The Union Forum - July-Aug 2008 - Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers

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An honest day’s pay Iused to deal with a person — a person of great tongue and little sense — who talked about plant workers and fishermen like they were grimy rodents digging through the muck for a free meal. “Why would anyone want to work in the fishery? Don’t Under the they know it’s over? It’s time for the bay crowd to wake up,” the mentally constipated jabberbox — a resident of Sin City — used to say. “It makes no sense for them to be living out there, while my taxes are used to provide them Overpass with expensive services. Move them all to town. They should work for a living and get off the handouts.” And so it went. While hearing such inflammatory stupidity brought copious amounts of bile to the back of my throat, I found Jamie Baker my anger often being replaced with concern. labour truly looks like. That concern stemmed from the knowledge that we are What’s more, many of them are immensely proud of living in an age where an increasing number of people, the work they do, and so they should be. There’s not one particularly those in the northeast Avalon’s centralist elite damn thing demeaning about putting together a top-quali- in the business and political communities, think the same ty seafood product for consumers. way as the unnamed townie mentioned here. Any idiot can work in an office — I’m living proof of They see rural Newfoundland and Labrador as an that. unnecessary expense and by extension, they feel the same But not everyone can spot a bad shrimp, maintain and way about people that live there. operate a mechanical peeler, properly trim a fillet, or make Ironically, there was a time not so long ago when the sure the brine dip for crab legs is absolutely perfect. fishing industry was once the first thing to roll off the lips Furthermore, whether plant workers and harvesters of anyone referencing rural economic activity in realize it or not, they are also part of the invaluable group Newfoundland and coastal of people on this planet directly bat- Labrador. tling a coming storm in the form of a Today, the word “fish- global food shortage. ery” is spit out like bad “Today, the word ‘fishery’ is spit out And therein lies the true wake-up cheese, or worse, is not like bad cheese, or worse, is not call for the uninformed city slicker: if mentioned at all. A $1 bil- you take everyone out of rural areas lion industry that absolutely mentioned at all. A $1 billion where primary food supplies exist, fuels rural regions and peo- industry that absolutely fuels rural such as fish and agriculture, and ship ple talk about it like it’s regions and people talk about it like them east of the overpass, eventually some sort of disease. you’ll starve simply because there’s Even more disconcerting it’s some sort of disease.” nobody to produce your food. is that somewhere along the And then what will you say of the way, the media, politicians, man who goes to sea at 3 a.m. to get even the regular Joe, started you a fish for that evening’s meal? equating the fishery — or more appropriately, the utiliza- What will you say of the woman who makes sure no tion of employment insurance in that industry — with pesky shells sneak into your shrimp salad sandwich? being a dirty job predicated on the promise of welfare. What will you say when there isn’t a fish or a shrimp Yes, many in the industry require help from the or anything else to be had? employment insurance system to survive, but so do so Working on the deck of a boat or the production floor many workers in other crucial industries. There’s an awful of a plant is a tough existence and those who do it earn lot of people in the much-adored, often-touted tourism every copper they get both during production season in industry who rely on EI. It is the same in many other sec- and downtime. tors, like say forestry and construction, where there is any Not everyone can be an opinionated academic or cap- seasonal or part-time work. tain of industry. So then why is it that the fishery gets all the nasty ink? Some people have real jobs to do. I was recently part of a road trip to processing plants along the northeast coast and was fortunate to meet and Jamie Baker is the managing editor for The Union talk with some of the hard-working people that make our fish processing business tick. In case you don’t know it, I Forum. He can be reached at forum@ffaw.nfld.net can tell you these people are absolute professionals all the way. Editor’s note: While this issue features a photo- From the gentleman in Valleyfield who could butcher spread from Icewater Seafoods in Arnold’s Cove, crab at a rate that no machine could ever hope to achieve please stay tuned for photo features from plants along to the lady cutting cod tongues and cheeks in Arnold’s the northeast coast and Labrador in upcoming issues of Cove, it was an eye-opening demonstration of what skilled The Union Forum. 18 July/August 2008 The Union Forum
Standing at the Adjusting older plantworkers out, bringing youth in key to industry survival I f you want to find out what people think and what their biggest concerns are, Allan Moulton figures the only sensible way to do it is to ask them. Moulton, the FFAW vice-president for the industrial retail division, went on the road for five days this July, along with the union’s secretary-treasurer David Decker and chief industrial negotiator Ben Baker, to visit wharves and processing plants at Jackson’s Arm, La Scie, Seldom, Comfort Cove, Cottlesville, Twillingate, New-Wes- Valley, Port Union, Bonavista, Happy Adventure, Salvage and Arnold’s Cove. While not all plants were operating at the time, Moulton said getting out to talk with the workers face-to-face was a “welcome opportunity” in terms of gaining a thorough understanding of the local issues in each plant and in the sector as a whole. “It was certainly a chance to get out to the plants, to meet the local leadership, to tour the plants and chat with some of the rank and file workers to hear some of their concerns,” he says. “The best way to find out about people’s concerns is to get out there and listen to what is being said.” Moulton has spent the better part of 36 years working at the former FPI, now OCI groundfish plant in Marystown. He knows well the challenges facing his industry, one that has helped fuel the economy in rural CROSSROADS Newfoundland JAMIE BAKER for genera- The Union Forum—Northeast Newfoundland tions. Visiting the plants along the northeast coast, he says, reinforces just how many workers in the sector are 50 years of age and over — and how important it will be to attract younger workers in the future. “There’s still an o l d e r workforce and I still think government needs to do more to try and adjust SSeeee YYOOUUNNGG,, PPaaggee 2200 July/August 2008 The Union Forum 19
Page 1: FFAW CAW CAW
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Page 6 and 7: Hargrove’s support was ‘unwaver
Page 8 and 9: Every cent counts Fish price increa
Page 11 and 12: Above: George Feltham guides a dipn
Page 13 and 14: Crew at work aboard the Rowan’s R
Page 15 and 16: Going GREEN on the deep BLUE? Propo
Page 17 and 18: Every inch a sailor Fishing Skipper
Page 19: Auction slated to return for fall f
Page 23 and 24: Scenes from the road Photos by Jami
Page 25 and 26: Challenging times for plantworkers
Page 27 and 28: Dale Courtney-Pevie Annie Hickey Ra
Page 29 and 30: Union fights to keep EI pilot proje
Page 31 and 32: Plan has moved in right direction d
Page 33 and 34: The science of cable-laying It’s
Page 35 and 36: Quality control Fast actions result
Page 37 and 38: It’s that time of year children e
Page 39 and 40: Another year at the office From the
Page 41 and 42: BUZZ LOOKS BACK ABOVE: Hargrove (fa

The Union Forum - July-Aug 2008 - Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers

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