BAILEYVILLE, Maine, Nov. 9, 2023 –Woodland Pulp workers, members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1490 (District 4), Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 330-3 and Millwrights Local 1121 have become the first striking workers in Maine to be eligible for unemployment benefits. 

Approximately 22 Machinists Union members, along with 20 Millwrights and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators from SEIU Local 330-3 and Millwrights Local 1121, at a northern Maine wood pulp facility have been on strike since Saturday, October 14. This united front of dedicated union workers at the Woodland Pulp facility is taking a stand for their job security, seeking a fair contract that safeguards their core trades.

“The solidarity displayed by our members sends a powerful message,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “Paying unemployment benefits to strikers helps to level the playing field between workers and employers. They are standing up for themselves and the entire community that relies on the stability provided by strong union jobs at Woodland Pulp. On behalf of all striking workers in Maine, the IAM would like to express our sincere gratitude to Maine Gov. Janet T. Mills and Maine Labor Commissioner Laura Fortman for their unwavering commitment to securing unemployment benefits for us.” 

A bipartisan group of 50 Maine Legislators — including Senate President Troy Jackson (D-Aroostook), House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham (R-Winter Harbor), Senate Majority Leader Eloise Vitelli (D-Sagadahoc) and Assistant Majority Leader Mattie Daughtry (D-Cumberland) — have signed a letter urging Woodland Pulp in Baileyville to settle a fair contract with its union employees who have been on strike since mid-October.

“The overwhelming community support for this strike is a testament to their unwavering dedication to preserving their jobs and the well-being of their community,” said IAM District 4 Business Representative Danny Loudermilk. “We are proud to kick down the door and make history by being the first workers on strike eligible to receive unemployment benefits. This is about more than just a contract; it’s about securing a future for our members and the generations to come.” 

Woodland Pulp workers continue to express concern over the company’s proposal, which threatens job security by introducing a new job classification aimed at replacing millwrights, pipefitters, machinists, and auto mechanic positions. The workers remain resolute in their demand for a fair and just resolution that upholds their rights and ensures the continued prosperity of Woodland Pulp and its workforce.

This achievement underscores the strength of our solidarity and sends a powerful message about the importance of job security,” said IAM Woodworkers Director Robert D. Walls. “We are determined to negotiate a fair contract that safeguards our livelihoods and the integrity of our trades. This is a historic moment, and we appreciate the bipartisan group of 50 Maine Legislators who have voiced their support.”

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) is among the largest industrial trade unions in North America and represents nearly 600,000 active and retired members in the manufacturing, aerospace, defense, airlines, transportation, shipbuilding, woodworking, health care, and other industries.

goIAM.org | @MachinistsUnion

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The IAM Wood, Pulp, and Paper Council Conference recently took place in Eugene, Ore. Delegates and guests attended the three-day conference to discuss issues about this important sector of the union. Several officers, delegates, and staff members gave presentations and speeches pertaining to the wood industry, IAM benefits, and resources the Grand Lodge can offer to help the membership. A highlight of the conference was that the attendees were also able to tour a nearby lumber mill and see how fresh-cut trees are made into commercial lumber. 

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BAILEYVILLE, Maine, Oct. 13, 2023 –Approximately 22 Machinists Union members from the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1490 (District 4), along with 20 Millwrights and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators from Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 330-3 and Millwrights Local 1121, will commence a strike at a northern Maine wood pulp facility. IAM members will strike starting on Saturday, October 14 at 12:01 a.m. ET. SEIU Local 330-3 will strike starting on Sunday, October 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET and the Millwrights will go out the week of October 20. This group of dedicated workers at a prominent northern Maine wood pulp facility is taking a stand for their job security. 

The unions are seeking a fair contract that also safeguards their core trades. The solidarity displayed sends a powerful message as they voice their concerns over the company’s proposal that threatens their job security by introducing a new job classification, aiming to replace millwright, pipefitter, machinists, and auto mechanic positions.

