© 363 COURTENAY BC Weyerhaeuser assault continues Local 363 reports that many of its laid-off members from Weyerhaeuser’s North Island Timberlands division are seeing their seniority and benefits run out as contractors do the work they once did. “The grievance system we have to resolve contracting out dispute has broken down @xu it needs to be fixed in negotiations,” says Local 363 president Rick Wangler. About 45 long-term employees are at home while the system is clogged. Contracting umpire Vince Ready, who has resigned, refused to deal with contracting out of fallers’ jobs, has not been replaced yet. The local has also been working on fighting termination notices with Weyco, winning some cases and losing others, says Brother Wangler. © 4-425 | WILLIAMS LAKE BC Ainsworth 100 Mile OSB crew to vote on a second contract offer eo: 1-425 president Wade Fisher reports it 150 of its members at the Ainsworth OSB plantin 100 Mile House voted down a previous 6-year agreement by a 86 per cent majority and then voted 96 per cent in favour of taking strike action ifneeded . to get better wages, benefits and other items. Strike notice was served on October 28. The employer then sought a mediator which acted as a go-between starting on November ro. A marathon 18 hour bargaining session was held and a tentative agreement was reached with improvements to the pension plan language, and wage increases in the six year agreement. As this issue of The Allied Worker goes to press, the crew is voting the tentative agreement. 3567| FRASER VALLEY BC Local union continues with organizing private health care By October of this year, Local 1-3567 had organized about 2,000 workers employed by private health care ser- vices companies, mostly in the Lower Mainland. Workers had seen their pub- lic health care jobs contracted out by alth boards. The union continues ith its commitment to negotiate job security and benefits in the private health care field. In early November the local had been contacted by HEU mem- bers at the Renfrew Care Centre to rep- resent them. Workers have been with- out a contract for over a year and sought the local’s assitance to get better security, pay and benefits. 830 WINNIPEG MB Local wins Unisource case as corrugated operations steam on Local 830 president Jack Alexander ys oe the Labour Relations Board @i:: in favour of the IWA on the issue of seniority list integrity following the merger of Inner City Paper with Unisource. Unisource tried to bump senior employees off the list with ex- Inner City supervisors but lost the case. It had to pay one worker 4-1/2 months Jost wages. Elsewhere in Winnipeg, the corrugated plant continues to es usual. At the Smurfit-MBI operation, @ corrugator is being rebuilt, to add 9 inches of capacity and a Ward printer/diecutter is being assembled. y 400 QUEBEC New organizer continues work Former UNITE member Joe Calcara continues to establish leads and build contacts in the Greater Montreal area. “It’s a tough organizing climate and there are no signs that it will get any better under (new provincial premier) Jean Charest,” says IWA national first vice president Norm Rivard. “But we are staying positive and evaluating our prospects in the province.” Meanwhile the IWA has linked with the Quebec Federation of Labour’s website (http://ftg.qc.ca/syndicats_affilies) to further publicize the union as a diverse organization for all workers. THUNDER BAY ON Local engaged in talks with Domtar to restart White River Local 2693 president Joe Hanlon reports that his local has met with company officials from Domtar’s White River sawmill and logging operations where about 260 workers have been laid off since June of this year. Meetings were held in October and November with the intent to look for ways and means to create greater efficiencies in both the mill and bush. “We're prepared to continue to have discussions with Domtar that respect the integrity of the collective agreements,” says Brother Hanlon. The local union president says that workers are concerned about the future of both Domtar and Tembec operations in the north as merger negotiations continue. “People want to know what is going on but not much is being said,” he adds. TORONTO ON Local union members hit hard as Toronto flooring plant closes The IWA’s Toronto local union mem- bership suffered a tough loss when Janus Flooring Corporation closed its doors for good on October 3. The work- ers were given 8 weeks notice as pro- vided by Ontario law and were told that higher hardwood lumber prices, and downward prices on finished hard- wood flooring were factors behind the company losses. “It was a tough one to see close,” says local union president Ron Diotte. “The crew was very multi- skilled one and it bent over backwards to make