Union workers with timber giant Weyerhaeuser officially went on strike at midnight today. The action affects the corporation’s locations in Oregon and Washington.
Outside International Paper in Springfield, Oregon this morning, a picket line of roughly a dozen Weyerhaeuser workers held signs and waved to traffic.
Mike Green is a union steward with Woodworkers Local 246 in Springfield. He says they haven’t had a collective bargaining agreement since the end of May.
“A good fair and, wage and benefit package," he said, when asked what he and his fellow workers wanted. "Everybody’s seen how steep inflation’s gettin’ right now, we want our wages to be not way far behind.”
Green added that typically, contracts are for four years at a time, so he hopes a deal is worked out soon. He said the strike will go on as long as needed.
“And we’re also being asked to start paying some premiums on our healthcare," said Green. "This is kinda like insult after injury, because our last contract, we gave up our premium healthcare program to go with an HSA-style healthcare benefit.
"A lot of the workers were not very happy with it.”
The strike was approved by members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union, which has 1200 members.
In a statement, Weyerhaeuser says while disappointed in the decision to strike, the company is prepared to continue discussions towards a contract beneficial for employees, and sustainable for Weyerhaeuser. The statement goes on to say that they'll work closely with customers and partners to minimize supply disruptions.
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