SEL = Z = S ‘HIGHLIGHTS Time to consider Union mergers — Munro Year after year, IWA delegates have hit the mikes at conventions to support the policy of forming one union for woodworkers. At this year’s National Convention in Toronto held between September 30 and October 3, unionists gave new impetus to the call for one union representing forest industry. “T have no hesitation in saying that the track we have followed as a union was the right one, but I can see that we have to consider some new directions as we move further into the 1990's,” said [WA-CANADA president Jack Munro in his opening address to 165 union delegates. “Part of this new direction will be creating a much larger union. That means doing a lot more organizing at the Local Union level, and making a lot more contact with people and communities who currently don’t have much to do with trade unions.” Brother Munro also said the union must con- tinue to pursue mergers and pointed out that mergers (in 1986 with the Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union in Northern Ontario) have helped achieve a larger union. “We have talked about merger with the CPU (Canadian Paperworkers Union) and I think that those discussions have to get a lot more serious if we hope to do the job that the membership in both organizations expect of us.” In the same address Munro said the membership of IWA-CANADA and the CPU see merger as a simple and a logical step on the long road towards effective representation of their interests. “I know there will always be nay-sayers who view mergers as a threat, but that kind of opposition is not particularly new,” said Munro. “We have had our battles in the IWA where some group has been trying to turn back the clock and inject something other than an industrial trade union approach to how we represent our membership.” The convention unanimously adopted a resolu- tion which directs the National Executive Board to strike a subcommittee to enter into merger discus- sions with the CPU and the PPWC (Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada) and report on its efforts to next years convention. National Executive Board member Gary Kobayashi said there is a need to merge unions these days. “The companies that we deal with in the IWA are, in a large part, the same companies that the pulp unions deal with on their side of the industry; the MacMillan Bloedels, the Fletcher Challenges’, they’re all common employers. “The issues that we deal with are similar; envi- ronmental problems, contracting out problems.” Kobayashi mentioned that the union's financial positions and constitutional structure are certain barriers to merger talks but they must be overcome. “T know that our membership in the mills and in the logging end as well want to see a merger of unions in the forest industry,” said Kobayashi. “T know that in negotiations in 1986 there was a feeling that we could have done a lot better if we were one union. I think that employers in British Columbia at least want to keep the IWA and the pulp unions separate. They know that by doing that, they can keep us from making real progress in the industry.” Lyn Kistner a delegate from Duncan Local 1-80 said deunionization is on the minds of every major corporation in this country. “There's no doubt about it,” said Brother Kistner. “Fletcher Challenge, who I work for is actively moving in that direction. ... The companies are getting much larger and much better at taking us on.” Ken Lupichuk of Local 1-85 said “If we don’t get together (with pulp unions) we're all gonna go down individually.” “T think both of us together (IWA & CPU) can work out our problems,” said Gordie McRae, first vice-president of the Vancouver local. “I hope before it’s all over for me that I will see one union in wood.” Canadian woodworkers can compete says Rae Keynote speaker at this year’s IWA-CANADA Convention, Ontario’s NDP Premier Bob Rae, was greeted by several standing ovations during a rousing speech to union delegates. “One of the things that I believe has happened over the last number of years is that we’ve tended too much to run ourselves down, to talk about the things that Canada can’t do, or the problems that we have and how we're not competitive here and there,” said the Premier. “If you allowed workers in this country to com- pete with all they’ve got and didn’t fie them down with high interest rates, the high dollar, and the Free Trade Agreement, Canadian workers could compete with anyone, anywhere on the face of this earth.” Rae said the American threat to tax softwood lumber after Canada removal of the MOU is evi- dence that the Free Trade Agreement is not working. “There is a Free Trade Agreement. What's that agreement supposed to do? That agreement is supposed to ensure that we have access to their 8/LUMBERWORKER/NOVEMBER, 1991 markets and that we won't keep getting hit and struck and sideswiped by some protectionist action in the U.S. Congress.” The speaker then harshly criticized the Canada- US. Free Trade deal. “We've had trouble with the exports to the United States in softwood lumber. We've had trouble with steel. We've had trouble in pork. We've had trouble right across the spectrum.” He said Canadian producers have been hit by unilateral action and have been forced to deal with 15% lumber tax with a trade agreement in place that was supposed to ensure fair access for Cana- dian workers and for Canadian products into the North American market. Rae said the Bank of Canada’s high interest policy has been bad for housing, construction, re-building the Canadian infrastructure, and has been bad for businesses who want to compete. “I’ve been into mills and I’ve been into paper plants and my sense is that the workers of this country want to be competitive. They want to be proud of the products that they make and they want to be able to ensure that those products get onto markets and are able to be sold. But they cannot compete effectively so long as national policies contribute to our systematic disadvan- tage.” Rae said U.S. lumber markets are critical and that the Ontario government will be working with IWA-CANADA and other provinces to protect mar- ket access for softwood lumber. . He also said that the industry needs to look for greater efficiencies and technologies. The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund will help that process b; giving out realistic loans to companies to retool, re-equip and look at new niches in the market place. “Wood product will continue to be a very critical art of the Northern Ontario economy. We therefore Have to build on that, build on the skills that are there and make sure that we're maintaining our market share and that we have a comprehensive strategy to make sure that we get access.” Rae also said that producers must also look to the Asia-Pacific and to Europe where industry can be more aggressive in marketing than it has in the past.