(> Closure Announcement Hits
P&T Midway In late October, Local
1-423 was shocked to find out, initial-
ly via a media report, that Pope and
Talbot Inc. plans to close its sawmill
and planer in Midway, which
employs some two hundred
Steelworkers. The company says the
last production day will be on March
31, 2006, as it will consolidate pro-
duction into its Grand Forks opera-
tions, also certified to the union.
Local president Ben Landis says the
union is making efforts to counteract
the closure and ensure that workers
are protected. [> Interfor Must
Knuckle Up! Courtenay Local 1-363
is up in arms over the closure of
Interfor’s Field sawmill in town,
which ran its last log in October of
2004. As the crew runs of EI, with
some members heading for the wel-
fare rolls, the company still claims it
is looking for a buyer. The local has
called for full payment of severance
pay to the crew. Intefor has states
that is has no intention of operating
the mill again. [> Same Old,
Same Old Local 1-363 president Rick
Wangler says the only thing that has
changed at the North Island Timber
Division of Cascadia Forest Products
(formerley Weyerhaeuser) is the
name. The division is run by the
same collection of management fig-
ures. Only 130 of 162 were working
on the company seniority list this
fall, with the grade crew on layoff
due to “cash flow problems.”
Wangler says things are the “same
old, same old.” [> Layoffs at APD
Port Alberni Local 1-85 says 100
members remain on layoff the
Cascadia Alberni Pacific Division

= Local 1-3567, the union's Fraser Valley local, has been put under
administration by the International Union. Poo NopMaN GARCIA

Steel steers Valley local back

LANGLEY-BASED LOCAL 1-3567 has been under administration since June
24,2005, butis starting to see positive results. The difficult step was taken and
the local officers were while a Commission, appointed by International
President Leo Gerard, conducted hearings and issued a report on the allega-
tions of financial and other misconduct, including harassment of local
employees and members, by the former president and others in the local.
The report, issued after over a week of hearings,
SP Ketniie) concludes that invoking the emergency provisions
eeeee Say ee of the USW Constitution was "absolutely required"
% zi and ordered the local be returned to the control of
the membership after steps can be taken "to protect from future abuses".
The report was reviewed by the Appeal Panel of the International Executive
Board and accepted by the Board itself. An Administration Team has

_ worked on re-building the 5,500-member local. A new bi-weekly bulletin

and website (www.usw1-3567.ca) have been added and over 120 members
have gone through union education courses." There's still work to do, but
we're on the right track," said current Administrator, Scott Lunny.
“Participation has been great: particularly the efforts of the local staff and
the assistance we've received from the CNO and District staff."

end, which is sinking into the salt

white wood mill in
town. President

chuck. [> In the North End Local
1-85 president Monty Mearns says that

Monty Mearns logging crews were back this fall in the
notes that the com- Gold River, Zeballos and Tahsis areas.
pany has to Western Forest Products runs compa-
Monty Mearns upgrade the Peko ny crews out of Zeballos, along with
Lift at the green contractors. [> Coulson Mills get

Parked This summer Coulson

6 T DECEMBER 2005 THE ALLIED WORKER