@ Hegear

COAST OF B.C.

working in the forest as
the result of a land-use
decision, here’s what
they are now doing.

CLAYOQUOT ‘REFUGEES’
CLING TO LIFE ON WEST

Promised that they would
never lose the option of

PAGES 10 & 11

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Photo by Dan Keaton.

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e DURING A CREW BOAT SAFETY INSTRUCTION COURSE in Campbell River, B.C., instructor Jimmy Watt, stresses point
with I.W.A. members, 1. to r., Jack Reynolds, Steve Smith, Mark Graf and Jim McDell. The union and the industry
have pioneered a training program which has produced over 400 course graduates. See pages 8,9, and 20. _-

Pensions lead contract demands

Negotiations with B.C. Forest Industry began on April 4th

The union and the B.C. Forest
Industry kicked-off negotiations for
new master agreements on April 4,
when the I.W.A. provincial negotiat-
ing committee delivered the member-
ship’s demands to Forest Industrial
Relations, the employer’s representa-
tive on the Coast of B.C.

The union’s programmatic resolu-
tions, formulated at the provincial
wage and contract conference held in
Vancouver on March 2 and 3, were
also presented to the Interior Forest
Labour Relations Association and the
Council on Northern Interior Forest
Employee Relations on April 5.

In addition, union demands were
delivered to Canadian Forest Prod-
ucts’ northern operations and Weld-
wood of Canada, on April 4 and 5,
respectively.

ational union president Dave
-d, who heads the I.W.A. nego-
tiating team, expects a tough set of
contract talks with an industry that
has rebounded out of a recession.

“The industry is making some
good profits and we intend to negoti-
atea Hous realistic agreement for
our membership,” says Haggard.
“But the membership must under-
stand that the industry may be com-
ing after us to take money away
from our pension plan. I can hon-
estly say is the euaekes way for
ear to get into a fight with the

LW.

The union, says Haggard, has no
intention of giving a single penny of
pension plan monies back to the
employer, and, in fact, intends to
negotiate more employer contribu-
tions to it.

Heading the list of union demands
are the establishment of a hybrid
pension, developed by I.W.A. pen-

sion trustees, that call for an increase *

in benefits for current pensioners,
an increase for active members’ past
service, future service increases and,
for the first time, the creation of per-
sonal retirement accounts to add
fairness to the plan’s contributors.

The hybrid plan proposals, devel-
oped after extensive consultation
with union locals, call for increases
to the fund to benefit disabled mem-
bers and an increase in the benefit
rate for future service. In addition,
the union is demanding that all paid
travel time be included in pension
payment calculations.

The plan has over 30,000 contrib-
utors and I.W.A. members working
in various sectors of the B.C. forest
industry on the Coast and Interior
regions.

“Ym optimistic that we can come
iw with a decent agreement,” says

aggard. “We will try to get every-
thing we can over the term of the
agreement we are able to negotiate.
And if the employers show common
sense, we can avoid conflict and keep

working and build this industry into
a world beater. The employers have
to realize that we have to negotiate
fair collective agreements and then
move on together to confront the
important issues the industry faces.”

The union’s provincial negotiating
team consists of every local union
president in B.C., Brother Haggard,
national first vice president Neil
Menard, national second vice presi-
dent Harvey Arcand, national third
vice president David Tones and
national secretary treasurer Terry
Smith.

They are taking a set of demands
which have been boiled down from
over 500 demands sent in by local
union members.

“At the wage and contract confer-
ence we worked through the resolu-
tions to pare down a set of demands
that we think is very reasonable and
that the industry can afford,” says
Haggard. “There is a place in our
hearts for every resolution that was
in the book at the conference.
Although we never get all of our
demands that the members want,
we do set out to get as much as we
can.”

“One thing is for sure,” he adds.
“There is no intent of this (provin-
cial negotiating) committee to step
backwards and take concessions.”

Continued on page two -

Controversial plan
hits central and
north coast regions

The I.W.A. continues to closely
monitor a controversial plan for the
Central and North Coast of B.C.,
after national president Dave Hag-
gard recently persuaded industry
representatives to a “go-slow”
approach on the so-called Coast For-
est Conservation Initiative (CFCI) so
that workers, communities, First
Nations and others potentially-
affected stakeholders have more
time to study the scheme.

The proposed plan involves negoti-
ations between forest companies and
green groups and aims at a long-
term shift toward so-called ecosys-
tem-based forest management in the
region. The plan is controversial
because it involves a potential “stand-
still” or temporary cessation of tim-
ber harvest operations in the region
in exchange for at least a temporary
end to the preservation groups’ mar-
ket campaigns against the six com-
panies engaged in the talks.

Companies involved include Wey-
erhaeuser, International Forest Prod-
ucts, West Fraser Timber, Western
Forest Products and Canadian For-
est Products. Some areas, managed
under the B.C. Small Business For-
est Enterprises program, are also
affected.

Green groups include Greenpeace
Canada, Greenpeace Germany,
Greenpeace International, the Sierra
Club of B.C. and Rainforest Action
Network on behalf of a coalition of
about eight green groups.

“Obviously this plan has huge
implications for I.W.A. members in
both the logging and manufacturing
sectors. We need some time to study
it and to understand its potential
impacts before we can agree to go
forward with it,” said Haggard.

Over 1,800 coastal loggers would
be affected, many of whom are I.W.A.
members. The affect would also be
felt at numerous sawmilling opera-
tions, most of which are in the Lower
Mainland and Vancouver Island.

Over 3 million cubic meters of
annual allowable cut, a great deal of _
which, in recent years, has been
undercut due to market conditions
caused by boycott campaigns and
high wood costs, are under discus-
sion. The areas in question, which
also include locations on Vancouver
Island, the Queen Charlotte Island
and the Lower Mainland, cover some
224,000 hectares.

In addition to the “go-slow” won by
Haggard, I.W.A. CANADA has also
sought written assurances from both
companies and greens that I.W.A.
members will not lose their jobs or
be otherwise impacted by the strat-
egy, either during the 90-day plan-
ning period or during the proposed
18-month “standstill” in timber har-
vesting.

As well, I.W.A. has called on both
sides to provide assurances that a
huge fund will be put in place to cre-
ate long-term forest-sector jobs for
union members and others who might
be affected by implementation of the
forest ecosystem management plan.

- Continued on page twenty