By Brent Bosker

Mill union set to vote on agreement with Paper Excellence

Nov 14, 2010 | 7:25 AM

Laid-off mill workers emerged from St Mary High School with a sense of “hope” regarding the future of the dormant Prince Albert pulp mill.

CEP Local 1120 held a special union meeting at the school Saturday, where members on recall where presented with a collective agreement from Paper Excellence.

An email distributed to 260 workers on the recall list said, the union had reached a tentative agreement with Paper Excellence during a meeting earlier this month in Vancouver.

A spokesman for Paper Excellence told paNOW the company is in preliminary discussions to purchase the Domtar-owned facility, this in spite of stake holders remaining quiet. Neither Domtar nor the provincial government has responded to numerous interview requests.

The meeting lasted about four hours after which one mill worker said the meeting was very “positive.”

Missing pet

'She means the world to our family': Woman seeks help in finding missing pet parrot

9h ago

BE CAREFUL ON THE ROADS

Semi flips outside P.A.; one of dozens of incidents on Sask. roads due to winter weather

9h ago

NO GO FOR BUSES

School bus routes outside P.A. canceled due to spring snowstorm

14h ago

“The feeling was people want to get back to work in Prince Albert,” he said.

“One guy told me his wife is tired of going home to an empty house each night,” he said referring to the man working out of town.

Members declined to comment on the details of the tentative agreement.

A second meeting is scheduled at the Union Centre at 2 p.m. Sunday where the members are expected to vote on the agreement before them.

CEP is expected to release a statement later today.

bbosker@panow.com

Related Stories:

Deal in works to reopen pulp mill

Paper Excellence vying for pulp mill