Steelworkers target Home Depot stores
in solidarity with striking B.C. workers
The United Steelworkers demon-
strated at Home Depot stores in Sher-
wood and Albany, Oregon, Sept. 29 in
support of striking forestry workers in
British Columbia, Canada. It was one of
more than 150 similar events held that
day in the U.S. and Canada as part of a
National Day of Action.
Some 7,000 wood products workers
in the coastal region of British Columbia
have been on strike at more than 30
companies since July 20 in an effort to
restore concessions that were imposed
by a government-appointed mediator/
arbitrator following a three-week strike
in 2004.
The Industrial Wood and Allied
Workers (IWA), representing wood
products workers in British Columbia,
as well as other provinces across
Canada, merged with the Pittsburgh-
based United Steelworkers of America
in 2004.
Home Depot was targeted because it
is a major retailer of wood products the
struck companies produce. The union is
asking consumers not to purchase prod-
ucts labeled by Western Forest Products,
Interfor and Weyerhaeuser (Cedar One).
A key issue in the strike is job safety.
In 2004, a government-appointed
mediator put into place a work schedule
that allowed logging companies to go to
a six-day workweek with three days off.
This meant that loggers could be sched-
uled for six consecutive days at straight
time pay with work days running as
long as 10 hours per day. Including
travel time to remote logging sites,
workdays oftentimes exceeded 12-14
hours.
On average, 25 workers are killed
each year in the coastal forestry industry
of British Columbia, the union said.
There were 46 logging fatalities in 2005,
and the Steelworkers attribute the in-
crease, in part, to the imposed work
schedule.
“The strike is about undoing this hor-
rible scheduling provision forced on our
members in 2004,” said Ed Eskola, fi-
nancial secretary of Local 1-85 in Port
Alberni. “Our members are very angry
and even though this strike is dragging
out, they are as solid and strong today as
they were the first day of the strike.”
The Steelworkers say Home Depot is
selling “bloody lumber” produced by
the struck companies.
Another key issue in the strike in-
volves severance pay packages when a
company closes down a mill or logging
operation. The union has a proposal on
the table that would require the com-
pany to pay out severance packages
when there’s been a substantial reduc-
tion of the work force. The union said
that some companies have tried to avoid
severance payouts by shutting a mill but
leaving one or two workers in place.
“They claim this is not a complete
closure that triggers severance pay-
ments. We’re determined to close that
loophole,” the union said.
Bricklayers
back Clinton
The Bricklayers and Allied Craft-
workers is the fifth union to endorse
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.)
for president. The executive council of
the 100,000-member union voted unan-
imously Sept. 23 to support Clinton af-
ter she came out the favorite in a mem-
ber poll. The Bricklayers join four other
unions in their endorsement of Clinton
— Letter Carriers, Machinists, the
Transportation-Communications Union
and the United Transportation Union.
Former Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.)
has won the support of four unions —
Mine Workers, United Steelworkers
the Transport Workers and the Carpen-
ters. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is
backed by the Fire Fighters Union.
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PAGE 10
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
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UNION ORGANIZER
SEEKING WORK
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OCTOBER 5, 2007