Williams Lake Local toughs out recession lhe economic recession of the last several months has been tough on a lot of local unions in IWA- CANADA. Thousands of mem- bers have lost their jobs in a series of layoffs, shutdowns and permanent. closures. Like other local unions, Williams Lake Local 1-425 is toughing the recession out. Because its sawmill operations are modern and efficient, layoffs haven’t hit as hard as in other local unions. © At Weldwood’s Merrill-Wagner ply woo mill is bin man Ted Bellmore. “Tn terms of modern operations, we probably have 3 of the most upgraded operations in the Northern Interior,” says local president Harvey Arcand, who has held the position since the local’s founding in 1977. Weldwood’s plywood and _ dimen- sion mill (Merrill- Wagner Division) in Williams Lake employs up to 500 people in the most efficient operation in the local union. The company also employs 170 workers at its state of the art dimension mill in 100 Mile House. The other high-tech operations of note are the Fletcher Challenge (Pinette & Therrien) Division in Wil- liams Lake employing 260 workers in a stud mill and finger joining plant and planer and Lignum Ltd.’s ultra modern dimension in Williams Lake which employs 238 IWA members. Today the local union has about 1200 members in 9 certifications, down considerably from over 1700 members in the pre-1981 years and far above its low point in 1982 with less than 800 members. LOCAL COVERS SOUTH CARIBOO AND CHILCOTIN In June of 1977 Local 1-425 was formed out of Local 1-424 in northern British Columbia. Prior to the separation, which was done quite amicably, members in the South Cariboo and Chilcotin felt that some of their concerns were not being addressed. Brother Arcand, who prior to the locals founding in 1977 was a second vice-president in Local 1-424 and a business agent who helped fight off raids by the Pulp and Paperworkers of Canada in 1976, at the Pinette and Thierrien and Lignum Sawmills. Prior to the locals founding, Local 1-424’s business agent was over- worked in the Cariboo and Chilcotin and also had to cover logging opera- tions in addition to sawmills in the Quesnel area. Local union financial secretary, Wade Fisher, on staff since 1983, says the distance from Prince George posed a problem for getting enough proper representation and that basi- cally the “membership wanted to con- duct their own matters.” FOREST LAND BASE UNDER ATTACK The largest problem facing the local union today is the increasing attack on the forest land base in the Williams Lake Timber Supply area. The mills in Williams Lake depend on volume based forest licenses within the TSA and within the 100 Mile House TSA. About 1,614,000 hectares of forest lands are in production out of a total Williams Lake TSA area of 4,800,570 hectares. The mills get an assortment of lodgepole pine, spruce and fir from the TSA. In the western part of the local, or Chilcotin Plateau, pine is the predominant species being harvested. Within the southern Cariboo, larger spruce trees and patches of fir are found. In the local’s eastern extremity there is a “wet belt” which grows some large scale spruce for dimension sawmills and plywood plants. At present, native land claims, being sought by three tribal councils consisting of nine native bands, are being sought. The local union along with a “SAVE OUR JOBS COMMIT- TEE” of industry, union and commu- nity members, is supporting the set- tlement of native land claims. “We're not saying whose wrong or right but we believe the government has got to get off its butt and resolve these issues,” says Wade Fisher. “The government isn’t doing anybody any favours by letting this potential cli- mate of confrontation go on and on.” In May of this year the “SAVE OUR JOBS COMMITTEE” pressured the government into setting up a Land Use Advisory Council under the Min- istry of Forests. The stop gap government measure has no mandate to deal with the issue of land claims and must have a report ready by June of 1991. Brother Fisher doubts whether it can do an adequate enough job based on its time frame. The forest land base is also under attack by wilderness proposals which will decimate the working forest. ee Although a proposal by the Valhalla Wilderness Society, hasn’t received sympathetic consideration by govern- ment or people in the Williams Lake local union, it would cause a 35% reduction in active logging activity if adopted. Already 11.2% of the local is com- mitted to wilderness parks (Wells Grey and Tweedsmuir) which are used on a very minimal basis. The Valhalla proposal calls for another 5 wilder- ness parks. The local union has tried to ascer- tain how much timber is left in the Williams Lake and 100 Mile House eAt local’s headquarters are (1. to r.) secretary Christine Slater, president Harvey Arcand, financial secretary Wade Fisher, and third vice-president Bill Derbyshire. hs TSA's but has been frustrated in its attempts. “Whatever source we go to, we get. a different estimate on timber supply,” says Brother Fisher. “We don't know what's out there since the Forest Ser- vice doesn't have the inventory data.” LOCAL UNION ACTIVITIES Local 1-425’s governing structure largely resembles that of many other BC. locals with an elected group of officers and an executive board which oversees policy matters. The 18 mem- ber executive board meets a minimum of every 60 days. Each May an annual delegated Lake. LOCAL 1-425 WILLIAMS LAKE Tatla Lake © Headrig operator Keith Ferguson in control booth at Lignum sawmill in Williams meeting is held in Williams Lake, where approximately 80 delegates are in attendance. About one quarter of the local union is affiliated to the New Democratic Party. Although the local, as a whole is not active in the NDP, many union activists are. In September of 1989 these activists helped elect local NDP politician, Dave Zirnhelt in his by-election bid for a seat representing the Cariboo. Zirnhelt is very con- cerned with both the production of jobs and the sustainability of the environment. The local union has developed its own series of educational services for its members including training for plant committees, shop steward and safety seminars, and a course for recording secretaries. Some of these programs, however, have taken a back seat, as Brothers Arcand and Fisher have had most of their time taken up by fighting claims Continued on next page 6/LUMBERWORKER/NOVEMBER, 1990 ‘ e