e Local 700 member Bob Carter running loader in Etobicoke warehouse.

Unionized warehouse workers concerned over
leasing of floor space by new ownership

If Local 700 President Ron Diotte
gets his way, an employer’s efforts to
sell off floor space in a warehouse
will not result in problems for I.W.A.
members working on same street
address. A couple of months ago, the

employer of 35 union members at
the TCT (Temperature Control
Transportation) Warehousing Logis-
tics Inc. in Etobicoke announced
that it plans to carve off and lease
1/3 of its 315,000 square feet of
warehouse space to another com-
pany.

That company, Associated Foods,
may intend to move in with its
equipment and its workers who
belong to the United Food and Com-
mercial Workers Union.

“In the collective agreement with
TCT it says we are the bargaining
agent for the employees at 137
Horner Avenue,” said Brother
Diotte. “To get around that the prop-
erty owner wants to lease of the 1/3
and call it 187A Homer. We say this
whole thing has to be sorted out
between the property owner, the
company the labour board, and the
two unions.”

TCT, which also owns Atomic
Transport Inc., bought the ware-
housing facilities from Livingston
Distribution Centres Inc. late last
year. The workers at the warehouse
eaters been I.W.A. members since
1973.

“It’s been one of our steadier and
more dependable certifications,”
said Brother Diotte in an interview
with the Lumberworker. “The com-
mittee that we have inside is a very
solid bunch. If anything happens in
there they get together and the com-
ay takes notice immediately.”

That committee is led by chair-
man Wayne Major and Steward Alex

Drowns.

So far, ay from the concern over
sellii warehouse space, Diotte
said the union and the company
haye gotten along fine. Until TCT
makes a concrete moye, there’s not
much the local can do.

“It’s really been pretty good,” he
said. “It’s been a learning experience
for the new people (management)
with the union in place.”

The warehouse handles non-per-
ishable packaged consumer goods,

which include just about anything
edible that you will find on a super-
market shelf. Its specialty is cold
storage.

TCT has over 20 clients that stock
products on the facility and for secu-
rity reasons, they cannot be listed in
this article.

“All we can say for the article is
that there is some valuable stuff in
the place and that movement of
goods is done in a secure and strict
fashion. Our members are aware of
that and respect that,” said Diotte.

Diotte said that the local did, at
one time, have another warehouse
in Toronto, that handled Braun
products distribution, but that it
closed a few years ago and moved to
Oakville.

Workers in the plant operate
under two job categories and wage
rates. They are general warehouse-
men that operate equipment and
those that don’t. The average wage
is $15.70 hour as the workers are in
the second year of a two year collec-
tive agreement that expires on April
30, 2000.

“A couple of years ago and well
before the takeover by TCT, Liv-
ingston went around to all their
warehouses across the country look-
ing for concessions,” said Diotte.
“They shut down some, laid off peo-
ple, and downsized in others. Fortu-
nately our members survived the
shake-up.”

The workers also agreed to give up
two statutory holidays in favour of a
minimum bonus pay of 4% plus a
productivity bonus.

“So far it has worked out for the
better. Over the first two quarters of
a new incentive eereement, the crew
got an additional 8% in pay,” said
Diotte.

At the same time the workers
made a transition to a new, more
efficient computerized inventory
and order system. It took a while to
get the bugs out and all of the ware-
houses client’s onto the system.

Now the warehouse operates
under an e-commerce system where
the orders are sent in, reviewed by a
customer service representative and
put in an appropriate day’s work
pool, then released by a supervisor
on to the warehouse floor. The ware-

° Local President Ron Diotte stops for a chat with plant chair Wayne Major.

housemen will then build the pallet
and scan into, the system, the goods
that are to be shipped.

“For the most part, our guys have
accepted the new system and see the
benefits that it can bring in increas-

worker tour in October 1998.

ing efficiency,” said Diotte. “TCT can
see how I.W.A. members have
worked with them and we hope they
will do the same with us when there
are changes on the warehouse site in
the future.”

¢ Towmotor operator Tom Chamberlain poses for photo during Lumber-

LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER, 1999/11