= At the national convention in September NDP federal leadership candidate Lorne Nystrom (I.) met with IWA national president Dave Haggard.

IWA throws support behind Nystrom

LORNE NYSTROM IS the guy that the IWA is putting its pull behind for next January’s federal NDP leadership con- vention in Toronto. The reason is sim- ple - it’s the economy!

On September 26, at the union’s con- vention, IWA national president Dave Haggard made the announcment. “Lome is the only one who has addressed the key issues of importance to our members,” said Brother Haggard. “He has consistently stressed the need for a strong, modern economy that can create jobs, support communities and pay for

the programs Canadians deserve from government.”

The convention’s delegates agreed to stand behind Nystrom’s campaign and encourage IWA rank-and-filers to join the party to cast their ballots for Lorne.

The election, which will replace out- going leader Alexa McDonough, will be based on one member, one vote.

“This new format gives a greater oportunity for union members to influ- ence the outcome of the leadership campaign,” says Haggard. “IWA mem- bers all over the country should rise to

the occasion to join the NDP, even if they have never done so before, and support a candidate who supports working people. We need to get as involved as we can to support Lorne. The New Democrats have strayed away from the bread-and-butter type of con- cerns that Canadians have,” says Haggard. “We need someone who will help regain the NDP’s credibility on wealth and job creation, and economic management - people need to believe their party cares about these things.” Check out www.nystrom2003.com

More hassle and pain

More mills close as the predicted fall/winter slump causes dislocation during softwood dispute

NOBODY KNOWS HOW LONG the Canada - U.S. softwood lumber war will drag on. It could be months and it could be years. One thing is for sure though, the mounting toll of the tariffs is being felt by workers and communi- ties across Canada as the fall/winter months go by.

IWA Canada members have been impacted by permanent job loss, lay- offs and erratic work scheduling. The effects of the lumber war have been felt the most on coastal British Columbia, and some parts of the province’s southern Interior. In the northern B.C. Interior many mills have put on extra shifts and are operating pedal to the medal, trying to lower their unit costs as much as possible.

Whereas American lumber produc- ers thought their tariffs would keep Canadian lumber out of U.S. markets, and drive prices up, the opposite has happened. Canadian mills are pump- ing out as much wood as they can. Lower prices have been the result, with mills teetering on the brink of closure.

“It’s an unsustainable and an unhealthy situation that our industry and our members are in right now,” says national union president Dave Haggard. “How long this can go on is anybody's bet. Canadian workers and communities are hurting as well as American workers.”

At the centre of the union’s efforts to weather the storm is its demand for a “zeal” softwood aid plan from the fed- eral government - one that differs from the one announced on October 8 (see

age one). cee is no doubt there is a crisis,” says Haggard. “Six thousand of our members have either lost their jobs or are on indefinite layoff and we don’t expect the situation to get better soon.”

The union president has criticized the Liberals’ October 8 plan to assist the industry by expanding EI and pumping money into retraining work- ers for jobs outside the forest industry.

“I indicated to (Deputy PM and Finance Minster John) Manley that the existing package does not really help the forest industry or its workers. We say the feds can get better bang for their buck by redirecting some of that money to help older workers retire,

allowing younger workers to get back to work.”

“WE SAY THE FEDS CAN GET BETTER BANG FOR THEIR BUCK BY REDIRECTING SOME OF THAT MONEY TO HELP OLDER WORKERS RETIRE ....”

- DAVE HAGGARD

Meanwhile, on Vancouver Island, Doman Industries is in the process of being been bailed out by new investors, including a subsidiary of Brascan.

“Restructuring is obviously better than the alternative of bankruptcy,” says Local 1-80 president Bill Routley. “Who knows where that would have left our members.” The local is trying to negoti- ate severance pay at the Nanoose Forest Products mill in Chemainus.

PHOTO BY NORMAN GARCIA

= In December Local 1000 members at the Domtar mill in Sault Ste. Marie received word that 60 more jobs will be gone at the end of January, 2003.

Elsewhere in the IWA, Local 1-3567 suffered a blow when Interfor pull up stakes at it McDonald Cedar mill in Ft. Langley in November, to ship jobs to the U.S. (see editorial opposite page). Up to 100 direct and indirect jobs are being eliminated.

In late November, the Weyerhaeuser company announced the March 22, 2003 permanent closure of its sawmill in Vavenby sawmill, throwing 160 peo-

THE LATEST SOFTWOOD LUMBER NEWS

National IWA president Dave Haggard is demanding a “real” softwood lumber aid package - one with federal funding to assist older workers retire from the industry and create room for younger workers to stay in their communities.

* Brother Haggard, accompanied by industry and the 8.C. government, met with Deputy PM John Manley in October to lobby on the important pension- bridging issue. The lobby continues.

© A subsidiary of Brascan and other Investors are in the process of acquir- : Ing Doman Industries in B.C.

© Interfor has closed its value-added McDonald cedar in Ft. Langley, moving 4100 jobs from B.C. to Washington State.

« In later November Weyerhaeuser announced that it is pulling the plug on its sawmill in Vavenby, B.C. at the end of March next year, as Locals 1-417 and 1- 423 work to find displaced workers some Jobs In other mills.

Local 1000 suffers a double-whammy: permanent job loss at the Tembec sawmill in Mattawa in late November and at the Domtar sawmill in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario in January 2003.

ple out of work and devastating nearby communities. Local 1-417 is working to get laid off workers jobs at other Weyco mills in Kamloops, Princeton and Okanagan Falls, assisted by Local 1-423 in the latter two locations.

In October, Local 1000 members at the Tembec sawmill in Mattawa, Ontario got the news that 64 of 120 millworkers were laid off, directly due to the softwood lumber dispute (see story page seven). The layoffs took effect on November 25. Other bad news for the same local in December when the Domtar mill in Sault Ste. Marie annouced that by the end of January next year another 60 lumber producing jobs will be gone. The company switched from pine to hardwoods and says it can’t make money.

Since it took over operations from EB Eddy at the end of ’99, over 180 jobs have been lost in the Sault mill, which has produced both softwood and hardwood veneers and lumber. Former local president and now national fourth vice Joe da Costa says the company plans to plane and dry-kiln 2x3’s for the Anthony-Domtar Trussjoint plant in town.

DECEMBER 2002 THE ALLIED WORKER | 3