BURNABY, B.C. – The United Steelworkers union (USW) welcomes the BC NDP’s commitments to support forestry workers and communities through new investments to keep mills operating, protect jobs and strengthen B.C.’s forestry sector. The union says the plan is a positive step toward addressing the challenges facing the industry.
The BC NDP’s proposed $120-million Forestry Jobs Protection Fund, investments in mill modernization, improved access to fibre and efforts to expand international markets are welcome commitments for an industry hit hard by decades of unfair U.S. softwood lumber tariffs, mill closures and job losses.
“Forestry workers and their communities have been through a lot, and these commitments are positive steps,” said Scott Lunny, USW Director for Western Canada. “Keeping mills open and people working needs to be a priority. We’re pleased to see the BC NDP putting forward a plan to support the industry, and we want to keep building on that work to give forestry workers and their families some much-needed stability.”
The USW is also calling on all candidates in the B.C. election to support a Working Forest strategy that balances conservation, reconciliation and good jobs. This includes securing a reliable timber supply for B.C. mills, directly tying logging rights to keeping mills operating and workers employed, and establishing a Forestry Jobs Protection Commissioner to help prevent further mill closures and job losses.
“We have the resources and the skilled workers right here in B.C. What we need is a commitment to keeping those resources working for our communities. There’s more work to do, but these are encouraging steps. We want to see a forestry industry that provides good union jobs and supports families and communities for generations to come,” said Lunny.
About the United Steelworkers union
The USW represents 225,000 members in nearly every economic sector across Canada and is the largest private-sector union in North America, with 850,000 members in Canada, the United States and the Caribbean.
Each year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of its strong track record in creating safer, more respectful workplaces and negotiating better wages, benefits and pensions.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
Alberta’s future is on the ballot and Steelworkers have a choice to make. We need solutions, not scapegoats. Leadership, not chaos. Our focus should be on strengthening health care, making life more affordable, protecting good jobs and building a better future for working families. That’s why the United Steelworkers union is encouraging members across Alberta […]
Local elections and their advance voting are underway across B.C. and for Steelworkers, the people who get elected in our communities matters, deeply. In the resource communities where thousands of our members live and work, municipal governments make decisions that affect our jobs, families and communities. Strong local leaders can be our champions for forestry, mining […]
Long-term project partnerships create meaningful international alliances and sustainable development for workers and marginalized communities. The Steelworkers Humanity Fund (SHF) marked ten years of working with the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI), empowering forestry workers and local unions across India. This alliance has connected Canadian union activists from the USW national Wood Council with […]