
"My first reaction to strikes is they're unfortunate," says Furney. "If commonsense prevailed, people would avoid any shutdown longer than necessary, but sometimes the only way a union can get the attention of management is organize a work stoppage. I'm hoping, now that they have each other's attention, that they will come to an agreement as quickly as possible."
If the strike lasts longer, Furney hopes to see a mediator as soon as possible. "In the past, when a stoppage has occurred, the government has appointed a mediator, and that can focus the attention of both sides," he says.
Furney declined to say who's "right or wrong", but did sympathize with workers' concerns about hours of work
"While 12-hour shifts can work well in an isolated setting, where people don't have to travel, they don’t work in permanent community settings like we have in the North Island," said Furney. "Our guys are working regular shifts, and the quality of life is better."
Furney agrees with the union that longer shifts are less safe. "Eight-hour days are much safer than having people work 12 hours in very demanding circumstances," he said. "Twelve hours plus travel, that's a pretty long day, and it doesn't leave much time for family and community."
Over at United Steelworkers office in Port McNeill, Local 1-2171 first vice-president Nick Doubinin reports 95 per cent of the members are doing picket duty.
"No talks have started, or are planned ... our phone has not been ringing," said Doubinin.
But the union members are still "resolved," says Doubinin, and want action on shifts, hours of work, overtime and severance pay for partial closures.
The last contract, which was imposed by an arbitrator, allows employers the "unilateral right" to impose 12 hour shifts without paying overtime.
That was tried unsuccessfully by Cascadia in Port McNeill, says Doubinin. "The guys had never worked anything but an eight hour day, some of them for 30 years, and it didn't work."
Before and after working a 12-hour day, workers must travel on the crummy from the logging site to the marshalling point and then travel to and from their home. "I don't care where you are, that takes a toll," said Doubinin.
While none of the operations on the North Island use 12-hour shifts, "they have been talking about it," says Doubinin. "We’ve managed to avoid them, but these shifts could be imposed at any time. If all the operations in Port McNeill did that, the community would be hosed."
(northislandgazette.com)