CONCERNS OVER FUTURE WOOD SUPPLY Local 1-80 coastal milling opera- tions depend on a sustainable supply of old growth timber. However, as local union president Bill Routley says, that dependable supply of fibre is suspect over the long term. In February 1989 Fletcher Chal- lenger layed off nearly 425 workers on Southern Vancouver Island during an adjustment of its annual allowable cut. Some of the company’s timber quota had been lost to the creation of the Pacific Rim Natural Park and Nitnat triangle when one of its prede- cessors, British Columbia Forest Products, operated in the region. During the recession of the 1980's, BC.F.P. drastically overcut in its tree farm license and Fletcher Challenge, in early 1989, realigned its harvesting patterns. In each logging division (Caycuse, Renfrew and Nanaimo Lakes) the company has adjusted its cut for sustainability within the respective division. Recently new inventory data has further reduced Fletcher Challenge’s long term cut by 14%. Previous esti- mates were based on wood volumes calculated over one rotation. Removal of licensee’s timber throughout Southern Vancouver island through the B.C. governments Small Business Enterprise Program, © At Local 1-80's headquarters are (1. to r.) Business Agent Ken McEwen, President Bill Routley, Second Vice-President Ross Davies, Financial Secretary Dan Clements, Office Staffer Bev Isaac, First Vice-President Carmen Rocco, Business Agent Rod Thomson, and Office Staffer Muriel Danielson. Duncan Local is stronghold for union on Vancouver Island ITH slightly less than 3000 members IWA-CANADA, Local 1-80 still remains a stronghold for the union on southern Vancouver Island. The Local Union, which encompasses the lower portion of the Island, merged with former Victoria Local 1-118 in the spring of 1989 to take in the Island’s whole southern portion. One of the WA's birthplaces in Can- ada, the local union borders from Qualicum on the east coast of the island and then crosses to Nitnat Lake and Port Renfrew on the West Coast. Local 1-80, in addition to cover- ing its portion of Vancouver Island, also takes in the Gulf and San Juan Islands. The local union had up to 6000 members in the late 50’s and early 60’s. From the early days the local union became a centre for organizing activity in the community. DIVERSE LOCAL UNION Today about 30% of Local 1-80’s member are employed in areas that are non related to the forestry sectors. In fact, according to local financial secretary Dan Clements, Local 1-80, is probably the most diverse local in the IWA, The local represents public sector workers at the Cowichan School Dis- trict and Lake Cowichan School Dis- trict. School bus drivers, janitorial and maintenance workers have been long time IWA‘ers. IWA-CANADA also represents workers of the Cowichan Valley Reg- ional District’s public works depart- ment including roads maintenance and waste incineration. The local also represents workers at the B & H Tire Shop and the mainte- nance crew at the Cowichan Valley Sports Arena. However the unions strength still lies in traditional logging and milling certifications. FOUR MAJOR EMPLOYERS _ Theother 70% of 1-80’smembers are just about evenly split between vari- ous logging and milling operations. MacMillan Bloedel, Fletcher Chal- lenge Canada, Doman Industries and Canadian Pacific Forest Products pro- vide the bulk of the local’s certifica- tions. MacMillan Bloedel has 3 logging operations, situated at Northwest Bay near Nanaimo, Copper Canyon on the Nanaimo River and Shawnigan Lake Division near Duncan. It also operates a high quality dimension sawmill at Chemainus which was rebuilt in 1985. Last year the local organized work- ers at MacMillan Bloedel’s nursery near its giant Harmac pulp mill near Nanaimo. Fletcher Challenge operates 3 log- ging divisions (Renfrew, Caycuse, and Nanaimo Lake) in the local’s bound- aries, employing some 359 union mem- bers. The company also maintains its Youbou sawmill division and Shoal Island log sort. Doman Industries has been a steady employer of union members through the present and last reces- sion. Although Doman doesn’t have any logging operations in the local union its open market log buying and northern woods operations keep three sawmills and a log merchandising plant busy in the Duncan local. Doman has dimension white wood mills at Duke Point near Nanaimo and Chemainus. It also runs a lumber mill and planer at Cowichan Bay. Doman’s log merchandising plant near its Duke Point Mill salvages saw logs from pulp booms on a routine basis and chips the remaining pulp portions along with pulp logs. Canadian Pacific Forest Products, although it has layed off its Sooke Division company loggers maintains one company logging operation at Cowichan and has a dimension mill at Ladysmith (Saltair Division) and has 60% ownership of a dimension and custom cut mill (Mayo) near Nanaimo. Mitsubishi of Japan owns the other 40%. Throughout the 1990-91 recession, Local 1-80 hasn't been hit as hard as other IWA locals. Part of the reason lies in the high tech operations that which began in 1988, has caused layoffs of union company workers and the introduction of non-union con- tractors. CONCERNS OVER ‘SMALL BUSINESS’ WOOD In 1988 with the introduction of the SBEP, over 100,000 cubic meters of wood was taken out of tree farm licenses on southern Vancouver Island. The initial objectives of the pro- gram, to create community stability has been a complete and dismal failure. § Instead of creating new plants with value-added capability, the SBEP has introduced a low bid process for non- union logging contractors. “New wood licenses to create so exist in the local and part of the reason is that much of the wood prod- ucts produced go to Japan which hasn’t been hit with the same building slump as the U.S. Continued on page eleven Operating a log bundler at F-C Port Renfrew log sort is Kelly Henault. _10/LUMBI