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Oreo Touncan ec = SPOTLIGHT

TimberWest goes to contractors
In late June TimberWest announced
that, under new contract language pro-
vided by mediator Don Munroe (see page
three) it intends to contract all woodlands
jobs on both private and public lands.
About 300 Local 1-80 members are
being affected. “Our guys are very pissed
off at the company’s move,” says local
union president Bill Routley, who notes
that during negotiations between FIR
and the union, the company pointed in
the direction of contractors. Routley
notes that the workers will still be con-
nected to the land as company jobs will
go to full phase, and not piecemeal con-
tractors. He also says the local has
numerous technical and legal questions
as to where current phase contractors
will fit into the picture.

1-85

Local fights for equity on clawback
of tenure in Weyco operations

Local 1-85 president Monty Mearns says the
local is retaining legal counsel to seek a just
and fair settlement _—_ concerning
Weyerhaeuser’s 20 per cent clawback of for-
est tenure. It appears that Weyco is target-
ting Sproat Lake company employees and
IWA members working for Mars, south of
Sproat. The local is representing more than
70 Sproat employees in contracting out
grievances, stemming back to 2002. The
local’s position is that any clawback must be
evenly spread out among Weyco divisions.
Inothernews the local is close to negotiating
with Coulson for collective agreements cov-
ering both Coulson millworks and its HMP-
CSL operations in Port Alberni. With over
100 employees, they are among the largest
remanners on Vancouver Island.

PORT ALBERNI BC

ALBERTA

Local reaches new deal with Tolko
Local 1-207 president Mike Pisak says that
on April 21, a six-year agreement was
reached with the Tolko High Level sawmill.
In addition to wage increases based on the
B.C. Southern Interior, there were pension
and benefit improvements negotiated for
270 workers. Elsewhere a three-year
collective agreement was ratified for 45
workers at the Winterbume Truss plant in
Acheson on May 12. In Grande Cache, the
local union is waiting for the results of a
purchase of the former Weyco mill by C
and C Wood Products of Quesnel. The
local is willing to work with a new owner.

SASKATCHEWAN

Negotiations start with Weyco
OSB 2000 and Big River plants
Local 1-184 president Paul Hallen says that
negotiations started with Weyerhaeuser’s
OSB 2000 plant in Hudson Bay, on April
26. The local is in the process of exchanging
proposals with the Weyco Big River
operation and proposals have been
completed and dates proposed for the Weyco
plywood mill in Hudson Bay and Carrot
River sawmill and derical unit. Contracttalks
continue for a first agreement at Cab-Tek,
orgnanized over a year ago. There’s still no
word on a start-up date for the Wapawekka
sawmill in Prince Albert, where workers
have been laid off since last November. The
company has approached the IWA on
various issues in a effort to restart the mill.

= IWA Local 306 members took to the picket lines for two weeks to put
pressure on Nelson Forest Products for a new collective agreement.

PHOTO BY MARIO FORTUNATO.

Crew waits out mill reconstruction

FOR TWO YEARS AND TENS MONTHS they hung in there with dogged

determination. After their plywood mill burnt to the ground in a spectacular _
blaze on July 13, 2001, workers at Nelson Forest Products in Miramichi vowed ||
to stay together until a manufacturing operation would be rebuilt in some

Even though the employer tried to push for a deal where it could hire a
any employee for any job, the union negotiated a back-to-work protocol which

way, shape and form. A new plant is near completion today and a
renewed collective agreement is in place. But workers had to strike _
for two weeks in late April, early May to get it. Workers successful-

respects seniority. All workers have rights to job postings through proper |
seniority/competency provisions. “The boss (mill owner Robbie Tozer) tried

to make the jobs in the high tech operation to be more than what they really _

are,” says Local 306 president Mario Fortunato. “Really, they are common
jobs in the industry that our guys can do.” National president Norm Rivard,
said running a plywood mill “is not rocket science — it’s just regular work.”
The back-to-work protocol includes provisions that workers must have a peri-
od to prove competency. If there is a dispute a panel consisting of two com- —
pany reps, two union reps and the mill manager make a ruling. If that’s not
satisfactory to either party, the issue goes to arbitration. In May workers
agreed to ratify a five-year agreement with wage increases of 11 per cent over
five years — that’s on top of a $2.00 an hour wage increase for the more than —
two years the mill has been down. Between 50-60 of the 80 or so workers who
are left in town will be rehired, with the possibility of more jobs in the future.
The strike helped force the deal. “Our members’ solidarity of making job

security the issue was key,” says Brother Fortunato. “Their seniority will be

permanently protected against age discrimmination by the company.”

