"
an

33:

‘hee

owt

-New union age

Dan Farrell: Low-bid-at-any-cost mentality a concer.

by Michael Kelly
a

The Northwest Council of Car-
penters has elected Dan Farrell of
Kitimat to be their new business
agent. Farrell succeeds John Jen-
gen, a Terrace carpenter who acted
as the business agent for several
years.

NORTH

’ Farrell inherits what he described
in an interview last week as "a
pretty grim situation". Ninety
carpenters have been laid off from
the Kemano Completion Project in
the past few weeks, and there are
more than 40 names on the Ter-
race union hall’s dispatch board.

Many of the laid-off carpenters

from Terrace, Farrell noted,
haven’t checked in at the hall yet.

Work on the Kemano Comple-
tion Project has been suspended
indefinitely, pending a court deci-
sion and a possible federal envi-
ronmental review of the hydroelec-
tric project.

Farrell said there isn’t much in
the way of major construction
coming up that, his tradespeople
can count on. The Safeway expan-
sion looks definite this year, the
Orenda pulp and paper proposal
and an expansion at Ocelot are
mere possibilities at this point.

The union’s main concern recent-
ly has been the trend toward gov-
ernment projects going to the low
bidder with no apparent concerns
aside from the bid, Farrell said.
"There’s no consideration toward
local hiring policies, ethics or past
performance." Farrell expressed
concems about the recent history
of government project awards in
the area, citing the contract for the
Terraceview Lodge expansion
being given to Kermodei Construc-
tion against the wishes of the local

| health care society, and the same

company’s performance on pro-
jects at the Terrace and Smithers
_alport. This year a $600,000 con-
tract for an extension to Kiti
K’shan school went to Tri-City
Construction, a non-union com-
pany from Kamloops that uses
virtually no local workers. Farrell
said his information indicates that
the company has a record of Em-
ployment Standards violations and
poor building practices.

Tri-City’s work on the United
Buy and Sell furniture store in
Terrace last year required $30,000

_ Terrace Review — Wednesday, July 17, 1991 AQ

of corrective work, according to a
local tradesman who was involved
in the job, Farrell said. Although
the Facilities Committee of School
District 88’s board of trustees
received a representation from the
same tradesman and the union,
trustees concluded that their hands
were tied because of provincial
government policy regarding ten-
der awards,

Farrell said there is concern that
a pending $2 million contract for
additions and renovations to
Uplands school may go to the
same company or another out-of-
town or out-of-province contractor.
Ona $14 million paving project on
Highway 37 north of Meziadin
Junction, Farrell noted, the tax
money being spent is going to
Ledcor Construction, an Alberta-
based company with an office in
Vancouver that is employing
Alberta workers. "These are
instances of the low-bid-at-any-
cost mentality, and it’s a great
concern all over the province," he
said.

In an attempt to counteract the’

shortage of work for union con-
struction workers, the B.C. Council
of Caspenters last month signed —
but has not yet ratified — a con-
tract with the Construction Labour

nt inherits ‘grim situation’

Relations Association that relaxes
somewhat the stringent non-affili-
ation clause. If the contract is
ratified union carpenters will be
permitted to work along side non-
union trades on the same job.
Farrell said he hasn’t had an op-
portunity to review the contract,
but suggested that it would have
litte effect because individual
contracts with builders are subject
to ratification by locals. "Most
carpenters don’t like working with
non-union trades," he said.

The contract would apply to
commercial and institutional con-
struction, an area in which non-
union companies have made sig-
nificant gains over their union
counterparts in recent years.

Farrell has been elected to a

three-year term as the union’s

business agent, subject to a review
every three months by the coun-
cil’s executive. He holds a Bach-
elor of Arts degree in history and
has taught carpentry at Arctic
College in the Northwest Terti-
tories. He has been a resident of _
the northwest for more than 20
years, mainly in the Queen Char-
lotte Islands. Before taking the
business agent post he was job
steward for the carpenters at the
Kemano powerhouse project.

Transit fares rise

Beginning two days ago, it costs
more to get around by bus in Ter-
race and Thornhill.

B.C, Transit raised cash fares to
$1 for single zone travel and $1.25
for two-zone trips. Seniors and
students pay 75 cents and $1.

Ticket packages, available at city

RECYCLING

hall, now cost $19 for 20 single
zone tickets ($14 for seniors and
students) and $24 for 20 tow-zone
tickets ($19 for seniors and stu-
dents). °

B.C. Transit says the increases
were necessary to keep up with
higher operating costs.

DROP OFF CENTRE 635-9247
BATTERIES & GLASS

; BUY: ALUMINUM, COPPER AND RADS

NORTH COAST METAL RECYCLING
glass - batteries metal

"HAUGLAND Ave.

KEITH AVENVE

PRE en ST ee = eenap eee mE