SF

L.W.A. members in the northern
Ontario plywood and panel board
industry are better off because of a
good, solid pattern agreement that
was first achieved by Local 2995 at
the Norbord Industries Inc. Cochrane
Division.

Late last August, the members
voted to approve a three year collec-

tive ment to set the standard for
earth + vperetions throughout the
north,

Local union president Damien Roy
said the agreement, which paid a
signing bonus of $1000.00 and wage
increases of 2.5%, 2.5% and 3% over
three years, also made some other
gains for the crew at Norbord.

Setting a basic pattern agreement
is a long-time tradition for Local 2995
and Local 2693. In 2995 the local has
since negotiated an agreement with
Columbia Plywood in Hearst, while

« At the Norbord plywood plant in Cochrane, a cut-off saw ope!

Local 2693
achieved the pat-
tern at the Kruger
Inc. plywood
plant and ori-
ented strand-
board plants.Next |
year the local will
negotiate with
Weyerhaeuser

(formerly
MacMillan

Bloedel) plywood
and specialty
plant in Nipigon.

At the Cochrane operation, all
tradespersons will be paid a tool
allowance of $350.00 by the company
in June of each year and all employ-
ees will receive up to $100.00 per year
for safety boots.

Effective January 1, Norbord will
pay $110 every year for safety

° Damien Roy

rator processes logs for the lathe.

Plywood pattern set at Norbord

lasses/frames and will fork out
140.00 if the worker needs bifocals.

“These are items that our members
wanted addressed,” said Brother Roy.
“When you add them up and they
have to come out of your own pocket
— it’s a lot of money.”

For the first time in the plywood
industry, employees will get an extra
full days wages at their regular job
rate to purchase whatever clothing
that is necessary for work and they
don’t have to present receipts.

One important gain that was
achieved at the Cochrane operation is
that the employer agrees to not use
contractors or sub-contractors to do
maintenance work commonly done by
union members. And in cases where
additional help is needed, qualified
I.W.A. members get first right of
refusal.

“We always have to keep the con-

tractors out wherever possible,” said
Brother Roy.

“We hope this new contract will
work to do the trick and keep our cur-
rent members working.”

Life insurance and accidental
death and dismemberment coverage
went up to $45,000 when the contract
was ratified and will go up another
$10,000.00 on June 1, 2001.

Weekly indemnity coverage (sick
pay) was increased to $540.00 per
week when the contract was signed
and will be bumped up to $560.00 per
week as of June 1, 2001.

As for Long Term Disability, the
rate of coverage increases by 5% to
55% monthly earning to a maximum.
of $1,750.00 per month and another
$50.00 in 2001.

Other important gains were made
for paid educational leave. The
employer will pay two cents per reg-
ular hour worked for each employee.
The company will submit the pay-
ment to the local union office on a
quarterly basis.

“The growth in the education fund
reflects the local union’s growing
commitment to training the member-
ship,” said first vice president Roland
Laurin. “We want to have better
trained job stewards and committee
members to strengthen the I.W.A.”

The union negotiated an add-on to
the tradesperson apprentice pro-
gram. Norbord will continue to pay
wages and benefits while the appren-
tices are in trade school and will pro-
vide all necessary books, which will
remain the company’s property at the
end of the course.

Workers at the plant will now get
paid by electronic transfer once a
week and their pay stubs will be
mailed the same day as the transfer.

“This is something that is easy for
the company to do and it is better for
our members to have the money in
their pockets or in the bank collecting
interest,” said Brother Laurin.

The union also negotiated signifi-
cant improvements in the pension
plan.

The negotiating committee, headed
by Brother Roy and consisting of
Brother Laurin and union members
Girard Lamothe, Leon Lamarche,
Donald Pinion, and Daniel Jirovec,
achieved higher pension benefits and
a new bridging supplement that will
pay extra benefits for early retire-
ment.

At Norbord the union negotiated a
comprehensive flexible shift schedule
for maintenance workers.

Harold Sachs retires

When he retired earlier this year,
1.W.A. CANADA national staff mem-
ber and organizer Harold Sachs left
behind a career in the union that took
him to many different places, work-
ing in several different capacities.

nm June 18, union officers and
staff held a retirement party for
Brother Sachs, former organizer
Rene Brixhe and former Local 500
financial secretary Irvin Baetz (see
Lumberworker, September, 1999).

In an interview with the Lumber-
worker, Brother Sachs said he is
thankful for his years as a union rep-
resentative and member. |

“Pm glad I went into union work. It

been good meeting different peo-

has 0
pis all the time and making a contri-
tion to the betterment of the lives
of working people along the way,” he
said. sh
Born in Hanover, Ontario in 1936,

Harold grew up there and started
ing in the Starks lumber planer

i ts an hour.
, een 1952 for 25 cen’ eee

‘seit § produced various furni-

ture items such as bedroom suites,
dining room sets, cedar chests and
just about every other major wood
furniture product.

Harold mostly worked in the
mechanic shop and set up and oper-
ator the sticker machine. He made
his own knives and set up and oper-
ated shapers as well as worked on the
lathe and other parts of the plant.

He spent several years as a rank
and file member before his interest in
union affairs grew. He became a
steward and then plant chairman by
the mid-1960’s. At the local union he
held various poritions: including
warden, recording secretary, a vice
presidency and then became Local 2-
500 president in 1974.

at is today Local 500 was then
art of Region 2 of the International
oodworkers of America.

Harold was a working president.
Ina local of 1,700 members, he would
work in the plant at Knechtels and
then take leaves of absences for var-
ious union duties.

After Region 2 organizer Dave
Ritchie passed away in 1978, Harold
was hired on as representative and
would both organize and negotiate
first collective agreements. A year
Jater when current Local 500 presi-

e At aretirement party in June, Brother Sachs (r.) accepted a gift from Local
500 president Bruce Weber.

dent Bruce Weber took over, Harold
left the local.

In 1981 he became an assistant
director for organizing for the Inter-
national, which had 5 regions at the
time. Each region had its own assis-
tant director paid for through the

international union. He organized all
over Ontario, and went into Quebec
and the Maritimes.

Sachs remained in that position
until the two Canadian regions
(Region 1 and Region 2) merged in

Continued on page thirty-four

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1999/33