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delegates an earfull in January.

¢ ILW.A. CANADA National President Dave Haggard gave TLA convention

Haggard slams major outfits
and non-union loggers at TLA

If there was ever a time where
I.W.A. CANADA National President
Dave Haggard had to address a
crowd of the “unconverted” it was
during his address as keynote
speaker to an assembly of the Truck
Loggers Association. On January
18, Haggard gave a speech to nearly
500 members and guests of the asso-
ciation, many of whom are non-
union contract employers in British
Columbia.

Brother Haggard also used a “car-
rot and stick” approach to address
some employers of the silviculture
community in the audience who con-
tinue to resist dialogue with the
I.W.A. as it currently negotiates an
agreement with the Forest Worker

Agency on the Coast, and later turns
its objectives to organizing the silvi-
culture sector in the Interior regions
of the province.

He told the crowed that the “us
(the I.W.A.) and the Truck Loggers
Association have had some tremen-
dous battles, not only with each
other. But when we managed to
overcome our differences we have
had some great battles with our
common enemies, be they the license
holders (or) the government of the

lay...

Haggard referred to the alliance
between the I.W.A. and the TLA
when former national union presi-
dent Jack Munro and then TLA
president Graham Lea got together

to push for Bill 13 in 1991. That bill
gave some protection to contractors
who were being punished by license
holders.

“Because of our joint efforts in our
organization and the Truck Loggers
Association, Bill 13 was born,” said
Haggard, who added that both par-
ties should go back to the current
government and fix the bill in a way
that will be mutually beneficial.

He urged a common front against
the major license holders “whose
sole responsibility is to their share-
holders and return on investment,
regardless of who gets in the way
and who gets hurt because of that...”

“There’s just no way they're going
to care about the logger or the con-
tractor who is trying to make a buck
or his employees who are trying to
earn a living for their families. It’s
just not how the system works,” he
said.

Haggard said that, time after
time, the major licensees squeeze
the TLA contractors, who in turn
squeeze I.W.A. members and that
“you guys forget who your friends
are” and “forget that the I.W.A. is
not your enemy.”

“You can’t blame your workers
and you can’t blame our members
for the markets in Japan and the
problems in the marketplace, cause
it ain’t our fault,” said Haggard,
“any more that it’s your fault when
the license holders and the majors
put the screws to you over price.
That’s why we should have a com-
mon front on issues where we agree
on things.”

The I.W.A. president spoke
directly to non-union members of
the association when he told them
“you can’t continue to ride on the
coattails of the I.W.A. when we join
forces with the TLA to fight the
common enemy and not pay your
dues. There’s no goddamn reason
why your employees...shouldn’t be
our members in the forest industry
today.”

“That’s the only way we will be
successful,” said Haggard, to some

frowning faces. “Instead of running
around the province pounding your
non-union crews and bragging about
how you're screwing them out of a
nickel, and that they’re better off
than if they were in the union, maybe
it’s time you sat down with us and
found out that we're not all that bad
to deal with.”

“You just can’t just be our friends
when you choose to be and be our
enemies when you feel like it,” he
said.

“You don’t lose by being in the
I.W.A. as a contractor, the level
playing field that we all work on
and understand gives you the same
opportunities to make a profit (and)
enjoy the fruits of your labour as it
does our members.”

Haggard then turned his focus to
silviculture contractors in the audi-
ence who oppose cooperation and
unionization into the I.W.A.

“If we get your employees a collec-
tive agreement and get you some
security, so that (you) don’t con-
tinue to bid and low bid the system
down where nobody can compete,
then it seems to me that it puts
money in your bank account the
same as it does in I.W.A. members’
bank accounts around this province.”

Haggard spoke against the criti-
cism of the union certification of sil-
viculture workers, which has been
orchestrated by the contractor com-
munity, and said if I. W.A. members
are given proper training and a level
playing field they will compete
against anybody in any industry.

He said the I.W.A. is “hell-bent”
on organizing the silviculture indus-
try on both the Coast and the Inte-

rior, and sent out a stern warning
to employers who oppose the union.

“So you can sit down and help us
find solutions or you can become a
casualty of the wars that are going
to take place in our industry over
you being unable to sit down and
come to an agreement.”

e Roger Lewis

On February 23, I.W.A. CANADA
members learned of the sudden pass-
ing of one of its national union staff
members, benefits representative
Roger Lewis. Brother Lewis’ death,
which happened a short time before,
came as a shock to his fellow work-
ers and those who knew him.

Since 1986, Brother Lewis worked
away quietly and diligently in xepre
senting hundreds of I.W.A. members
who experienced difficulties with
numerous programs including like
WCB claims, long term disability
claims, weekly indemnity, and pen-
sions. fi

Hired on by then Western Regional
President Jack Munro, Lewis had
been President of then Local 1-118 of
the International Woodworkers of
America for 13 years, starting in
1973. He succeeded former local 1-

/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1998

Roger Lewis

1940-1998

118 president Murray Drew in 1973
and became a regional executive
board member for the union and a
member of the coast negotiating com-
mittee.

“Roger was the kind of person who
came into the office every day, like
clockwork, and worked from start to
finish on processing the countless
claims that were forwarded to him
from local unions,” says National
Secretary Treasurer Terry Smith.
“He was absolutely dedicated to
working people who needed repre-
sentation in sorting out all sorts of
problems.”

Born and raised in Chilliwack,
B.C., Roger began working at the
now defunct Victoria Plywood in
1960 where he was employed as a
fork lift driver and a boom man. He
got involved in union activities at an
early age. After spending years on
the safety committee and grievance
committees, his efforts were recog-
nized by Local 1-118.

When former local union executive
board member Bill Wilson met Roger
in 1968, Lewis was already second
vice president of the local.

“Roger was a good solid guy. He
was a cleaver bargainer who was
always very straightforward with
the membership,” says Wilson, who
is now retired. “He certainly did the
job for the crews and was really tough
with management pe: Roger was
a good union man all the way who
never once let up on his principles.”

Brother Lewis is survived by his
wife Margaret Lewis, children
Theresa and David and brother
Randy Catterall.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes
that a donation be sent to the Cana-
dian Diabetes Association.

 |.W.A. National Education Director Lyle Pona (front) was once again out at
the CLC Winter School in Harrison this January. Pictured are local
union members who took an I.W.A. leadership course. L. to r. James
Cruickshank (1-423), 1-423’s Doug Morrison, 1-425’s Will Turcott, 1-3567’s
Ray Hudon, 1-423’s Cal Jackson, 1-423’s Murray Irman, 1-3567’s Dennis
Dell, 1-423’s Mike Davis, 1-3567’s Rob Elgin, 1-71’s Wayne Rushton, 363’s
Neil Matheson, 1-3567’s Steve Pederson, and 1-425’s Jim Kulyk.

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