Forestry News

After one day of bargaining with Canfor Polar and Plateau Sawmills in Prince George on January 23, 2019, as well as one day with Canfor Chetwynd two weeks prior, we have now reached impasse with all three independent Canfor mills.

At the request of the IFLRA, your bargaining committee returned to the table on January 15, 16 and 17 in Kelowna BC. Despite what can only be described as a frustrating 3 days, your committee continued to work diligently towards concluding a fair collective agreement.

Prior to the break, Canfor, representing the three northern mills – Chetwynd, Polar and Plateau, applied to the BC Labour Relations Board for a ruling on the USW’s recent strike vote of 95% among the three mills that the strike vote and 72-hour notice was illegal.

Your USW Bargaining Committee continues to work hard for the unionized Forest Industry membership in USW Local’s 1-405 (Cranbrook); 1-417 (Kamloops); 1-423 (Kelowna) and 1-2017 (Prince George and Southern Cariboo) to achieve a fair collective agreement.

The United Steelworkers has successfully resolved the long-standing random drug and alcohol testing issue at Teck Coal mines in southeastern British Columbia, winning a landmark decision that forced Teck to stop its testing program.