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Weyerhaeuser Workers Strike!


Please join us in supporting the workers on strike in our community. Here is some information directly from their union offices:

The IAM membership that works at multiple locations for Weyerhaeuser hit the strike lines at 12:01am Tuesday, September 13th. This is after our rejection of the company’s proposal and the company’s failure to return to the bargaining table. 

We have notified the company of our rejection, and those issues relative to that rejection, but as of today, have not had additional dates or times scheduled to return to negotiations. The company has told us that they have availability this coming Friday, September 16th, and we are still waiting for that date and time to be confirmed. 

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. 

John Locke said, “All wealth is the product of labor.” The Union movement is about making sure that labor is recognized and rewarded fairly for that labor. Union Contracts outline an agreement between those that perform that labor and those that reap from that labor. The tradeoffs are an agreement that both parties abide by that covers wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions. That is what we are in negotiations with Weyerhaeuser for, an agreement that fairly sets the standard for those wages, hours, benefits, and working conditions. Their proposal fell short, didn’t fairly recognize our labor, and was rejected. 

Since 1986, we have always come to an agreement with Weyerhaeuser for renewals for those agreements. This is the first time since then, that we have been forced to take action to strike. And this is because Weyerhaeuser has not come back to the table to talk. We want to continue and grow our relationship with our employer, and that includes working toward a new agreement, one that is acceptable to BOTH parties. This one wasn’t acceptable to us, and needs improvement. 

In Solidarity, 

Brandon Bryant

IAMAW District W24

President Directing Business Rep

Additional Information

Members affected – over 1100 – 14 Different Union Contracts – In Oregon and Washington

Union – International Association of Machinist and Aerospace Workers (IAM)

(International Association of Woodworkers merged with the IAM in 1994)

Locations of strike lines and Union Local Information – follow the link for a pdf.

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