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FOR  IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BURNABY, BC - The BC government must take immediate actions to assist companies, workers and communities hit by the worst forest-sector crisis since the Great Depression, say the United Steelworkers (USW).
 
At a meeting today with forests minister Pat Bell, the USW offered to withdraw calls for reform or abrogation of the Canada-US Softwood Lumber Agreement in exchange for a process that ensures serious discussion of other measures in the union’s recently-released 10-point plan for the BC forest sector.
 
“We still believe the lumber deal is part of the problem and we think most British Columbians agree,” said USW Western Canada Director Steve Hunt.  “But in the interest of moving forward with discussions of the other elements of our plan, we’re putting that demand on hold.”
 
Bell agreed to the union’s offer to withdraw its demand over the softwood lumber deal and to meet in the near future to discuss the USW’s remaining 9 points.
 
Bell told Hunt that the union’s plan contains “many sound initiatives.”
 
Hunt noted that the union’s call for an end to the controversial agreement between the federal government and the US was the reason given by Premier Gordon Campbell for dismissing USW’s plan when it was released in May.  Meanwhile the union had heard no sound objections or arguments against any of the other proposals, such as measures to stop fatal and severe accidents; halting log exports and stimulating BC manufacturing; cutting down on wood waste and high-grading of valuable species; protecting workers and communities affected by plant closures; doing more training, retraining and skills upgrading and a initiating a concerted reforestation program.
 
“These are measures that are supported by the majority of British Columbians.  They would help turn our industry around.  It’s time we got to work and at least started talking about what we can do rather than what we can’t do,” Hunt urged.  “The time for denial is over:  we need solutions.”
 
Hunt noted that in seeking the meeting, minister Bell said he needs the Steelworkers’ help.  “We accepted the government’s offer to help. But first we need a sign that the government is finally ready to act on a crisis that is killing jobs and blighting hopes in communities all over this province.  This would provide it.”
 
The USW also released the backgrounder prepared for today’s meeting.  It suggests that the current crisis will likely continue until 2010 due to the depth of the US housing-sector crisis, which has been exacerbated by the associated sub-prime mortgage crisis and has now helped bring on a recession that will likely prove to be severe.
 
Already some 12,000 to 13,000 jobs have been lost in the BC forest sector since October 2007 in addition to some 10,000 lost due to a combination of corporate and government policies since 2001.  At least 50 BC wood-processing plants have been permanently closed since 2001, the most recent being the Canwood Furniture plant in Penticton, where some 90 remaining jobs were lost when the firm’s name and product lines were purchased by a Richmond based company that produces furniture in China and other Asian countries.
 

 
Contact:       Stephen Hunt  604, 683.1117; 604.816.2554