I.W.A. holds fifth _ Conference on national _ union concerns Over 100 I.W.A. officers and staff from 20 locals got together on May 6 and 7 to discuss issues affectin, the I.W.A. at both the local aa national union levels. It was the fifth such conference since 1996 and it gave union representatives an excellent opportunity to compare notes, share experiences and devise strategies for issues they confront now and in the future. National president Dave Haggard welcomed delegates and addressed the importance of the workshops that members were to participate in; communications, political action and strategic planning for union building. As the conference was held in the midst of a B.C. provincial election, Haggard addressed the imminent loss of es by the NDP. The May 16 election saw the Liberal take 77 of 79 seats in the provincial legislature. It was a scenario that Haggard characterized succinctly. “When they have that type of control they are not going to listen very earetally to anybody... at least the way we're heading, we’re going to be in deep trouble in the months and years ahead,” he said. He said it’s important for the labour movement, and particularly the I.W.A., to know where it’s going politically. Haggard said that in the last couple of years the union has paid some heavy prices by having (the) _ NDP as its friend and also that the union has been hurt with the provincial parks that have been created. But he did say the NDP had an open-door policy to listen to the I.W.A.’s issues and the union could reach certain MLA’s to address policies that would hurt union members. Now that the Liberals hold the reigns, Haggard said “I know the (forest) industry won’t be lobbying for us and asking for our help, now they will be laughing at us and doing exactly what they want as they have Gordon Campbell dancing on the end of their strings,” said Haggard. The I.W.A. president predicted tough times for B.C. workers and said they have to look to the Ontario experience that workers have suffered under the Mike Harris Conservatives. “I don’t know how the hell to turn that around because working people obviously, if they decide to vote, will vote for whoever the hell they decide to vote for,” he added. On the topic of communication Haggard said the I.W.A. has a need to get its members active in the union again and empower workers out in the operations to be active and take pride in the I.W.A. “T think, at the plant level, we need to make I.W.A. members feel comfortable with themselves and participate in their union,” he said. He called for more union activity at the community and local levels. Haggard cited the recent 57 per ° Nationa I.W.A. Canada Dave Haggard said that the union has to determine its future political direction. cent approval of a national ballot to increase union dues to grow the national I.W.A. strike fund. “Obviously we’re not getting to the bulk of our membership to make sure they are on our side when we make these type of decisions to move ahead,” he said, but also noted that support in favour of the strike fund was stronger in some areas where the union spent more time explaining issues to the members. He said the union must communicate that it is under attack across Canada, the industry is pushing the envelope wherever it can. Mill closures and some bankruptcies are hitting the I.W.A. “The challenges we're faced with seem to mount more and more, on a daily basis,” said the national union president. Companies are threatening mill closures, especially in the Lower Mainland. “It sure as heck is not because they (forest companies) are not making money. It’s because they want to get rid of them.” Haggard warned about TimberWest and the export of logs out of Canada. “We should be concerned about where that trend is taking us,” he said. B B.C. Federation of Labour rep talks on communication Former I.W.A. national union staffer Phillip Legg, now research director with the B.C. Federation of Labour, was on hand at the national officers and staff conference to relate experiences the Fed has had in recent years in running fight-back campaigns and to facilitate discussion on the topic of communications strategies. He gave an example of two distinct campaigns with different communication strategies; the successful fight-back against the B.C. Business Summit agenda and the not-so-successful campaign against Cineplex Odeon’s lockout of the B.C, Projectionists’ union. Campaigning against the B.C. Business Summit road show in the fall of 1999, the Fed was able to get the word out to labour councils and progressive community groups in 14 communities across the province to attend each session and speak up for the interests of workii Fea le. In 1997 the Summit held a huge conference in Vancouver where it tried to tag all of the province’s economic woes on the NDP. Labour laws, health and safety regulations, business and personal taxes, social Pees, and employment stan- rds where all termed as anti- acs ik for the B.C. economy. “All the good stuff was labeled bad by them,” said Legg. “We decided that if it’s a road show that we were going to dog this road show.” The Fed developed an information package criticizing the Summit agenda, worked with labour councils and community groups and got out to the meeting. It held its own press conferences. A well-defined target was established. “Everybody understood what they were going after and they got up to the mikes and asked the Summit organizers tough question on issues like health care, on minimum wages, on employment standards, on pay equity, etc.,” said Legg, adding that people spoke from their personal experiences. It was a successful campaign which often saw the media report working peoples’ sides of issues. In contrast, Cineplex Odeon’s lockout of ipevechioniats resulted in a prolonged dispute and an eventual boycott of Sony products. Sony has controlling interest in the theatre chain. Set against a backdrop of three to four years of concessions at the bargaining table in other parts of Canada, the B.C. union’s struggle was an uphill one from the start. The boycott happened late in the game, said Legg, and, although many affiliates did pitch in to spread information on it, many didn’t. Eventually the government appointed an industrial inquiry commission and there was a negotiated end to the dispute. egg said it caused the Fed to ask some important questions. What was the point of engagement? Was that point manageable and realistic? Was information propenl supplied and understood by affiliates and supporters? continued on page thirty-seven ° Phillip Legg of the B.C. Fed and a former national I.W.A. staffer, facilitated a workshop on communications during union campaigns.