losing our jobs to be replace by contractors

[slave]

THanks Tom for adding us. On monday our union prez got called into a meeting by upper management and was told we are getting rid of union yard employees and union placement jobs and replacing these union jobs with contractors. they wouldn't discuss anything with the union, like when this takes effect, can have buy outs for the ones that are nearing retirement. they just said this is what we are doing and thats it. and they refuse to put it in writting, which is very fishy on their part. on tuesday we found out they had tenders out for the contracts. on wednesday we had our monthly union meeting but because the word got out about this it became an emergency meeting to disscuss what is happening. strike talk is in the air. next wednesdya the nation rep and hopefully the lawyer are coming in for a major meeting to see if we have legal ground. and to learn more facts. tembec management got wind of this and is having an meeting for us to attend on tuesday, but big jim lopaz is to chicken attend himself, so he is sending his lakeys. our union as requested him to show up, so we will see. its basically a scare tacket to have this meeting before ours. i got word out to our brothers and sisters about this page so hopefully they will be able tell more about what is happen.

[whatfuture]

I am sure also that this meeting from management is just a scar tastic i wonder how its going to go ?there are alot of upset people in out community.i guess we will just have to wait and see how it goes ......i will be at both meetings and will post when i get home!! stick together brothers and sisters!!!

[Gladiquittemhell]

I have never worked for such a selfish, dirty, lets screw everyone company like tembec before! I have worked for 2 company's since Temnuts and all i can say is Tembec Sucks! Sometimes you have to leave, to see what else is out there to truly understand this. But i cannot say 1 good thing about Temhell. That being said, the Temis employees must strike or threaten to strike during their negotiations and negotiate these jobs to stay along with other things. However, i am afraid that this will not happen because there are many people with no where else to go, no where else to work. I hope they make a stand, but they fell for the scare tactics 3-4 years ago, i hope they don't fall for it again!
Bonne Chance. Make a stand, stand together!

[whatfuture]

I know for a fact that there are alot of people wanting to strike! but like everyone els its a tough decesion to make when u have a morgage ,car pament,and other bills and a family to support. The union is meeting tonight and i know it will be a very emotional one and there are alot of upset people around town and at the mill morals are down and people are wondering why work so hard? i also hope our brothers and sisters will stick together and stand as one!!!

[ihaveahugenick]

We don't even know if we have a legal right to strike. That's what tonight's meeting is for. Our national rep (for the union) and lawyer are going to let us know where we are (legally) on this issue.

The last thing we need is to go on strike, and have the courts say it's illegal. Then, we'll be forced back to work, and pay BIG fines. Usually the losses the company has incurred, due to the strike. In other words, an illegal strike would bankrupt our local union.

We do know, that since we are negotiating a contract with the company, we can strike on any of those issues. So, even if we can't do anything today, we will be able to mandate it soon.

Solidarity Brothers and Sisters.

[peegeebee]

We've learned that the union execwill have to meet with counsel to be sure of our rights, until then we will have to start preparing for what I think will be a long hard fight for what we deserve. Contract negociations will be tough as the industry is still crying poor even though the signs of a strong recovery are becoming obvious. Through unity and solidarity we can accomplish what we need to do to save as many of our brothers jobs as possible

[whatfuture]

brothers and sister stand strong as one!!!if there ever was a time to stick together it is here!!!

[flustin]

Tembec Says " Bearn Site Is Critical for fiber Cost Reductions In Our Temiscaming Pulp Division."

Translation

Tembec Has No More Money and has Sucked The Well Dry, From All The Communities That They Decided To Enslave And Starve. If Tembec Does not open the Bearn Site Soon IT WILL LOSE there cutting Rights to Destroy Again. All That Wood in Our Backwards for " Labranche The Forest Contractors" to Easily Stake Claim To.

