Get Ready to Rumble
To the editor:
August 10th will be the day of decision for members of Local 298. Eurocan Pulp and Paper is betting that this membership has no backbone. Emboldened by their startling gains during Fletcher Challenge's victory over our indecisive CEP and PPWC joint caucus, our employer has decided that dictating a new contract is far better then bargaining one. They are counting on our members to balk at the fight and lay down and take it. We can see how the workers at Crofton are being treated for voting yes to the fiasco called our new contract. 130 of them will be without a job in both maintenance and production. And they promised that full flex would not result in the loss of jobs! We can add this to the list of the greatest lies ever told.
Don't think that Eurocan will be any different. They will call it something like right sizing to compete in today's world economy and tell us to our faces that it has nothing to do with flexibility. But don't be fooled. With a horde of "temporary workers" waiting at their phones, they will man the mill with part time workers available to pick up our jobs. And who will these people be? On the maintenance side, it will be tradesmen working for local contractors, who will make themselves available after their normal working hours. It will include many who already have a job but are hoping to get into industry and pick up Union rate and possible future full time employment. The Company now realizes that we are far less expensive than contractors. They hope to save the costs of the middleman and have us teach these part time workers our jobs. When they are trained, you will be slated for downsizing and they will fill in where needed, when needed and without any security of future employment.
Do you think these "temporary workers" will refuse jobs because of safety or lack of training? Do you believe that they will insist on time off or paid vacations? Don't be fooled into thinking that things will be any different here than at Crofton. Their recent newsletter made it clear that they are just like us, achieving record production, lower costs per ton of product. But their employer was still not satisfied. West Fraser will not be any different. Their demands show that they have no commitment to their workers or the viability of this community. They will eliminate full time jobs that allow us to live and contribute to this community. They will destroy the standard of living that we, and those before us, have fought to achieve and they will continue to cry poverty and seek lower stumpage rates and less taxes.
If we don't give our Union a strong strike mandate and show our willingness to fight now, the temporary workers around here will be YOU.
JUST HERE TEMPORARILY.
Long enough to sign the contract and file for unemployment insurance.
Vote YES to STRIKE and no to Eurocan's demands.
Brian Liberman