= Resources will go to organize. Steelworkers to commit funds to IWA Council for organizing As part of the merger agreement with the Steelworkers, an initial $1 million will be commited to the |WA Council for organizing. Based on the success of future campaigns, there is a commitment for substantial sources available for future organiz- ing campaigns. At the time of the merger the IWA employed six full- time organizers nationally and had various cost-sharing arrangements with local unions. In many instances, locals pull rank-and-file organizers, trained by the union, off the job to work on specific cam- paigns. The Steelworkers have a national organizing director, Roger Falconer. and an organizing director in each of the three Canadian districts. The union often sets national organizing priorities and campaigns are con- ducted in each region. Western Canada District 3 organizing director Susan Carrigan says the ‘Steelworkers often utilize rank and file organizers to work on organizing projects and that each region plans its own organizing campaigns. Scalers join coast local union as dependent contractors Organizer Sonny Rioux reports that a bargaining unit of some 30 scalers, over 20 of whom are dependent con- tractors working for the Richmond, B.C.-base Shearwater Scaling and Grading, has been certified to Local 1- 2171. In late July the exist- ing certification was varied to take in the | dependent con- tractors. The workers are spread out in the coastal area in such areas including the Lower Mainland, Howe Sound, the Sunshine Coast and northern Vancouver Island. “In the forest industry, scalers used to be treated fairly well,” says Brother Rioux. “This has changed quite a bit for many workers in recent years.” He added that the contract scalers now have successorship rights with the union “We're also sending a mes- Sonny Rioux PHOTO BY RANDY HOLUBOSH = Pictured is the newly-certified P.G. Sort mill in Prince George where 112 workers joined the union in July. LOCAL 1-424 ORGANIZES P.G. SORT YARD ON SECOND ATTEMPT Another mill for Prince George BRITISH COLUMBIA’S LARGEST sawmilling local has added another group of workers to its membership fold. On July 12, Prince George-based Local 1-424 was granted certification at the P.G. Sort yard, an operation employing 112 workers. Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt welcomes the new membership and commends rank-and-file orga- nizer Ron West, a production worker at Babine Forest Products who worked on the campaign, assisted by local union second vice-president Randy Holubosh. Brother West is also a local union executive board member. It was the crews’s second attempt to join the union. In the fall of 2003 the local narrowly lost a vote, amidst numerous allegations of unfair labour practices. The local and the company came to an interim agreement that the union would back off organizing until early July, 2004 if the company quit its unfair labour prac- tices. It didn’t take long, after the agreement expired, for the workers to contact Local 1-424 to recommence an organizing campaign. “Some of the workers wanted to get the campaign going even before the agreement was over,” says Brother Holubush. “We held things off and got at ‘er as soon as the deal was up.” Brother Holubosh says workers at the facility, built in recent years, want better working conditions, proper job postings and application of seniority. Some workers have been recalled while other senior workers are at home. “If you are the bosses’ favourite you get called back or you even get paid more,” says Holubosh. “Our members want to see that the workers get paid equally for doing the job position — not paid higher rates because of who they are.” The mill’s wages are also lagging behind standards set by IWA locals in the province’s Interior regions. “We will be out to bring their wages up over time,” says Brother Everitt. “The first thing we intend to do is negotiate a fair collective agreement for the workers, one that addresses issues of unfairness that has cropped up in the operation.” The P.G. Sort Yard does custom wood cutting and manufacturing for both foreign and domestic markets. Focussing on SGOT Weyco THE WEYERHAEUSER corporation is in the cross-hairs of the United Steelworkers. On September 7 the IWA Council arranged to have local unions leaflet non-union operations in four locations — to spread word about the newly-strengthened union and take the company on. Local 1-207 Steelworker local reps handed out information at Weyco’s pulp mill and sawmill operations in Grande Prairie, Alberta (see photo right); while Local 2693 members leafleted the company’s oriented strandboard plant in Wawa and truss joist operation in Kenora. “We are sending a message to employers in the forest sector that we PHOTO BY PAT KEARNEY - LOCAL 1-207 = Outside the Weyco pulp and sawmill in Grande Prairie were, I. to r., Keith Stec (Weyerhaeuser Drayton Valley), Stan Erickson (Canfor Hines Creek), Jackie Vandenhouten (Tolko Slave Lake), Cheryl Cox (Weyerhaeuser Drayton Valley) and Tyson Nehring (Canfor Hines Creek). are taking our fight for fairness and dig- sage to non-union scalers that they nity for working people to a new level,” from Bowater, leafleted with Robert Elliot As part of the USWA, the can become Steelworkers and part of said IWA Council chair Norm Rivard. from the Buchanan sawmill in Hudson. IWA Council will be working to put the bargaining unit - with a fully array “If companies like Weyerhaeuser can - Brother Krahn says there was considerable _pressure on the mulitnational giant. In of issues that can be bargained, like keep workers divided, they are able to _ interest shown. In Wawa, union rep Mike __ their recently-formed strategic alliance grievance procedure and a proper push down on our wages, benefits and Mantha and Frank Bertrand, from the — with PACE (the Paper-Allied, Chemical benefit package,” add Rioux. “The working conditions. That's whyarecon- Buchanan Dubreulville mill, foundtheOSB and Energy Workers Union) the union can negotiate these things with centrating on bringing non-union — workers very receptive. Brother Mantha says _ Steelworkers are looking at including an 33 Weyco members into the union.” the dialogue with the workers went welland _ active organizing campaign for Weyco In Kenora Local 2693's John Krahn _that the leafleting was “a good first step.” operations (see article page three). SEPTEMBER 2004 THE ALLIED WORKER | 9