Tembec Says "We Need To Come Up With XXX MILLIONS By end of June To Be able to keep Tembec Running For the Next 4 Years"

Translation

We Have 5 months left to finalize the Paper Work and Amount of Money needed to come up With To get the Plant Running for the next 4 Years And get Cheap Wood and Employee's at a minimal Price, OUR LIVES (Meanwhile Bearn Hope's goes Up, just to shut Them Back Down)

How Will They Pay for This

The Initial start up Cost of the bearn Site by reaching in not only the pockets of the UNION'S employee but Whole Communities. Seeing that Tembec has turned to terrorist type approach of Negotiating By Acting First, Holding People Hostage, Then Hidding, And last communicate to us By Video Footage.

Last But Not Least. How will The board of directors AWARDS Itself For Their 6 Months planning

By Selling Of Our Assets Needed to function to do our jobs right, turn it into Cash And stuff it in there pockets, Bonuses for the Few, While Stealing From All

TEMiscaming QueBEC built tembec out of love, Passion and Pride and willing to Share with Others, Now It has been taking out of our caring Hands, and it has been turned into Evil Monster aimed at only consuming For There own good.

We are Dying Breed Of Local 233 union workers, I am ashamed to see what tembec has done to people and Other communities. But yet we still keep feeding the Monster that thrives on Blood of Others. Who Will Stop Tembec,

"When A Evil Monster Is out to Consume All, Its Destined To meet Its Creator."

Standing Together for the good of all

[anathema]

Dear Brothers & Sisters of Temiscaming

I am a currently somewhat laid off employee of the Pine Falls division of Trim back.

Upon starting of negotiations for our contract in the summer of 2009, meetings were delayed time and again. Until August, where a final paper was submitted to the USW negotiating committee.
This document from the company asked for a 25% cut in wages, change of pension from defined benefit to a defined contribution. Even though there was a moratorium on pension for the next 5 years. The rest of the document was simply an Ospreys approach to a dead carcass. It ate any and all monetary items still left in the contract. Blue Cross, Weekly Indemnity, Holidays, Premium Time (Sundays), Meal Tickets, Call Ins, and lastly called for worker flex, with a 15 job elimination.

The USW Union was given a week to submit this to its members, or a lock out would take place as of 1st September 2009.
As I am sure you are all aware that there was not a full order book for both mills, ours would have been shut down for lack of orders anyway. But instead of laying us off, and continuing to negotiate in good faith, The Company Locked us out, and denied us our right to E.I., and severance pay.

From September through to January, the company has done nothing but stall, threaten, and watch us starve on the picket line. Paying over $50,000. a month for site security to antagonize, record (through video cameras, and Parabolic mikes), and report to them what we were doing. It got to the point where the security was calling us by names having been informed by local management who we were.

We are currently attempting an employee buy out of sorts, negotiating with all parties involved. So now that the lock out has been over since 13th January 2010, we might still be with out an income, as the company is still playing with us. They are telling E.I. that we are receiving holiday pay from last year, when they are not paying it out till the end of March.

I do apologize for the lengthiness that this blathering has become, but I only hope that it might better forewarn you all about what might become a reality for you and yours.

We here the past employees of Tembec Pine Falls could not have lasted as long as we did if not for the open heartedness of our neighbors and community. From far and near donations came to us, be they cash, Christmas gifts for our children, or food for their bellies. We are forever grateful.

Good luck, and remember that words are just words, unless they are followed by either actions, or a written signed document.

[extembecer]

It can not be said often enough - "get it in Writing", and if it's already in writing and posted on a wall / bulletin board / meeting minutes or whatever - file it, even if management says something take notes, you're going to want to have that written down somewhere for future reference.

The way Takebak works you're going to want or need that hind site eventually.

[unbelievable]

Well it seems the replacing of some of the union positions with contractors isn't going as smooth as the company anticipated. Notably at the security gate. The replacements (contractors) are quickly finding out that you need extremely dedicated personnel in that position. There's a human side approach needed and that's something that you get from knowing the people that you are dealing with. They've tried training quite a few already but few have remained, apparently the unionized personnel will be there longer than the company had thought, but the union knew that from the start. My guess is that the company will come to realize, after spending enough $$ that it's better to keep the already excellent group of unionized employees they already have.

[towner23]

any rumours on matane strike