NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | August 18, 2017 | PAGE 23
Labor Day Is Our Day!
Be Union! Be Proud!
From the Officers, Representatives Office Staff and Members of
Machinists
District W24
• Lodge 63 in Gladstone • Lodge 1005 in Gladstone • Lodge 1432 in Gladstone
• W12 in Klamath Falls • W246 in Springfield • W261 in Central Point
W38 in Shelton, WA • W130 in Aberdeen, WA • W536 in Longview, WA
• W98 in Arcata, CA • W364 in Lewiston, ID • Local 88 in Butte, MT
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
25 Cornell Ave., Gladstone, OR/503-656-1475 or 503-238-5550
AWPPW rejects Georgia Pacific/
Koch Industries contract offer
The Association of Western
Pulp and Paper Workers (AW-
PPW) Local 5 and Georgia Pa-
cific (GP), wholly owned by
Koch Industries, have been in
contract negotiations for over
three years, as the labor agree-
ment expired May 31, 2014.
AWPPW Local 5, located in
Camas Washington, over-
whelmingly rejected a contract
offer that was voted on by the
members, simultaneously giv-
ing strike authorization. It is
likely that customers such as
Walmart, Costco, Staples, and
Kroger’s would have supplies
affected should a labor dispute
arise at the GP facility.
The company offer proposed
that employees hired after ratifi-
cation would come under a new
wage rate scale that reduces
wages an average of 20 percent.
New hires would not be eligible
for any general wage increases.
New employees would not be
eligible for the defined benefit
pension plan, they would have
fewer holidays, and vacation
pay would be reduced.
As part of GP’s proposal, cur-
rent employees would receive
general wage increases on aver-
age 1 percent per year, which is
far less than the 2.5 percent in-
dustry average.
The company’s proposal also
contains language that allows
for contracting out of all work,
maintenance as well as produc-
tion.
The proposal replaces current
health care plans with plans that
reduce benefits and have high
deductibles. This shifts the bur-
den to the employees to cover
their health care, the union said.
Additionally, the proposal es-
tablishes a two-tier wage system
that would cut wages and bene-
fits for the workers, while Geor-
gia Pacific continues to make
record profits for parent com-
pany Koch Industries.
The union and the company
were scheduled to meet again on
Aug. 16 (after this issue went to
press).
AWPPW is affiliated with the
United Brotherhood of the Car-
penters & Joiners of America.