Members of IAM District 4, SEIU Local 330-3, and Millwrights Local 1121 have voted overwhelmingly in favor of this strike action, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to protect their jobs and their community, which relies on the stability provided by strong union jobs at Woodland Pulp.

“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 and job classifications here in Baileyville,” said IAM District 4 Business Representative Danny Loudermilk. “This company is trying to create workers who are jack of all trades and master of none by proposing to classify workers under the same general category.  Our membership and union allies will do whatever it takes to protect their jobs, job classifications, and a community that relies on good union jobs at Woodland Pulp.”

The IAM has filed additional Unfair Labor Practice Charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Woodland Pulp for continued bad faith bargaining, in addition to the ones already filed against the company for their refusals to bargain in good faith. Also, Woodland management waited until negotiations were underway to reveal its concessionary job classification proposal, then refused to provide satisfactory financial information.

“The IAM is providing every resource necessary to obtain a fair contract for our dedicated membership at Woodland Pulp,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “IAM members and our union colleagues remain determined to pursue a fair contract that secures their job security and the community’s future.”  

The strike will commence on Saturday, October 14, at 12:01 a.m. ET unless a significant change occurs in the company’s proposal.

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BAILEYVILLE, Maine, Oct. 6, 2023 – Approximately 22 Machinists Union members at a northern Maine wood pulp facility will go on strike beginning Sunday, Oct. 15 at 12:01 a.m. ET, followed shortly by 20 Millwrights and 38 oilers and steam and water plant operators, barring a drastic change in a company proposal that would eviscerate the membership’s job security.

Members of International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) Local 1490 (District 4), Service Employees International Union Local 330-3 and Millwrights Local 1121 have voted overwhelmingly to reject Woodland Pulp, LLC’s contract offer and to strike for a fair contract.

Company management is attempting to replace millwright, pipefitter, machinists and auto mechanic positions with a general mechanic classification. Membership surveys have made it clear that protecting their core trades is the bargaining unit’s top priority.

The IAM filed an Unfair Labor Practice Charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the company for refusing to bargain in good faith after Woodland management waited until negotiations were well underway to reveal its concessionary job classification proposal, and then refused to provide satisfactory financial information.

“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,” said IAM District 4 Business Representative Danny Loudermilk. “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.”

IAM District 4, the IAM Eastern Territory and the IAM Woodworkers Department are working collaboratively with other unions at the facility.

“The IAM is providing every resource necessary to obtain a fair contract for our dedicated membership at Woodland Pulp,” said IAM Eastern Territory General Vice President David Sullivan. “As a native Mainer, I know the vital importance of preserving career pathways for our communities.”

Negotiations began in August 2023.

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Registration is now open for the 2023 Machinists Wood, Pulp & Paper Council (MWPPC) Conference from Oct. 25-29 at the Graduate Hotel in Eugene, Ore. The deadline for hotel reservations is Friday, Oct. 6.

A registration form and more information about the conference are enclosed in the conference call letter. Please complete the form and return it to the IAM Woodworkers Department, c/o Terri Kenealy at 9000 Machinists Place, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772, or email  tkenealy@iamaw.org.

In addition, on the evening of Saturday, Oct. 28, retired Chief of Staff Mike Rose will be honored at a retirement dinner. Tickets are $175 each. Please contact Terri Kenealy at tkenealy@iamaw.org or 301-967-4555 for more details and to register.

The conference registration fee will be $125 per delegate and $75 for each guest and can be paid upon arrival at the conference. This fee will help defray the cost of the Machinists Wood, Pulp & Paper Council Conference.

Newly appointed MWPPC President Chuck Bennett will chair this meeting and direct the busy agenda. Council business will include Machinists Wood, Pulp & Paper Council Officer elections for President and Secretary-Treasurer, a host of great speakers, and a strong focus on organizing. Some of the highlights at the Conference will be a Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines Fundraising Event on Thursday evening, Oct. 26, and we will tour the Weyerhaeuser Cottage Grove Sawmill on Friday afternoon, Oct. 27.