the operation viable. We will miss these great people in our union.” Ry 306 Decision changes on mill rebuild Local 306 president Mario Fortunato says that Nelson Forest Products has informed the union that it now intends to rebuild a plywood mill on the site where its previous mill perished in a fire in July, 2001 — thereby putting its plans to construct a laminated veneer lumber operation on the back burner. The com- pany has acknowledged that the IWA will be recognized when the mill is oper- ational. Company owner Robbie Tozer recently purchased a hardwood veneer mill in Napadogan and the local hopes that there will be a future tie-in with the Miramichi mill. Brother Fortunato says that record high prices for plywood products played a definite factor in Nelson Forest Products’ decision to get back into the business. NEW BRUNSWICK HANOVER ON Union seeks better severance over coming Bauer-Nike closure Local 500 has sought the assistance of a conciliator to achieve better severance pay for its membership that will lose their jobs when Bauer-Nike Hockey Inc. closes its Cambridge operation by the end of March next year. The collective agreement expired in September. The hockey stick plant has been on the site since 1905 when it was known as Hespeler Wood Specialties. It changed hands over the years and Bauer-Nike bought the plant in 1994 from Canstar. “We were always uneasy about Nike being involved and, sure enough, the company plans to outsource and contract out the work. Nike is really a marketing firm which contract to where the cheapest labour is,” says Local 500 president Bruce Weber. PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA = Local 700 members at a Janus Flooring lost their jobs in October. KAPUSKASING ON Local hires new business rep and promotes education efforts Local 2995 is hiring a new business agent. In mid-November Brother Erick Carrol, announce that an activist from the Tembec operation in Cochrane, Ontario will be joining the local union team. Elsewhere, Sisters Louise Dionne and Diane Girard are to instruct a course on new member orientation in Cochrane in mid-December. Dionne has developed and delivered the course on previous occasions. The local expects 10-15 workers from the Cochrane area from Tembec and Norbord operations. Delegates from as far away as Timmins may attend as well. “We believe in increasing the service to our membership and are trying to do the best job possible in these tough economic times,” says IWA Canada Local 2995 president Guy Bourgouin. “In addition we are trying to do more organizing work in both traditional and non-traditional areas of the economy.” In early November, organizer Serge Trudel was hired for a trial period (see article on page 8). FRANK EVERITT © LOCAL 1-424 ¢ PRINCE GEORGE BC BB Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt | pilots the largest local membership. "local union president for the second time around! Along with __aslate of new officers, the veteran of many battles has a man- | date to grow the local union and do the best job possible to | protect the membership from the downsizing the industry is planning. “It’s good to be back in this job again,” says Brother Everitt. “We've got a new team here and the new reps are find- ing their way through the transition with the help of the mem- _ bership.” Everitt says that membership support is necessary to achieve a solid collective agreement in the industry. Things _ have changed over the years, says Frank, who served as local i union president from 1983-95, succeeding Larry Dockendorf. He’s been an IWA member for over 32. years and this summer, Local 1- 424’s Frank Everitt It’s back to the future as northern B.C. local president gets second shot at job “Years ago we were more concerned about policing the col- lective agreement and grievances and such,” he says. “Today much of our time is spent trying the keep the mem- bers working and dealing with land-use and forest license issues. We deal with the gov- did what no other “WE CAN WORK... — ernmenta lot more than we TWA member has TO CONTINUE TO used to.” Born in Spiritwood done before — he Saskatchewan, Frank left for got elected as a ACHIEVE GREAT B.C. in 1971 where he gota TH job at the Weldwood planer in INS®: Quesnel. He became a sub- ~ FRANK EVERITT local chairman in 1976 and PRES. LOCAL 1-424 thena Local 1-424 board member in 1977. Three years later he was elected as a vice president and became president in ‘83 when the local was consolidating into association bar- gaining. At the time the local had about 5,500 members. Today it has over 6,000. “We can work together as a local and a union to achieve great things,” he adds. “I’m confident of that and am grateful for the new opportunity.” NOVEMBER THE ALLIED WORKER | 7