BAILEYVILLE — Members of the four trade unions at the Georgia-Pacific Pulp and Paper Mill Wednesday approved a new four-year contract with G-P.

Gordon Manuel, G-P’s public relations director, said Thursday the agreement would run through Aug. 31, 1994. The trade unions, the Carpenters and Joiners of America, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and National Brotherhood of Firemen and Oilers, jointly represent about 225 employees at the Woodland mill.

He said that before the new contract was approved, the trade unions had worked under an interim implementation agreement that was effective Aug. 28, 1989.

Manuel said he believed the trade unions were the last major group of workers to reach agreement with the company. In November 1989, the 330 members of Local 27 of the United Paperworkers International narrowly approved a five-year contract with G-P.

`The contract provides a lump-sum payment to shift workers and a lump-sum payment to day workers. The agreement also increases the amount employees can contribute to their 401K plan from 4 percent to 6 percent,” he said.

Although the company may be satisfied with the contract, James Dudley, president of the IBEW, said late Thursday that he did not believe the trade unions had been treated fairly.

“The trade unions feel they were not treated equally or up to par with other workers at paper mills around the state. Skilled craftsmen at this mill are the lowest paid anywhere in the state. Even though management says we are highly skilled workers, we never get any credit for it,” he said.

Dudley said union members were no more satisfied with the contract than they were three years ago when they entered negotiations.

“It is just a matter that we arrived at a time when we could go no further. Since implementation on Aug. 28, 1989, we have had no arbitration rights in our grievance procedure. That means when the company wanted to do something to us, we could only complain and they could just say, `Fine, but we are not going to do anything about it.’ By voting for this contract, we get our arbitration rights back and the possibility of getting a fair shake again when something goes on at the mill,” he said.

The IBEW president said that one of the reasons the contract was approved may have been the workers’ concern about their pension fund. He said the pension fund has been administered by a board of trustees that consisted of three company and three union representatives. He said G-P wanted control of the pension fund without union representation on the board.

“All the other unions have gone with that except the trades bargaining group … Upon implementation (Aug. 28, 1989), the company no longer placed money into the pension fund and that allowed it to terminate … The three union and three company trustees now have the duty to ensure that annuities are purchased from an independent insurance company on our behalf, and the company will not have anything to do with it in the future,” he said.

Andrew Mills, president of the Carpenters and Joiners of America, said that he preferred not to comment on the matter. Harlon Kinney, president of the Machinist Union, could not be reached by telephone, and Danny Ayer, president of the Firemen and Oilers, did not return a telephone call.