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Bi-Lateral Administration Process

Beneficial Aspects of this Sawmill Job Evaluation Plan
Controversial Aspects of this Sawmill Job Evaluation Plan

The administration of the BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Plan is the responsibility of the job evaluators on the Industry Job Evaluation Committee. There are currently three Job Evaluators responsible for the administration of the plan.  The USW Job Evaluator represents the wage rate interests of Steelworker members in Western Canada and the other two Job Evaluators represent different Companies within the forest industry and are employed individually by Interior Forest Labour Relations Association (IFLRA) in Kelowna BC and the Council on Northern Interior Forest Employment Relations (CONIFER) in Prince George. 

The administration of the plan begins at the plant level when the Plant Job Review Committee consisting of two persons from the bargaining unit and two persons from management determine that a new job or a significantly changed existing job qualifies for job evaluation. The Request for Job Evaluation and a Job Study Record documents are forwarded to the Evaluators who then review the material to ensure the request for job evaluation is in order. 

The Evaluators schedule a joint tour to the plant to view the job in operation to fully appreciate and confirm that the job facts gathered by the Plant Job Review Committee are complete.

After the tour, Evaluators meet in either Kelowna or Prince George to examine the application, interpret the function of the job against the established plan guidelines, and finalized the evaluation. Job evaluation results are then communicated to the plant and local union office. 

BENEFICIAL ASPECTS OF THE SAWMILL JOB EVALUATION PROGRAM         top

The BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program guarantees that in each operation covered by the Program "there shall be a committee constituted and named the Plant Job Review Committee to consist of two members representative of Management and two members representative of the Employees". The function of the Plant Job Review Committee is spelled out in contract language. 

The BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program guarantees that in a determined region "there shall be a committee constituted and named the Industry Job Evaluation Committee to consist of one member representative of the Industry Bargaining Agency and one member representative of USW District 3". The function of the Industry Job Evaluation Committee is spelled out in contract language.

The BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program guarantees that each and every category covered by the Program is measured ("evaluated") by the same yardsticks ("manual" and "grading guidelines") on a uniform basis with uniform results, irrespective of the location of the operation. Detailed documentation ("job descriptions", "grading sheets", "letters of understanding" and "records of evaluated categories") forms a significant part of the BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program.

The BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program guarantees that during the lifetime of a Collective Agreement rates for categories covered by the Program can be reviewed for:

• CHANGED JOBS - for which an evaluated rate has previously been established, but for which the job content has changed to such a degree that a re-evaluation has become necessary.
• NEW JOBS - the creation of which is an exclusive Management's right, for which Management can set an "interim" rate, but which must be submitted to the job evaluation process.
• RETRO-ACTIVE PAY - should the rate rise as a result of evaluation, the worker is compensated for the difference in the rate during the time of the evaluation process going back to the date that the job change occurred as determined by the Plant Job Review Committee. 
• RATE CORRECTION - through no fault of the worker, management has the right to change the worker's job duties. Should the job be evaluated at a lower rate, the incumbent(s) worker will enjoy the red circle protection of his original rate until such a time that he chooses to bid to a different position, and his red circled rate will keep pace with general wage increases.

CONTROVERSIAL ASPECTS OF THE SAWMILL JOB EVALUATION PROGRAM  top

The administration of the BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Program has always been surrounded by controversies emanating from the political structure of the former IWA and now the Steelworkers.

• Decisions regarding rates for applicable categories are NOT made at the Local Union/Local Management level, but at the Steelworkers IWA Council/Industry Bargaining Agency level.
• Elected Local Officers do NOT participate in the day-by-day decision making regarding rates for applicable categories, instead, appointed a Steelworkers Canadian National Office Job Evaluator has been assigned to this task.
• There is NO appeal procedure available to the Local Union/Local Management regarding rates for applicable categories agreed upon at the Steelworkers IWA Council/Industry Bargaining Agency level.
• Records regarding the factor-by-factor application of the BC Interior Sawmill & Poleyard Job Evaluation Manual to a Job Description are kept at the Steelworkers IWA Council/Industry Bargaining Agency level, and are NOT made available to the Local Union/Local Management level. 

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