Southern Interior sawmill worker elected to lead Council

A FORMER SAWMILL worker, who
worked in the southeastern BC commu-
nity of Galloway, has been elected as the
IWA Council’s chairper-
son. Bob Matters, former
president of Local 1-405,
brings years of knowledge
and experience, along
with a solid work ethic, to

Brother Matters was elected to the
position on October 2, succeeding out-
going chairperson Norm Rivard.

He served as a local union president
and IWA National Executive Board mem-
ber since 1995. Matters says the wood-
workers’ council will continue to fight to
protect jobs and grow the union.

“I we set ourselves to it, we can make
this council work better and into a vehicle

to assist each district have an increasing
presence in the forest industry,” he says.
The list of issues he and others are
dealing with include the upcoming BC
coastal negotiations, the shutdown of
the Saskatchewan forest industry, the
skyrocketing increase in log exports
from BC, the Harper — Bush softwood
deal and contracting out in all
provinces.

demands for 2007

Wage and contract conference

THE STEELWORKERS ARE getting
ready for BC Coast Master Bargaining.
On November 17 and 18 over Go dele-
gates from five local unions gathered at
the Local 1-3567 union hall in Langley to
debate and vote on a set of demands that
will be taken to the
bargaining table next
year.

The current collec-
tive agreement expires
on June 15, 2007.

Also at the confer-

Z ence were officers
SteveHunt = fom USW locals in
the northern and southern BC Interior,
whose collective agreements expire at

the end of June 2009.
USW District 3 Director Steve Hunt,

who will be leading the union’s bar-
gaining committee, along with Wood
Council chairperson Bob Matters, said
the wage and conference (see page 27),
along with a tour of USW local unions
by coastal presidents in previous weeks,
have been key and important steps in
building solidarity and unity for 2007
negotiations.

“Our bargaining committee is united

and we have all our eyes on
the target — that is a collec-
tive agreement that will
bring dignity, respect and
security back to our mem-
bers,” said Hunt. “We
know we could get into quite a fight with
this industry and we will require the
support of every local and every single
member of our union.”

The delegates demanded a contract
of two years duration to re-align expiry
dates with Interior locals.

There will also be demands to rein-
state contract language to eliminate
alternate shift arrangements that are not
mutually agreed upon. The union will
also demand reinstatement of proper
overtime provisions.

The issue of contracting out and cer-
tification under the Master Agreement
will be dealt with at the bargaining table.
Licensees, contractors and sub-contrac-
tors have been shortchanging bargain-
ing unit members and eliminating the
union altogether in many areas of the
coast.

The delegates also discussed, debated
and voted on other resolutions, includ-

= Right tol. were Council chair Bob Matters, District 3
Director Steve Hunt and PNC members. norman Garcia

ing bargaining unit work, travel time,
benefits (including pensions), seniority
and preferential hiring, severance pay,
apprentices and training, occupational
health and safety protections, and griev-
ance, arbitration and union security.
Other demands were also approved.

In January of 2007 the Provincial
Negotiating Committee will be meeting
with USW lawyers to craft contract lan-
guage reflecting the members’
demands.

The conference also heard a presen-
tation on the economic conditions of
the industry by research staff represen-
tative Kim Pollock.

Brother Bob Matters gave a presenta-
tion on the IWA-Forest Industry
Pension Plan, which now has some $3
billion in assets.

The resolutions were read out by
Local 1-80 president Bill Routley and
Local 1-3567 president Brian Harder.

THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2006 | 3