e Former I.W.A. CANADA National President Gerry Stoney is pictured here at the Loggers’ Local 1-71 Annual

Delegated Meeting in 1991.

Former !.W.A. leader passes away

The trade union and social demo-
cratic movement in Canada lost one
it most dedicated members and sup-
porters on May 14 when former
1.W.A. CANADA National President
Gerry Stoney passed away, follow-
ing a courageous battle against can-
cer.

Gerry died in a hospital in Hope,
B.C. near where his family has a
cabin. Less than two weeks earlier
Gerry, accompanied by his wife

Carol, went to the Canadian Labour

Congress convention in Toronto,
where he, in effect, bid his final
farewell to his many friends and
colleagues in the labour movement
and the New Democratic Party. He
was on the convention podium when
his friend Ken Georgetti was
acclaimed as the president-elect of
the CLC, succeeding outgoing presi-
dent Bob White.

“That trip to the CLC was very
important for Gerry to see, for one
last time, the many friends within

the labour movement and the NDP,”
said longtime friend and union col-
league Terry Smith, National Secre-
tary-Treasurer Terry Smith.

“Gerry wanted to say goodbye to
his many Brothers and Sisters in
the movement. To Gerry unions
and the NDP were his whole work-
ing life.”

Stoney served as national presi-
dent of the I.W.A. until January,
1997. He became president of the
union in March of 1992, when for-

ids leader Jack Munro stepped

Twice re-elected to the n
in 1992 and 1994, Stoney head
the union’s B.C. negotia
mittee into successful collective
agreements with the forest industry
in 1994.

He began working at the Cana-
dian Forest Products Pacific Veneer

plant in 1959. He soon became a

shop steward and then the head of a
safety committee in the plant which
had 1,250 union workers — about
one quarter of New Westminster
Local 1-357’s then membership.

Gerry Stoney
dedicated his life

to working people
and the New

Democratic Party.

He became involved in his first
strike in 1966 and become more
active, becoming the plant chair-
man. In 1971, at age 28, he become
the local union’s president. Gerry
served in that position for 11 years
during which he saw the local grow
to over 6,000 members in the late
1970's.

Brother Stoney served as presi-
dent of the New Westminster and
District Labour Council from 1972
to 1989, which set a record for being
a labour council president in Canada.

He was also an Executive Office
and Executive Council member of
the B.C. Federation for many years
and served as an Executive Vice-
President of the Canadian Labour
Congress from 1992 to 1997.

He also was president of the New

Democratic Party of B.C. from 1982
to 1988.

Stoney announced his retirement
from the I.W.A. in order to spend
more time with his wife, arate
and grandchildren. He had once
beaten cancer in 1991 and had
iidereone heart by-pass surgery in

“T.W.A. CANADA is a wonderful
organization, with a pEoud history
of fighting for the rights of workers
in the forest industry and it has a
great future,” wrote Stoney in an
announcement when he decided to
retire. “It has been an honour for
me to serve it at all levels, through-
out my working life.”

Gerry is survived by his wife Carol,
daughter Shelley, son Rick and five
grandchildren.

e Ken Georgetti

¢ Dick Martin

° David Rice

e Joe LeClair

e Joy Langan

¢ Dan Miller

Memorial service pays tributre to Stoney’s achievements

A union hall was packed over-
flowing with people from numerous
walks of life who came to pay their
respect to a man who lived for work-
ing men and women. On May 20,
over 800 people assembled at the
Firefighter’s Hall in Burnaby, B.C.
to hear a list of distinguished speak-
ers pay tribute to Gerry Stoney, for-
mer I.W.A. national president, who
passed away six days earlier.

Three hundred people were seated
and over 500 people where standing

around those seated and out into

the hallway area. The B.C. legisla-
ture voted unanimously to adjourn
proceedings so that politicians could
attend the memorial service.

David Rice, regional director of
the Canadian Labour Congress, offi-
ciated a speakers’ list which included
CLC president-elect Ken Georgetti,
retiring CLC President Bob White
and Secretary-Treasurer Dick Mar-
tin, former I.W.A. officer and New
Westminster and District Labour
Council President Joe LeClair,
I.W.A. National Secretary Trea-

surer Terry Smith, former NDP
Member of Parliament Joy Langan,
NDP Deputy Premier Dan Miller
and former B.C. Premier Dave Bar-
rett.

“I’m honoured to have known
Gerry as a leader with great integrit
as a colleague, and advisor, a friend,
a proud grandparent and a working
man,” said Rice.

“From a distance, Gerry was a
tough nut,” said Georgetti. “There’s
a whole generation of Social Democ-
rats and working people who iden-

tify with him. They grew up with
him in the NDP and they grew up
with him in the labour movement.”

Georgetti pointed out to Stoney’s
service as a commissioner on the
Royal Commission on WCB in
British Columbia between 1997 -
1999 as a sample of Stoney’s ongo-
ing commitment to workers, even in
retirement.

“When most of us would have wel-
comed retirement, Gerry’s amazing

Continued on page seven

6/LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1999