From the President

To All Members of Local 592

We have received notice from Ron Buchhorn that we will not be meeting on Aug. 22nd and 23rd as previously planned due to the absences of some of the major players that have previous commitments. We will be meeting on Sept. 6th and 7th to continue discussions when all the parties are available. Until then we will be working on the issues surrounding the shut down of #4 PM and the impending lay-offs. Please remain focused and stay safe during the next few weeks as we head into the shut down. We will keep you informed on the progress of our discussions as much as possible.

Pete

From the President

For Clarification on Possible Negotiated Severances

Please be advised that Ron Buchhorn has assured us that if we have any members that are contemplating retiring but waiting to see if there will be any severances as a result our our talks, will be included in any offering as a result of coming to an agreement on the future of #4 PM.

For example:

If you are 60 years old, you are already entitled to bridging as per our collective agreement and the retiree benefits that go with that. Under this proposal you would be able to retire now or in the near future (depending on your birth date) and you would also receive contractual severance if and when that became available depending on the outcome of the talks. I hope this clears up any misunderstanding of Ron Buchhorn's proposal.

Pete

Comments on the Blog

We have again enabled "comments" to be posted on the Local592 Blog, in a moderated version. We would ask that any comments be respectful to the opinions of the other commenter's. And we also ask that you please post your name if you are wanting a reply to your comments. We will not post your comments that appear to be disrespectful of others and will not reply to comments without knowing who we are replying to. This can be a great tool for information and answering your concerns if it is utilized in a civilized manner. So let's try it one more time.

Thanks,
CEP Local 592

From the President

I have been made aware that there may be some concerns from some of our members about the current Executive structure and the appointment of an alternate Wage Delegate.



As most of you are aware Jim VanDusen has left for temporary employment in Crofton and has resigned as a Wage Delegate for Local 592. Our membership numbers under the current Wage Caucus Rules of Order, entitle us, by per capita representation, to three voting Wage Delegates. Therefore it was not necessary to replace Jim. After the announcement of #4 Paper Machine curtailment and the decision to enter into talks with the Company, Tim Thompson advised the Executive that he and his family were on vacation and would not be available for the early stages of these talks. It was decided that I would appoint another Executive member to sit as an alternate Wage Delegate and for continuity this person would continue to participate until the talks conclude. I decided to appoint Phil Guild as an alternate Wage Delegate for the duration of these talks. The decision to appoint Phil was an easy one, due to Phil's long time service on the Executive and his experience in past negotiations. Jim had appointed Phil as an alternate Wage Delegate back in the fall of 2006 for the first set of discussions and Phil has taken part in the last two sets of talks since. Phil's experience and knowledge of the issues that we know we will be dealing with, is going to be an asset going into these talks. The decision to appoint Phil was discussed, moved, seconded and carried by the Executive and was reported to the Membership at the last General meeting with no concerns expressed from the membership at that time.



One other perceived issue that should be addressed is my status as President. When we decided to start talks with Ron Buchhorn, I asked Mike Putzke for an extended book-off so that I would have the time to deal with all the issues that surround the impending lay-offs and also the time required for discussions and negotiations on the future of #4 Paper Machine. Because I'm a shift worker, it was next to impossible to dedicate the time necessary to deal with these tasks. The fact is, I am not a full time president. I am on an extended book-off until Sept. 1st or until talks conclude, and that now looks like we will be going into November. There is no financial burden on the Local as the company is covering my wages, and my absence creates a full time opportunity for a junior person to get hours. Hopefully this has given some clarification for those members that may have some concern on these topics.



Also for clarification, the next scheduled talks are August 22nd and 23rd, not the 28th as I previously posted. (Yeah, I do make some mistakes). We will get any new information out as soon as possible. I can only hope that everyone remains focused and stays safe during these very uncertain times.



Pete Rayburn

Union / Management Discussions

Local 592 Wage Delegates have started discussions with Ron Buchhorn and local Management ( Dale Shimell, Carlo Dal Monte and Krista Tremblay) along with facilitator Bert Painter, to investigate the potential re-start of #4 Paper Machine and what it will take to get there. The first 2 days were dedicated to formulating the framework for future discussions which include the goals and objectives of both parties as well as the principles and processes that we will use going into these talks. Although there was little if any specifics discussed on what it will take to reach an agreement we did agree on the format and the process. The group acknowledged the best future for our mill is a 2 machine configuration and to achieve that we need the investment necessary to achieve the long term viability for a 2 machine mill. It was also acknowledged that we must invest in the younger work force to guarantee the long term future of this mill. That investment would mean a dignified exit strategy for our older work force by way of enhanced packages for those that want to leave.



The group has set some tentative time lines to achieve any agreement. It was mutually agreed that we should shoot for the middle of November to complete our discussions and if we have come to a tentative agreement we will present it to the membership for ratification and then present it to the Board of Directors at the end of November with implementation in January 2008. If an agreement is reached, #4 Machine would potentially start-up in April 2008. It was stated that they would not start A4 in the winter when it is historically the time of year when our order folder is sparse and they will not start up a machine with no orders.



Ron Buchhorn did make it clear that if there are any of our older members who have thoughts of leaving but are waiting for any possible packages that he would include those people (if they wanted to leave now) in any packages achieved if a deal is reached.



As I stated in the beginning, we did not cover off any specifics but as we get into this process it will be very delicate and the issues will be difficult to deal with, but the end result will be dictated by the membership of Local 592. It was made very clear that if we are successful in reaching an agreement and to secure a long term future as a 2 machine mill, it will mean that we do things very differently with substantially less people.

This group will not be meeting again till August 28th due to absences by various people in the group, but the Wage Delegates will use this time investigate and list the issues that I'm sure we will be dealing with when we get back together.



Local 592 Wage Delegates

Pete Rayburn

Daryl De Rooy

Phil Guild



Catalyst Management

Ron Buchhorn

Carlo Dal Monte

Dale Shimell

Krista Tremblay

Employment & Education Opportunity Fair

Catalyst will be hosting an Employment and Education Opportunity Fair om Tuesday July 24th from 9AM to 3PM in the main office. Some of the participants are:

• Discovery College
• North Island College
• Alberni Valley Employment Center
• Corrections Branch
• Services Canada
• Community Futures
• North Island Empolyment Foundation Society

Some of the things you could get some information on:

• Career Programs
• Adult Upgrading Programs
• Financial Options
• Employment Prospects

Try and drop by and see some of the represetatives that will be on-site to provide information on educational and employment opportunities.

From the President

I have been on vacation for the last 2 weeks and trying to catch up on the happenings in the mill. As always there is an over abundance of rumors floating around about possible up coming announcements concerning the future of our mill. But thats all they are, just rumors. Don't believe anything until you see it in black and white or something actually happens.

The Wage Delegates will be starting discussions with Ron Buchhorn and his group on Thursday July 26th. Bert Painter will be facilitating these talks and hopefully with his direction we will be able to keep on track and deal with the issues in order to come up with something that we can bring back to you the Membership for your consideration.

We will make every effort to keep you informed as we go down this road one more time.

Pete