Western Forest Products’ workers went on strike as of 3:45 pm on Monday, July 1, and pickets were in place in several Powell River locations after the job action was called.
United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-1937, the union representing 1,500 of the company’s hourly employees and 1,500 employees working for the company’s timberland operators and contractors in BC began a strike that affects all of the company’s USW-certified manufacturing and timberlands operations in the province.
According to a Western Forest Products (WFP) news release, the company has been in negotiations with the USW since April 2019 for a new collective agreement to replace the company’s prior agreement, which expired in mid-June. The union served 72-hour strike notice on the company and some of its contractors on June 28. The company applied to the BC Labour Relations Board on June 25 for the appointment of a mediator to assist in negotiations and has made multiple requests to meet with the USW and a negotiator. According to WFP, the USW has not agreed to meet.
“It is extremely disappointing that the USW has chosen to take strike action,” said WFP president and chief executive officer Don Demens. “After cancelling scheduled bargaining sessions and refusing mediation, it’s clear that the USW is intent on inflicting damage to the coastal forest industry, which already faces significant market challenges, including having to pay the highest softwood lumber duties for shipments to the United States of any jurisdiction in Canada and the loss of market share in Japan due to Japanese government subsidies for their domestic industry. We remain hopeful that they will agree to meet with a mediator so as to minimize the disruption on our employees, communities and customers.”
Demens said the company has been working to negotiate a new collective agreement with USW, as has been achieved in the northern and southern interior of BC, where the USW and the Council on Northern Interior Forest Service Relations and Interior Forest Labour Relations Association, respectively, have ratified new agreements. He said the actions taken by the USW come at a time when BC forest companies are curtailing production and shutting down mills due to poor market conditions.
Western Forest Products has begun its work stoppage contingency plan and is working to mitigate the potential impact on the strike on its business partners and customers.
Efforts were made to speak with a Powell River USW spokesperson on how the strike is going locally but the individual was unable to comment. The Peak was referred to a union spokesperson, who did not comment prior to deadline.
According to a news release from USW, members working for WFP voted 98.8 per cent in favour of taking strike action.
The release further states that due to the fact that WFP has not seriously addressed the local union’s proposals and because WFP continues to keep massive concessions on the bargaining table that threaten USW members, the union served strike notice.
The union states this action was not taken lightly and was strategically made in order to apply maximum pressure on WFP in order to send the strongest possible message, in the clearest possible terms, that WFP must seriously address the membership’s proposal, remove all concessions entirely, as well as rescind all cancellation letters regarding local agreements and practices.
