Common sense, eh ?
Pattern bargaining is f*c#ed Coles and your not helping. Just hanging back and letting Abitbi destroy everything does not make any sense what so ever. They lost a half a billion in one quater for petes sake. Pull the mat out from underneath them now or kiss it all good bye. Or would you rather just wait until more Locals sign deals like they did up at the Fraser mill in NB. Thunder Bay will be doing it soon, just wait and see. The actions of the National have been no better then those of Abitibi when it comes to destroying pattern bargaining.

Grow a pair for Gods sake !

Coles: You are the last person who should be lecturing others on common sense. I have been working at the mersey mill in Brooklyn N.S. for over 20 years, and in all those years I have seen a lot of good decent people, and as well as a lot of real jackasses; you fall in the latter category. I wonder of your yearly salary which is paid by union members like myself, and other CEP members should be cut back? Seems only fair as you have less union members in the CEP, you don't seem to be looking after our best interests, etc.
I dread upcoming negotiations with the sharks at Abitibibow, seeing as what happened with Fraser's fools. They should all be decertified for screwing the rest of us CEP members.You Coles, should resign and hand over control to someone who actually cares about us.
Here is a little tip mr. coles, look up the word UNION in a dictionary just to see what it's definition is. This also goes for the local at Frasers who voted for that idiotic contract.
People may be thinking: Hey this guy doesn't seem to be very much in the way of solidarity, but you would be WRONG.
I am simply frustrated at the shit that is going on in my own workplace, and with corporations, and even the CEP national level as a whole.
Have a nice day.

Dave Coles, CEP President said, " It would make common sense that you wouldn't want to go to the table with this many companies under CCAA protection, you would want to see how that shakes out."

Common sense ! The man hasn't spoke a word of it since he landed here in Nova Scotia a few days ago. Where was the common sense when the Union picked a bankrupt company to be the pattern setter ?

See how it shakes out ! Is he blind ? The rest of us can see how its shaking out. Abitibi is under cutting the shit out of everybody. They don't have to pay their bills so they have been ruining everybody else. While they go further in debt they get more extensions so they can go mill to mill for consesions and pit workplace against workplace. Thus destroying pattern bargaining and solidarity amongst the members. Wake up Coles and give your head a shake.

These company's under creditor protection can't go to the courts with a restructuring plan if they don't know what their labour costs are going to be. But they don't need the National union to do it if they keep on getting deals like the one up at the Fraser mill in northern N.B. So you guys just keep hanging out and waiting to see how it all shakes out. Thunder Bay is at the table now, can't wait to see how that shakes out.

Yup, common sense alright. AbitiBow has got one mill that is represented by the CEP and is NOT in creditor protection. That mill is the Mersey Mill in southwest Nova Scotia. They own 51% of her and can't get her into bankruptcy because of the other owner(49%) knows it is an asset. All in the community are hoping that they are forced to sell this asset even though for the last 8 months they(AbiBow) have been trying to destroy her and make her a high cost producer. And what does Mr.Coles have to say to the press when he arrives in N.S. "the mill is in deep kaka(?) and will not survive." There is your common sense again. That statement sure should help us out attracting buyers and suppliers, don't you think. Or does Coles even think at all before he opens his mouth.

I am a former mill worker here in Grand Falls. Although I greee with some of the comments, I sure wish I had a chance to rethink my decision a year ago. I have gone from a $30 an hour job with benefits to one a little over minimum wage. I can't afford to do what I once have enjoyed doing. All I can say too my fellow brothers and sisters is....think very hard about what you will vote for in the future and remember that although you may lose one battle in the short term, there will be many more to win later.

Good Luck and I hope you survive.

G