progress. See pages 10-11 and 20.

TERRY SMiIT|
1946 - 2001

On September 8, I.W.A. Canada suffered the sudden Joss of national
secretary-treasurer Terry Smith. Brother Smith was one of the union’s most
highly respected leaders who dedicated his life to trade unionism and social

Tough strike in Juniper

It could be turning into one of the tougher strikes in the history of the
I.W.A. in the Maritimes. Since October 15, union members have been
icketing outside the Juniper Lumber and I-Joist plant in Juniper, New
runswick in an attempt to get a first collective agreement.
During the first few days of the strike, five I.W.A. Local 306 members
were arrested by RCMP, as things got tense on the picket line when some

of the workers crossed to scab.

Contract talks broke down a week earlier when company negotiators
would not agree to an automatic dues check-off in the collective agreement.
The company, which is owned by the giant Nexfor Inc., would not agree to
reinstate a production bonus which it took away after the plant went
union, would not agreement to the formation of a joint occupational health
and safety committee for the I-Joist plant, and was insistent on management-
dominated seniority rules. Juniper also took away job postings which they

had before the union certification.

“The company would not come to an agreement on these basic issues and
the I.W.A. was poeed to take strike action,” said Wilf McIntyre, the
fourth vice president. “People don’t join a union to

packwards. The company knows that. That’s why they have delib:

union’s nationa

done what they’ve done.”

“We have to have a union shop in the plant — there’s no way our
rovision where some members pay
cIntyre. “The employer should not

embers will agree to an open shop
dues and others don’t,” said Brother

even try to go there agai:

again.
McIntyre points out that Nexfor Inc. has a collective agreement with
continued on page two

PROUD TO BE PART
OF THE I.W.A.

Earlier this year workers at a
value-added plant in Goderich,

by an overwhelming majority.

PAGE 13

Ontario left the Carpenters’ union
to join I.W.A. Canada Local 500

Anti-dumping charges
add to industry woes

The union’s core membership is
suffering the crippling effects of
U.S. Commerce Department (DOC)
rulings against the Canadian forest
industry. The industry and the
1.W.A. are being clobbered in a way
they have never been before.

On October 31 the DOC announced
a preliminary anti-dumping duty of
12.58% against the entire Canadian
forest industry, adding additional
pain to an industry already reeling
from a 19.31 percent countervailing
duty imposed by the U.S. in mid-
August.

“We are facing a crisis of major
proportions,” reacted I.W.A. Canada
national union president Dave
Haggard. “These duties will
eliminate thousands of more jobs,
curtail and shut down mills and
logging operations and threaten
communities right across this
country.”

The impact of both duties lumped
together will be felt until December
15, 2001 after which the first duty,
the CVD will drop off. Trade rules
under the World Trade Organization
say that the U.S. can only keep its
"preliminary" CVD in place for four
months -- that is from August 17 to
December 15. They cannot be
reimposed until the DOC makes a
final determination.

The preliminary anti-dumping
duties will remain in place until
March 2002, when the DOC, makes
its final determination on both the
CVD and anti-dumping duties. Then,
in May 2002 the U.S. International
Trade Commission will make a final
ruling on whether the U.S. forest
industry has been injured by
Canadian softwood lumber imports.
In order for the duties to be imposed
permanently, the U.S. Coalition
must win both the subsidy and injury
cases.

Canadian exporters, who have
been posting bonds will either pay
more or less based on the final
determinations. The Canadian forest
industry won't have to pay any CVD
from mid-December until March.

Haggard has urged the federal
government to take strong action
and take the softwood lumber case
to the highest political level with
the administration of U.S. president
George W. Bush.

“At a time when the United States,
Canada, and other allied nations
are pulling together to defeat
terrorism, the Americans must cease
their war against our country’s most
important economic sector,” said
Brother Haggard. “The damage
being done by these protectionist
U.S. trade sanctions are un-
precedented. They fly right into the

face of ‘free trade.”

The 12.58% anti-dumping duty
applies to all provinces including
the Maritimes, which has been
exempt from trade actions until
now. Some companies have been
singled out for iffering levels of
anti-dumping levies.

In B.C., Slocan has been hit by a
startling 19.24% duty. Canfor is at
12.98% while Weyerhaeuser is at
11.93% and West Fraser was
assessed a 5.94% duty by the DOC.
Two other companies, Tembec and
Abitibi-Consolidated have been hit
with anti-dumping charges of 10.7
and 13.6 percent respectively.

The protectionist lobby group, the
U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber
Imports, originally sought anti-
dumping duties of up to 36% when
it filed its legal papers at the DOC
in early April.

“These types of crippling levies
have the potential of wiping out
large chunks of the Canadian forest
industry,” said Haggard. “The scary
part is that when final decisions are
made by the (U.S) Department of
Commerce, the tariffs could actually
be increased.”

Two-thirds of Canadian lumber
shipments head to U.S. markets. Of
the $10 billion in annual exports,
over half originate from British
Columbia.

Jake Kerr, president of Lignum
Ltd. in Williams Lake, B.C. anda
co-chair of the B.C. Lumber Trade
Council, told the media that the
U.S. trade actions are aimed at
shutting Canadian producers down.

“The whole thing is about supply
and demand,” he said. “The
Americans are attempting to get
Canadian supply off the market.”

The result would be higher lumber
prices for less-efficient U.S. lumber
producers.

The federal government’s
International Trade Minister Pierre
Pettigrew is assuring parties that
meetings will be held at the highest
level. The Bush administration has
appointed former Montana governor
Mark Racicot as a special envoy on
the softwood lumber issue. Racicot
will be working hand-in-hand with
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Donald
Evans, a life-long associate of
president Bush, who told the Senate
Commerce Committee in January
that he would be vigorously enforcing
U.S. trade laws, including anti-
dumping laws.

“When you look at the cast of
people and interests in Washington
connected to president Bush, it is
easy to see how politically-charged
the atmosphere is,” said Haggard.
“Not only is the U.S. commerce
department politically-biased but so
iB the entire process right up to the

yp.
“Those are some of the reasons
why is so essential that Canada
take a fough position at the
bargaining table,” said Haggard.

At press time Pettigrew and
Racicot are scheduled to meet to
take a detailed look at forest industry
practices in Canada.

The U.S. coalition is demanding
that timber on publicly-owned lands
be put up for auction.

continued on page two