out,” added Rivard. “If we
ignore politics we get whacked.”

8 | THE ALLIED WORKER -AUGUST: 2003