Uranium mining and processing
workers settle with Cameco Corp.
In mid-November USW Local 8914
members at Cameco Corp.'s
McArthur River uranium mine and
the Key Lake processing facility rati-
fied a collective agreement which
provides wage increases of 21.5 per
cent over four years. Four hundred
members work in the operations.
Journey tradespersons get a job cat-
egorization increase worth about 3
per cent more,

| bumping up the
trades rates to
$39.36 by the end
of the contract.
USW area super-
visor Bernie Welke
says that the com-
pany knows it has
to do more to keep trades around in
the competitive labour market. The
contract includes incentives for
apprentices and improved benefits.

Bernie Welke

Former PACE local ratifies contract
Local 3-1375 members at the Tembec
Inc. paper mill in Pine Falls,
Manitoba, narrowly averted a full-
blown strike with an eleventh hour
agreement in late September. Picket
lines had already gone up when a
multi-year agreement was reached.
The deal pays 2.5 per cent plus 60
cent immediately and another 2 per
cent in each of the last two years.
The LTD plan got a considerable
boost, meaning a monthly benefit of
$3,120 by the contract's end in 2009.
The former PACE unit, 350 strong,
beat back Tembec’s demands for
concessions.

Highland Valley crew tops industry
Local 7619 bargained tough to the
last minute to reach a five year agree-
ment for some 800 members at Teck
Cominco’s Highland Valley Copper.
The deal, providing wages increases
of 20 per cent and improved benefits,
will also provide pension increases
and protect post retirement benefits.
Top trades will move to $38.91 per

hour by the last year of the contract.

= District 3 delegates observed a minute of silence, for those killed on the job in the
past year, at the beginning of their conference in Winnipeg. Front right was Lynn
Williams, former Steelworkers International President. norman Garcia

District 3 holds largest-ever conference Between October 3-5, the
Steelworkers District 3 held its largest-ever conference in Winnipeg,
Manitoba where over 350 delegates were in attendance at the Fairmont Hotel.
In the day and a half prior to that the IWA Council held its annual confer-
ence. Most council delegates stayed on to attend the District 3 conference.
The conference was opened by Ed Hinsberg,
President of the Southern Manitoba Area
Council and Darlene Dziewit, President of
the Manitoba Federation of Labour. District
3 Director Steve Hunt unveiled an Action
Plan for the next three years, to increase
local union and rank and file union activism
in many areas including collective bargain-
ing, political action and health and safety.
He noted that 2007 BC coastal forest indus-
try negotiations would deal with contracting out and the extended schedules
that forest workers are being forced to work. Other speakers at the convention
included USW Canadian National Director Ken Neumann, USW
International President Leo Gerard, Federal NDP leader Jack Layton,
Manitoba NDP Premier Gary Doer, and CLC President Ken Georgetti. Also
speaking were former IWA Canada President Jack Munro (see article page 40)
and former Steelworkers International President Lynn Williams. Conference
workshops were held on Collective Bargaining, How to Lobby Government
and Strength and Unity with the Steelworkers and New Democrats. [>
Women of Steel Caucus meet District 3’s Assistant to the Director Carol
Landry and members of District 3's Women’s Committee, held a Women’s
Caucus meeting to create additional awareness about the Women of Steel
Program (see page 18 for article). Women’s Committee co-chairs Brenda Wagg
(Local 1-2171) and Julie Nery (Local 7826), along with Winnipeg-area based
staff representative Lee Edwards, were present.

Local 480’s Doug Jones and
Local 1-405’s Veronica Tanner
on conference panel.

20 | DECEMBER 2006 THE ALLIED WORKER