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Post by silentwolf on Sept 20, 2009 14:06:20 GMT -7
I have read through quite a bit of the website, and am shocked (to put it mildly) to see just how many people have been affected by Tembec's bad business tactics. We are currently locked out in Pine Falls, and have been since Sept. 01/09. The company (Tembec) has asked us to take a 25% wage cut and other concessions. This all totals to about 35 to 40% of our annual incomes per year. They have not been willing to negotiate with us what so ever, and have shown no initiative to take any cuts themselves (management). Raise up your voices brothers and sisters of Pine Falls, and make your feelings known here!
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Post by Tom on Sept 21, 2009 13:30:20 GMT -7
Can you fill us in on what some of the other concessions are that Tembec is looking for?
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Post by former worker on Sept 21, 2009 15:53:11 GMT -7
I was in the employee meetings when Tembec offered the employees a huge buyout $80,000 average per employee. I with about 5 others said we will get screwed but we got told to be quite. You got what you deserved!!!!
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Post by extembecer on Sept 22, 2009 16:41:44 GMT -7
As to the 80 grand buyout, what's that all about? Is that an offer of instead of a pay cut you can take a buy out and leave Tembec instead? Knowing what we do about Tembec now, I'd be taking the money and run... here Tom Kirk will tell you he offered 1/2 the severence, but it was a joke - he offered it over a phone call and when some guys showed interest, it was pulled off the imaginary table.
... and who would tell you guys to stay quite? Just wondering if we are getting the same advise here in Cranbrook. It really doesn't work - the less noise you make the more Tembec likes it, the more time it buys them, and the less good it does you. You watch, if you make noise they (Tembec) will come out of their protective little cocoons long enough to humor you and stall you from making any more noise.
Don't forget who you are dealing with. Experience tells that these guys are trained pro's, they will lie to your face or do anything they have to get the bonuses they're gonna get when they successfully screw us and you over.
More advise - stick together - Tembec is the enemy not your fellow worker - part of Tembec's strategy is to divide and conquer. We can't get our brothers to help us out even though they know they are next when Tembec succeeds with us. Tembec has already successfully divided here.
A former screwed over boss of ours has told us that Tembec has begun turning the screw on the local finger joint plant - their count down has begun. He also informed us that Canal Flats, another Tembec mill has only a couple, maybe three years left, but our guys in those mills apparently choose to have blinders on. I always thought real men would stand up and fight for their families and friends to not get screwed over. Do you have real men who used to work in your mills?
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Post by screwed on Sept 22, 2009 18:19:31 GMT -7
When Pine falls was owned by the employees, Tembec came along and offered huge $$ for their shares. The buy out per employee was about 80k, some got more some got less. There were about 10 of us said this is a bad idea to sell out, but we got told to be quite. Go to Pine Falls and drive by the employees houses you see 4wheelers, snowmobiles, boats, new vehichles (most people living beyond there means) We all knew this was coming.
There sending all the orders to Kap and you can kiss Pine Falls goodbye! They wont reopen this mill, you watch. If you are still working there, get out now!
Good luck
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Post by former employee on Sept 25, 2009 13:36:51 GMT -7
To say that Tembec offered the employees at Pine Falls a "huge buyout" is a bit of an exaggeration. What "former worker" and "screwed" fail to mention, is that the unionized employees at Pine Falls had agreed to a 10% wage cut and a five year wage freeze at the time the Pine Falls mill was purchased from Abitibi.
By the time the unions began negotiations with Tembec to get back on the industry pattern, the unions were considerably more than 10% behind the industry average. Factoring in losses due to reduced pension contributions, holiday pay, etc., what the average employee ended up getting out the sale to Tembec was their money back.
Not to mention a regressive style of management. After years of being considered a manufacturer of a preferred sheet, it was difficult for employees at Pine Falls to put the union stamp on the garbage Tembec tried to pass off as prime production. Unfortunately, the rot in Tembec's management chain extends to the top. It must, given the unprecedented level of incompetence exhibited by local management in Pine Falls the past few years.
"Former employee" and "screwed" also fail to mention that the former management group in Pine Falls pocketed $60 million from the sale to Tembec. In essence, that was what the deal was all about.
The opposition to the machinations of Tembec and the former local management group was more significant than “former worker” and “screwed” would have you believe. Management knew where the divisions were in the work force and community and drove the wedge. The opposition won a few battles, but lost the war.
Good luck to my friends and former co-workers. You deserve better.
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Post by Anathema on Oct 4, 2009 16:09:26 GMT -7
To answer the administrators question. Tembec has requested a full reduction across the board.
1. 25% wage reduction
2. Moving our defined retirement plan to a defined contributions plan.
3. Premium time on Sundays to straight time
4. Call ins to now be premium time for hours worked, as opposed to 4 hours pay
5. 16 job cuts
6. Reducing severance to 1 week per years service from 1.5 weeks.
7. Worker flex, IE. production workers will now be considered untrained mechanical staff.
8. Discontinuance of some of our 10 & 12 hour agreements.
9. Holiday pay from 2.4 to 2 % of last years wages.
10. Weekly indemnity reduction and cost shared, also long term disability restructuring.
The 10 items listed above are only some of the points stemming from the Tembec document. The management group has gone through our collective agreement and slashed any monetary items they could find. Put it in the form of a negotiating agenda, presented it to us, and said take this or you will be locked out.
We are now locked out.
In my opinion the real reason we are locked out is that Tembec does not want to pay any severance to it's employees. Our collective agreement states that 1/3rd is to be paid out after a lay off exceeding 6 weeks. Our severance package is based on 1.5 weeks per years service. Now 250 employees with an average of 25 years service is 6250 years total, times 1.5 is 9375 weeks wages times $1,000. is $9,375,000. 1/3rd being $3,125,000.
