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IT'S ALL ABOUT TRUST

"For me, this struggle in the trade union movement has always been about personal relationships and personal trust. Trust that our reps have with our members. Trust that our members have with us. Trust that we have for each other. �And if we don't have that, we don't have very much. And it's why we have survived to this point because we have that."

From the speech given by Brother Len Embree, at the 61st Annual BCPCC Convention, November 25, 2004


Brothers and Sisters,

Without trust our Union's survival is threatened. That is why we find it necessary to inform the membership we have come to the conclusion that by their actions, the leadership of our Union has shown us they can no longer be trusted.

Remember our vision of a strong and proud autonomous democratic Canadian Union (CMAW)? Remember how the CEP reached out to us in support in our struggle to break the shackles of the International? Well that was then and this is now.

Now there is another agenda afoot. An agenda driven by Dave Coles, Vice President CEP Western Region along with the resident officers of our Union. An agenda that is secret. An agenda created behind closed doors. An agenda that is undemocratic.

That agenda is a wholesale takeover of the BC Provincial Council of Carpenters by the CEP without the knowledge of some of the Executive Board and without the vote of the membership.

To illustrate just some of what has gone on recently, consider the following examples:

In February 2005 President Embree hired several organizers on Provincial Council payroll without Executive Board approval at a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Under President Embree's direction these organizers have been working directly for the CEP in Alberta and BC and have been involved in negotiating, selling and ratifying CLAC-type agreements in the pulp & paper sector.

The resident officers of the BCPCC support the double-breasting of JVD Mill Services Inc. JV Drivers Constructors is a CMAW certified company with an industry standard collective agreement. The resident officers supported the CEP Local 470 double-breasting certification and were heavily involved in negotiating a CLAC-type "Pulp (Fiction) and Paper Survival Agreement".

On January 30, 2006 Dave Coles misled the CMAW Executive Board stating there was no collective agreement between CEP Local 470 and JVD Mill Services Inc. when clearly an agreement was in place and it was basically the same CLAC-type agreement they had reached in Alberta.

On April 29, 2005 the resident officers Len Embree and Pat Haggarty signed off on amendments to the CW Pension Plan Trust Agreement without Executive Board approval.

On June 30, 2005 when confronted by the Executive Board about the amended Trust Agreement, President Embree stated he knew nothing about it.

The Trust Agreement amendments were very significant and should have been brought to the Executive Board to ensure that due process was followed.

The resident officers were instrumental in ramming a motion through the April 4, 2006 meeting of the CMAW Executive Board stripping the rights of Local Unions to hold their own bargaining rights and certifications.

Rather than dealing with any of the problems they have created and working with the Executive Board to rectify them, the resident officers Embree and Haggarty have decided to circle the wagons to defend their actions. President Embree has refused to call Provincial Council Executive Board meetings even after the Executive Board directed him to hold meetings no less than once every 2 months. Secretary-Treasurer Haggarty has now decided to conduct Executive Board business through e-mail polls. The resident officers have postponed convention to avoid facing the delegates.

Brother and Sisters, it is time to expose the resident officers for mismanaging this Union. It is time to put honesty and integrity back into the leadership of our Union. It is time to rebuild trust. President Embree had one thing right - without trust we don't have much. Without trust our survival is threatened. Clearly President Embree isn't practicing what he preached, who are the victims? You - the Union!

In Solidarity,
The undersigned.

Tony Heisterkamp - 1st Vice President, Provincial Council
Paul Nedelec - Vice President, Provincial Council
Steve Borho - President Local 1719
Brian Zdrilic - Executive Board Member, Provincial Council
Bob Eaton - Vice President, Provincial Council
Sandra Backer - Vice President, Provincial Council
George Jalava - Vice President, Provincial Council
John Colbourne - Executive Board Member, Provincial Council
Dave Sewell - President Local 2106
Jim Senior - Business Agent Local 1989
Dave (Doc) Livingston - Executive Board Member, Local 2300
Charlie Scaling - Executive Board Member, Provincial Council

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March 27, 2006

To Recording Secretaries of All Affiliated Local Unions

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

RE: PROVINCIAL COUNCIL OF CARPENTERS 62nd CONVENTION - POSTPONED

Please be advised that the BC Provincial Council of Carpenters Executive Board have looked at the feasibility of holding the April 2006 Convention in light of the CMAW Convention being postponed.

The Executive Board considered the resolution passed at the 61st Convention called for back-to-back Conventions and the cost of holding two separate Conventions would mean additional expenses to Local Unions. In addition, Provincial construction negotiations are ongoing and we feel we are closing in on reaching a conclusion. These negotiations have been given priority over other battles we continue to face.

The Executive Board also recognized that having provincial Conventions is the highest body that governs the direction of the Union and that delegates from Local Unions play an important roll in this process.

However, in consideration of all issues, the Executive Board by majority vote has decided to postpone the Provincial Council of Carpenters Convention that was scheduled for April 26-April 28, 2006.

The officers are going to be proposing the first week in June as possible dates. All Local Unions will be informed of new dates when they are finalized.

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