& The Numero Uno Foursome was

(I. to r.) Mike Smith (Terry's son), Hubert
Sester, Dave Haggard, and Scott Lunny.
They shot a combined round of 11 under.

WITH AN IMPRESSIVE ROUND OF
11 under par, the combined efforts of
Mike Smith, Hubert Sester, Dave
Haggard and Scott Lunny, took first-
place at the First Terry Smith Memorial
Golf Tournament, held at the
Northview Golf Club on June 3.

A total of 145 golfers from IWA
national and local unions, the IAM,
other trade union affiliates, benefit car-
riers and professional groups partici-
pated in the event, co-sponsored by
W.E. Enterprises, the B.C. Federation
of Labour and various private and pub-

lic sector affiliates, and the IWA itself.
Over $30,000 dollars was raised in
the memory of the late WA national
secretary-treasurer Terry Smith, who
passed away in September of 2001.
“We are really pleased about the
turnout that we had on the golf course,”
says national union president Dave
Haggard. “It was a great day to get
together, have some fun, and remem-
ber a dear friend and colleague of all of
ours.” Plans to utilize the proceeds to
set-up some type of trust or benefit in
Terry’s name are still in the works.

B.C. Fed president Jim Sinclair was
on hand along with Fed secretary-treasur-
er Angie Schira to join the best-ball tour-
nament. Sister Schira also helped out as
master of ceremonies at an evening din-
ner and to hand out dozens of prizes to
runners-up and participants.

Brother Terry Smith is remembered
by all as a dedicated trade unionist who
also spent a great deal of his personal
time and efforts reaching out to commu-
nity-based activities. “He’ll never be for-
gotten and it was important for us to have
this day in his memory,” says Haggard.

LUMBER IN LIMBO

There’s no clear direction as to what
the next step is in the lumber
war with the United States

FALLING LUMBER PRICES have lit
a fire under the butts of U.S. trade
officials. Instead of causing lumber
prices to go up, crippling tariffs
imposed by the U.S. Commerce
Department and the International
Trade Commission, have provoked
major Canadian producers to pump as
much lumber into the States as they
can, paying the 27.2% tariff and all.
The result is that prices have been driv-
en into the tank and sawmill after
sawmill is going down on both sides of
the line.

During the last week of August, as
the mounting toll of mill closures was
building in Canada and the U.S.,
American trade officials went to B.C.
to have informal talks with the
government over possible solutions.

“There is such a market distortion
because of this tariff that U.S. mills are
closing too,” said Haggard. “Canadian
woodworkers and their communities
already know the pain of the trade
actions and now our American
cousins are feeling it as well. The tariff
is just causing a race to the bottom
for everyone.”

“Sure, the big guys can withstand
the drop in prices longer and then buy-
out the medium and small guys,” says
Haggard. “That's not good for working
people because you just get corporate
concentration where the big guys
call all of the shots — worse than they
do now.”

The hardest hit province in Canada
has been British Columbia. The IWA
has thousands of its members unem-
ployed as of press time.

Some industry observers say the
province's forest industry could shed
20,000 or more jobs by year’s end.

The meeting between Canada and
U.S. officials saw the Americans pitch
for control over B.C. forest
policy in exchange for so-called “free
market” access. The U.S. Commerce

ent itself wants to say yeah or
nay to the provinces and control what

access Canadian producers have.

They, in effect, want to be judge and
jury over what takes place in Canadian
forest policy. Call it an invasion of sov-
ereignty, many critics say.

“We've told governments that giving
up sovereignty over made-in-B.C. or
made-in-Canada forest policy to U.S.

THE AMERICAN SOFTWOOD
LUMBER TARIFFS ARE
CAUSING HAVOC ON BOTH
SIDES OF THE LINE AND

A DEAL MUST BE REACHED
WITHOUT GIVING UP
SOVEREIGNTY

interests is insanity,” says national IWA
president Dave Haggard. The U.S.
Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, the
lobby group behind the protectionist
actions, says there must be an “open
market” for Canadian logs and tenure
reform to Crown owned land.

“You are going to have to deal with
tenure and you are going to have to
deal with log export restrictions,”

= Lumber prices have dropped and forest companies are suffering, as producers
race to grab market share from their competitors.

Coalition legal counsel and spokesper-
son John Ragosta told the Vancouver
Sun, in late August.

“(U.S. President) George Bush does-
n’t want to stand up to U.S. protection-
ism although he goes around the plan-
et talking about the virtues of free mar-
kets,” says Brother Haggard who has
been pushing the idea of a joint North

THE LATEST IN THE LUMBER BATTLE

e In late August the U.S. Commerce
Department said it might bypass the
U.S. Coalition for Fair Lumber Imports, if
the United States is given the right to
‘set standards for and monitor forest
policies in Canada.

The Commerce Department wants to be
judge and jury on whether or not
Canadian forest practices live up to its
desired “free market” standards.

© The B.C. Liberals, already have a “free
market” forest policy agenda, aligned
with giving the forest industry a free
hand in setting forest policy.

© U.S. President George Bush continues to
talk a “free trade” agenda while U.S.
industry successful pursues protection-
ism against foreign competition.

The IWA is pushing for a negotiated set-
tlement while demanding that sover-
eignty to set domestic policies be pro-
tected in all provinces and the country.

The union is continuing to promote the
concept of a new, cooperative North
‘American marketing strategy for wood
products to discover new markets.

© Foreign competitors are gaining markets.

American marketing strategy for wood
products. The IWA has received some
response from industry.

“Why should Canada and the U.S be
at war over softwood when we could be
working together to discover, develop
and conquer new markets?” says the
union president. “Why not harness our
constructive energies and resources to
increase the global marketplace rather
than drive each other out of business?”

The Americans are also taking pot
shots at Canada’s value-added lumber
exports into the United States by ding-
ing producers with tariffs on the price
of the finished product going over the
line. About 58 per cent of of $1.6 billion
industry in B.C., goes to the United
States.

On top of the damage already done,
the International Trade Commission is
launching an investigation in so-called
“subsidies” in Canada’s value-added
industries.

“Our membership is suffering great.
ly because of all this,” says Haggard.
“There is absolutely no need for this to
happen. A negotiated settlement can be
reached by both sides.”

SEPTEMBER 2002 THE ALLIED WORKER aS 3