NOVEMBER 1 aogy Bright Lights Classifieds Crossword Home&Garden Lie i North Shore Alert Caragan Pyokcatiuns Wat Sales Proust Agreement Nin 0067234 §2 Pages Double vision p3 Casual gourmet 130 Province plans another new Burrard Inlet bridge Picketers shut down NV shipyard Fasi-ferry work stalled in labor fight tan Noble News Reporter jan@nsnewy.com FIFTEEN office and security workers shut down Vancouver Shipyards and its work on B.C. Ferries’ fast- ferry program Tuesday. Vancouver Shipyards and its members of the Office and Technical Employees Union Local 15 don’t sce cye-to-eve On wages and retroactivity, As of Tuesday morning, picket lines prevented 600° Vancouver Shipyard workers from plying their trades on the fast ferries being built for B.C. Ferries and on) repairing other ships. The provincial Crown corpora: uion’s ambitious fast-ferry plan, which will see three catamarans built by B.C. shipyards over a two-vear period, is already behind schedule. trike throws the latest launch date of December 1997 for rhe first $74-million catamaran into doubt. However, Marcus Davidson, the manager of the fast ferry program for Vancouver Shipyards, preferred not to comment on whether a strike will push that date back again. Davidson said a deck unit that was supposed to be delivered to a tast ferry assembly shed in late December is now behind Vancouver Shipyards’ pickets. B.C. Ferries spokesman Clay Suddaby said it’s too early to com. ment on what affect the stmke will have on work remaining at Vancouver Shipyards. Suddaby said) machinery installa- gon and Wining work being done at Catamaran Ferries International, located east of Lonsdale, is unattected by the strike. , REMEMBER WHEN WATER WATER! OWN AN ENDLESS SUPPLY ONLY PENNIES A DAY ors CALL 990-1158 3 The UNbotiled Water Compan: ae The ter were initially to be afloat in the afl of 1996. The first fast ferry is now scheduled to be in ev. Vice next spring. Nao Fernando, a union business agsent and negotiator, said bis workers want annual hourly wage increases of 60 cents, 45 cents and 53 cents on a deal that is retroactive to Now 1, 1996 and pays the last raise on Nov. 1, 1998, ‘The company has of 130 cents, 40 cents and 50 cent On Tuesday morr ‘ermando called the employer “very intransi- gent.” He added union members are looking for wages that will bring them close to. workers at Seaspan. Vancouver Shipyards is a Seaspan division, Nancy Marthews, a union shop steward ‘and billing cost supervisor who was manning the picket fines Tuesday, said her counterparts at Si an make $22 or $23 an hour while she pulls down approximately $19.45 an hour. Vancouver Shipyard industrial relations manager Tan Lewi company has of urity worke the shipyard workers accepted 3 fi month “We are not in a position to offer monetary packages and agree to it with a large group of our employees and then turn around and ofter something different to another group f vees,” he told dhe News. er, Matthews said the com s comparing apples to oranges. ulous,” she said. “We're not tradesman. Pd love to make $25 an hour.” she said, refer- ning to the amount made by the tradesman Lewis sad the nine security saffat the shipyard receive a better compen: sation package than security person: nel working for other Large unomed anizations such as BC. Ral and New bistro opens at Park & Tilford Centre Fire destroys Upper Lonsdale home Eight escape N. Van blaze p5 $1.00 NEWS photo Paul McGrath NANCY Matthews (left) and Brian Miles man the picket line at Vancouver Shipyards Tuesday morning. The work stoppage by 15 members of the Office and Technical Employees Union was honored by 600 workers at the waterfront business in North Vancouver. TRIAL LAWYERS ICBC CLaims Free Initial consult no recovery no fee POYNER « BAXTER § 988-6321 |