PAGE 12 NEWS @ N INE

2013 PPWC Christmas Dance

MARCH 2014 , VOLUME 5, ISSUE 1

News @ Nine PROUDLY CANADIAN

Warning - This newsletter is rated “U” (for union) It may contain some material that management

will find offensive. It is produced solely for the entertainment and information of union members. If you are management , proceed at your own risk !

CEP 1092/CALM

A PPWC Local 9 Tradition

Honouring the 2013 retirees at the annual Christmas dance!

Page 2 NEWS @ N INE

2014 Table Officers and Committee Members Welcome to a new year! Let me be the first to commend you for running for your position. I would encourage you to attend as many Executive and General Meetings as you can this year. Attendance to these meetings is expected and is a part of your responsibility, and obligation as an executive officer of Local 9. It is important that we make quorum at these meetings to be able to conduct union business and for the general running of day to day operations of this local. Listed below are the meeting dates for 2014 These meetings are also your platform to bring forward new ideas, concerns, and to gather with your brothers and sisters. These meetings encourage exchanges of information, keeps us updated on current events, and helps to make our union stronger and more united. Local 9 keeps our members updated via Facebook, Twitter, the Local 9 website and through emails. Please keep your email address updated with the office. You can send information to our Communications Committee or our office secretary, Julie, to have our social media updated.

Executive Meetings General Meetings

7 & 28 January 8 January

11 &25 February 12 February

11 & 25 March 12 March

8 & 22 April 9 April

13 & 27 May 14 May

10 &24 June 11 June

8 &22 July 9 July

12 & 26 August 13 August

9 & 23 September 10 September

7 &21 October 8 October

11 & 25 November 12 November

9 & 23 December 10 December

In Solidarity,

Chuck LeBlanc

President

Message From Our President

Our office secretary, Julie Ross can usually contact an executive member to help you with any work related issues. If you don’t know who to talk to, she can help you with that too.

Can’t make it in, send an e-mail ppwc.nine@shawcable.com

All members are reminded to keep the union office in-formed if you move or if your union death benefit beneficiary is to be changed.

Office hours are:

Monday to Friday

8:30 am—5:30 pm

Closed for lunch

12:30—1:30 pm

UNION

OFFICE

Employee Assistance Programs

EFAP CONTACTS Ainsworth 1-800-668-2055 CANFOR 563-0665 CHEMTRADE 1-877-630-6701 Pacific Bio 1-800-481-5511

PAGE 11 NEWS @ N INE

The views and opinions expressed herein are solely the responsibility of the author. They do not form local or national policies or procedures We welcome your feedback, opinions and inquiries

Clip art provided by CALM

Ron Richardson—Editor

Prince George

Upcoming Executive Meeting

Dates

February 11 & 25 March 11 &25 April 8 & 22 May 13 & 27

Union Office

1921 Third avenue

7:30 pm

Prince George Upcoming

General Meeting

Dates

February 12

March 12 April 9 May 14

PG Elder Citizens

Rec Centre

7:30 pm

Ainsworth Upcoming

General Meeting Dates

September 18 October 16

November 20 December 18

Red-Rock Grill downstairs

7:00 pm

1921 3rd Ave

Employee Assistance Programs

EFAP CONTACTS AINSWORTH 1-800-668-2055

CANFOR 250-563-0665

CHEMTRADE 1-877-630-6701

PACIFIC BIO 1-800-481-5511

Contact Page

Got work related issues ?