If you have any questions about this conference, please contact Woodworkers Department Director Bob Walls at 301-967-4555.

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About 125 IAM members from across the South recently gathered in Biloxi, MS for a Committee on the Future Listening Session.

IAM Midwest Territory General Vice President Steve Galloway welcomed members and thanked them for participating in this historic event. In this video report, three IAM members who attended, Mary Lee of Local 97, Mikah Phillips from Local 709, and Doyle Stacey of Local 1296 give their comments about how useful and important these meetings are for members to attend. For more information regarding the Committee on the Future, visit iamcotf.org.

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IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. has appointed Billy Barnwell, a longtime IAM activist, and officer in Georgia, as a Special Representative in the IAM Woodworkers Department. The appointment is effective February 1, 2023.

Barnwell, a 20-year IAM member, has served as President and Directing Business Representative of IAM District 131 since 2017. During his tenure, Barnwell has led negotiating committees in contract talks for members in a variety of industries, including wood, pulp, and paper. 

He has also presided over several successful organizing campaigns for members across Georgia. The district’s shop steward training program, instituted by Barnwell, has brought up numerous new IAM leaders.

“Brother Barnwell knows what it takes to build union power and stand up for our membership,” said Martinez. “His knowledge and passion for our union are going to help us grow and strengthen the IAM in this critical sector.”

Since 2017, Barnwell has also served as President of the IAM Wood, Pulp, and Paper Council, helping to bring together IAM members in the sector from coast to coast. He is passionate about the cause of Guide Dogs of America/Tender Loving Canines, helping to institute a new annual BBQ fundraiser for the IAM’s favorite charity. 

Barnwell was initiated into IAM Local 1034 in Macon in 2002 after being hired as a maintenance mechanic for Graphic Packaging. He has served as a Shop Steward, Local Lodge Trustee, District Delegate, Chief Steward, District Trustee, and District Organizer before leading District 131. 

Barnwell holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in literature from Southern New Hampshire University.

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Walls has served on the Woodworkers’ Department’s Grand Lodge staff since 2015 as a Special Representative and then as a Grand Lodge Representative.

“Brother Walls has a long history on the shop floor, at the negotiating table, and in halls of power around the world advocating for IAM wood, pulp, and paper members,” said Martinez. “We look forward to continuing to strengthen our power and grow our footprint in this critical sector.”

Walls, a member since the Woodworkers affiliated with the IAM in 1994, served as a shop steward and business representative for IAM Local W33 in his hometown of International Falls, MN. He was appointed District W3 Business Representative in February 2000 and became the district’s Assistant Directing Business Representative in 2009.

Walls serves on the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Resource Committee (SFI), the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee, the Machinists Wood, Pulp & Paper Council, and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC.) In October 2022, at the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) Congress, Walls was elected Vice President of BWI’s North America Region. 

Walls takes over for Mike Rose, who retired as Woodworkers Department Chief of Staff on January 1.

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Mike Rose, IAM Chief of Staff to the International President assigned to the wood, pulp and paper sectors, will retire from the IAM, effective January 1, 2023.

Rose, a 42-year member, is renowned throughout the IAM and globally as a leading voice for working people in the wood, pulp and paper industry. He has spent the last 14 years on the IAM’s Grand Lodge staff, working in several roles to organize new members, negotiate contracts, and grow the IAM’s power on a global scale.

“The IAM and our members in the wood, pulp and paper sector have benefitted greatly from Mike’s leadership and expertise,” said IAM International President Robert Martinez Jr. “His dedication, knowledge and first-hand experiences have resulted in countless victories on behalf of our membership. We wish Mike and his family all the very best in a well-earned retirement.”

Rose first initiated into IAM Local W261 in 1980 while working in the logging department of the International Paper Company in Gardiner, OR. He rose through the ranks of his local, serving as Shop Steward, Chief Shop Steward and Business Representative. From 1997 to 2008, Rose was a Business Representative and Organizer for District W1.

Rose joined the IAM Organizing Department in 2008, serving as an Organizer and then as a Grand Lodge Representative. Rose led several successful organizing drives at major employers in the wood, pulp and paper sector.