Conclusion: Having Tembec present such a starting point document to us in late August and demanding immediate ratification and threatening a lock out, is just hard barrel bargaining. Locking us out when the order books are empty in order to not pay us our collectively agreed to severance instead of laying us off so we could collect employment insurance is despicable behavior, even from Tembec management. How can a company who has made $12,000,000. in Pine falls till may this year say they need a 35% to 40% ($7,000,000. to $8,000,000) in employee wage concessions? Truly this is not the same company from their mission statement.
Corporate, and local management are only looking out for their wallets.
The Osprey is only a scavenger, & the mission statement has become a lie.
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Post by extembecer on Oct 4, 2009 19:38:28 GMT -7
Any suggestions on what we can collectively do about this company to solve the workers problems?
It's sad that us workers and our families will be the ones that suffer, some of us will lose our homes, divorces will happen, health will fail and on and on while Tembec won't care. They will escape the rath of any public outcry. (oooo the economy, that poor company, and you guys are whiners, you could have just left if you didn't like it, forget the 30 years you put in and the pension you won't get, even though the staff they laid off got 3 weeks severance per year of service without a fight - you don't need the severance that was promised you for years by guys like Dennis Rounsville, Executive Vice President, President, Forest Products Group, and Tom Kirk our local Human Resources main guy) Sorry, that's our local group but I'm sure you're hearing the same stories from your local management.
Meanwhile Tembec will continue to survive and for the right price management will sell their souls for the bonuses they will be paid to screw their neighbors who they have worked with for sometimes as long as the mill has been in town.
While being addressed by workers and the local USW attempting to negotiate severance payment we received this direct quote from Jean-Luc Carrière, Senior Vice President, Forest Products Group – British Columbia "Let's make this perfectly clear, we have no intent on paying severance". Translation F U guys
That's my rant for today. Too make a long story short, in the old days when workers got screwed cross country by the same company - like you, us and others they would have revolted by now. Where did the solidarity go?
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Post by brother in arms on Oct 7, 2009 20:03:32 GMT -7
"Any suggestions on what we can collectively do about this company to solve the workers problems?"The first thing we have to do is get our act together. It’s time that Tembec employees, and the communities that have opened their doors to Tembec, demand a seat at the table. A cup of coffee would be sufficient. Tembec has to be reminded of the values they have espoused throughout their history. If Tembec still recognizes employees, and the communities in which they operate as stakeholders, why are they not consulted and kept in the loop regarding Tembec’s long term business plan? Of course, if employees and the communities want to be treated with respect as stakeholders, they will have to assume a responsible role in helping to provide solutions to the ongoing issues they have with Tembec. For example, the employees in Pine Falls at one time agreed to a 10% wage cut and a 5 year wage freeze to buy their mill from Abitibi to secure their own future. Without getting into whether or not the employees should have sold their mill to Tembec, the employees in Pine Falls have demonstrated in the past that they are prepared to make sacrifices to protect their jobs, and the economic well being of their community. I have no doubt that employees in other affected communities would do the same if Tembec would behave like an adult and treat employees with the respect they have earned and deserve. What I can’t understand, is why Tembec has resorted to negotiating by ultimatum. Tembec’s assault on the people who make their business work is tantamount to committing suicide. Given the way Tembec has handled the situation in Smooth Rock Falls, it’s hard to imagine what Tembec has up its sleeve. ” What shocked everyone is while the feasibility study was near completion Tembec had put the demolition project out for tender six weeks earlier even though a cooperative group had presented Tembec with a multi-million dollar offer for the property and its assets. When questioned why the committee was not informed earlier of their intentions Tembec representative and committee member Terry Skiffington replied "We felt no obligation to do so!"” www.mlpc.ca/Articles/2008/081009-STRONGTembecsIntegrity.htmlBesides calling out Tembec on their hypocrisy, we’re going to have to continue to lobby our Provincial and Federal representatives relentlessly.
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Post by tembuck2 on Oct 10, 2009 8:39:25 GMT -7
"Tembec has hired a security firm to spy on the picketers, videotape them and audio tape them with parabolic microphones. “Our guys are staying cool and are not reacting to provocations by Tembec,” says Sokoloski. “Our whole bargaining committee and union are proud of the job our members are doing on the picket line.”" "Even non-labour ally Conservatives have slammed Tembec. Conservative leader Hugh McFadyen told the media: “Tembec’s delivered a brutal ultimatum and hasn’t shown much willingness to bargain. These kinds of tactics are just ruthless.” Says Skrypnyk: “Tembec does not have many friends left in Manitoba. They should get this message loud and clear. It does not bode well for their business in our communities.” www.usw.ca/program/content/6136.php?lan=en
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Post by osmosisjones on Oct 25, 2009 18:51:40 GMT -7
The Union's of Pine Falls held a day of appritiation for the poeple of the Community to express our gratitude for all of the support that have been provided to the Union members in thie time of draconian thingytatorship. There are two songs that Union members have worked out that very accurately discribe the situation. I hope you enjoy they both and that they work for you. They do take time to load up please be patient. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jALAOHi-oxgwww.youtube.com/watch?v=xdUkso5H0ZYPS rent the cartoon Osmosis Jones you will see the White blood cell (the worker) trying to same the day and anthrax the virus (management) trying to destroy all, then you have the brain (corporate) that does nothing and just wants all to be happy so they can collect their salary and bonus. An amazing resemblence don't you think but here's the kicker the main character of the cartoon (Bill Murray the Actor) has the character name of "FRANK DOTTORI" I kid you not check it out, you will be amazed
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