A’ TENTATIVE three-year contract agreement has been reached between the B.C.-Nurses’ Union (BCNU) and the Health Labour Relations Association (HLRA), but picket Employees Union (HEU). -LGH * presiderit Robert Smith said Tuesday .he was ‘‘ecstatic’* over the announcement of the ten- tative deal, but added that the sit- uation at LGH remained unchang- ed because BCNU members would continue to honor HEU picket lines. “Even if the. nurses were to come back, we nezd the HEU to start up again,”’ he said. All but essential and emergency services have been cancelled at LGH since June 14, when the BCNU began picketing the hospi-_ _lines -wili remain around Lions Gate Hospital until an agreement . has been worked out with the striking Hospital News Reporter tal. HEU set up its own picket line around LGH June 22. . The tentative nurses’ agreement, which was reached Monday morn- ing after an all-night bargaining session, includes six pay improve- ments starting with a 6.25 per cent raise retrcactive to April 1, followed Cct. 1 by a nurses’ ‘‘at- traction and retention adjustment” of 6.25 per cent. FIGKETS.TO REMAIN UNTIL HEU CONTRACT SETTLED. ‘entative nurses’agreement reached The latter increase was included specifically to help attract nurses to the province and thereby reduce the current nursing shortage in B.C. Further three per cent and four per cent wage hikes wiil take Place April 1, 1990 and Dec. 1, 1990, respectively, followed by a four per cent increase April 1, 1991 and a final three per cent increase Dec. 1, 1991. The percentages add up to ap- proximately 26.5 per cent over three years or, when compounded, 29.5 per cent overall. If ratified, the contract would immediately increase the hourly wage for a starting general duty nurse fron: $15.07 to $16.07. By the March 31, 1992 expiration of the contract that hourly wage would be $19.52. 3 -— Wednesday, June 28, 1989 - North Shore News The top end of the six-step gen- eral duty nurse hourly wage scale would immediately go from $17.43 to $18.53 and up to $22.58 by the end of the contract. HLRA spokesman David Annis said the major difference between the previous deal offered by the association, which would have cost the employer approximately $135 million, and the tentative agree- ment, which’ will cost just under $149 million over three years, was that the former provided greater increases for more experienced nurses while the latter gives ail nurses the same wage increases. Bargaining committees for both sides have recommended accepting the deal. But BCNU members at Lions Gate and other 13.C. hospitals still behind HEU picket lines will not Poll ution protest attracts 200 vessels CLOSE TO 200 vessels took part Sunday in a protest orga- nized by a West Vancouver-based environment group against continuing pulp mill pollution of Howe Sound. Terry Jacks, spokesman for En- vironmental Watch, said Monday he was pleased with the size of the turnout and tts diversity. a sa NEWS photo Di-Anne McLaren VESSELS in a Howe Sound pollution protest flotilla make their way Sunday to the waterway’s two pulp mills. The. protest was organized by commercial and recreational vessels. West Vancouver-based Environmental Watch and attracted close to 200 area COLIFORM COUNT CAUSES BEACH CLOSURE Deep Cove residents demand pollution solution DEEP COVE residents’ frustration at the continuing pollu- tion and closure of Panorama Beach boiled over at Monday night’s crowded North Vancouver District Council meeting. ~ Residents characterized Mayor Marilyn Baker’s response to a Deep Cove Community Associa- tion. (DCCA) delegation as ‘‘an- tagonistic’’. and applauded local merchant Margie Goodman’s emo- tional appeal for immediate action. -.Panorama Beach, which was off-limits to public swimming for 47 days in a row last year and previously closed in 1985 and 1986 because of pollution, was closed June 16 after fecal coliform counts the _ acceptable safety level. The: ‘beach was closed when col- ‘form counts hit 281 units per 100 By MARTIN MILLERCHIP Conteibuting Writer millilitzes of water. Greater Vancouver Regiona! District beaches are considered un- safe for swimming when coliform counts exceed 200. The latest readings Tuesday from water samples show the col- iform count at Panorama has since jumped to 492. Goodman claims