Three unions at Woodland Pulp mill go on strike

Eighty workers belonging to three local unions at the Woodland Pulp mill went on strike this week, after rejecting the company's contract offer. This is the second threat of a strike that the pulp mill has faced in less than a year, with 130 members of the United Steelworkers union having voted to go on strike last December before accepting a company offer for a wage increase to reflect the higher cost of living caused by inflation.
This time, three different unions voted to strike because they believe the company's proposal would place at risk the membership's job security. They include 22 members of the machinists union, 20 millwrights and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators. The members voted 17 to 1, 17 to 0 and 27 to 2, respectively, to reject the latest contract offer. Contract negotiations began in August, and their three-year contract expired on September 30. The three local unions voted to go on strike beginning Saturday, October 14, having given the company 10 days' notice.
"Our membership is willing to do whatever it takes to protect their jobs and a community that relies on good union jobs at Woodland Pulp," says Danny Loudermilk, the District 4 business representative for the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). "No one ever wants to strike, but our members are proud of their work, and they will stand strong against this blatant attempt to eliminate jobs here in Baileyville."
As the strike proceeds, Loudermilk says the company may be able to continue some aspects of its operations, including the chipping operation and tissue plant, but the steam and water plant and the pulp dryers will have few workers.
Loudermilk says that company management is attempting to replace millwright, pipefitter, machinist and auto mechanic positions with a general mechanic classification. "They are very proud tradesmen," says Loudermilk. "There's a lot of pride, and the company's not listening to them." In a survey, union members identified protecting the core trades as one of their top priorities.
Calling the reclassification "a radical restructuring," Loudermilk says that, if core trades such as machinists and millwrights are considered general mechanics, then any employee could work as a different specialist, and he says the move "could be a tool to eliminate jobs." He believes the company's ultimate goal is to be more efficient and spend less money.
According to Loudermilk, the company wants to set up a tier system and have workers move voluntarily into other positions and then work their way up to the next tier level. He explains that currently all mechanics have a core trade. If a union member chooses to be part of the company's proposed tier system "they would have to make their desires known and once they do get into the tier system they have to stay in it. If they do, they will be given modules to study in preparation for an actual on-the-job test where they may advance to the next step. The modules would take the mechanic into a totally different area he doesn't normally perform in."
He adds, "People can move up in the tier system if they study and prove themselves. But it is possible for somebody to get into the tier system but not do anything to advance, in which case they would receive a percentage increase in lieu of."
The IAM union filed an unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the company for allegedly refusing to bargain in good faith after management waited until negotiations were well under way to reveal its concessionary job classification proposal and then refused to provide satisfactory financial information.
IAM District 4, the IAM Eastern Territory and the IAM Woodworkers Department are working collaboratively with other unions at the mill. "The IAM is providing every resource necessary to obtain a fair contract for our dedicated membership at Woodland Pulp," says IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. "As a native Mainer, I know the vital importance of preserving career pathways for our communities."
As for the company's position, Brendan Wolf, executive director, Human Resources and Safety Department, says that Woodland Pulp "believes that keeping the details of negotiations with the unions at the bargaining table and not in the media is the best way to reach a successful labor agreement. Thus, commenting on a prior company offer or company and union proposals made during negotiations would not further that goal. We have agreed to continue negotiations with a federal mediator."
A total of 340 workers are employed at the Woodland Pulp mill, which is owned by International Grand Investment Corp. (IGIC), a U.S. based company for a Chinese investment firm. IGIC owned companies employ a total of 470 workers in Baileyville, with another 90 workers at St. Croix Tissue, which uses the pulp from the mill to produce tissue paper, and 40 at St. Croix Chipping, the former Fulghum Fibres operation that supplies the wood chips for Woodland Pulp.