VANCOUVER/LOGGERS

Members attend town halls and

local union wins Greenpeace case

Local 2171 members have been tuming out
for a series of town hall meetings through-
out the coast. Meetings, have been held in
Port McNeill (April 3), Campbell River
(April 20), Terrace (April 30), Terrace (April
30), Squamish (May 12), Powell River (May
26) and Gibsons (June 8). “Our members
are responding to the damaging effects of
Liberal forest policy changes, including the
upcoming 20 per cent clawbacks that will
devastate our members and communities.
The industry is trying to eradicate union-
ized crews in the clawback process.” In
Squamish alone, Interfor plans to give up 55
per cent of the TFL, which will result in
many layoffs. Brother Wong says Interfor
should direct the clawbacks to the Bella
Coola area where there is high unemploy-
ment. In other news, the B.C. Court of
Appeal upheld a lower court ruling that
Greenpeace must compensate local loggers
for stopping them from going to work in
the summer of 1997. Brother Wong says

the final decision can work to prevent such
blockades in the future and may assist the
local in settling other outstanding lawsuits
against environmental groups. The local
was reimbursed a portion of legal expenses.

THE PAS MB

Local staves off open raid by CEP
Local 324 is battling the CEP over its open
raid, which began on June to, of IWA
members at the Tolko sawmill and planer
in The Pas. Business agent Chris Parlow
says that millworkers, IWA members
from other Manitoba operations and
Steelworkers are “continuing to defend
the membership until the raid stops.”
IWA national first vice president Wilf
McIntyre says the CEP is trying to exploit
some discontent over a binding settle-
ment imposed last year by mediator Vince
Ready — one which fell far short of the
IWA’s contract demands. Brother
McIntyre also charged that the CEP is
interfering with the current merger
process with the United Steelworkers of
America.

PRINCE GEORGE
Deals reached in north
Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt reports _
that in May agreements were reached with _
value-added operations. A five-year deal
covering more than 50 workers was struck
at the Vanderhoof Specialties plant in
Vanderhoof, which produces finger-joint
stock and high value materials for Japan,
A wage reopener for the final two years of
a current five-year contract was also
achieved at the Newpro plant in Smithers,
which is a medium density fibreboard
operation. Between 60-80 workers are
employed there. Elsewhere IWA truckers
at the Lucas and Sons trucking operation
in MacKenzie have voted to go on strike to
back up their contract demands.
haul lumber and chips for Abitibi in the
northern forest-dependent community,

4-405 | CRANBROOK BC

Tembec agreement reached and
credit union negotiations

Local 1-405 president Bob Matters reports
that in March the union reached a three-
year deal with the Tembec value-added
operation in Cranbrook. The plant has
shown increasing profitability in recent
months. Meanwhile the local union is in
master agreement discussions with the
Community Choice Credit Union

” (formerly Nelson and District Credit

Union). The agreement, which expired on
May 31, covers about 50 IWA members in
Nelson, Crawford Bay and Rossland.
Financial-secretary Doug Singer is leading
the union’s negotiating committee. Wages
and benefits are priority items.

@ 1-417 KAMLOOPS BC

Extra shifts and more jobs arise
and L-P still looking for buyer
Local 1-417 has seen an increase in jobs
following the takeover of two Slocan
operations by Canfor. A third shifthas been
added in Vavenby. Tolko has put on a third
shift at its Merritt planer/sawmill. Aspen
Planers in Merritt has put on a weekend
shift. Overall, most workers are on the job
on4x10 or3x12 hour shifts. In othernews,
president Joe Davies says an IFLRA type
agreement was reached in April with L-P at
its Malakwa mill. A deal was also reached
for di

lependent truckers. The local is
concerned that, under new Liberal policy, L-
P will sell the license and shut the mill

KELOWNA BC

Several contract talks taking place
IWA Local 1-423 reports that several
sets of contract talks have been lined
up. Local president Ben Landis will be
chairing a negotiating committee at the
Canwood reman operation, where
about 100 work. Talks started on June
14. Financial secretary Verne McGregor
is leading negotiations at both the
Riverside Eagle Rock Nursery in
Armstrong where the contract expire on
July 1 and at the Synergy Pacific Wood
Solutions reman in Armstrong.
Between 80-100 work at Synergy and
there are about 20 full timers at ee
Rock. That number can climb to —

between 50-100 part timers during
lifting season. Business agent Dave
Welder is heading the negotiating team
at the Riverside reman in Wi 7
which has a due date soon.

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