the merchants in the cove-are suffering from the closures. Said Goodman: “‘The parks are empty, there were empty parking Stalls all weekend. You can spend $4 million on a wave pool and still have the only wading and swimm- ing beach available in North Van- couver polluted. It’s about time council did something to address the problem zow.”” Despite her anger and the wav- ing of two trout that engineer and local resident Dale Turkington found dead Sunday in a creek on Turkington’s property, the DCCA acknowledged that its recommen- dations are not a solution to the water quality problem, but possibly ‘‘a starting point in ad- dressing a rather complex and frustrating situation.’’ The association categorized the EVS/Dayton & Knight... study. commissioned. by council as “‘We're pretty heppy,’’ he said. “And there was a real mixture of people, all saying, look, we’ve had enough.”” The protest follows the June 14 Fisheries and Oceans Canada closure of commercial crab fishing in Rowe Sound because of canti- nuing high levels of dioxins and furans found in Howe Sound fish samples. Ownership of Howe Sound’s Port Mellon and Woodfibre mills are currently instituting dioxin- reduction plans as ordered last month by the provincial govern- ment. Mill representatives have said they are aware of the pollution problems and the public’s concern, but say changes to the mills cannot be made overnight. The June 14 crab fishing closure followed initial Nov. 30, 1988 commercial and recreational closures of crab, shrimp and prawn fisheries in areas adjacent to Port Mellon and Woodfibre after results from Fisheries and Oceans Canada tests showed extremely high levels of dioxins and furans in Howe Sound fish samples. Jacks said frustration is growing among area residents over gov- ernment inaction in stopping the mills from polluting Howe Sound. “The key word is now,’ he said. “*Later will be too late.”” “superficial at best’? and charged that it did not provide enough in- formation to determine the causes of the pollution. Particular areas of concern noted were: © current testing conducted on one day only; © coliform count in Shone Creek attributed to animals without con- sideration of recreational use of | Mount Seymour; * no mention of four septic tank fields in the Cove; e development of Indian River Road; @ the salmon pens; « the discrepancy. of coliform counts in downstream and . upstream testing of sewer pumping stations. :..- return to work in regular numbers until a contract agreement has been reached between the HLRA and HEU. The Health Sciences Association of B.C. (HSA), which represents heaith care professionals, worked out a tentative agreement with the HLRA last month on the condition that its members would get the same wage increases as those given to the nurses. Both the HEU and the HSA have been honoring the BCNU picket lines, and both the BCNU and the HSA will continue to honor the HEU picket lines... Negotiations between the HLRA and the HEU resumed Tuesday. Annis said Tuesday some pro- gress was being made, but he added that there were close to 100 issues still outstanding. Business .............. 20 Classified Ads..........49 Doug Collins............9 Dr. Ruth...............44 Editorial Page...........6 Food... ce. cece eee 46 Bob Hunter.............4 lifestyles..............43 Mailbox ............60..7 North Shore Now.......23 Sports ..........00250- 95 TV (Cistings............36 What's Going On........22 WEATHER Wednesday, cloudy with sunay periods. Thursday, . periods of rain. Highs near 19°C. Second Class Registration Number 3885 the consultant’s suggestion of col- lecting summer run-off and outlet- ting it in a deeper part of the cove, as it believes such expensive action would be premature at this time. The delegation recommended a continuing program of monitoring levels’ of contamination in the freshwater streams to determine if there are variables which can be controlled and a massive education program designed to reach dog . owners, boat users and residents who live adjacent to streams. One other major recommenda-. tion was that contaminated sedi- ment in the cove be dredged. wy Mayor Baker . thanked the association for its work and ac-_ : knowledged the "positive sugges-. i tions put forward.””. - ; The "association is opposed to - .