Salli Sie. Marie

¢ Brother Smith told numerous jokes and often found himself being the subject of humourous tales. At the 1999 convention in Sault Ste. Marie,
the International Association of Machinist’s Rod Kelty (background) ordained him as “Bubba” Smith, as national I.W.A. national president Dave

Haggard looked on.

Terry Smith
continued from page eleven

At the Canfor operation Brother
Smith served on the same committee
as plant chairman Gerry Stoney,
who would go on to become the
president of New Westminster Local
1-357 in 1971.

Terry recalled that the Canfor
crew had a good record at solving
grievances, many of which he
headed.

“Tt wasn’t because I was extremely
bright or anything,” he recalled
with modesty. “It was a case that
we had the ability as a group of
people in a committee to find a
solution to things.”

“We prided ourselves at solving
grievances at a lower step,” he added.

In 1972, Stoney and others from
the local, including Brother Smith,
would champion and campaign on
the issue of getting a forest industry
pension plan into place.

“We felt it was time that there be
an industry pension plan. A lot of

people still had the idea that was
the government’s responsibility,” he
recalled to Brother Perry.

In 1972 the pension plan started
out at employer contributions of five
cents an hour. All those retiring
after June 15, 1972 would receive
$45 a month.

“When you look back it’s now $2.50
instead of 5 cents (an hour) and it’s
starting to produce some pretty
decent plans for people,” said Terry.

After he became first vice
president of the local in 1973, Terry
got to know Vancouver Local 1-217
president Syd Thompson fairly well
as the two locals built a positive
relationship. Terry would learn
more about the early history of the
union in his discussions with Syd as
they would often chat about history
and politics.

After the 1972 election of the Dave
Barrett led NDP government,
recollected Brother Smith “then we
felt we could do something.” Local
president Stoney and Terry worked
hard to grow union support for the
New Democrats.

Terry witnessed base rates in
collective agreement go from less
than $3 per hour in the early 70’s to
over $20 per hour today with a whole
list of benefits. Terry attributed
that, inigtend part, to the union’s
unity and to the leadership qualities
of former union president Jack
Munro, who he referred to as “one
of the best.”

“I remember I started in the
industry in the 1960’s — everybody
used to complain about how you
could go to the grocery store and
make more money than working in
the forest industry, well those days
are long behind us. A lot of that
(credit) goes to Jack Munro. Jack
had the ability to get a deal and
know when there was no more
(money on the table),” he said.

In the recession of the early 80’s
Terry saw his own local drop to
under 4,000 members from over
7,000.

“Nineteen eighty-two was
devastating to this industry. We
lost mill after mill,” he said. In 1985,
as president of Local 1-357, Smith

anchored an employee buyout of the
Lamford Cedar mill, a last-ditch
effort to save jobs in those
recessionary times. The mill
remained open three more years.

Terry considered the 1986 strike
in B.C. over contracting out to be an
important struggle for the union
over “black and white” issues that
mobilized the membership.

Local 1-357, said Terry, would
have up to 3 meetings a week to
keep the membership informed with
300-400 members at each meeting.

“Basically I think the union has
been more united over the last 20
years than it has ever been,” he
said, pointing out that in the early
years there were often great
divisions.

“These divisions weren’t always
in the best interest of working
people.”

Recalling his years as a union
member and leader, Terry tol
Brother Perry that “I’ve enjoyed ij
I’ve had opportunity to do thing:
that I probably would not have had
the opportunity to do.” &

Coast construction
continued from page twelve

companies to survive,” he noted.

Brother Kobayashi said the coast.
forest industry is really down. He
pointed out to factor like the
combined U.S. duties against
Canadian softwood lumber, high
stumpage costs, land-use decisions
like the one that took place on the
central B.C. coast, and depressed
lumber prices have all taken their
cumulative toll on the amount of
construction work being done.

The additional factor of having to
compete with low-bid contractors
has made things worse.

“All they (company unions and
non-union contractors) do is drive
down wages and benefits all over
the construction sector whether
they be in the mills, on other
commercial construction sites or in
the domestic end of things,” said.
Kobayashi.

He acknowledged that many

former I.W.A. member are employed
by non-I.W.A. competition.

“They would rather be working
I.W.A. - there’s no two ways about
it,” he added. “They also prefer to
work for legitimate unions.”

Company unions have been on
the increase in the forest industry
since the fall of 1994 when
MacMillan Bloedel cut its 47 year
relationship with Building Trade
affiliate unions at pulp mill complex
in Port Alberni. It introduced what
the labour movement considers
illegitimate company unions
affiliated to the Canadian Iron,
Steel and Industrial Workers Union.

The I.W.A. also competes with
concessionary CLAC (Christian
Labour Association of Canada)
agreements that kow-tow to
employers.

With the election of the B.C.
Liberals, Kobayashi said non-union
contractors are going to get their
way.

“For the most part in the Lower
Mainland, on Vancouver Island and

in part of the northern and southern
Interior, strong I.W.A. plant
committees have been able to keep
non I.W.A. construction companies
at bay,” said Kobayashi. “We still
depend on that solidarity and want

to see an expansion of it.”

He said the I.W.A. is very
concerned about Weyerhaeuser
Canada’s use of non-union
contractors in parts of the country
and what that will lead to in B.C. m

see next issue of the Lumberworker.

CONVENTION 2001 - Dave Haggard joined Local 1000’s Mike McCarter
and others for the singing of Oh Canada! at the union’s annual
convention in Edmonton in September. For full convention coverage,

20/LUMBERWORKER/NOVEMBER, 2001