April 29, 1988 News ORSINI

‘But Lafarge

talks remain deadlocked

TEAMSTERS employed at five Lower Mainland Ocean
‘Construction Ltd. plants, including one on the North Shore,
voted 81 per cent Wednesday night (a accept a tentative
2 : one-year contesct. from the company, but contract talks he-
s+’ tween the union and Lafarge Concrete remain deadiocked.

: By TIMOTHY RENSHAW .
News Reporter

. j The contract affects about 170

wy “Ocean Teamsters Local. 213

members and averts a strike at the

company scheduled for Tuesday

“that, in conjunction with the cur-

rent Lafarge Conercie lockoui~of

its Teamsters, would have effec-

tively shut down the -Lower
Mainland construction industry.

A total of 116 Teamsters voted

,

. . Wednesday, with 95 in'favor and ~

no 21 opposed to the contract.
» The tentative agreement
reached . following an

was

ss (a. \..the union was pleased
4 =.» the threatened April 27
astrike had been averted,

ee ‘but not pleased with the.

length of the contract,
which will expire Dec.
31, 1988.

+

5 meeting Tuesday night and Wed-
nesday morning between’ union
and company. negotiators and [n-

_ dustrial Relations Council media-

5 “tor Don Cott. :

Under the contract, Ocean
Teamsters will receive a 30 cent per
hour raise retroactive to Jan. }, and:
another: 10 cent per hour raise/May-
1. . !

‘ With. health and welfare|/ and

pension increases, the overall
; average wage increases by. a mini-

4 -mum 65 cents per hour and a max-
: imum: ‘$1.10 per hour.

' Ocean Teamsters earned ar
average $17.15 per. hour under

. ~ their old contract, which expired

° SRS Dec. 31,'1987.

: . ‘The company also agreed to
ca. withdraw its demandsto reduce
from eight to four hours the daily
wage guarantee Ocean must pay its
Teamsters. *

C lassitied UX6-6222

VOTE

‘W-hour .

“company: “has lost a great deal of

‘also expired Dec. 31,

Ocean counterparts. . '

. antee it pays its Teamsters.

proximately 50 per.cent of the

‘ ready-mix concrete trucks.

Pdisteibiution Y8G-1337 42 pra DS

Concrete

But the union’s per-hour benefit
package will drop from $1. 25 to 6§
cents,

Approximately
work. at
plant... : :
Don Doerksen, business agent
for Local 213, said Wednesday the
union was pleased ‘the threatened
Apni 27 strike“had been averted,
but not pleased ‘with the length. of
which will expire

10 Teamsters
Ocean's North Shore

Dec. 34, 1988."
Teamsters had been asking for i
two to three-year agreement, :
Doerksen ‘said the union would
invite Lafarge to reopen contract
negotiations with its Teamsters,
The two sides. will mect Monday,
but Lafétge spoxesman |. Rod
Ainsworth -. said = Thursday the

money"? in its current dispute with
the union and had ‘no intention of
backing down on its demands for a
40 cent per hour wage roll back, ©
Under their old contract, which
1987,
Lafarge Teamsters were , paid’ 40)'
cents per ‘hour more than’ their

Ainsworth also said Lafarge.
would continue to insist on <a’.
teduction in the daily wage guar-

On March If, Lafarge locked its
94 Teamsters out of its six Lower
Mainland ‘concrete operations, in-
cluding the company's North
Shore. ready-mix plant which
employs approximately 15 people. : *

The company is also seeking a
one-year contract. :

Lafarge’ and Ocean operate ‘ap-
Lower Mainland’s unionized

Ocean spokesman Ben Hanson.
was unavailable for comment to
press time Thursday.