From 2014 until his retirement, Rose has served as Woodworkers Department Chief of Staff, where he has fought for the interests of tens of thousands of IAM members in the sector.

Rose has served on the boards of the Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) World Council, the Forest Products Industry National Labor Management Committee, the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), and the Oregon Board of Forestry. He is a member of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

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District W24 woodworkers, their families, labor allies, and community members recently gathered at Local W246’s union hall in Springfield, OR for a show of solidarity with IAM District W24 Weyerhaeuser workers who have been on strike against the company for six weeks. 

WATCH: Oregon AFL-CIO Rally Video 

IAM District W24 Directing Business Representative Brandon Bryant, IAM Western Territory General Vice President Gary R. Allen, and AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler all spoke to the audience about the strength W24 members in Washington and Oregon have shown on the strike line.

“A lot of our members have taken on additional roles that they’ve never had to do before,” said Bryant. “Being strike captains, making strike signs, spending time on the line. They’ve been helping organize strike check distribution. We’ve never had to do this before; it’s been 36 years since we’ve had to put on strike. Our members stepped up and made this strike as strong as it can be.”

Bryant announced that the bargaining unit reached a new tentative agreement with a company in a late-night session the evening before the rally. 

READ: IAM District W24 Members in Pacific Northwest Strike Weyerhaeuser for Fair Contract

“We think it’s the best that we can get at this time, and we only got the best that we can get this time because of the strength of our members and what they did and holding the company accountable.”

Included in the tentative deal is the largest wage increases Weyerhaeuser woodworkers have seen in a four-year deal, a better shift differential, improved vacation, and fewer cuts than what the company was originally offering. The agreement puts strong caps on what employees’ healthcare costs will be, with no increases over the course of the contract. 

READ: Weyerhaeuser workers continue strike, prepare to vote on tentative deal KEZI (ABC) News 

“This kind of movement is going on all over the country and all over North America,” said Allen. “Our strength is from our unity and no matter what you decide to do next week when you vote on this contract, we walk in shoulder-to-shoulder, hand-in-hand, as brothers and sisters, because the majority rules.”

Shuler thanked District W24’s membership for their sacrifice on the strike line, saying it’s a hopeful sign for workers across the nation who are watching.

“The strength that you showed, coming together, holding the line ¾ you’re not just holding it for yourselves, you’re holding it for working people everywhere,” said Shuler. “You’re holding it for the next generation.”

@MachinistsUnion General VP, Western Territory, Gary Allen – "No matter what you decide to do next week when you vote on this contract, we walk in shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand as brothers and sisters because the majority rules in the Machinists Union."

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

"Met with them (@Weyerhaeuser) last night and came to an agreement" @MachinistsUnion District W24 President Brandon Bryant, "We only got the best that we can get at this time because of the strength of our members and holding them accountable."

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

Rally for Woodworker Justice: "We are fighting against corporate greed. We are the David to the corporate Goliath (@Weyerhaeuser), sparing against them and asking for our fair share." – @MachinistsUnion District W24 President Brandon Bryant

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

From the Rally for Woodworker Justice: "We love what we do, our members that are on strike now love what we do," @MachinistsUnion District W24 President Brandon Bryant, "And we want to get back and do that." @Weyerhaeuser

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

"This fight that you have been waging is about so much more than one employer," AFL-CIO President @graham_oregon, "this strike and this struggle are helping to inspire other workers to take a stand, to be brave, to push back, and to fight for fairness." @MachinistsUnion

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

"We're here to send a message," Oregon AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor, "the Oregon Labor movement will always stand with working people, no matter the struggle, no matter the location, no matter the industry." @MachinistsUnion

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

"When we fight, we win", AFL-CIO President Graham Trainor led the crowd in a chant at the Rally for Woodworker Justice: Do Better Weyerhaeuser! @MachinistsUnion

— Oregon AFL-CIO (@OregonAFLCIO) October 21, 2022

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