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Layoffs at Weyco Kamloops

Local 1-417 absorbed a two week shut-
down of the Weyerhaeuser Kamloops
sawmill from November 5 - 19. Local
president Joe Davies said the mill has
been slated to take another two week
shutdown starting on December 18.
Brother Davies says that the company,
which took over the Merritt end of the
closed Vavenby operation, has been
faced with increased operating costs.
The mill has to be upgraded. In 2006
Weyco did not follow through with a
$5 million planer
upgrade and now
faces higher costs.
Although the compa-
ny is saying it wants
to spend $50 million
in the plant, the
union will “wait and see.” It now runs
7 days a week on 4 x 10 hour shifts,
combined with 3 x 12 shifts, Friday
through Sunday. [> Talks for
Truckers Local 1-417 is also
engaged in three sets of talks for
truckers hauling for Louisiana Pacific
(Malakwa), Canfor (Vavenby) and
West Fraser (100 Mile House and
Chasm). It has wrapped up hauling
rates for Weyerhaeuser Vavenby
truckers. > Deal at Lodge Local 1-
417 president Joe Davies reports ofa
recently ratified five year agreement
for ro Steelworkers employed at the
Premier Mountain Lodge in
Valemount. Job security and wages
increases were key issues addressed.
[> First contract at Moly-Cop
The Kamloops local achieved a first
contract for new members at the
Moly-Cop grinding ball facility in
town, in September, following 10 days
of mediation. Local 1-417 vice presi-

Joe Davies

dent Warren Oja headed the negotiat-
ing committee. The two year agree-
ment, which will expire on December
31, 2007, gained wage and benefit
improvements. [> LVL plant hit
with down time Local 1-405 presi-
dent Stan McMaster reports that the
Louisiana Pacific laminated veneer
lumber plant in Golden, has been on
a four day shift going back to
September. The plywood plant has
been going one shift as orders have
dropped. [> Finger-jointer up and
down Local 1-405 reports the
Tembec finger-jointer and planer, in
Cranbrook, went through a two week
layoff prior to re-opening on a one
week on and one week off basis. The
employer wants to keep the crew
around for when markets rebound.

[> A new Local President Local r-
405’s Stan McMaster is the latest
IWA Counzil local union president,
He succeeded now Council chair Bob
Matters late this summer as Matters
resigned from that position. Born and
raised in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Brother
McMaster was a Steelworker before
becoming an IWA member. For over
three years he worked at the Hudson
Bay Mining and Smelting mine in
Flin Flon and the Sherrit Gordon cop-
per zinc mine in
Lynn Lake. He
moved to BC in 1971
and hired on at
Slocan Forest
Products in Slocan
in January of 1972.
From the start Stan served on safety
and grievance committees. He did
most production jobs in the mill, then
worked in the planer before getting
his millwright’s apprenticeship in the

‘Stan McMaster

©

mid-80’s. He become local union sec-
ond vice president in 1992 and local
first vice in 1994. Stan has also served
as the local union’s safety director and
is a member of the IWA Council’s
Safety Council. [> Curtailments
and layoffs hit Northern Local
Local 1-424 president Frank Everitt
reports that workers at the Canfor
Tackama plywood plant in Ft. Nelson
have been hit with 80 layoffs. They
were working 4/4 and have now gone
toa5 days a week, 8 hour a day sched-
ule. Meanwhile a third shift remains
on layoff at the Tolko Questwood
Division mill in Quesnel. Forty
Steelworkers were laid off in early fall.
There have also been layoffs of a plan-
er line and second shift on the big
planer at Carrier Lumber in Prince
George with about 30 jobs affected. A
major two week shutdown will occur at
the Canfor Plateau mill, west of
Vanderhoof. The mill has recently
gone through a major upgrade, Some
two hundred and fifty jobs will be lost
if the mill only goes down and over
300 could be affected if the planer and
tradespersons are laid off. The shut-
down was to commence on December
15. Three year deal at
Kyahwood Local 1-424 president
Frank Everitt reports a three-year
agreement at the Kyahwood Forest
Products Ltd. operation in
Moricetown. The agreement included
a 6 per cent wage increase over three
years, with a bonus that tops out at
$300 in each of the first two years.
There are also increases to vacation
pay and a new job evaluation program
if rates can’t be agreed upon by both
parties. Officer Brian Croy led the
negotation team.

THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2006 | 7