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1.W.A. WOMEN HOLD FIRST

CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE

In Richmond, B.C., 44 women from
1.W.A. locals across Canada got

together at a historic conference for the

national union, to enhance and
encourage leadership skills.

PAGES 20-24

° OUTSIDE THE U.S. CONSULATE in downtown Vancouver, I.W.A. Canada national president Dave Haggard

spoke to a rally organized by the union and the B.C. Federation of Labour on August 80 (see pages two and
three). For additional coverage of the softwood lumber dispute see pages four to eight and page 40.

Canadian forest industry
targeted by trade actions

The impact of the U.S. Department
of Commerce (DOC) August 10
preliminary decision to launch a
19.31 per cent countervailing duty
(CVD) against annual shipments of
$10 billion of Canadian softwood
lumber has already done major
damage to lumber companies,
workers and communities across
Canada.

At press time there were more
than 5,000 workers in the I.W.A.
across Canada that had been
affected by layoffs some
temporary and some indefinite (see
articles on pages six, even and 40).

The effect of the preliminary CVD
announcement has shaken the very
foundation of the Canadian forest
industry and is being felt the most
in British Columbia, specifically on
the coast region. As of late August
over 5,000 union members were on
the unemployment rolls with no
clear solution in site. B.C. accounts
for about half of Canada’s softwood

rt south of the line.

.W.A, Canada national president
Dave Haggard is urging government
and industry leaders to keep their
eyes on the prize, free and fair trade
jn lumber, and said that recent
finger-pointing at the Chretien

overnment does nothing other
fran en Canada’s position and
is counterproductive.
: “Each and every one of us knew
that the Americans were going to
hit us with a duty,” said Brother

“Ithink some of the p!

in da were too optimistic about
jhow far the U.S. would go. Maybe

this is a 20 per cent wake-up call
for some people.”

The national president said that,
as B.C. has been hit with about half
the duty, it is imperative that the
province continue to play a leading
role in putting forward and
sustaining a national position. He
said the union supports continuing
a legal battle through international
tribunals but that it is also in favour
of opening up dialogue with the
United States to get into an era of
free trade in lumber products.

“In this dispute our goal is free
trade in lumber and we should keep
our eye on that goal in the legal
arena, in talks with the U.S. and in
puaning: for any exemptions to the

uty,” added Haggard.
iterally hundreds of communities
and hundreds of thousands of workers
will be affected by this duty, not to
mention the impact on government
revenues,” he said.

Haggard is also advocating that
industry on both sides of the border
begin to promote and market North
American wood products at home
and overseas.

“We spend too much time fighting
each other when we should be
working together as Canadians and
Americans to get out there and sell
our praducte all over the world,”
said egard. “Markets are getting
more and more competitive and we
have to work hard to maintain our
current ones and look for new
opportunities to sell our products.”

‘The forest industry is still the
foundation of many communities

and ‘new economy’ or not, provinces
like British Columbia are highly
dependent on revenues from the
industry,” said Haggard, who was
appointed to the province’s softwood
lumber advisory committee in late
July.

Following the expiry of the Canada
- U.S. Softwood Lumber Quota
Agreement (SLA) at the end of
March, 2001, an agreement which
limited duty-free lumber exports
from B.C., Alberta, Ontario and
Quebec, the protectionist lobby
group, the Coalition from Fair
Lumber Imports (which represents
75 per cent of U.S. lumber producers)
filed documents with the DOC to
hit the Canadian softwood lumber
industry with tariffs and anti-
dumping duties of up to 86 per cent
in some areas. Only the Maritime
provinces are exempt from the CVD
action.

The Americans allege that
provincial stumpage rates are too
low and, in their view, constitute a
subsidy to Canadian producers.

The DOC’s preliminary decision
is a protectionist move to guard a
less competitive U.S. lumber
industry and has no basis in fact or
in law, said International Trade
Minister Pierre Pettigrew.

“In previous cases over the last
20 years, the U.S. industry has not
been able to sustain subsidy and
injury allegations against Canada,”
he said from Ottawa, noting that all
provinces in question have raised
their stumpage since the SLA was

continued on page eight

Referendum
on strike
fund passes

Results in from the nation-wide
referendum ballot on boosting
contributions to the I.W.A. national
strike fund via a strike fund
assessment were ratified at the
June meeting of the national
executive board in Vancouver.

Just under 57 per cent, or 11,825
of 20,800 ballots cast, voted in
approval of the assessment of one-
half hour’s pay per month at the
operational base rate.

The assessment will come off when
the fund reaches $40 million and
will kick in again when the fund
falls below $10 million.

“We are pleased to see that I.W.A.
members have once again risen to
the occasion to support a ballot to
strengthen our union,” said I.W.A.
president Dave Haggard. “Although

not as many people voted as we
would have liked, we did see a higher
level of support in areas where
information on the ballot was
debated by well-informed members.”

Last year the strike fund paid out
over $7 million in benefits, up from
over $3.5 million in disbursements
in 1999. As right-wing corporations
decide to go after the I.W.A. across
Canada, a stronger strike fund is
fundamental to the fight-back.

Union members at last year’s
national convention endorsed the
resolution to fix the fund, sending it
off to the members for a vote.

Brother Haggard said corp-
orations are getting their lead from
right-wing governments in Ontario
and Alberta, and believes that
British Columbia workers may be
in for a rough ride with the Gordon
Campbell Liberals now in power

- and employers on the offensive.

“We need a strong insurance policy
and that’s what a healthy strike
fund will give us,” said Haggard.
“Our members are facing more
strikes, more scabs, more lock-outs
and are coming up against more
companies that want to bust unions.”

In 1995 the national strike fund
paid out less than $300,000. Since
1997 there has been a steady climb
in payouts to striking I.W.A.
members and their dependents.

“We've got to have the resources
to take on the fight for dignity and
fairness and get a better deal for
our members and their families,”
added Haggard. “A strong strike
fund lets us continue the struggle
and build upon the achievements
that we have made for working
people over the past 64 years.”

“Strikes happen when all other
routes to a negotiated settlement
fail — really, they are last thing
that we want to do,” said Haggard.
“But we must never forget, and our
history bears out, that strike action
is sometimes necessary, and is one
of our fundamental rights.” =