= Local 1-3567 has put organizing
at the top of their officers’ agenda.
NORMAN GARCIA

Active POD is an essential part
of local’s organizing agenda

Steve Hunt

officer and staff Btn’ s

agenda. Information on

that do. “It up to us to culti-
vate those contacts and
understand what the workers
go through,” says Hunt.

Ito r, i Trevor

Pelletier, Chris Angliss, Rob Anderson. Missing is Brennan Kirby. nick stewart

LOCAL 1-207 BARGAINING FIRST AGREEMENT IN SUNDRE ALBERTA

West Fraser crew gets organized

It has been a tough place to organize. But
the IWA and then the United
Steelworkers, stuck to their guns.

rch 13, 2006 the Alberta
Labour Relations Board granted USW
Local 1-207 collective bargaining rights
to represent workers at the West Fraser
Timber-owned Sundre Forest Products
laminated veneer lumber mill, about 30
km southwest of Rocky Mountain
House.

There are 160 woodworkers in the bar-
gaining unit.

Over the years the union attempted to
organize the mill on five sae occa-
sions. It was previously ow:
Weldwood Canada and ed cae
Products.

The successful campaign was _ con-
ducted by organizer Gordie ea
assisted by local union member P:
Kearney, from the Tolko Industries’ ori-
ented strandboard plant in Slave Lake
and Williams Lake, BC Local 1-425’s Bob
McNair, who works at the West Fraser
Timber plywood plant in Williams Lake.

District 3 Director Steve Hunt con-
gratulates the new members on joining
the USW and commends the organiz-

in
<

ers on the fine job done.
On May 29, the union and the compa-
ny exchanged proposals and set bargain-
ing dates for June, early a late August

and September, if necessary.

Local 1-207 president

| the ees bargaining

process in a

so on ie Stecworkers
itt

‘partment
Kirby from the LVL/DVL beam and head-
er area, and Rob Anderson from the
GVL/Log yard area.
e local union held a two-day train-
mgs session aa collective bargaining in
April, conducted by local
union financial secretary Dean Lott and
USW staff topepeentants Dan Will, who
is based in Edmonto:

Collective Shanna priorities
include a demand for better wages and
benefits. Brother Nick Stewart notes that
the union will also be aiming for agree-
ments on job posting and training.

THE ALLIED WORKER JUNE 2006 T 15