Friday 28 December 2007

From the President

As most of you should be aware, the Western Region Pulp & Paper Caucus has directed the National to put Local 592 into trusteeship. I'm not going to revisit or debate all of the issues that have got us to this point but it has been over 2 weeks since Dave Coles has received this request and we are still waiting and wondering just what the hell the future holds for us. Also our status in Caucus is still in question. Our National Rep seems to think that we totally withdrew from Caucus and the re-edited minutes from that meeting seem to support his argument. Unfortunately I don't think we will get much in the way of support from most of the other locals in caucus at this point but we are going to deal with this issue regardless of what the eventual outcome may be. All that we can ask our membership to do is just wait it out once more. Following is the letter sent by the Western Region Vice President Don MacNeil to President Coles. In the mean time it is business as usual and we will continue with all of our efforts to implement the new agreement and get #4 PM up and running in the spring.

Pete Rayburn

December 14, 2007


Dave Coles, National President
CEP
301 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6M6


Dear President Coles:

As per a request from Administrative Vice President Don Boucher on behalf of the Western Region Pulp Caucus I am asking that the National Union make a determination to invoke the CEP Constitution, under Article 12.03.01 and place CEP Local 592 under trusteeship.

We very much appreciate the significance of this request and its potential impact on the rest of the union. However, it is the position of our Caucus that the actions of CEP Local 592 will have an overwhelmingly negative impact on their members, our members who work in other Catalyst mills and indeed, all of our members who work in pulp, paper and converting facilities.

Our members are extremely distressed that CEP Local 592 chose to ignore the second request of the National President to defer voting on this agreement until such time that a new pattern agreement could be reached. Our Caucus maintains that caucus solidarity and commitment to the union as a whole is fundamental in the success of our Caucus, and further, a potential national caucus.

We believe that time is of the essence. I urge you to bring your immediate attention to this serious and significant matter.

In solidarity,





Don MacNeil
Vice President, Western Region

Cc: CEP Western Region Pulp Caucus members
CEP Western Region National Staff Reps, Pulp

3 comments:

  1. Hi Pete,
    It would almost seem that we're on the road to de-certification;scary.
    If it ever comes to this;what other Unions would take us;we won't have a very good resume.Remember as individuals we're way more easy to ignore and push around;than we are as a large multitude backing each other;and I'm not just speaking of Local 592;but of the CEP as a whole;and us staying a part of that.
    Please find a moment to read the part of my comment on Tim's Viewpoint under the heading
    "Defending Local Autonomy" about my Grandfather's early days working at the Somass Mill and the forming of their Union.
    Days of past that I never lived and hopefully never will.
    Thanks,
    Doug Atherley(CEP 592)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Pete,
    It would almost seem that we're on the road to de-certification;scary.
    If it ever comes to this;what other Unions would take us;we won't have a very good resume.Remember as individuals we're way more easy to ignore and push around;than we are as a large multitude backing each other;and I'm not just speaking of Local 592;but of the CEP as a whole;and us staying a part of that.
    Please find a moment to read the part of my comment on Tim's Viewpoint under the heading
    "Defending Local Autonomy" about my Grandfather's early days working at the Somass Mill and the forming of their Union.
    Days of past that I never lived and hopefully never will.
    Thanks,
    Doug Atherley(CEP 592)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Funny how are the boys back east voted give them selves a WAGE cut and its OK

    Bowater Mersey Paper Co. Ltd.’s unionized employees voted overwhelmingly Dec. 21 to give themselves a pay cut that could potentially retire, instead of lay off, 49 workers and hopefully save the Brooklyn mill, says Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada Local 141 President, Courtney Wentzell.
    Wentzell said the unionized workers, which number about 330 between the two area locals, have agreed - 72 per cent for Local 141 and 86 per cent for Local 259 - to a pay cut of up to $1.55-million that will be used to fund early retirement packages.

    “They didn’t feel they had any choice. It’s negotiating with a gun to your head The company presented us with a package…” He stopped in mid sentence and paused for a few seconds. “At the end of the day, what are you going to do?”

    AbitibiBowater Inc., the overseeing company, is injecting $730,000 into the agreement, which is aimed at workers 55 of years of age and older.

    Wentzell said, “It’s really big of them (employees) to do what they did. We’re going to pay for it off our chests. They are workers, people who live in the community, shop here and pay taxes here and we didn’t do it just for 49 people, we did it for the community to keep the mill here. But it isn’t over yet and it’s going to be tough.”

    He explained union local executives in Eastern Canada will discuss this Feb. whether or not to open up their collective agreements early and that AbitibiBowater Inc. officials have stated more plants may be closed next year.

    He added even with their concessions, which includes not fighting for at least some of the 49 jobs, the company didn’t promise them anything. “Our famous question is ‘for what?’ We have never got an answer. There are no guarantees.”

    He added morale at the mill is low for obvious reasons, but has been reduced further by statements made by some community residents that employees are inflexible, both with concessions and work attitudes.

    He agreed crossing trades was rare in decades past, but that this is no longer the case, “up to your skills and abilities. In the old days, you couldn’t screw in a light bulb without an electrician.”

    He continued. “From what we’ve heard, we really hope the blame thing goes away. They better start looking somewhere else. Now, it’s up to the company. We hope the community and the government and everybody else sees that the workers took a big hit and are willing to do their part.”

    He added Premier Rodney MacDonald’s government should help the industry as well, but attach some cliché strings. In Newfoundland, for example, mills were allowed to harvest crown land without charge, but only if there were no layoffs.

    The Quebec provincial government did something similar, he said, adding workers didn’t see a single penny or benefit from the money paid by the provincial government last year to purchase Bowater lands as a way of helping the company.

    “When they’re up there in their (company executives) ivory tower, it would be nice if they could look at Nova Scotia and say they’re doing something.”

    He believes 49 employees will take the deal. The pension system is unchanged. However, Wentzell said spare positions will be lost, although not officially. He explained so-called unneeded spares will simply swell the pool with many not getting work.

    He expects these people will leave the company and probably the community. He also expects the area will be hurt economically by the wage cuts, lost jobs and reduced workforce.

    Now, he said they have to figure out how to run the mill with the reduced workforce.

    “There’s a lot residual work to do. Taking job cuts like that in a bare bones mill is difficult.”

    AbitibiBowater Inc. company spokesperson, Seth Kursman couldn’t be reached for comment.

    ReplyDelete