Pacific Northwest Weyerhaeuser Employees Vote On Union Strike Authority
About 1,200 Weyerhaeuser Co. employees in Washington and Oregon voted overwhelmingly to give the regional woodworkers union strike authority, paving the way for a work stoppage if negotiators continue to disagree on terms of a new labor contract.
The final ballot tally was more than 90 percent in favor of strike authority, said Wayne Thompson, district business representative of the International Aerospace and Machinists/Woodworkers Local District W24 Lodge. The vote total included ballots from nearly 400 union sawmill and other workers in Longview-based Woodworkers Local 536. Workers from Coos Bay, Ore., to Aberdeen, Wash., also participated in the vote.
Union members also voted down the most recent version of a proposed contract by roughly the same margin, Thompson said. “I’ve never seen our crews this solid,” he said. Thompson said negotiators are still working with Weyerhaeuser representatives to get back to the bargaining table.
“We are disappointed in this outcome, but optimistic that we can continue to work with union leaders to reach a mutually acceptable agreement,” Weyerhaeuser said in a statement.
No date has been set for a strike, but no further contract talks are scheduled, Thompson said. However, an official at Woodworkers Local 24 in the Raymond area said the union and company have scheduled talks on July 10-11, 2018 the Raymond, Wash.-based Willapa Harbor Herald reported.
From The Daily News: tdn.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
Weyerhaeuser Buys 69,000 Acres
Latest News
Georgia-Pacific Announces New $150 Million Georgia Sawmill
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1548381510056-0’); }); Georgia-Pacific announced plans to build a new regional lumber production facility at the Albany-Dougherty Industrial Park in east Albany on U.S. Highway 82. Construction on the $150 million, 320,000-square-foot, technologically advanced…
Canfor Says It Paid Over $50 Million To U.S. In Countervailing Duties
Canfor Corporation says it paid $51.7 million in countervailing duties in the second quarter, the result of U.S. tariffs that went into force in 2017. Canfor, which sells more than half of its lumber to…
Will Strong Lumber Prices Bring A New Dawn For U.S. Producers?
In the last few months, lumber supply from Canada, United States’ biggest lumber provider, was shaken by a slew of factors like insect attack, forest fires and shortage of transportation. President Trump’s decision to impose…
Find Us On Social
Newsletter
The monthly Timber Processing Industry Newsletter reaches over 4,000 mill owners and supervisors.
Subscribe/Renew
Timber Processing is delivered 10 times per year to subscribers who represent sawmill ownership, management and supervisory personnel and corporate executives. Subscriptions are FREE to qualified individuals.
Advertise
Complete the online form so we can direct you to the appropriate Sales Representative.