contact the office at: Phone:(250)563-5670

Julie will help direct your concerns

Can’t make it in, send an e-mail

ppwc.nine@shawcable.com

PRESIDENT

CHUCK LeBLANC 612-9105

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

JOE GARON 962-0148

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

MATT LINK C 552-9969

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY

GRANT DOWSWELL 962-9885

RECORDING SECRETARY

RON RICHARDSON (PBE) 564-0896

FINANCIAL TREASURER

NICK MOSCRIP A 562-9593

FINANCIAL SECRETARY

GORD MOSCRIP C 563-6174

TRUSTEES JOHN BALL (1) 613-1688

KEVIN BEYER (2) B 964-0279

STUART BLUNDELL (3) 960-9898

NEIL CHADWICK ( 4) A 561-0228

GUARDS JOHN LONGHURST A 964-1612

DERRICK PRZYSIENY 640-9997

CHIEF SHOP STEWARD PHIL BLOCK 640-3903

Deputy Chief Shop Stewards CHUCK FILLION PG Pulp 981-2764

GRANT DOWSWELL Intercon 962-9885

Chemtrade Standing Committee Chairperson Matt Link D

552-9969

National Executive Board Member Chuck LeBlanc

612-9105

NEB Alternate Stuart Blundell

960-9898

Wage Delegates Neil Chadwick A 561-0228

Chuck LeBlanc 612-9105

John Longhurst A 964-1612

Al Sahlen D 562-9593

Scott Wiskin A 962-7250

Alternate Nick Moscrip A 563-7541

Office Secretary Julie Ross Office: 563-5670

PPWC 2014 Table Officers

PAGE 10 NEWS @ N INE

From the Editor’s Desk Well it is a new year and hopefully everyone had a safe and happy holiday season. Now it is time to get back to business. The first and most important, at least to those who work at Pacific BioEnergy, is the negotiations of their third collective agreement. I wish them success and hope that they get everything that they can. The elections for the executive were held in November and for the committees in January at the general meetings and I would like to congratulate every one who was elected in to each of the positions. I think that each and every one of these people will work extremely hard for the membership to make Local 9 strong. I hope everybody continues to have a safe winter and will look forward to see you all at a general meeting or an executive meeting. Remember this is your newsletter, (just like it’s your union!) so if you want see something in our little rag ,just let me know by sending an email to the union office.

As depicted in our front photo, we are proud of the contribution our retiring members have given over the years, and their commitment has helped keep local 9 a strong and active union! Don’t miss the details in the photo!!

We welcome all feedback, opinions and inquiries and will endeavor to print what we can!

Ron Richardson Editor

PPWC Bylaws Article VII-Meetings

Section F There shall be a minimum of two(2) executive meetings each month. One executive meeting will be held on the Tuesday prior to the regular general meeting. One executive meeting will be held 4th Tuesday of the month.

Section I New members are required to attend a regular general meeting within 90 days of the commencement of their employment .

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History Of The PPWC CHAPTER 9

EVOLUTION OF LOCAL 5 BRINGS OPPOSITION TO PPWC The summer of 1963 was the halcyon days as far as PPWC organizing was concerned. While fortitude and the desire to lead into uncharted waters were chief on the resume of the Macphees, Coxes, Smiths, Craigs, et al., the comparative ease and amazing success of their campaign was coming to an end.

As we saw, Local 1, Castlegar, arose from a classical domestic dispute: UPPU versus the International, with the new Castlegar local as the plum.

Castlegar workers, unable to choose whom they wanted, said, “We will have neither one.” They became the Canadian Pulp Workers Union.

Again, as we have seen with Locals 2, 3, and 4, comparable minor opposition followed. The word “minor” must not be taken as derogatory nor does it lessen the events that occurred. Certainly, the iron was hot, and striking with it in early 1963 took many by surprise.

The evolution of Local 5 from Local 433 brings with it first evidence of a formulated and mounted opposition to the PPWC. Local 433, the converter local of the International Union, had 16 certifications. It was called the converter local because most of its members worked in plants that took various forms of product produced in the pulp and paper mills of BC and manufactured a finished product: bags, boxes, envelopes, etc.

With a membership of around 950, it had a full-time business agent, Orville Braaten. Braaten, as already shown, had certainly championed the cause of Canadian unionism, proudly following in his pages the triumphs of Locals 1, 2, 3, and 4.

His own Local 433, however, was a different breed of cat. The many different plants gave rise to various opinions, often the political strip of the plant activists. While most union activists at plant-floor level in BC were certainly socialists, not all were. Some who were motivated by promises of future self-enhancement, by fear of change, or by general apathy refuted the new Canadian union.

While Braaten knew where he wanted to be, his burden of decision was not decreased. His job depended on a solid majority of Local 433 in Local 5. He had abandoned his plant position when he became business agent. He had no job to go back to. He hesitated, unsure of one particular group of votes. That group, the Crown Zellerbach (CZ) plant in Richmond, he believed was pivotal to Local 5’s success. For some reason, the vote for the new local at CZ was tagged with a 60 per cent acceptance level.

The International Union had two staunch supporters in Local 433, one who was later awarded a staff representative position. They mounted a determined opposition to the Canadian union.

The vote at CZ did not achieve the 60 per cent requirement. Close, but not enough. The drive at CZ was called off. Local 5’s existence,

however, was not denied.

