= The Big River and S Aeaaaatad mill (above) have b indefinitely aig NORMAN GARCIA Weyco’s PA shutdown also hits 280 Steelworkers Some two hundred and eighty Steelworkers remain laid-off indefinitely following the April 19 closure of Weyerhaeuser's pulp and Paper complex in Prince Albert. Union members at the company’s Big River sawmill and Milermanweltee pl a >> Norsask mill issues curtailment notice Up in Meadow Lake, in early June, Norsask issued a layoff notice that will be in effect on August 18. As the mill is having a tough time moving its chips since the closure of Weyerhaeuser Pulp and Paper complex in Prince Albert, much of the 110 person crew could be affected. The nearby Meadow Lake Pulp Limited Partnership mill, previously known as Millar Western pulp mill which the Saskatchewan Oa has a large stake in, via | tance, continue: ee AO and the Mieidow. Lake harvesting 1 hall joint W Cree mill auiistils of PA, are hoping a new pulp mill buyer will appear soon. Local president Paul Hallen says there are interested parties but that uncertainty remains strong. “Weyco has caused a lot of upheaval in our communities,” says Hallen. “Workers are leaving our communities as Paul Hallen Both are efficient, optimized mills that depend on the PA pulp mill to move their chips and hog fuel. Hallen notes the mill closure throws a wrench into the province’s integrated log harvesting and transport system which utilizes hardwoods and softwoods. For well over two years, Weyco has also been trying to sell its Hudson Bay plywood plant and Carrot River sawmill while it wants to maintain control of its Crown timber. ere : dereugh Mystic Management, an entity which = Women of Steel course took place in Prince Albert. Harry GROENEN Local Women of Steel On May 11 and 12, seventeen Local 1-184 women activists took part in a Women of Steel educational in PA, co-instructed by District 3 Assistant to the Director Carol Landry and Local 1- 363's Leslie McNabb. The local is looking harvesting practices and planning. [> [> First agreement in Swan River Local 1-324 president Chris Parlow reports that an 11 worker crew at Stadnick Logging ratified their first-ever col- lective agreement on May 19. Workers get a wage Chris Parlow boost of 14.9 per cent in the first year and 3 per cent in the subse- quent four years. There were also gains on short term disability coverage, LTD, a An a) phere, alee roe | as 1 well as a safety eqi The workers, wacdhedttng mechanics, which operate log loaders who feed the Louisiana Pacific OSB plant in Minitonas, were represented by Brother Parlow, Darren Chemlowski, David Ferrie and Kevin Kowall. The crew joined women activists local ident Paul Hallen the union in March of 2005. > Tolko mill up and running Local 1-324 mem- bers have been back to work at the Tolko Industries sawmill in The Pas. The start- up day, following the mill’s roof collapse in January, was May 15. The crew is run- ning at about 180 workers, with some recent new hires. [> Local 1-830 reports Local 1-830 president Jack Alexander says that it is shaping up to be a slower summer than usual at both rhtMRt and NY, Jack Alexander the © gated plants in Winnipeg. Norampak did- n’t do any summer casual hires until late in June. Alexander says that if orders pick up there could be some new hires by late September to replace retirees. THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2006 | 9