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363 COURTENAY BC

Deal reached at car dealer and
local sponsors Canada Day event
Local 363 reports that a new three-year
deal has been reached for 12 workers at
the Tyee Chev-Olds Ltd. shop in
Campbell River. Technicians will get a 3.5
per cent wage increase over three years
and body shop workers will get increases
based on the ICBC rate structure
increases. In other news, on Canada Day
the local union sponsored one of the
most popular events at celebrations in
Courtenay, when it held a Women’s Nail
Driving Contest. The contest was a big
draw on the main stage with local
entertainer Kenny Shaw doing the
announcing and colour commentating.
Local 363 third vice president Leslie
McNabb organized the successful event.

© 4-425 | WILLIAMS LAKE BC

Local scrapping with Weldwood
over hauling rates for truckers
Local 1-425 reports that it is having a
difficult set of negotiations with
Weldwood Canada over hauling rates,
where it represents some twenty
owner/operators under an agency
agreement. Truckers have not been able
to get out in the bush during fire season
and the company has been dragging its
feet at the bargaining table, even asking
for concessions from the union. “There’s
no way we will entertain the idea of
rollbacks,” says Local 1-425 president
Wade Fisher. Brother Fisher is also
concerned about other forest operations
who are asking for concessions in
hauling rates. They include Riverside’s
Williams Lake and Soda Creek operations
and Lignum in Williams Lake.

© 41-3567] FRASER VALLEY BC

LRB decision removes cedar
mill from main table talks

Local 1-3567 president Sonny Ghag says
the union is pleased that the Labour
Relations Board of B.C. has removed a
roadblock to negotiations on the Coast
by removing Mill and Timber’s Flavelle
cedar from main table talks. The LRB
directed FIR to negotiate for Flavelle,
which joined it in 2002, directly with
the local union. Brother Ghag says the
local has been plagued by dozens of
grievances that have been ignored by
the company involving such issues as
contracting out, recall rights, not sub-
mitting dues and employee lists prop-
erly and so forth. “If we have to take on
this company we will,” says Ghag.

830 WINNIPEG MB

Union and Norampac conclude
and local takes on Unisource
On July 19, Local 830 and Norampak
reached a four year deal, paying 3, 3, 2
and 2 per cent, with benefit increases.
They also worked out three 12 hour
shifts which will pay 40 hours on aver-
age. The company is hiring new work-
ers as it ramps up to handle a major
contract with the Simplot Corporation.
At Unisource the local is waiting for
the results of a labour board hearing as
it fights to protect the bargaining unit
from supervisory-type positions. The
Jocal doesn’t mind if ds join
at the bottom of the list following a
merger With Inner City Paper.

© 400 QUEBEC

New organizer hired in Quebec
Former UNITE member Joe Calcara has
been hired on to assist organizing efforts.
He will be assisting Local 400's Mario
Malenfant, until Malenfant returns to his
job at the Simmons Mattress factory in
Kirkland. They are targetting specific
operations in the Greater Montreal area,
including value-added forest industry
operations and another mattress plant. The
union is maintaining its commitment to
organizing, says National Second Vice
President Norm Rivard, who adds that the
IWA hopes Local 400 will operate
independently some time in the future.

@ 2693 THUNDER BAY ON

Lumber sits continue to hit
northwestern Ontario local
Local 2693 reports that layoffs still
continue to plague the local
membership. At press time about 750
members are on layoff. At the
Dubreilville mill, owned by Buchanan
Forest Products, about 250 mill and
bush workers are eligible for
unemployment, as only about 150
members continue to operate. Those
layoffs started in late May. At the
company’s Atikokan Forest Products
mill in Atikokan, 140 workers were laid
off in June. Meanwhile there has been
no good news from Domtar White
River, where 260 mill and bush
employees are on extended layoff
which began in June as well. Local first
vice president Ken Paquette says the

local still has no news on the impact of
the impending merger of Tembec and
Domtar, announced earlier.

