Photo by Ezra McCampbell - Workers went on strike Tuesday, September 13 to get a fair contract from Weyerhaeuser.
Months after their Collective Bargaining Agreement expired, Weyerhaeuser workers walked out on strike starting 12:01 a.m. Tuesday. The first sight to greet morning commuters going over the Willapa River bridge by the mill were strikers holding signs and waving. The last Weyerhaeuser worker strike was in 1986.
According to a press release from September 13 from President Directing Business Representative of IAMAW District W24 Brandon Bryant, "We have made the very difficult decision to withhold our labor from Weyerhaeuser, with a strike. Although we hope to continue to negotiate with the company, their delays have forced our hand to take this action. We hope to secure a fair offer that recognizes the hard work and dedication our members have given to their employer."
The strike participants include the mill workers, timberland operations, Weyerhaeuser truck drivers, log export yard employees and longshoremen in Washington and Oregon. Over 1,100 workers are being affected and they all belong to the International Association of machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) District W24 Union. The strike does not include management or anyone working on salary.
At the beginning of the strike a couple of hourly people were inside the mill shutting down the powerhouse and kilns safely. "You can't just shut them off, they have to be cooled down," said one striker. "It takes a process to bring them down. To keep it operational you gotta shut it down properly. It takes time. So once they are done they will come out, until then they have to keep working. We don't want nothing destroyed." Shutting down takes about 6 to 8 hours and by 9:00 a.m. Tuesday morning it was done. This prevents the mill from becoming nonfunctional.
"The goal is to come back to work, so we had to shut it down safely," said another on the picket line. "We didn't want to come back to a mess."
"We don't want to lose where we work, we just want it better," said someone else on the line.
On September 9, 2022 Bryant wrote in a press release, "The company presented to us a Best and Final proposal for our membership to vote on August 19. ... The company's proposal did include a number of improvements (no more reduction to sick leave payouts, small shift differential increases, and other language changes) but came nowhere close to what our members wanted or deserve."
With a larger-than-normal voter turnout, 80% of the union members voted and the offer was rejected.
"In light of Weyerhaeuser gaining record profits in 2021 and reporting revenue for the 12 months ending June 2022 of $10.63 billion dollars, an increase of 8.28% in year-over-year earnings, the company fell quite short on their economic package," said Bryant.
According to the official press release from Weyerhaeuser on Sep 13, 2022, "We have been formally engaged in collective bargaining with IAM since May, and we have made several offers related to wages and benefits," said Senior Vice President and Chief Administration Officer for Weyerhaeuser Denise Merle. "After we presented our final offer, IAM workers at multiple sites went on strike late last night (Tuesday, September 13, 2022). While we are very disappointed in their decision to walk out, we are committed to supporting our employees and negotiating in good faith with union representatives. We are prepared to continue discussions to produce a contract that is beneficial for employees and sustainable for the company across business cycles."
Bryant responded in a press release on September 14, 2022, "The IAM intends to continue to bargain in good faith with Weyerhaeuser and is available at any time or day, to continue that negotiation. We have had a good relationship with our employer for many decades and went into this bargain to continue and grow that relationship; a relationship that is symbiotic - good for them and good for us. Weyerhaeuser has reaped the good from our labor over the past 4 years of this collective bargaining agreement. All we are asking for is a fair share of that good. We were seeking improvements that would make Weyerhaeuser a desirable place to have a career, as it once was, but those improvements were pushed aside to maintain the status quo. The result; all that hard work with little to no reward."
The community has shown lots of support for the strikers by honking and waving. "The community support has been amazing," said the Bargaining Team in a press release on September 16. "Our picket lines have seen thousands of people show their support. Every honk is a call to bring Weyerhaeuser back to the table. Every wave is a statement that we are behind you. The boxes of homemade cookies, the store-bought bags of hamburgers, and the boxes of donated meals from little mom-and-pop restaurants have strengthened our resolve. Thank you, to all that have shown support. We are in this until we get a fair contract. And we will be here until we do!"
As a reminder, Weyerhaeuser worked throughout the pandemic supplying and filling the lumber needs at that time. Currently, no one knows when the strike will end, but negotiations are still underway.