FILE PHOTOS BY NORMAN GARCIA

= Coast loggers are having their jobs contracted out like they haven’t seen since the early to mid-1980s. Weyerhaeuser is leading the attack on IWA locals.

oast membership

An unprecedented set of circumstances are converging
on IWA members on the Coastal region and some observers say the

industry, led by Weyerhaeuser, is out to bust the union

BY NORMAN GARCIA

THE INDUSTRY ON the Coast of British 21 contractall bargaining units in the logging

sector,” adds Brother Haggard. “We've got

Columbia is looking at what Weyerhaeuser is ther players like Interfor and TimberWest

cheering in the wings and who are ready to fol-

doing to its loggers. Wherever they can and when- _ ow suit ifand when they can.”

Back in March Weyerhaeuser signaled its

ever they can, Weyco is attempting to continually destroy the integrity of intention to continue to dismantle the IWA,

bargaining unit by bargaining unit, in Port

IWA bargaining units with the company and award its cuts to contractor McNeill and southern Vancouver Island by

“exiting” the falling sector in favour of contrac-

crews. An all-out assault is taking place. At the same time negotiations _ tors (see Chopping the fallers, right). Both Local

Forest Industrial Relations, are about to restart.

Add to that, the fact that the B.C. Liberals have laid down a gauntlet of forest pol-
icy changes which can actively assist Weyerhaeuser and others drive union bar-
gaining units out of the woods (see article page three and Message from IWA presi-
dent Dave Haggard on page five).

“In my mind, Weyerhaeuser is trying to bust the IWA,” says Local 363 presi-
dent Rick Wangler. “Every time they can, they turn around to pound our mem-
bership into the sand. It’s incredible - what’s happening! I have absolutely no
doubt they are trying to destroy the union, at least in the Coastal logging sector.”

The local union has spent a small fortune on legal cases to stop the contract-
ing out. Weyerhaeuser North Island Timberlands management is even forcing
contractors on alternate shifts without the union’s approval and is asking the
local to withdraw complaints. In the past five years, Local 363 has seen its com-
pany crews sliced from 500 workers to 162. Today only 120 are working. What’s
next? A future 20% clawback of tenure under Liberal forest policy reforms would
kick the membership down to even smaller levels, says Wangler.

IWA national president Dave Haggard says there’s little doubt that
Weyerhaeuser is trying to dismember the IWA.

“Weyerhaeuser is going for all it can on the Coast region. It intends to eventu-

2171 and 1-80 have filed grievances.
Layoffs have inflicted Local 2171 to the point
where as of mid-August, only about 1000
members, mostly outside the forest industry, were working. That’s down from
about 3,500 members a year ago. In the past two years, the local has seen six of
its manufacturing plant close permanently. Two of them where Weyerhaeuser
units (Canadian White Pine and the K-3 particle board plant) in Vancouver where
500 union members were employed under early ‘oz. Both were money makers.

According the local union president Darrel Wong, to add insult to injury, some
forest companies are trying to “force the lowest common denominator” and push
the IWA out of the logging sector altogether. “Weyerhaeuser is doing it. Interfor
is trying to be there if it could and TimberWest forced us to negotiate a deal for
jobs in Beaver Cove,” he says.

In addition to taking on Weyco over the issue of contracting out its South Island
falling jobs in Northwest Bay and Cowichcan division, Local 1-80 is faced with the
Weyco’s threat to shut down the grave yard shift at its highly-profitable Chemainus
sawmill if it can’t get its way to force shift changes (see local news page six).

“Weyerhaeuser is trying to run roughshod over our loggers and mill crews,”
says Brother Routley. “In my opinion it is a company that takes actions unilater-
ally and does not care what the consequences may be, in terms of impact on the
community or its relationship with the IWA membership.”

10 | THE ALLIED WORKER AUGUST 2003