Paper mill unions work on contracts
At least two of three unions connected to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. are still working on negotiating contracts with the mill.
Lindy Vincent, president of the Local 60N of the Communications Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) Union, said his local and the company are now working with a conciliation officer to try to reach an agreement.
The union rejected a tentative agreement with the company in November, despite the executive recommending acceptance.
After that, Vincent said both sides requested the assistance of a conciliation officer.
Vincent said the union has met with the officer once.
“And we’re just waiting now for a date to get back at it again.”
Local 60N represents the woodland workers outside the mill, the silviculture workers, cutters and road crews. Right now there are about 125 members working, but Vincent said that number will grow to between 150 and 160 come the summer.
While the union works on negotiating a new contract, Vincent said the old one remains in force.
“We’ve got something to work with,” he said. “Hopefully, we can
The union’s goal is to get a satisfactory agreement so the mill can be viable in that community. Rick Arsenault, Lodge 1567
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace workers
come to some sort of agreement that both sides can live with and our membership can live with.”
The union inside the mill that has yet to work out a new collective agreement with the company is Lodge 1567 of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. That group rejected an offer from the company last June and is also in conciliation talks.
Rick Arsenault, the union’s national representative from New Brunswick, said there may be new talks scheduled in April.
“We’re there. We’re still waiting,” he said. “The union’s goal is to get a satisfactory agreement so the mill can be viable in that community.”
The other union without a contract is Local 495 of CEP‚ at Deer Lake Power.
Meanwhile, working out a deal with all of the unions is essential to the company getting any assistance from the provincial government.
One line in Tuesday’s provincial budget reaffirmed the province’s pledge to help the mill.
“Government remains committed to providing support to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper Ltd. to help address challenges in industry once sustainability plans are completed,” the budget document read.
Natural Resources Minister Tom Marshall said the province is waiting for the mill to secure contracts with all its unions and present the sustainability plan before announcing what that support will be.
“They’re still negotiating with the unions, and so we wait,” said Marshall on Tuesday. “We can’t interfere in that process and we have to be respectful of that process. So we’re waiting for them to do their thing.”
In response to the budget commitment, Vincent said it sounded like good news.
“It’s news that we’ve been hearing all along,” he said.
“That the government is waiting for the company to get their plan in place and I guess part of that is getting some collective agreements with the various unions and CEP Local 60N happens to be one of them.”