Laid-off Tolko workers keep up fight

By Don Plant Monday, December 18, 2006 http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/article_3989.php (full article)
Laid-off Tolko workers are taking their dispute over severance to head office.As many as 20 employees displaced by the partial shutdown of Tolko’s plywood plant in Kelowna were planning Sunday to hand out leaflets at the company’s Lavington mill and to picket in front of its corporate headquarters in Vernon today. “I’ve met guys from Lavington, and they’re not that happy. They’re not getting the full story about the Kelowna closure. The company is giving them misinformation,” said Dave Welder, business agent for Steelworkers local 1-423.The workers were to set up information pickets at two gates outside the non-unionized Lavington plant at 6 a.m. and at 3 p.m. today. They plan to greet workers as they end or begin their shifts, but won’t disrupt traffic, Welder said.“They’ll say what happened in Kelowna and what to expect when it’s their turn.” The workers also intend to carry picket signs outside Tolko’s corporate office on 30th Avenue in Vernon. They won’t stop people from entering or leaving the building, Welder said.