PHOTO COURTESY JACKIE AINEY = Linda Watson (|.) with fellow worker Carole Neubauer, has been a sawyer at Doman-Western since 2000. The log sawing Sister IWA Local 1-80’s Linda Watson broke the gender barrier in 2000 when she went after top sawmill job DECADE AFTER DECADE, it’s been a man’s world. The top paying job in the sawmill industry was always done by the male gender — that is until a little more than two years ago! That’s when IWA Local 1-80’s Linda Watson started as a head rig sawyer at the Doman-Western Nanaimo Lumber Division sawmill. Some of the management was opposed to her posting for the job at the time — even though Linda had over 20 years seniority. “You sign a job posting and you’re supposed to get a try at a job,” says Linda. “I thought there would be no problem — but it wasn’t that easy! Although most of the guys were sup- portive, I was pretty disappointed in some of the management and some of my fellow workers who didn’t think I could do the job.” During a five month period of Activists get ready to FOR THREE IWA WOMEN in attendance at March’s class on leader- ship and organizing (see story on page eight), the course offered was the best one they had yet been to as trade union members. Alberta Local 1-207’s Cheryl Cox, who works in the scaling shack at Weyerhaeuser’s Drayton Valley woodlands division, says the knowl- edge gained during an intensive week of training “was terrific.” Sister Cox helped the local union during an organizing campaign about five years ago and she thinks the course will help her overcome any fears to get out there and organize. “Thats really important in Alberta, as it’s a very tough province to organ- ize in,” she says, adding that she’s has already received some tips and is working on a few contacts in the local. legal wrangling with the company over the issue of being trained (the mill had a training agreement and they were trying to find a way around it), Linda became discouraged. She considered getting out of the forest industry altogether, even taking an interior design course. “I had to over- come my fears and get negative atti- tudes out of my head,” she says. “I knew I could run the head rig and I needed to prove that to myself and others. The union was very support- ive of me.” Over the years, Linda worked all kinds of jobs, including at the end stacker, bins, strapper, shipping and receiver, and as an edger operator and tally person. She got her COFI grad- ing and tally tickets over ten years ago. “Jinda’s a good sawyer,” says plant chairperson, Reg Krewenke, one of those who supported her bid for the = Carla Berkelaar, Local 1-425 and Local 1-207’s Cheryl Cox (Ltor). Williams Lake, B.C. Local 1-425’s Carla Berkelaar, who works at Central Cariboo Home Support Services, says the course was “great — it's shows strong support for women in the TWA.” She hopes to help her local union diversify its membership base job. “Her getting a shot at the job is justice in the workplace.” Management personnel that tried to hinder Linda are now gone. At this point in time, Linda is hitting her own stride. “It’s a, really satisfying feeling when the rig is flying and production is high,” she says. “At the head rig there is a lot of pressure. There’s no hiding your mistakes. Some commented that ‘women don’t understand machines’ or ‘women are uncoordinated or can’t stand the stress,” she laughs. “But I proved that those stereotypes are wrong!” Today Sister Carole Neubauer is training to become the second woman sawyer in the same mill. “It’s a credit to these women and to our union, that equality is being achieved,” says Local 1-80 president Bill Routley. “Every body must be treated equally in our organization.” organize by organizing in new and non-tradi- tional areas. The Williams Lake local has represented home care workers since 1987 and hopes to expand its presence in private health care. Other local unions, including Local 1000, Local 700 and Local 1-3567 also have employees in private health care. Local 363’s Leslie McNabb, a contract log scaler at Weyerhaeuser’s North Island Timberland division on Vancouver Island, says the course allowed women to realize “we can work together in a network.” “There are a lot of women out there that have lousy wages, bene- Leslie McNabb fits and working conditions and we can do a great deal to help them,” she adds. IWA national education conference in North Bay The northern Ontario community of North Bay will play host to this year’s National Women’s Education Conference. Between June 19-22, women from IWA local unions across Canada will participate in what will be the third consecutive annual conference held under the IWAss constitution. The theme of this year’s confer- ence will be “Taking Responsiblity.” The courses and workshops offered will include a workshop on how to fight back and advocate against gov- ernment cutbacks, the structure of the IWA, assertiveness training, harassment and discrimination, effective speaking and motivating the membership. The National Women’s Committee plans to meet with local union lia- sons on the 19th, and there will be a social on the evening of the same day. “We are looking forward to a strong turnout this year and hope to see women from every local union in Canada,” says Brenda Wagg, committee chairperson. = The IWA’s Sylvia Boyce (I.) was a facilitator in Feb. class. IWA rep facilitates class on picket lines and protocols The IWA’s Sylvia Boyce, who works in union’s national office in Toronto, instructed a one day workshop on picket lines and protocols on February 8. Sister Boyce, a newly- certified CLC instructor, was a guest of the St. Catherines and District Labour Council. It was an appropri- ate topic for IWA members at the nearby Anagram Premier ResCare health care facility which experi- enced injunctions and a lengthy strike (see story page two). Sylvia joined instructors from other unions, labour lawyers and representatives from the Niagara Regional Police. More women participate in labour force than years ago A Statistics Canada study paper reveals there were many more dou- ble-income families by the mid- 1990s than in the 1960s. In 1967 about fifty-eight per cent of Canadian families depended on a single male earner. That dropped significantly to about 18 per cent of working families by 1994. In 1961 about 29 per cent of all women par- ticipated in the country’s labour force. That shot up to 60 per cent by 1996. Furthermore, by 1994, accord- ing to the study, nine out of ten Canadian women who gave birth returned to their employment within a year. Today women make up about 72 per cent of part-time workers, whether or not they are from single or double-income families. APRIL 2003 THE ALLIED WORKER 1 13