hiring preferences to go to laid-off
members working for Hayes Forest
Services, Franklin Division. Prior to
these talks, continued protests on
the Highway 4 hump in Port
Alberni, made the point that harvest-
ing and hauling jobs should be for
local residents and that log exports
must be stopped. Former local union
president Monty Mearns, who has
worked on negotiating the arrange-
ment, says that such an agreement
would provide direct jobs and see a
re-opening of a dryland sort at China
Creek. [> New President elected
in the Port Local 1-85 has a new
local president. Tom Russell, a log-
ger from the now-defunct Sproat
Lake Division.
Brother Russell has
been a union mem-
ber for 36 years, and
had worked at
Sproat since 1972.
For the past year the

Tom Russell

grapple yarder operator has been up
and down the coast, working for vari-
ous contractors. Brother Russell was
sworn into office in mid-June. Other
new officers include Glen Cheetham
from Western Somass and Norm
McLeod from Hayes Franklin. [>
Cranbrook local president take
on duties in D3 Local 1-405 presi-
dent Bob Matters has been transi-
tioning into a staff
representative role
in District 3. Brother
Matters, who origi-
nates from Galloway
Lumber in
Galloway, has been
local president since 1994. He will
be servicing both IWA Council locals

Bob Matters

and traditional USW locals. Matters
says he’s “looking forward to the
new challenge.” [> Kootenay
Locals approve merger USW
Local 935, which represents workers
at the City of Kimberley, the
Kootenay Savings Credit Union’s
Kimberley Branch and the Kimberley
Alpine Ski Resort, voted to merge
with USW Local 1-405, based in
Cranbrook. Local 935 represents
from 100 to more fhan 380. workers,
as the ski an
fluctuate to more than 200 Sena
on a seasonal basis. In April Local 1-

405’s executive board and annual
delegate meeting voted to approve
the merger. Trail-based Local 9705,
which represents other Kootenay
Saving Credit Union branches,
throughout the east and west
Kootenays, will be in bargaining this
fall. Brother Singer and Ford
Harrison, a union rep for the
Kimberley branch, will also be at the
table. > Local gets severance
for Tembec bush crew Local 1-
405 president Bob Matters reports
that six loggers at Tembec Creston
Division have lost their jobs due to
the 20 per cent take back. The local
applied and got severance for the
workers, through government transi-
tion funding, and was also able to
get Tembec to pay additional sever-
ance. [> Mediation at Credit
Union Local 1-405 financial secre-
tary Doug Singer is leading contract
talks for the union at the Castelgar
Savings Credit Union and Castlegar
Savings Insurance Ltd. Following a
oo per cent strike vote at both bar-
gaining units, the employer applied
for mediation. In late June a tenta-

tive agreement was reached. >>
Truckers’ rates being negotiated
aeons BC Local 1-417 is current-

hauling rates for
oe groups of truckers: Canfor
Vavenby, the Weyerhaeuser Vavenby
crew and Louisiana Pacific out of
Malakwa. The former L-P mill has
been permanently closed. Nearly 60
truckers are being negotiated for in
the three groups. [> Agreement
reached at Doepker Local 1-417 has
re-opened an agreement with
Doepker Industries which will see
wage increases of 25 per cent, across-
the-board and between a $1 - $2 an
hour increase for some in the first
year alone. The contract will expire in
May, 2009. Doepker has plants in
Saskatchewan which are certified to
the Steelworkers. [> Moly-Cop
Negotiations Local 1-417 is also at
the table with the Moly-Cop metal
grinding ball operation in Kamloops.
Local union vice president and busi-
ness agent Warren Oja is the lead
negotiator. Bargaining agenda items
include job security, the assigning of
work and contracting out. [>
Talking truckers’ rates Local 1-
425 president Bill Derbyshire reports

J

9 ve)
meeting with
Tolko k th

=
over the issue of truckers’ rates and
hauling areas. Since the merger of
Lignum and Riverside and subse-
quent takeover by Tolko Industries,
and the 20 per cent take back,

have arisen. The
1

local al
under agreements with West Fraser,
which runs a USW-certified planer in
town and the former Weldwood ply-
wood mill.

THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2006 | Z