Lock-Out Information Update

Local 972 Monday January 30 / 2006

As of Thursday morning the company has made the decision to Lock Out our membership after the rejection of their final offer on Wednesday night at which time our members voted by secret ballot vote which produced an 82.7% rejection vote in the main mill & an 81% rejection vote in the clerical division.

Our members have been on the picket lines as of 8:00am. Thursday January 26 and will remain there until the time this company returns with a fair and just offer to our membership which also addresses the pattern settlement set by Abitibi Consolidated, and achieved by other companies like Bowater, Fraser Papers, Kruger, Neenah Paper, and others.

Stora Enso picked this fight by deciding to lock us out instead of negotiating, and we will stand together against their corporate greed until they wake up and get with the program.

Enough of that, now that we are Locked Out there a few issues that need to be addressed.

Benefits- Group Life Insurance, AD&D, Health & Dental & Employment Insurance Benefits

The company has informed us that employees who have qualified and are eligible to receive LTD, & WI benefits prior to the lockout shall continue to receive payments upon the condition they do not participate in the lockout. Our members who are on these above mentioned programs along with members who are on E.I. Benefits, are not to show up on picket lines, and if they do and the company is to discover that they are participating then their benefits will be terminated.

As for all our other members the union approached the company after being in consultation with Blue Cross, and on their advice the union asked the company for a simple letter transferring the invoice for benefits from the company to the union, which was all that was required to keep our benefits going uninterrupted. The company did not see this as a concern of theirs and would not accommodate this request and instead ceased our benefits upon the lockout.

The union has since dealt with Blue Cross directly and made arrangements for our member’s coverage to continue.

There is an administive time frame involved in this process and in the mean time if members require drugs and etc., we ask that you keep your receipts and if you are required to pay, you will be reimbursed. If for some reason this causes undo hardship on someone contact one of our committee members or executive members. We ask that our members use our coverage on a as is need basis and not use it for extra needs that can wait or are of an unessential nature as this is an expensive program which is based on usage.

We also ask that if any of our members have spousal plans which they can receive benefits from that they do so.

Picket Units

Most of our membership has been assigned to picket units or to a spare list with a designated Captain. We ask that you know who your captain is and their phone number and correspond with that individual for any scheduling problems, pay periods or other concerns around picket duty etc. It is required that you do your picket duty for lock out pay. Also there are log books that are at both picket locations and we ask that any incidents and or donations are logged as such.

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Headquarters

Our main headquarters is our union building and it should be opened on a daily basis for information and general socializing. We ask that everyone try and do their part to keep it clean and that due to limited space that members respect the privacy of the office side of hall as different committees and executive have work to do and office space is small enough to work in.

We will try and keep list of Committees, Schedules and any Updates posted at Union Hall.

Western Protection Alliance Inc.

Western Protection Alliance Inc. is the security company that the company has hired for the lockout. This company is based out of Vancouver with a regional office in Fredericton NB. These individuals have been hired to do security and at times may be intimidating and may try and test our members and entice our members to step out of line while video taping them.

Do not give them what they want, because it may not be their fault they could not get a real job.

Solidarity

It is a very proud moment in our local’s history to see the solidarity that exists and that this is not a fight we asked for.

We did not ask to be locked out or did we want it and it is a sad reflection on this Company to impose it.

They have showed a very strong lack of compassion for our members, our families and our communities.

We will continue to stand together and fight together, as an injury to one is an injury to all.