@ COAST STRIKE ENDS The union
and FIR will be going into
mediation as the Liberals legis-
late an end to the strike/2

ff ONE HUGE MERGER In
November Canfor and Slocan
announced a merger that
would form the second largest
North American lumber giant/3

1 LETTERS PAGE The Allied
Worker welcomes letters from
 IWAers across Canada/4

i OPINIONS IWA President Dave
Haggard writes about the strike
and mediation on Coast of B.C.
and Local 2171 logger Carl
Chester lays out his views on
what's at stake/5

@ LINKING THE LOCALS Brief bits
and bites of information from
all IWA Canada locals/6-7

i WORKING IN HEALTH CARE I|WA
Local 1-3567 is growing at a

7 rapid rate in the
private health
care services sec-
tor as it reaches
out to new mem-
bership/8

I STRIKES AND LOCKOUTS A stat-
ment from the IWA negotiating
committee representing Coast
locals and other news on
labour disputes/9

IWA Coast strike pix/10-15

@ FIFTEENTH ANNIVERSARY The
IWA’s southern partner in Chile
celebrates a
decade and a half
of building
unionism in the
South American
country's forest sector/14

@ LETTING THE LOGS OUT The
B.C. Liberals have done exactly
what they said
they would not
do - they've
approved record
levels of log
exports from public lands/ 17

fi MUCH TOO YOUNG TO DIE In
August of this year, an 18 year
old was tragically killed in a
B.C. sawmill and there are
more questions than answers
for her family and the union/ 18

Bi A HISTORY OF SOLIDARITY Over
fifty years ago the IWA threw its
full support
behind striking
B.C. Interior wood-
=| workers as

| Coastal union
members pulled out the stops/ 19

@ SHOPPING ETHICALLY The CLC
has developed an on-line guide
for conscientious
consumers to
assist them in
their opposition
to products from
sweatshops/ 20

FRONTNeWS

Union condemns sell-off of BC Ra

GORDON CAMPBELL’S B.C. Liberals
broke another election promise when
they announced the sell-off of BC Rail to
Canadian National Railways on
November 15. The giant CN gets to
merge BC Rail’s non-railbed assets into
it for the next 60 years (with a 30 year
option) for a mere $1 billion — that’s if
the federal government allows CN to use
the Crown corporations, assets as a tax
write-off. Meanwhile, CN predicts it will
make a $100 million a year in profits.
Even though documents leaked earli-
er in the year say a CN takeover would
result in over 1,200 job losses, the pur-
chasing company says about 430 jobs
will be lost when it shuts down rail yards

and offices in Squamish and North
Vancouver. “There you go — a govern-
ment that lies to taxpayers and a fudging
of job loss numbers already,” says IWA
national president Dave Haggard. “All of
this was done without open consultation
with the people and the workers who
live in the communities affected by the
sale.”

Workers affected by the deal could
include IWA Local 1-424 members who
belong to maintenance of way crews
along the line. The IWA is an affiliate
member of the Council of Unions on
BC Rail.

BC Rail recently purchased some 150
new rail cars to increase efficiencies.

They will now go to a company
has raised freight rates by 4 per cent.

“We don’t think this deal makes any
sense for communities, workers, busi-
nesses or taxpayers,” says Local
president Frank Everitt. “The Liberals ar
selling BC Rail for a song and for a few
beads and trinkets in the form of limited —
CN investment and some increases
taxes paid to some municipalities. It’
smoke and mirrors deal which fut
generations will pay for.”

The BC Rail privatization bid has b
sealed and is not open to public scr
The Liberals have run a slick campaig
which does not fool British Columbians,
says Haggard.

Coast IWA
strike comes
to end

Mediator will
oversee contract talks
with option for
binding decision

IWA NATIONAL PRESIDENT Dave
Haggard says the Liberal government’s
legislation getting both sides back to
mediation is “the best of a bad case sce-
nario” for workers. Forced to strike on
November 21, to avoid terms and condi-
tions imposed by Forest Industrial
Relations, the employer association for
coastal forest companies, the IWA’s
membership is being recalled to work
under the terms of the 2000-2003 col-
lective agreement.

“The negotiating committee had a dif-
ficult time decid-
ing to accept the
intervention of
the provincial gov-
ernment,” says
Brother Haggard.

“When we met
with Labour
Minister Graham
My) Bruce we had
frank discussions
about options to
end the strike.”

Brother Haggard said that local
unions were steadfast in their opposi-
tion to returning to work under conces-
sionary terms and conditions being
imposed by FIR and upheld by a deci-
sion of the Labour Relations Board on
November 21. That decision provoked a
coast wide strike.

Workers, beginning with Local 1-3567
Interfor crews, walked out starting on
November 17, when the company tried
to impose those terms and conditions
on their workplaces.

Both sides were dug in for a potential-

Dave Haggard

ly lengthy dispute — a strike that would
have taken an even greater toll on work-

ers who have been experiencing tough |

times, small and mid-sized companies,
and many communities.

The Liberal government expressed its
concerns over the impact on the econo-
my of B.C. and on forest-dependent
communities, during the meeting in
Victoria.

“We agree that a strike is not the right
thing for the coastal industry at this
point in time and we have been remind-
ing people that it was the industry that
forced the strike by unilaterally impos-
ing unacceptable terms and conditions,”
added Haggard. “The harsh reality is a
negotiated settlement was not in the
cards; not because of the IWA, our com-
mittee or our demands, but because of
the inability of the industry to negotiate
an agreement.”

There are serious concerns about
going into a mediation process which
may wind up in binding arbitration,
adds the president. “There is no doubt
in my mind that this industry has been
working its hardest to avoid negotia-
tions, hoping instead that our members
would give in to their imposed collective
agreement. While I’m not comfortable
with the process, I know that our com-
mittee will be able to put forward our
issues and with the hope of Mr. (media-
tor Don) Munroe, I’m hopeful that we
can teach a mediated solution that our

= On the picket line at the Interfor Acorn mill were (I. to r.) Local 1-3567’s
Bant Dhaliwal, Kulwant Grewal, Gary Gibson and Dave Fraser.

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

members will —
haye the opportu- —
nity to vote on.”

“This was a dif
ficult decision in
the face of a diffi-
cult sitution, but
at least now our
members h
some  certai:
about their jobs —

and will hopefully —

David Tones
be able to enjoy the holiday season a lit

tle bit better.”
National secretary-treasurer David
Tones said Locals 1-405 and 1-417 have —
signed an October 2003 memorandum of
agreement with the IFLRA. Meanwhile
no date has been set for the resumption of —
negotiations for Local 1-423 members —
employed by association companies. The
local is meeting with plant chairs on
January 6, followed by meml
meeting and a special confe
Brother Tones notes the provincial
tiating committee will work with and st
port Local 1-423.

ments are being ratified in most
tions. However, agreements have b
voted down at Weldwood Quesnel
Tackama Forest Products mills in
Nelson and the Canfor Houston
Slocan’s Quesnel Forest Products
More votes are to be taken in the
Year (see local union news page six).

2s ] _ THE ALLIED WORKER DECEMBER 2003