By Anna Marie D'Angelo y News Reporter ABOUT 50 Allied Shipbuilders staff from North Vancouver were slated to attend a service yesterday for a co-worker t who died after his over- loaded dump truck plunged into the water in f Gibsons on Sept. 5. Robert Vandendriessche, 49, of Halfmoon Bay, was trapped in the submerged vehicle. Rescuers | were unable to free him quickly. Gibsons RCMP Cpl. G.D. Webb said the cause of Vandendriessche’s death will not be known until autopsy results are available, “-Wandendriessche lost. control of the: truck on a steep, 21% “grade hill near the town’s centre. He managed, however, to steer the runaway vehicle away from a ‘barge where thousands of barrels of. fuel’ were being unloaded at the dock. @ Varidendriessche~ told truck passenger. and friend, Randy Olsen, 37; to jump out after the vehicle..went out of control. Olson was not seriously injured. “The truck, g owned by Western Industrial Membrane § Led.; went off. § he’ dock. near :Molly’s Reach restaurant “being a locaic | The Beach- Robert onibers televi- Vandendrie- ion series. “ . s8che killed. Toh ; “Gibsons. police corporal said Vandendriessche’s truck was jcaded’ with sand. Webb said Vandendriessche had gone down a the hill as.a passenger in the Sy: dump truck before the accident. : The load’ of sand was being aken,.to a construction site in wer Gibsons. “Webb. Seattle-based Starbucks reported net profits of $26.1 million for the year ended Oct. 1, 1995, on sales of $465.2 million, Starbucks has continued rapid growth in 1996, with sales up 49%. Bowman expects the five stores to be certified afier a hearing is held before the British Columbia Labour Relations Board on Friday. The union will then meet with members and elect a negotiating committee, which will then begin negotiations with management fora collec- tive agreement, : ; He expects the meeting with employers to take Griffin, Karen Magnussen and - Ron Andrews recreation ‘centres. place within’ a few weeks. :. Bowman anticipates the meetings will be “interesting.” : ; The service sector is the new / creator of jobs, he said, while the better paid manufacturing and resource sectors have, declined. - But Bowman argues jobs pay- ing $7 to $8. an hour with small tips: won’t drive economic growth. a a “I don’t see a very healthy future if that’s what we're build- ing the economy upon,” he said. Customers soaking in the sun and enjoying mountain and water views from the Deep Cove Starbucks patio seemed to be ar odds with the union drive. Bruce Ramsey, sipping a cool Frappuccino on a warm Monday afternoon, said the employees have decent benefits, a stock option plan and potential to move up. “It’s a good starting off point for young workers, to get their foot in the door,” he said. “You can’t expect every job ro pay $15 an hour.” His friend would not provide. his name. “Don't get me involved in this, 1 don't have enough information to make a decision,” he said. Rut he was the only one of six customers inter- viewed ax Deep Cove Starbucks who didn’t express support for management. Store employees said the $8.40-per-hour aver- age wage for Starbucks workers is high compared 10 their wages. An employce with more than two years’ experience pets $8.68 an hour, while a one- year worker gets $7.41 arthe Deep Cove location. Wages start at $7 per hour. . An employee touted the company’s stock option plan, but added it’s difficult co contribute ona worker's wages. oe According to a Starbucks PR company, the firm’s shares ended 199] at $1.50. Since then, they have split twice and now sit at about US$33.50 on the Nasdaq Exchange.