re vat,» TOURIGTANNDINZATINIG NAN = District 3 Assistant Director David Tones (I.) and Local 1-417 office Al Bowerman meet crew at Doepker Industries. sonny rioux Union looks to organize two plants in Kamloops local Local 1-417 is active in grow- ing the membership lately with the assistance of organ- izer Sonny Rioux. In late iF Gg November, | the local union con- ducted a sign- up a success- ful campaign at the new Doepker Trailers plant in Salmon Arm where the union is seeking a first collec- tive agreement. Local president Joe Davies says that the company could create new jobs if it expands its productive capacity at the plant with additional prod- ucts, including B-line trailers and hayrack trailers, used in the forest industry, to haul cut-to-length logs. The com- pany has two other Canadian plants certified to the Steelworkers. The local union has suc- cessfully signed up over 30 workers at Moly-Cop Canada, a plant in Kamloops, which manufactures forged grinding balls for the mining industry. A secret ballot was counted in mid-November. The plant is 50 per cent owned by Altasteel Limited, a wholly-owned sub- sidiary of Stelco Inc. Sonny Rioux = Organizer Bob McNair (eight from left) and business agent Alf Wilkins (far right) pose with some new union members from Spruce Capital Homes. PHoto usw LocaL 1-424 LOCAL 1-424 ORGANIZES WINTON GLOBAL VALUE-ADDED PLANT From stump to finished product! In mid-September the British Columbia Labour Relations Board granted the union the legal right to be the bargaining agent for about 40 workers at the Spruce Capital Homes manufacturing operation in Prince George, part of the Winton Global Homes Division. Local 1-424 will represent the workers. They joined the union to achieve better wages and benefits and be treated with dignity and respect on the job, says union organizer Bob McNair. A two-week organizing campaign took place. Steelworkers-IWA Council Officer Wilf McIntyre says that value-added industry workers deserve family-support- ing wages and benefits and improved working conditions. Local 1-424 already represents workers at Winton Global's The Pas Lumber sawmill. In addition, the union has recently negotiated a contract for members of the Prince George Truckers Association who haul timber for Winton Global's stump- to-dump logging contractors in the area. “Workers in the Winton Global corporate chain all deserve to be dealt with in a fair and equitable manner," says Brother McIntyre. "The Steelworkers are there to organ- ize all forest industry workers, right from the stump to finished product line. That means in harvesting, hauling, primary and value-added manufacturing." Spruce Capital Homes sells high qual- ity pre-manufactured .| homes and cottages to Canada, the US and over- seas markets. It also pro- duces trusses. Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt welcomes the Wilf Mcintyre spruce Capital Homes crew into the union and congratulates them for supporting their negotiating committee. On November 22, a three year collec- tive agreement was ratified with a strong vote by the members. Local union financial secretary Brian O’Rourke, who chaired the negotiating commitee reports the union achieved wage increases of 11 per cent over three years (7 in the first payable on December 1, 2005). The union also negotiated increases to life insurance, three bereave- ment days per year, a Boxing Day stat hol- iday, and a new vacation pay scales with better rates. THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2005 T 15