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Northern
www.northernsentinel.com
Volume 56 No. 31
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
1.34 INCLUDES TAX
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RTA and union reach agreement After 29 sleepless hours, Rio Tinto Alcan (RTA) has reached a tentative agreement with its unionized workers. Starting at 7 a.m. Monday July 23 and finishing at noon Tuesday, representatives from the Canadian Autoworkers Union (CAW) Local 2301 and RTA kneaded out a temporary contract to replace the one that expired at midnight the night before. “We’re all very happy that the strike is seemingly over; we haven’t ratified it yet,” says Kitimat mayor Joanne Monaghan. “It sends a message to all the other industries coming in here that we can work with industry.” The mayor had high praise for CAW 2301 President Rick Belmont. “I think Rick did a very good job negotiating and everyone is quite pleased
that we can go on and it’s good for the community,” says Monaghan. “A five year agreement is very good.” This contract came in time to stop a looming strike, as 72 hour notice was given to RTA last Friday. The new but not-yet-final contract includes increased worker pay and benefits among other things, and both parties are pleased with the result. “We think it’s a good deal for both the employees and the company and it’s for 5 years,” said RTA spokesperson Colleen Nyce. “All of our agreements cover off employees who work in the smelter and employees who work in our powerhouse in Kemano.” Nyce said the contract negotiated is a standard type contract.
“We negotiated wages and we negotiated certain other operational benefits for the employees,” she said. “The tone of the negotiations was very good and both parties worked very diligently and respectfully to reach and agreement and they did so without a labour stopping so we’re very pleased about that.” Some of the contract details were released in a CAW Local 2301 press release this afternoon and full details will be provided to members later this week. According to the release, some of the contract features include: • 5 year agreement • Wages: Year 1 – 3%, Year 2 – 2.5%, Year 3 – 2.5%, Year 4 – 2.5%, Year 5 – 3%
• Job security letter (no lay-offs) resigned • All temporary workers hired to fulltime • Five terminated temporary welders hired to full-time • $2500.00 Signing bonus for regulars, temporaries and LTD members • Agreement on classifications for workers in the KMP • Pension multiplier increases • Retiree benefits increases • Active employee benefit increases • Increases to Shift, Weekend, Skilled Trades and Kemano premiums Contract ratification meetings were held last Thursday and Friday July 26th and July 27th at Mount Elizabeth High School Gym.
Kootenay caravan arrives in Kitimat Sean Glanville The Kootenay to Kitimat caravan arrived at its destination. Four men, who call themselves the “geezer gang”, left Nelson July 15 in their Dodge Caravan heading for the northwest to show their opposition to Enbridge’s Northern Gateway project. The Douglas Channel Watch committee hosted a reception for their Kootenay friends at the City Centre Mall parking lot Tuesday afternoon. Keith Wiley, caravan organizer, presented a folder containing 500 signatures of Kootenay residents who oppose the pipeline. Wiley says he’s amazed by the support they’ve received along the way. “We got a lot of people who are opposed to the pipeline and they’ve been saying they’re really happy we’re able to take this message up, and they say ‘tell them for us, we are opposed to the pipeline too’,” said Wiley, adding “the response has been overwhelming... people saying it’s good to carry a message up north.” The caravan idea was started as nothing more than an idea on facebook and has blossomed into bringing pipeline awareness to thousands.
“There were a number of people here in the Kootenays that were concerned about the Enbridge pipeline and its environmental impacts. We had some big public events and people were compelled to do something more,” said Wiley. “The idea actually popped up on facebook; someone said “why don’t we actually go and follow the pipeline route.” Wiley and his crew had talked about the caravan idea for a couple months and finally the four of them were able to pull it off. Many people that had hoped to go on the caravan due to work, summer vacations, family commitments and other reasons were unable to make the trek. “Initially we had a lot of people said they wanted to go, but when it came down to 10 days of hard slogging there was only four of us that actualy made the trip,” says Wiley. “We have support from thousands of people that want us to bring the message here that the people on the pipeline route should not feel alone, there are a lot of people in BC concerned about this pipeline and want it stopped.” The Geezer Gang, a quartet of retired Nelson and area
The Kootenay to Kitimat caravan’s ‘Geezer Gang’ of Jim Terral, left, Michael Gilfillan, Keith Wiley, and Tom Nixon pose with Douglas Channel Watch committee members Margaret Ouwehand and Murray Minchin during an anti-pipeline rally last Tuesday at City Centre Mall parking lot. Sean Glanville men, began their journey in Nelson with stops in Castlegar, Grand Forks, Kelowna, Kamloops, 100 Mile House,
Williams Lake, Prince George, Fort St. James, Burns Lake, Fort Fraser, Hazelton, Smithers,
The caravan also ran into NDP leader Adrian Dix will in Williams Lake. Continued on Page 5
Kitimat Valley Run Walk Festival Results...pg. 12