ISSN 0049-7371 JANUARY, 1982 SPECIAL EDITION A MESSAGE TO PPWC RANK-AND-FILE MEMBERS Over the past eleven years your National officers have wasted thousands of your dues dollars raiding IWA operations to gain a handful of IWA members. This handful was gained in the first two years of raid- ing at a time when joining Canadian unions was popular. For the past nine years your National officers have continued to squander your dues dollars in unsuc- cessful attempts to gain more IWA members. Those dues dollars of yours, the IWA believes, could have been spent more wisely providing improved service to the PPWC membership. The IWA also paid a high financial price defending its jurisdiction in these raids. Money the IWA could have used to organize the thousands of unorganized forest workers in British Columbia. The IWA has always believed in the concept of “One Union in Wood” as the only way of ensuring better wages and working conditions for all workers in the forest industry. Such a concept would also eliminate any raiding among the three forest unions. To achieve this goal the |WA made repeated over- tures to both Pulp Unions for discussions leading toa possible merger of the three groups. The Canadian Pulp Union indicated interest in the proposal and a number of meetings were held between the two unions. Your National officers, unfortunately, spurned the suggestion outright, obviously preferring to raid other unions — International or Canadian — than joining forces to build one powerful forest union. Jim Sloan, your National 2nd Vice-President, has already publicly stated that the PPWC intends to raid IWA operations. This means that more thousands of your dues dollars will again be wasted on futile raid- ing campaigns. Up to now the IWA has never retaliated when raided by your Union. However, the IWA has now made the Why your National officers prefer raiding bona fide unions to organizing the unorganized workers is a question that should be asked by PPWC members. Two charts printed in this publication illustrate how pointless raiding campaigns are. During eleven years of raiding your Union gained 503 members from the IWA, while in the same period of time the IWA organ- ized 14,416 unorganized woodworkers. It is an indisputable fact that the only people who benefit from union raiding union are the employers and those groups who advocate right-to-work legisla- tion and stricter labour laws. And such raids do irrep- arable harm by turning worker against worker and causing long-term damage to workplace relation- ships. THE IWA BELIEVES IN THE . - CONCEPT OF “ONE UNION IN WOOD" IN THE B.C. FOREST INDUSTRY. decision to retaliate against any union that attacks its jurisdiction. The IWA does not want to get into a war with PPWC members. Both unions have members facing real eco- nomic hardship due to the depressed state of the forest industry. Looking after the needs of these members should be the number one priority of both unions. Unfortunately, your National officers are again raid- ing IWA operations and your dues dollars that could be used to help destitute PPWC members are being sacrificed on more futile raids. The refusal of your National officers to listen to reason leaves the IWA with no other option than to defend its jurisdiction by attacking PPWC operations. The IWA believes warfare between the two unions, especially at a time like this is sheer lunacy. If you as a rank-and-file PPWC member believe it is wrong too, tell your National officers how you feel. If this warfare is not stopped now both unions will be the losers.