= Local 1-306 members Starr
Goodin, Heather Ruff and Roberta
Whitcomb at hotel. pave anonews

Delta Hotel workers join
the union in St. John NB

Steelworkers Local 1-306 is
very pleased to report that
the local has been also been
granted certification rights to
represent 6 maintenance
workers at the Delta Hotel in
St. John, New Brunswick.
Former Local 1-306 president
Mario Fortunato conducted
the successful campaign. The
union hopes to begin collec-
tive bargaining in November
for the crew of nearly 100
employees. In the Spring the
union made the application to
the New Brunswick Labour
Relations Board. The employ-
er has fought the union all
the way, and has even
applied for a judicial review
of the board's decision to cer-
tify the union. District 6 staff
representative Ken Dawson is
slated to head up negotia-
tions for the union.

‘Eastside Mario’ pitching in
on new Michelin campaign
Steelworkers’ organizer Mario
Fortunato is helping new
efforts to organize Michelin
Tire workers in Nova Scotia.
Non-union crew at plants in
Waterville, Bridgewater,
(close to Lunenburg) and
Granton (near Pictou), have
been forced to accept “flexi-
ble” benefits and have had
their defined pension benefits
cut. Under Nova Scotia's infa-
mous “Michelin Law” the
union must organize the
workers at all three plants.

NEWS FROM

(> Brother Rochon on Mend Local
1-1000 financial secretary and service
rep Yvon Rochon, a well-known health
and safety advocate, is
recovering from surgery
he underwent in early
October at the
Hawkesbury General
Hospital. Rochon’s
duties, which include

Yvon Rochon
servicing part of the former IWA’s Local
400 membership in Quebec, have been
undertaken by organizer Angelo
Sanseverino, Brother Rochon hopes to
return before the end of the year. We all
wish Yvon a speedy recovery and hope

NEWS FROM

[> Container plant contract Local 1-
306 president Dave Andrews, who
works at the Baxter Foods dairy in St.
John, reports that a three-year agree-
ment has recently been reached at the
Bercon Atlantic plastic container plant
in St. John. It is the second contract for
the crew of 7-8 workers. Wages and ben-
efits increase by about 11 per cent over
the term of the contract. The plant pro-
duces milk jugs for Baxter and the
Northumberland Co-op in Miramichi,
the latter of which is also certified to the
local union. [> Members go to
Memramcook Brother Andrews was
one of a group of union members in atten-
dance at this year’s Steelworkers District 6
school, held at the Memramcook Institute
in New Brunswick, held between October
23 - 28. Courses offered included collective
bargaining, arbitration and shop steward
training. Also in attendance for the local
were Wayne Butler from Nelson Forest

QUEBEC

that he will be back in the saddle soon!
[> Seasonal Slump at Simmons
The Simmons mattress plant, in Ville
St. Laurent, the workforce has under-
gone some traditional layoffs as the win-
ter season approaches. The crew of
about 100 members is in the second
year of a three-year collective agree-
ment. [> Mercedes Textiles The
Mercedes Textiles operation in Kirkland
has been humming along, with a work-
force of between 40-50. Earlier this year
the union and the company went through
mediation and reached a three-year agree-
ment that included wage improvements
and increases to their RRSP’s.

NEW BRUNSWICK

Products in Miramichi, and Dana Baisley
and Paul Savage from the Northumberland
Co-op in Miramichi. The local also spon-
sored Mike McDonald, from the Deniso
Lebel sawmill in Scottsburn, Nova Scotia —
an operation that was organized by former
Local 1-306 president Mario Fortunato.
There were some 60 members from
District 6 in attendance at this year’s
school. [> Local 1-306 Boosts
Membership Local president Dave
Andrews notes that, with the additional
of members at the newly-organized.
Delta Hotel in St. John (see story left),
the former IWA Canada local now has
well over 400 members in the province.
That’s the most members the geograph-
ic local has had in decades. A brief look
at the rough membership count: 80 at
Nelson Forest Products; 200 at the
Northumberland Co-op; 45 at Baxter
Foods; 8 at Bercon Atlantic; and 100 at
the Delta Hotel.

THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2005 | 19