Chair’s Report to the Membership
January 31st, 2012

Sisters and Brothers,

The year is upon us and we have already encountered some challenges here at the met site. We have some drying issues and have been without our thickener at tailings since January9th. All personnel involved are working diligently around the clock to rectify this issue as quickly and safely as possible.

The weather has also been more active than in recent years thus requiring more attention from our services group. This crew consists of some of our most experienced and senior members from our now torn down plants. Credit is due to these guys for all for their effort considering the huge area of responsibility in what is basically their first active winter so far.

Planning your 2012 vacation should be well under way with your 2 weeks prime time at the very least in the books.

This year our Benefits rep Don Janveau will be completing his final stages of accreditation and he continues to work with Gary Hrytsak. For any inquiries Don is in our town office every Monday and Tuesday located at 75 Balsam street south.

Finally, the CAW and CEP National Unions are in early discussions to see if there is a possibility of a merger and form a stronger voice in the labor movement. You can read more on this issue on the CAW national web site (www.caw.ca) or contact me for more literature.

In solidarity,
Paul Fillion

December 13, 2011

Sisters and Brothers,

Your Collective Agreements have arrived and will be distributed accordingly to all. Take a few minutes a day and read through it, I am sure it can serve its purpose in solving conflicts or misunderstandings at the initial stages.

We have several positions on the Executive Board that are vacant until we hold elections in May 2012. 1st and 2nd Vice-President, 1 Trustee and 1 Guide positions are still open. If there are any members that would like to sit on the Board until then, let us know.

Our Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee is now full with our services rep position being filled by Brian Catherwood.

The Concentrator is slated to run with a bare minimum crews for part of the Holiday Season due to mine shortfall. As 2011 is coming to an end, we must remain focused on our duties and tasks at hand. January 1st will re-clock our safety goals and aims. Together we will make 2012 our best year ever for safety.

On behalf of your Bargaining and Executive Board Committees I would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Xmas and Happy Holidays.

Be safe and stay warm,
Paul Fillion
Local 599

Sisters and Brothers,

On behalf of your Bargaining Committee I would like to thank the membership for a good turnout in both in the nomination process and the elections themselves. With your selections being voiced we can now continue to work with the Company on some important issues such as economics, manpower and especially safety.

Regarding to medical appointments, your B/C is urging all members to try and book them on your days off (shift workers), near the end or after your dayshift if at all possible. Try to provide plenty of notice to your supervisor, again if possible.

In saying that, the agreement for paid medical appointments is very clear. Therefore if any members are still asked to bring in documentation in order to be paid or asked to provide documentation every time you have an appointment, please call the site office at 7599.

In closing, on October 21st we lost one of our fellow workers. Don Gamble was 48 years old. I would often ask him “what kind of day did you have Don” and his answer was always the same. “We had a great day today.”

Let’s make every day A GREAT DAY.

In solidarity,
Paul Fillion

September 30, 2011

Sisters and Brothers,

We are entering the last quarter of the year with a bit of a challenge on our hands. It looks like we will not be making the original budget on tonnage again. Every year the number is set and we have very rarely attained it. Whether the bar is set too high or the fact that every year the mine has issues is beyond our control yet the Met site bonus is still affected by these outcomes. Maybe by leaving a couple of hundred thousand tons a year in the ground will help with longevity. I am confident that the overall game plan will get back on track in the very near future.

On behalf of your B/C I would like to thank the membership for their support during and especially after this year’s bargaining session. We as a unit showed the Company that we want to work and work safely also. Now that the contract is signed our focus should be on attaining our main objective which is safety first and the 2020 vision.

As we move forward in this next stage of “Kidd”, both the Company and Union have begun this open communication process. We still are having a few bumps occurring but generally speaking I think we can be successful if we continue to be open, honest, trust and have flexibility with each other. We as “lifers” want to finish this journey on a positive note, so I ask this to the membership; that we take the lead and let’s make our last 3,4,5 or maybe even 9 years here our best ones.

In solidarity,
Paul Fillion