The Mixer, May, 2008 By Lorrie Dyer, Local 40 Vice President  In my first report for The Mixer, I would like to start by thanking Local 40 President/Administrator Jim Pearson and Secretary-Treasurer Shelly Ervin for asking me to run on their slate in our union elections. I’m thrilled we were successful in gaining the trust and respect of the membership and I’m looking forward to working together to be part of the exciting times ahead for our members.
Personally, I would like to thank Sister Shelly Ervin for all the hard work in running our election campaign and for keeping us organized and on track – not an easy task! Many thanks to Sister Margaret Prieston for all your support and good advice. Thanks to Vicki for your encouragement to run for the position of Vice-President right from the very beginning. To Tracy and Tom for accompanying me on the many campaign runs on The Island – a thousand hand shakes and hugs. To Donna for taking the time off work and away from family to campaign with me and meet the folks in the Lower Mainland area, thank you. To Randall, thank you for your support and encouragement. And to the newly elected E-Board members, I hope you find this experience a great opportunity to get involved and make a difference in your union. I am continuing to serve as Area Steward on Northern Vancouver Island as I take on the role of Vice-President of Local 40 and am happy to report a number of grievances have recently been settled in favour of our members concerning improper scheduling and shift differential issues. I have also been participating in Labour/Management meetings at the Town Centre in Powell River where our members are getting more involved with their workplace issues as they unite in their efforts to resolve problems before they get out of hand. Collective bargaining at the Royal Canadian Legion #164 in Powell River is proving to be quite interesting as the employer owes the healthcare plan an outstanding sum for premiums to cover benefits for these members. We are looking forward to getting this issue resolved and getting on with negotiating a new agreement at the Legion. In closing, we are currently getting the Bargaining Team together at the Best Western Dorchester Hotel in Nanaimo as this contract is set to expire. President/Administrator Jim Pearson will be leading these negotiations when they get underway later in the year and I look forward to working together with these hotel workers to get a strong new collective agreement. | 