The employees at Martin Paper Co. – about 100 workers – took matters into their own hands. Led by Ray Koob, and in spite of the previously mentioned adversity, they became Local 5.

Koob’s name appears on our original declaration made at January, 1963’s founding convention. He was bringing Local 5 to the lower mainland with or without CZ support, with or without Braaten.

Local 5 was soon enhanced by three other converter plants joining, bringing the October 1963 membership to over 250 members. Koob became Local 5’s first president. With continued growth, Local 5 achieved the necessary members to hire its first business agent. Orville Braaten became just that. With renewed vigour, he continued his pursuit of Canadian unionism.

Orville took no chances of being left behind. As the Local 5 finances were not in order, he obtained a bank loan to tide him and his family over until the local had everything up to snuff. Vacations and weekends were usually centred on a trip to prospective new members, where he deemed that fishing might also be good. His wife and family usually accompanied him. While some fishing may have been done, lots of time was spent on union organizing and any picket-line visitations that may have been in need of firming up. It was not unusual for Orville to pass on a bit of cash so the picketers could perhaps have a beer or two.

Orville certainly grew no moss. Business agent, newspaper editor, organizer, he still found time to run in a Canadian general election on the CCF ticket and then provincially on the new NDP ticket. NDP had evolved from the old CCF. While he was not victorious he held his ground. In the early 1960s, socialism on a national

scale was most unpopular. The very acronym “CCF” conjured up all forms of extreme socialistic notions in the minds of the mostly middle-of-the-road Canadians, to say nothing of the right-wing Joe-McCarthy types. No, Orville didn’t win, but he perused his beliefs. When offered a job in a labour relations position with MacMillan Bloedel, he declined, telling his wife he could not even entertain the notion as it stood against everything he had fought for over the years.

Stay tuned for CHAPTER 10 of the history of the PPWC in the next issue of News @ Nine. The History of PPWC was written by PPWC Local 8 member, Jimmy White in the late 90’s. Brother White was the National 1st Vice President of the PPWC and is now retired. His contribution and the historical value of this information to the membership is valued.

Health and Welfare

X-Rays (Covered Under)

Bitewing X-Rays (Basic Services)

All x-rays have a combined limit of $81.00 per person per calendar year

Periapical X-Rays (Basic Services)

All x-rays have a combined limit of $81.00 per person per calendar year

Panoramic Film X-Rays (Basic Services)

1 per person per 2 years from date of service All x-rays have a combined limit of $81.00 per person per calendar year

Complete Series X-Rays (Basic Services)

1 per person per 3 years from date of service All x-rays have a combined limit of $81.00 per person per calendar year

Diagnostic Photographs (Basic Services)

2 per person per calendar year

Prescription Drugs Eligible drugs and medicines are limited to 100-day sup-ply. Other restrictions may apply.

Prescription Drugs ( PharmaCare & Non PharmaCare) Covered

Prescription Drugs for Seniors (PharmaCare & Non PharmaCare) Covered

Diabetic Supplies (PharmaCare & Non PharmaCare) Covered

Prescription Obesity Drugs Not a benefit

Prescription Contraceptives & Fertility Drugs Not a benefit

Prescription Vitamin & Mineral Supplements Not a benefit

Smoking Cessation Prescription Drugs Not a benefit

Vaccines (Including Flu Vaccines and Hepatitis Vaccines) Not a benefit

Viagra & Other Erectile Dysfunction Drugs (Non PharmaCare) Not a benefit

Your Health & Welfare Committee consists of :

Stuart Blundell Matt Link

Grant Dowswell

For any questions please contact any committee member

Refer to committee lists on bulletin boards for phone numbers

Info from Pulp and Chemtrade Certification Trusteed Health and Welfare Plan

Page 9 NEWS @ N INE

PAGE 8 NEWS @ N INE

Did You Know That local 9 is a silver sponsor at UNBC for having donated towards student bursaries over the past 14 years. We are also

members of the Wilston Circle for our annual donations. Has it been that long since the Queen arrived in her pretty yellow hat!!

Bursary Deadlines 2014 TRU January 15 UNBC March 1 Angus McPhee November 1 Orville Braaten November 1 CNC November 15

The deadline for

applications for summer student employment for Canfor pulp is March 15

2014

Another Happy PPWC Bursary Recipient

Thank you so very much for granting me this bursary. I will be using it to further my social work education! Attached is a very early morning picture of me holding the award.

