= The Hanover og aan is one of the local’s oldes' certifications. norman Garcia Hanover-Hearth furniture factory slated for closure Local 1-500 members, many who have been long-time employees, were hit hard in ed to shut down on December Hanover Kitchens plant, says oad lawyer ie Turtle has it the squeez Southbridge for cae pay- buyer to purchase the plant, which had some $2. 5 million viable and this is the worst possible news they could expect,” says Weber. The 54 year-old plant is the last of its kind in what was once the furniture capital of Canada. Local 1-500, which has its and Quality Homes in Mount Forest. M [> Mill talks to begin Local 1-2995 reports that three sets of negotiations are slated for mills that saw their con- tracts expire on September 1, 2006. They are at Tembec mills in Hearst and Cochrane and the Lecours mill in Calstock. [> School Board Workers Local 1-2995 reports successful negotia- tions for about 10 employees of the Hornepayne Roman Catholic Separate School Board. In what is a second agreement the workers will gain wage parity with other school board employ- ees. Wages go up in each year by over $1.00 per hour for the substitute teach- ers and educational assistants. The ONTARIO union has also gained floating holidays and sick pay for the crew. [> Exce Woodlands crews Local 1-2995 reports that about 30 company crew and owner/operators who work for Excel woodlands operations out of Opasatika, reached a settlement on November 19. They cut for the Tembec-owned opera- tion. > Columbia Forest Products Local 1-2995 president Guy Bourgouin says that negotiations for about 300 members at the Columbia Forest Products plywood plant in early are pro- ceeding before the contract’s due date. The local is dealing with numerous issues in a sector that has been hit hard. [> West Fraser talks drag Local 1- 207 president Nick Stewart reports that talks with West Fraser Timber for a first collective agreement at its LVL plant near Rocky Mountain House, are proceeding J slowly | progress has been made in getting the employer to back off on demands for draconian language on what constitutes a strike or lockout. The workers have been weaning ee | battle,” says Brother Stewart. “Our entire organization is behind them.” During negotiations, officers from Local 1-424 and 1-425 have also joined the Local r- 207 bargaining committee. [> Battling West Fraser over severance Local 1- 207 is going to arbitration with West higes over ue ue of severance ay cal- of its Seetha Tore Products, a camp mill support in their batt! ny. Many locals, including BC hawt I- 2171 and 1-424 and Edmonton Locals 5585 and 5220 have sent donations of union hats, shirts, pins and other items to the strikers in a show of solidarity. Others from as far away as Bridgeview, Illinois (Local 9777), Local 8922 (Quebec) and Local 6166 (Thompson, Manitoba) have sent in similar goods. “This sign of solide has ee our mem- thi bers know that they 12 T DECEMBER 2006 THE ALLIED WORKER and ity north of Red Earth Creek. In September of 2005 the compa- ny initially notified the crew of a “tempo- rary shutdown” which dragged on well over a year. After noticing, in the compa- ny’s annual report to shareholders, that the mill shutdown was termed a closure, the company paid severance improperly. “West Fraser has been dishonest with workers,” says Stewart. “Some families ited fr “ a} yk, bh P tupt as a result.”