Derek Neary
Northern News Services
Fort Providence (Jun 22/01) - Members of the Union of Northern Workers in Fort Providence are petitioning union leaders to establish a UNW local in their community.
The UNW in Fort Providence now encompasses more than 40 employees of the government of the Northwest Territories, hamlet workers, the Fort Providence Housing Association and Evergreen Forestry. Union bylaws state that a local may be formed if there are 30 or more members.
Barb Wyness, public affairs officer for the UNW, said the request will be forwarded to the UNW executive, which doesn't meet again until September.
"Once the executive puts their stamp of approval on it, then that's it, they are a local ... it's almost 100 per cent certain that by September they will have their own local," she said, adding that it would be known as Local 31.
Employees represented by the UNW have been under Local 6 in Hay River since 1973. Therefore, union meetings take place in Hay River and the executive members are all based there, noted Margaret Field, acting UNW local president in Fort Providence.
"It's the year 2001 and I think more people should get involved in the union and become more educated about their rights as workers," Field said, adding that chartering a local would help generate greater membership within the community.
Other interim executive members of the Fort Providence UNW Local are: Robert Tanche, vice-president; Carole Bonnetrouge, secretary/treasurer; and Ivan Landry, chief shop steward.
An elected executive would officially be put in place shortly after the local is chartered, said Field, an adult educator who has been a member of the UNW for four years. Funding will then be provided for the new Fort Providence local for union-related business. A portion of their union dues will also be refunded to their local as well, Wyness said.
Among the benefits of belonging to the union are holidays, workplace safety and representation to government, she said.