Thank You Romy De Kok

The Pulp Paper Woodworkers Local 9 are very proud of the community involvement of our members. It’s easy to see who is a member of our flock in this cartoon. Proud of you brother! Keep stirring it up Brian!!!

Cartoon used by Kind Permission Of Dean Cole the Author.

PAGE 5 NEWS @ N INE

Remembering Jack Munro BY H.G. WATSON

A presence that's the word almost everyone uses to describe Jack Munro.

The former Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA) president,

who passed away at the age of 82 after a long battle with cancer, had a big

presence both physically and figuratively.

He was known for his towering, 6'5" frame and his forceful and obscenity

laden presentation style.

When Stephen Hunt, then a young member of the United Steelworkers

(USW), first saw him almost 30 years ago at a B.C. Federation of Labour con-

vention he was bowed by Munro’s force of will. "I was convinced at the time

that this was the guy to follow," Hunt said. "We would have followed him

through the walls if he had asked us too."

Munro’s dedication to the labour movement started at a young age, when

he dropped out of high school and worked in the forestry industry as a weld-

er and later a millwright, eventually rising through the ranks of IWA to be-

come president in 1973.

He led the union through several tough collective agreement negotiations,

some that saw workers on the picket lines for weeks, if not months.

His dedication to protecting the rights of workers in IWA was always strong,

even if it occasionally rubbed other people the wrong way. He made no se-

cret of his dislike for pulp unions, who he believed benefited off the

bargaining efforts of the IWA. In a 1992 profile of Munro in The Province, the

then president of the Canadian Paperworkers Union told the paper that if he

commented on Munro, "it would be entirely negative."

Munro was also criticized for his role in ending the B.C. Solidarity strike that

opposed a Social Credit restraint plan. Some at the time felt he had sold out

by agreeing to the spoken deal with Premier Bill Bennett. The so-called

Kelowna Accord was later reneged.

However, those that disagreed with Munro could still find something to

admire.

"You never had to worry about what Jack Munro was thinking," said George

Heyman, an NDP MLA for Vancouver-Fairview. "He wore it on his sleeve."

While Munro will always be remembered for his tough, no-nonsense

demeanor, there were other sides to the man.

Hunt remembers Munro sharing that he used to wait every Christmas for a

local charity group to deliver a Christmas tree. "His dad passed away when

he was [11], and his mom raised his family and they were poor." "He told that story, and I remember fondly thinking that I never even thought he was born a kid, "laughed Hunt as he recalled the story. "I always thought he was just big Jack."

are

to to a from Union of On 1, CUPE its to the

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Our Union had mixed relations with the IWA in the past, but there is no denying Jack Munro’s impact on the labour movement. The Ontario minimum wage article illustrates the current concerns that we have with the British Columbia minimum wage policies.

PAGE 6 NEWS @ N INE

Conservatives Continue to Push Union Busting Bill C-525 Through House of Commons

By John Hanrahan President of the CCU

The federal Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Har-

per are determined to support corporations in creating a low

wage economy and reducing the standard of living of the mid-

dle class.

Take Bill-525, for example. The Conservatives’ contempt for

middle class Canadians has never

been more evident than it is with

piece of legislation. This unfair and

undemocratic bill has one objective

and one objective only: to turn

Canada into a low wage economy

by attacking the rights of workers

to join a union and to make it easi-

er for employers to intimidate

workers and engage in illegal union

busting.

Why Bill C-525 is Unfair and Un-

democratic

As it stands now, under the labour

code of Canada, a majority of

workers can sign cards and certify a

union in their workplace. Under the

new rules proposed by the Conservatives, there would be

a vote and all workers who did not bother to vote would be

counted as voting against the union. If federal elections

worked this way, the Conservatives wouldn’t even be in gov-

ernment since in the last federal election, they received less

than a quarter of the vote from those who were eligible to

vote.

Why Bill C-525 is Tailored to Encourage Union Busting and

Intimidation of Workers by Employers

Under C-525, the only workers required to show up for a certi-

fication vote are those who want to have their vote counted in

favour of the union. This means the employer will be able to

know who voted. This destroys the confidentiality of the

process and renders the secret ballot meaningless, while al-

lowing the employer to mark union supporters for reprisal.

