Roughly Estimated Lay-off Line for Operations

After the completion of the Retirement Package offerings, a bare bones estimate of where the lay-off line is at this time looks like to be around mid January 1984. An official lay-off line will not be determined until after the Enhanced Severances have been spoken for. Again this is just an estimate not taking into account any relief numbers that may be required.

Locals 592 & 686 Blog Sites

Please note that both Local 592 and Local 686 blog sites are accessible through the Alberni Intranet under the HR tab. Since the recent restriction of internet access, everyone will still be able to get to the Blogs if you have access to a computer on the mill site.

Congratulations To You All

The following is a list of people that are about to retire. I'm sure I can speak for everyone when I wish each of them a long, happy and well deserved retirement. If you add up all the years of service that these people have put in, we are losing over 2500 years of experience and knowledge. We are going to miss them all:

Steve Ackland, Ernie Addy, Gord Arnett, Don Barkley, Leo Blais, Dave Blelloch, Rick Bodnar, Jim Bridgen, Doug Bryant, Ewan Cameron, Wayne Carter, Jacques Chabot, Andre Contreras, Mariea Cooper, Russ Cross, Bruce Currey, Bob Dahlman, Rick Dallman, Brian Daniels, Bill Davidson, Dennis Devereux, Barry Greaves, Bert Groeneveld, Dal Gulstene, Hart Haase, Loyd Herzog, Ken Hicks, Gary Hodgkin, Terry Houbregs, Duane Hughes, Jim Irvine, Bruce Kelly, Alan King, Bob Kranevelt, Marc Larochelle, Gary Lavergne, George Liong, Bob MacAdams, Jim Mackie, Tapio Meriverta, Gord Miles, Jackie Nager, Bob Nesbit, Bill Oickle, Gord Parker, Wayne Pinkney, Tony Price, Boris Radetic, Ben Randall, Jim Ray, Dave Reis, Jack Rozwadowski, Carl Sexsmith, Rick Smith, Wes Smith, Don Stoneadge, Bill Surrey, Pete Tabler, Adrian Tanner, Jim Tatoosh, Livio Tedesco, Cam Tennison, Tom Thompson, Gord Unger, Bill Uvilla, Henry Vogels, John Woodthorpe, John Zarantonello, Roger Dufour, Lloyd Fairley, Henry Doyle, Ron Fraser, Al Gillis, Jim Gislason, Ron MacKnight, Ernie Ellis, Dave Nelson, George Parker.

If I have missed anyone it's because I'm jealous but I do appologize.

Pete Rayburn

5 Shift Schedule pdf

Pete has asked me to provide a link to the 5 Shift Schedule pdf. Just click on the link on click here. I'll also put it in the sidebar for easy access. (I've put it under the Forward Look Links because Blogger seems to be acting up a bit and won't let me create a new link box.)

Tim

Enhanced Severance Offer

The enhanced severance offer will be going out to all 592 members on Feb. 25th. These severance packages are being offered to all 592 members by mill seniority. The enhanced severance amount will be 1.5 times the value of your contractual severance. The total number of enhanced severance packages will be limited to the funds remaining from the previously offered retirement packages.

All 592 members will recieve a letter explaining all of the above and the contractual calculation for the severance amount. You must indicate your intention by 4 PM on March 24th 2008.

February Forward Look

The February issue of the Forward Look is now online. Since only the President submitted an article, most of the issue consists of material from the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM).

Any feedback continues to be appreciated and letters to the editor would be a welcome addition although I know the blog is quicker and more up-to-date.

In solidarity,

Tim

A4 - 592 Agreement

A scanned pdf copy of the signed Agreement can be viewed here.

Memorandum of Agreement to be signed today

It's been a very long six months and lots of hard work to get to where we are today. Weather you're a proponent or an appponent of this agreement, there is a tremendous amount of relief felt by all. The facts are that this is a new beginning for this mill with a bright future ahead of us. Daryl De Rooy and Phil Guild deserve a huge thanks for all the effort and head banging plus the many sleepless night that we all experienced since last July. Also the entire membership of CEP Local 592 deserves a huge thank you for your support and patience. Its going to be a very big change for all of us and we will all have to work together to make this agreement work . The next steps and roll out will be comming soon with the full implementation to be complete by May 1st 2008. #4 PM will be up and running by May 1st and the CTMP expansion should be complete in or about 16 months.

