Truckers Wait for Labour Board Ruling

Friday, August 05, 2005 04:01 AM

It is expected the B.C. Labour Relations Board will issue a decision shortly on the Canfor- West Fraser picket line situation.

The Prince George Trucking Association (PGTA), in association with the United Steelworkers, set up picket lines at the Canfor and West Fraser Timber mills in Houston, and at West Fraser's Burns Lake operation Wednesday. The truckers say they are taking the action to push for further negotiations for terms and conditions for log-hauling truck owner-operators.

The truckers have been working with the Steelworkers Union in their negotiations with other mills, such as Winton Global, and have been successful in working out agreements. The Steelworker's Union says this time 'round, the Prince George Trucking Association is running into difficulty as the contractors in Houston are refusing to even recognize the truckers’ right to representation by the Steelworkers.

"Mills cannot function without the service provided by the log haulers," said Steelworkers’ Local 1-424 President Frank Everitt. "The companies are doing well, the contractors are making money and the truckers deserve to be a part of that success. It’s time the other parties in the process came to realize that."

Canfor is asking the Labour Relations Board for an injunction that would force the mill workers to cross the picket lines.

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