700 TORONTO ON

Local ready for Dominion store

Local 700 president Ron Diotte reports
that 105 members at the Dominion
store in Ajax (formerly Loeb) are
preparing to enter into discussions for
anew agreement with the grocery store
chain pending the outcome of pattern
contract talks with the Retail and
Wholesale section of the CAW. In other

news, Brother Diotte says the local is
preparing demands for workers at the
Skyway Lumber operation in St.
Catherines. Members there are cur-
rently in their third contract. The local
also represents crews at the Hanford
Lumber yard in Etobicoke and Weyco’s
distribution centre in Brampton.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Tozer plans to rebuild operation
Local 306 president Mario Fortunato
reports that Nelson Forest Products
owner Robbie Tozer has contacted the
union to inform it that it plans to start
construction on a new laminated veneer
lumber facility in Miramichi by the end
of August or early September. In July of
2001 the company’s plywood mill per-
ished in a fire and now insurance and
financing issues are being resolved. Mr.
Tozer has proposed a new collective
agreement to the IWA to get an opera-
tion back running again. Union mem-
bers are concerned about a couple of
issues in that proposal, related to senior-
ity retention and contracting out. The
IWA began a presence on the mill site
in 1963 the under Burchill Brothers ply-
wood company.

HANOVER ON

Three year contract reached at
KML in Cambridge Ontario
Local 500 reports that a first collective
agreement has been reached for workers
under the auspices of the IWA at KML
Homes in Cambridge. Local financial
secretary Saul Marques led a negotiating
team to the new three-year agreement in
mid-July, which includes an $800
signing bonus and across-the-board
wage increases of 50, 80 and 80 cents
per hour. About 85 per cent of the
workforce will also see a 50 cent per hour
increase as an adjustment for their job
reclassifications in the second year of the
deal. Local president Bruce Weber, who
joined the negotiation process in
mediation following the extension of a
strike deadline by three days, says the
company recently hired 30 more
workers to bring the workforce to 67.

>

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA
= Local 700 represents workers at the
Dominion Store in Ajax, Ontario.

KAPUSKASING ON

Local mills are up and down
Local 2995 reports that the Tembec
Cochrane mill went back on one shift
in July and was not fully operational by
early August. The Uniboard particle
board plant in New Liskheard went
down from June 2 - 23, was up for two
weeks and then down between July 26
and August 9. The Tembec sawmill in
Kirkland Lake will be going back to one
shift in early September. Maintenance
crews have already been back. Between
30-40 members are expected to work.
The Tembec Cochrane mill was up on
all three planer shifts in early July,
following a 5 week shutdown and the
whole mill was back by the end of the
month. The Norboard plywood plant in
Cochrane is running full, with the
occasional down day. In other news,
Tembec and Domtar officials have been
touring each others’ mills in the local
prior to their proposed merger. The
local union is concerned about
potential closures if the merger
happens.

GUY BOURGOUIN © LOCAL 2995 » KAPUSKASING ON

Tere ey

very quick and steep learning curve. Mill closures, land-use
fights, grievances, health and safety issues and trying to build

@ Local 2995 president Guy Bourgouin
_ rapidly rose in the ranks to lead local.

_ president Damien Roy, the millwright from the Tembec
sawmill in Timmins was catapulted to the presidency of his

local. It’s been a quick rise to the top. Only seven years ago
Brother Bourgouin was hired on as business agent. “I was

expedited to the leadership by circumstances,” admits the

] quiet and unassuming original native of Dubreuilville, who

: moved to Timmins, where he was eventually discovered by the

__ IWA. He wishes he would have had the luxury of a few more

| years experience under his belt, as he has been swept onto a

THINGS.”

- GUY BOURGOUIN
PRES. LOCAL 2995

father Mario held Badge 11 at the Dubreuilville Brothers mill
for 45 years. The fluently-bilingual
father’s sense for honesty and fair play likely attributed to
his own desire for workplace and social justice. “There is a
proper way to treat workers,” he says. “I’m fortunate to be in
a situation where I can help our members get a fair deal.”

Former millwright quickly catapulted to
leadership of northeastern Ontario local

Thirty-eight year the local union, are topics that are front and centre in 2995.
old Guy Bourgouin _ But Brother Bourgouin is optimistic. “Anything is possible
is the new kid on in the IWA,” he says. “We can work hard together and con-
the block at both tinue to achieve great things.” In the months and years

the national and i ahead, he hopes to promote
local union levels. WE CAN WORK... solidarity in the local, lend

In April, following TO CONTINUE TO more support to health and
the resignation of safety advocates, increase the
then Local 2995 ACHIEVE GREAT educational program, promote

political activism and facilitate
the advancement of women
in an already diversifying
union. Guy’s roots in the for-
est industry are deep. His

Bourgouin says his

AUGUST 2003 THE ALLIED WORKER | if

we