New Brunswick IWA Local 306 loses attempt at nursing home In mid-October IWA Local 306 lost a valiant attempt to organize workers at the Pinegrove Nursing home in the capital city of Fredericton. Local union president Mario Fortunato and IWA nation- al organizer Fran. Borsellino started the cam- paign in July. The IWA orga- nized workers including 5 licensed practi- Mario Fortunato a} nurses, maintenance crew, orderlies, maids, kitchen staff and casuals. The facility is a level 3 home where residents need physical assistance on an ongoing basis. The 27-35 loss came two days after CUPE leafleted the plant. The public sector union inter- fered in the IWA drive, holding a meeting with two lawyers present to counteract the IWA's efforts. Some workers were confused by the time they cast their ballots. “We hope the best for the crew in there and look forward to another attempt at orga- nizing them in the future,” says Brother Fortunato. Union applies for cert votes at three Hy and Zel’s outlets IWA national organizer Fran Borsellino reports that, in mid- November, the union applied to the Ontario Labour Relations Board votes at three Hy and Zel's Inc. locations. The union has signed up a strong majority Fran Borsellino o¢ workers at company operations in Newmarket, Hamilton and Niagara Falls, and at press date had won two representa- tion votes. Over ninety workers are employed at the three locations. The company operates seventeen drug and food store operations in south- ern Ontario. Local 2995 organizer Serge Trudel, who is currently being trained, joined Sister Borsellino to help out with the drive. Organizer to begin work in northeastern Ontario/Quebec IWA Canada Local 2995, based in Kapuskasing, and the IWA national office have worked out an arrange- ment to hire Brother Serge Trudel as an organizer for a 6 month trial peri- od. Trudel originates from the Olav Haavaldstrud Timber Co. operation in Hornepayne. Local president Guy Bourgouin says that Trudel will first be concentrating on contacts in the resource sectors and manufacturing operations. In addition to organizing in northeastern Ontario, Trudel will be looking for contacts in northeast- ern Quebec. Some of the local union’s members who work for Abibiti live across the border in la belle province, FILE PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA, = The IWA is going back to its roots of organizing in the bush after losing bargaining unit jobs to contractors. COAST ORGANIZER FIGHTS BACK AGAINST NON-UNION FIRMS Getting back the fallers COASTAL CONTRACT FALLERS ARE NOT giving up on their rights says Local 2171 organizer Sonny Rioux. “A lot of these guys used to have good union jobs and they have had their legs cut out from beneath them as companies, led by Weyerhaeuser have contracted their jobs out. Now that they have been isolated and are finding out just how unfairly they can be treated.” Asa result Brother Rioux has made some headway in getting back fallers into the IWA. On October 14 the BC Labour Relations Board approved the certification of twelve hand fallers work- ing for Madden Enterprises. The company notified the union that it was joining Forest Industrial Relations and would be a signatory to the Coast Master Agreement. KML falling, which is also part of Madden Enterprises, is certified to the [WA. Meanwhile the union is having a close look at organizing another Madden spin-off — Tymatt which contracts mechanical fallers, running double shifts and employing about 40 non- union workers on the Coast. “Many of these workers have been the victims of con- tracting out and lousy decisions such as the one that Vince Ready made over the future of Weyerhaeuser North Island Timberlands (in Local 363),” says Rioux. “We are seeing workers going back to their roots to join the union. They know the IWA is their only line of defense against unjust and unsafe working conditions.” It’s also a social services local! WHEN IWA ORGANIZER Angelo Sanservino organized the Carveth Nursing Home in Gananoque, Ontario in late August the union grew the social services component of the Local rooo. Eighty-seven members joined, making it the sixth facility of its kind in the local union. “In our local we’ve taken a pro-active approach to the social services sector for quite a few years now,” says Local 1000 president Michael McCarter. “We believe strongly in organizing in this sector as well as any other sector. It’s a good fit for our local and we can do the job in representing workers who face the same kind of issues — being treated with dignity and respect by their employers, better wages and benefits and improved working conditions.” All tolled, the local represents about 200 workers in retirement facilities in Gananoque and other locations, including Place Mont Roc in Hawkesbury, Heritage Lodge in Vankleek Hill, Rogers Cove in Huntsville, Chateau Cornwall in Cornwall, the Victorian Order of Nurse facility in Pembrooke and the Mattawa Association for Community living. Brother Sanservino says that workers at Carveth, who voted 49-21 PHOTO BY ANGELO SANSERVINO = Outside the nursing home are Karen McRae (I.) and Amy Hurteau. to join, have had to deal with favouritism and an overall lack of dig- nity and respect. “Some workers were just let go because the boss didn’t want them,” he says. “Some people were devastated as they had nothing to fall back on.” During the organizing campaign, Brother Sanservino, who has orga- nized in numerous industries, stresses that when workers join the IWA, the union fights for such basic issues as seniority rights, job postings and a grievance procedure to protect workers from unfair treatment. “These, in addition to getting bet- ter wages and benefits, are some of the issues that resonate with work- ers,” says Brother Sanservino. “Money is important and wage improvements can be negotiated over time as collective agreement are built up but workers react very strongly when they receved unfair treatment in the workplace. Work is a major part of life and people want to be treated decently, with dignity and respect.” 8 | THE ALLIED WORKER NOVEMBER 2003