The Bill also allows for a minority of workers to decertify the

union without the support of the majority of the membership,

plainly meant to encourage and facilitate employer sponsored

decertification campaigns.

Why Bill C-525 will Hurt All Canadian Workers

The fewer union members there are in

Canada, the worse off everyone will be.

The facts show that countries with the

highest percentages of union member-

ship have the most income equality,

while countries with a low percentage

of workers in unions have the lowest

income equality.

In the United States, these kinds of anti

-union laws have caused the percent-

age of people in unions to be cut in half

in the last four decades and as a result,

the middle class share of the national

income in the U.S. has fallen by 10%,

and is still falling. The Conservatives are

following a flawed legislative model

that has all but destroyed the American

middle class.

Without unions there is no middle class. There is only a low

wage economy where the rich get richer and good jobs, pen-

sions, benefits, and income equality are a thing of the past.

“This unfair undemocratic bill has one objective: to turn Canada into a low wage economy by attacking the rights of workers to join a union and to make it easier for employers to intimidate workers and engage in illegal union busting.”

Next general meeting a notice of motion to join the CCU will be discussed and voted on. We feel as Editors of this newsletter the CCU is a strong labour central which will be a great resource and support for this local

PAGE 7 NEWS @ N INE

My name is Laura Adlakha, and I am a 3rd year Conservation student here at UBC. I am a native of Nova Scotia, and my pursuit of environmen-tal studies brought me to British Columbia. The first time I came to BC the enormous mountains, beautifully colored lakes and the spectacular array of landscapes took me away. As a person who has traveled to many provinces, these are not things I got to see anywhere else in Canada.

My first experience seeing an old growth tree was in Lynn Valley, which was through a hike with the Ancient Forest Alliance. We hiked just after a rainfall so the forest smelled fresh and glistened. After sliding through the muddy trail and strategic crossing of an overflowing river, there it stood, an ancient 800-year-old western red cedar, whose gnawlery branches, incredible presence and sheer size held me in awe. This is something I had never experienced before. I couldn’t believe that a tree could be that big! It truly was a remarkable event. This was when I feel in love with the forest, and something I want all of you to enjoy. This is why this hike was an awakening to my spiritual quest, a quest to help protect and expand stewardship of the environment from the over harvesting and over consumption of our natural resources.

Participating on many more hikes, getting to see old growth Douglas firs and cedars throughout the province I felt truly blessed. These hikes and other experiences made my awareness grow. I realized that these trees needed to be recognized and protected. Through working with the provincial government I noticed that there were no specific regulations, and inadequate legislation for protecting old-growth ecosystems. I couldn’t believe it. This was devastating for me to understand because when these trees are gone, there’s nothing to replace them expect cen-turies of time, which is offset by a province where coastal rotations are 30 to 70 years. These trees have lived so many generations, and hold so much environmental wisdom and we are cutting them down before they can even begins to share their secrets.

I just came from Haida Gwaii, and this special place is truly an inspiration. The magnificent trees on this remote island are being protected but only due to people coming together and standing up for what they truly believe. It is amazing what great leadership and pro active advocacy can accomplish. With most of BC’s remaining old growth at stake, and government and industry wanting more and more of it, we need to come together and put an end to the over exploitation of our resources. We deserve a say in what is happening to our forests. This is why I am part of the Ancient Forest Club on UBC campus, helping promote awareness of BC’s old growth forests by engaging the public through educational hikes and slide shows in hopes to expand our organization with more like-minded people who want to help protect our ancient forests. If any-one would like to join, please see me after the rally and I can sign you up!

Submitted By Laura Adlakha

Old Growth Rally at UBC January 23, 2014

More Disappointment from the B.C Liberals

The Government proposed Bill 5, “the Forests, Lands and natural Resource Operations Statutes Amendment Act, 2014”, into the legislature. The proposed amendment regarding maximum allowance for wood residue export could have negative economic and environmental implications for B.C.’s forests and forestry sector.

The proposal increases the maximum amount of wood residue that the Minister can allow for export from 5,000 bone dry units to 200,000

bone dry units. If the amendment passes, instead of the 217 truckloads of wood chips the Minister could approve for export overseas, the

Minister would be able to approve more than 8,500 truckloads of wood chips and shavings for export in a single application, a forty fold

increase.

Adapted From a GreenPeace Article

Submitted by National Environmental Officer

Stuart Blundell