Pete Rayburn
President CEP Local 592

Catalyst Announcement

February 13, 2008

Catalyst approves $12M capital project at Port Alberni mill
Vancouver, BC – Catalyst Paper (TSX:CTL) announced a $12 million capital upgrade and the restart, by mid-year, of the No. 4 paper machine at its Port Alberni mill. The investment in the mill’s thermo-mechanical pulp facility and restart of the machine was approved by the company’s Board of Directors today. The Board also approved a $14 million early retirement and severance package associated with a new labour agreement.
This step follows months of discussions with community and local union leaders on actions required to improve the mill’s business climate and cost competitiveness.
“The two union locals – CEP 592 and 686 – are to be commended for reaching a landmark agreement that puts in place modern work practices and brings labour costs to competitive industry levels,” said Richard Garneau, president and chief executive officer of Catalyst Paper. “Knowing we have the support of our employees means we can move forward with the thermo-mechanical capacity increase project and return to a two-machine mill, with a significantly improved cost structure.”
Catalyst indefinitely curtailed PM4 – its highest cost machine – on September 1, 2007. This followed repeated appeals to major stakeholders to change business conditions, including bringing the mill’s property taxes in line with competitive jurisdictions. As the city’s largest taxpayer, the Catalyst paper mill paid $7.1 million in 2007, approximately three times the Canadian average and more than twice the BC average in property tax per tonne.
Port Alberni’s city council has approved a gradual reduction of major industry property taxes over five years.
“We acknowledge this is a first step, but we remind civic leaders that to be competitive today, our annual municipal tax bill in Port Alberni should be $2 million less than it is now,” Mr. Garneau said. “We are looking to senior levels of government to also act on this critical tax issue to help municipalities improve the hosting conditions to attract industries.”
Catalyst is a leading producer of mechanical printing papers in North America, headquartered in Richmond, British Columbia. The company also produces market kraft pulp and owns Western Canada’s largest paper recycling facility. With five mills at sites within a 160-kilometre radius on the south coast of BC, Catalyst has a combined annual capacity of 2.4 million tonnes of product. Catalyst’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol CTL.
For more information:
Lyn Brown
Vice-President, Corporate Relations
604-247-4713

#4 PM Start Up Announcement

This is just copied and pasted from a PDF format.

February 13, 2008
Port Alberni Division set to start up PM4
We are pleased to announce the approval of a new agreement between Catalyst Paper, Port Alberni Division and CEP Locals 592 and 686. On the basis of this landmark agreement, the Catalyst Board of Directors also approved the CTMP expansion project today, which will allow the new agreement to take effect and PM4 to start up by mid-year.
This landmark agreement is instrumental in ensuring that Port Alberni Division will be a low cost producer of LWC and telephone directory papers. The CTMP expansion project will now proceed with an expected completion in 16 months. Early retirement packages will also proceed according to the previously announced schedules.
In approving this initiative, the Board commended the executives and membership of CEP Local 592 and CEP Local 686 for the commitment and leadership taken in working with the company to achieve a breakthrough agreement. The support of the City in taking a first step to reduce the mill’s municipal tax burden was also acknowledged as an important first step in helping the mill reach a more competitive, low-cost structure over the long-term.
We are all looking forward to working together in the cooperative spirit of this agreement to achieve a safe, long-term, viable two machine operation at Port Alberni Division.
Catalyst Paper: CEP Local 592: Local 686:
Ron Buchhorn Pete Rayburn Roy Plotniko
Sr. Vice President, Operations President President
Kim Pedersen Darryl DeRooy Tom Burton
Director, Operations Wage Delegate 1st Vice President
Dale Shimell Phil Guild Brian Hamelin
Manager, Mtce. & Eng. Wage Delegate Wage Delegate
Krista Tremblay
HR Advisor

Board of Directors Meeting Update

Some of you may have already heard this in the mill today, but the President phoned me and asked if I would relay the information concerning the Board of Directors meeting.

The Board was presented with the agreement and indicated that a decision would be made tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Pete said that they told them they wouldn't leave Vancouver until a decision was made and so he has remained in Vancouver, as has the management group (I believe) and Roy Plotniko, 686 President. Pete said that CEO Richard Garneau came and saw the Alberni group and told them this was just a formality.

So, whether you are supportive of this deal or not, we should finally have an answer sometime tomorrow.

In solidarity,

Tim

Catalyst Buys Snowflake Mill

I was going to post this in the Forward Look, but at the request of the commenter in the post below, here are a couple of links to the news reports regarding Catalyst Paper's purchase of the AbitibiBowater Snowflake mill.

Catalyst pays US$161M for AbitibiBowater Snowflake mill, plans rights offering

Catalyst to buy AbitibiBowater's Snowflake mill

And thanks to Tyee, who sent me the links.

In solidarity,

Tim

Revised February Forward Look Publishing Date

Due to the change in date of the Executive Meeting, the Forward Look for February will not be online until sometime Friday morning.

Thanks for your patience.

In solidarity,

Tim

February Forward Look Articles

Just a reminder that any articles for the February issue of the Forward Look are past due. Currently I have received no submissions, however, the Executive Meeting has been rescheduled to Wednesday so in order to have articles printed out for Executive review I need them in my inbox by 4:30 Tuesday at the latest and preferably by the same time on Monday.

Just send them to tpthompson@gmail.com and put Forward Look in the subject line.

Thanks.

In solidarity,

Tim

Executive Board Appointments

As many of you know, we had intended to hold nominations at last months General Meeting for some vacant positions on the Executive Board. Unfortunately we did not have a quorum so we were unable to conduct business. As such, I decided to exersize the option of appointing willing candidates to some of the vacant positions.

Brent Hamelin has stepped up to the plate and has been appointed Area Vice President (Operations). A very big thanks go to Brent for taking on this responsibility. Its going to be a very busy year and I'm sure Brent will do a great job. Brent's pager #286. Please go easy on him for the first little while. We don't want to scare him away!

Norm Skipsey has taken on the role of Financial Secretary. Norm has been on the Executive for a number of years in various positions and most recently as the Senior Trustee. Norm has been closely involved in the finances of the local as a trustee and will do a great job in his new duties as well. (He's cheap)

At this time there is still one vacancy left, a first year trustee. I have approached a few people and am awaiting their decision.

Pete Rayburn