= Corrugated plant negotiations continue in Ontario. norman Garcia wants workers to pay part of benefit premiums which are now 100 per cent pad for a the seas “We ions and yes to a fair Peecmcnt” says Brother Rivard. [> Local union in bar- gaining Local 1-500 financial sec- retary Saul Marques is headed up current contract talks at the KML Building Solutions in Cambridge, were over 60 members produce light metal building products. The con- tract expired on April 30, 2006. [> Negotiations lining up for fall Local 1-500 will be busy at the bar- gaining table this fall, as several col- lective agreements will be set to expire: Larson and Shaw in Walkerton (September 17); Innscape Office Furniture in Newmarket (September 30); General Coach in Hensall (September 30); and Hanover Kitchens in Hanover (November 30). [> Woodlands pattern set at Abitibi A strong strike vote mandate proved an important factor in helping Local 1- 2693 center bs seta Joe Hanlon past winter Abitibi workers out of Thunder Bay set a four year ag) t provides a $500 signing bonus, 2, 2 and 2.5 per cent, along with numerous benefit improvements and improved con- tract language. Local president Joe Hanlon says that the membership deserves a lot of credit for staring down Abitibi on a threatened mill closure in Thunder Bay and follow- ing the recent pulp mill closure in Kenora. > Pattern in White River and Bowater Local 1-2693 mem- bers at Domtar White River also reached the basic Abitibi pattern this winter, which was ratified by 93 per cent. The union is persuing arbitra- tion cases against the closure of a garage and contracting out to local non-union garages and the non- union hauling of wood to a Weyerhaeuser mill in Wawa. After a tough set of talks with Bowater, 89 per cent of company and 100 per cent of contractor woodland employ- ees accepted a pattern agrement. However three days after the agree- ment was ratified the company closed it “A” Kraft mill in Thunder Bay. Major job losses were suffered by Bowater woodlands crews. [> Columbia Forest Products Local I-2995 reports that in mid-June Columbia Forest Products rescinded a shutdown notice it had planned for the end of the month. Management informed the crew that market con- ditions have picked up and that the particle board plant will keep on company is seeking new agreement with the union, cus- tomers, suppliers and government agencies to create what it terms as a “viable long term future” for the operation. The company has request- ed that negotiations begin early in 2007. The union is calling for invest- ment in the particle board plant to secure good-paying jobs, says local president Guy Bourgouin. | Extension at Spruce Falls Local I-2995 also reports that a contract extension has been negotiated at the Tembec-Spruce Falls pulp and opera- tions. USW woodlands and office crews have agreed to a contract that will expire on September 30, 2008. Other unions signing on are CEP Locals 89 and 256 and IBEW Local 1149. lective ag ment includes minor wage and pen- sion adjustments. An agreement was reached to identify and reduce differ- ences between Tembec and Spruce Falls on contractor costs. >> New agreement at Abitibi- Consolidated East Woodlands Local 1-2995 also reports that the Abitibi pattern agreement was been reached with Abitibi’s Consolidated East Woodlands operations to cover the period of September 1, 2005 to November 30, 2009. The contract also includes benefit improvements, including life insurance, weekly indemnity and bereavement pay provisions. Guy Bourgouin THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2006 T 1