ATTENTION:   Members of Woodworkers District Lodge W1, I.A.M. Pe Ell and Aberdeen Wood Operations

On Wednesday, August 12, 2009, we received word that the Department of Labor has approved certification of the Trade Act.  This will entitle our members to greater opportunities for retraining with unemployment benefits extended for those who take advantage.  You will need to contact your local Work Source office for details.  I want to thank the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO Liaison Bill Messenger,  and Weyerhaeuser's Gary Salme who did assist in getting this approved.

We have been denied benefits of the Trade Act at the Weyerhaeuser Raymond and Warrenton Mills.  However, we are in the process of filing a new application and feel it may receive a better response now that the Department of Labor has begun approving some of our plants.

WeyCo has informed the union that it did not and will issue a WARN Act closure notice for the Bay City yard. Their attitude is, “Our lawyers tell us we do not have to so we won’t”. Despite numerous conversations between the union and WeyCo, WeyCo appears to be unwavering on this issue. 

How unions help all workers
By Lawrence Mishel Matthew Walters 08-26-03

August 2003 | EPI Briefing Paper #143

How unions help all workers

by Lawrence Mishel and Matthew Walters

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Unions have a substantial impact on the compensation and work lives of both unionized and non-unionized workers. This report presents current data on unions' effect on wages, fringe benefits, total compensation, pay inequality, and workplace protections.

Some of the conclusions are:

• Unions raise wages of unionized workers by roughly 20% and raise compensation, including both wages and benefits, by about 28%.

• Unions reduce wage inequality because they raise wages more for low- and middle-wage workers than for higher-wage workers, more for blue-collar than for white-collar workers, and more for workers who do not have a college degree.

• Strong unions set a pay standard that nonunion employers follow. For example, a high school graduate whose workplace is not unionized but whose industry is 25% unionized is paid 5% more than similar workers in less unionized industries.

• The impact of unions on total nonunion wages is almost as large as the impact on total union wages.

• The most sweeping advantage for unionized workers is in fringe benefits. Unionized workers are more likely than their nonunionized counterparts to receive paid leave, are approximately 18% to 28% more likely to have employer-provided health insurance, and are 23% to 54% more likely to be in employer-provided pension plans.

• Unionized workers receive more generous health benefits than nonunionized workers. They also pay 18% lower health care deductibles and a smaller share of the costs for family coverage. In retirement, unionized workers are 24% more likely to be covered by health insurance paid for by their employer.

• Unionized workers receive better pension plans. Not only are they more likely to have a guaranteed benefit in retirement, their employers contribute 28% more toward pensions.

• Unionized workers receive 26% more vacation time and 14% more total paid leave (vacations and holidays).

Unions play a pivotal role both in securing legislated labor protections and rights such as safety and health, overtime, and family/medical leave and in enforcing those rights on the job. Because unionized workers are more informed, they are more likely to benefit from social insurance programs such as unemployment insurance and workers compensation. Unions are thus an intermediary institution that provides a necessary complement to legislated benefits and protections.

Yesterday, WeyCo announced the indefinite closure of the Bay City yard in Aberdeen, WA.  Since the closure effects fewer than the legal minimums that require issuing a WARN notice, WeyCo has decided not to issue a WARN notice.  Nothing prevents WeyCo from issuing a WARN notice for these workers.  So why not extend to these workers most of whom have been WeyCo workers for more than 20 years the same respect and dignity that they would receive had WeyCo laid off an additional 10 or so workers?  See attached leaflet for more information regarding the announcement Monday of other curtailments.

The union is planning to bargain the effects of the closure later this week or early next week.  As bumping begins it is likely that some number of Bay City workers will be bumping back into the woods operations.  If this occurs the next most likely outcome will be a rash of worker compensation injuries and perhaps worse as workers not accustomed to the different work environment of the woods struggle to adapt.

During the past decade we have seen almost all of our employers sell their timberland or their mills.  The attached slide show offers some suggestions as to why.

The bottom line is that seeking short-term profits as encouraged by federa; tax policy makes it less competitive to be an integrated forest products company.  Unfortunately nothing in public policy or the tax code takes into account the other benefits of having integrated forest products firms.  When all that matters is return to investors based on the last quarter other values get lost.  As citizens we all suffer from this approach.  We, as woodworkers, just suffer more directly and more quickly.