The record, 21 novembre 2001, mercredi 21 novembre 2001

/////// Variable cloudiness Newsroom: 569-6345 Advertising: 569-9525 Subscriptions: 569-9528 THE The voice of the Eastern Townships since 1897 Audi Sherbrooke Autohaus 4421 Bourque Blvd., Rock Forest (819) 564-AUDI (2834) | 65 CENTS WWW.S H ERBROOKERECORD.COM Wednesday, November 21, 2001 Black bear scares Cookshire siblings ÉÉIf tfffl PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL «g»» Jonathan and Josh Coates, aged eight and 11, were kicking the ball on their back lawn, enjoying their time in the great outdoors.“I kicked the ball into the field,” Josh recalled.“There was a noise.It sounded like a dog.My brother started running.I turned around and saw a bear.” The animal’s two paws were pressing heavily upon the iron mesh fence, bending a small portion of it in the process.The two boys were unable to twist the metal on the fence themselves when they demonstrated where the bear’s paws laid and where his head popped out.The boys’ soccer ball still hadn’t been retrieved yesterday when provincial game wardens arrived at their home, located at 72 Pope St., shortly after 3 p.m.The two boys were sticking close to home, afraid to meet the animal again.Josh Coates points to the spot a large black bear attempted to climb s Page 3 the fence that separated it from the two boys.By Daniel Huot Cookshire A big black bear gave two Cookshire boys the scare of their lives while they were playing soccer in their own backyard Monday night.Charest ready Liberal Opposition leader Jean Charest was again acclffimed the candidate for the riding of Sherbrooke for the next provincial election last night.Charest is the first Liberal to line up at the starting gate as his party prepares to hold nomination meetings throughout the province.Charest wants his team to be ready as soon as Premier Bernard Landry calls an election.See tomorrow’s Record for full story.Kruger selling trucking division to thwart union?* I t : i_ Cj.J.ns.v nu.IT : ^ nl gipp si Uf j\] .i fej J V flQS PERRY BEATON/SPECIAL By Rita Legault Sherbrooke As its drivers awaited union accreditation this fall, Kruger Inc.has apparently decided to sell off the trucking division of its Bromptonville plant.While the head of Kruger’s trucking division Robert Kirkland told the Record the company had not yet decided whether or not it will sell, Human Resource manager Alain Harvey and a company lawyer told union representatives last Monday the company had taken an “irrevocable” decision to unload the private fleet.At the meeting, lawyers for the company promised workers that if they turned their backs on the union, they would get buy-out packages and a job with the trucking firm which would be awarded the subcontract to haul paper for the mill.In May, six shunters - the truckers who work inside the Kruger newsprint plant -decided to unionize with the CSN (Confédération de syndicats nationaux) which represents other workers at the paper mill.But the company challenged the accreditation request insisting that if the inside drivers were unionized, the other truckers would have to be included.“The company said it was everyone or no one at all,” one trucker told the Record.Union organizers decided to approach the long haul drivers and the majority signed union cards just before Labour Day guaranteeing the accreditation would go forward without a hitch.But last week, the company summoned union representatives and their lawyer to the high-powered law firm of Ogilvy-Renaud in Montreal.In a meeting on the 9th floor of a downtown office tower, the union was given notice that Kruger was selling the trucking division and the company gave the drivers two options.Option 1 was that if workers remained in the union, Kruger would simply close its trucking division in Bromptonville tossing all the drivers out of work.Option 2 was that if workers dumped the union, Kruger would keep six truckers for the shunter work at the mill, give the other drivers buyout packages based on seniority, and ask the new company to hire them.Workers were convened to a meeting on Saturday at 9 a.m.where union representatives explained the company’s proposals.Please see Kruger Page 5 JOSEE BOULANGER Hearing Aid Specialist 30-day try, no charge no obligation 11 have the right solutions to your needs.I Come and experience the new technology I Full warranty on all.SI '?&i