Solidarity at International Paper

IP Union News August 2009

2009-08-21T11:12:00.000-07:00

Union Workers Discuss Workplace Issues, Solutions at Conference to Strengthen IP Mill and Converter Locals

Local union representatives from IP mills and converters from coast-to-coast met in Pittsburgh Aug. 4 to discuss progress, as well as problems in negotiations and other dealing with management. Union members got a crash course in the current economic situation facing the American paper industry. And USW members strengthen ties to allies such as the three-million member Workers Uniting labor union in the United Kingdom.

Led by Intl. Vice President Jon Geenen and Assistant to the President Leeann Anderson, IP union leaders talked about the value of the Framework Agreement worked out between union and management that has stabilized conditions of employment for workers even when the industry is going through an unstable period. Geenen noted that due to the efforts of IP members in gaining this Framework Agreement, this is the first economic downturn in which management has not gone after wages and benefits of hourly workers. USW President Leo Gerard spoke about the proven advantage of union solidarity in paper shops from coast to coast.

Key issues discussed at the conference included successfully holding back health care premium increases due to the master bargaining; critical Retiree Medical Savings Plan information, organizing efforts at non-union plants such as in Mansfield, La.; workplace hazard mapping as outlined by Edinburg, Texas Local 314; option for retiree medical coverage; bargaining support between locals; mobilization and visibility, and; strengthening our communications network. Representatives from the former Weyerhaeuser local unions held a special meeting at the conference to discuss issues having to do with their integration into the IP system.

Based on discussions and debate at the conference meeting, as well as recommendations from regional meetings, the group set the following top priorities:

• Continuing conference-wide phone calls with more detailed agendas sent out beforehand.
• Continuing monthly newsletter and improved shop floor distribution.
• Preparing for and develop guidelines for the next master agreement.
• Identifying problems, such as Sedgwick’s interpretation of our health care benefits and the company’s varying interpretations of the Family and Medical Leave Act, which need to be confronted on a system wide basis.

Union members from IP plants across the country met in Pittsburgh to discuss issues of importance back home, compare notes and strengthen bonds between plant workers at different mills and converters.

For more information about the IP Union Conference – seeking to strengthen, unite and advance the interests of union workers at International Paper – check out the conference web site: www.SolidarityatIP.org

IP Union Conference News July 2009

2009-07-15T07:55:00.000-07:00

IP Union Conference meeting shaping up

Early numbers indicate that our upcoming meeting of IP local unions in Pittsburgh August 4-5 will be well attended. Aug. 4th is the day for our IP council meeting and the 5th will be a plenary meeting of other attending paper industry councils. We will move our Workers Uniting agenda forward where we have a joint presence in the paper sector with our United Kingdom counterpart, UNITE. July 20 is the deadline for hotel reservations. For more information on arrangements for your local union, contact Dolly at the USW at 412-562-2382.

SUCCESS: Union workers at IP help nail down “black liquor’ tax credit

USW represented workers from IP and other paper plants have successfully lobbied for continuation of the tax credits to the paper industry for alternative byproduct energy known as ‘black liquor.’ Carroll Story from Franklin, VA, one of the rank-and-file union members who successfully lobbied for the bill, said, “It was a chance for the congressmen to hear from workers from the plants. We educated them about how this wasn’t just a corporate giveaway, but a way to keep fellow workers on the job during downturns. It was a very strong effort by our union, and we were successful.” Other IP workers lobbying for the bill in Washington, D.C., included: Ingrid Wallace, Pensacola, Fla., Joe Whalen, Ticonderoga, N.Y., Kevin Dorn, Pineville, La., Nick Brewbaker, Pineville, La., Jimmy Melton, ¬¬Vicksburg, Miss., and Leroy Hendrix, Vicksburg, Miss.

Labor Taking the Offense on the Political Front

Organized workers and our allies across the country are reacting to the changing political winds in Washington, D.C., and making a ‘full court press’ to change labor laws that have been weakened by corporate interests through the decades since they were enacted.

The name of the proposed law we want Congress to pass is the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). President Obama pledged to sign it if it passes through Congress. As expected, many employers are desperately fighting it. Passage of this law would help non-union workers get organized with us, earn similar amounts and eliminate any artificial competitive disadvantages.

Strength Through
Unity at IP!

For more information about the IP Union Conference – seeking to strengthen, unite and advance the interests of union workers at International Paper – check out the conference web site: http://www.solidarityatip.org/

IP Union News March 2009

2009-03-23T12:28:00.000-07:00

Next IP Union Conference Call Scheduled

A date has been set for the next national conference call to discuss the latest from International Paper plants, as well as the paper industry as a whole. The date for this second national call is Thursday, April 23, 2009 4:00 PM (Eastern). Details about getting on this call have been sent to local union officers by mail and email. As in the previous call, locals can submit question or comments on topics of importance to union members. Based on concerns voiced by members, we want to report that these calls are not to replace conference meetings, but in the time between meetings to enhance communications between locals and leadership.

More feedback from the Jan. 22 call

Local union leaders were surveyed after the last conference call, and here are a few of the points raised:
• Many feel the call went well, but want to refine the Question & Answer section.
• There was some confusion about the forms for submitting questions, and suggestions for improvements.
• Members wanted more information before calls so that they can be more prepared.
• Some wanted a list of the questions that were to be addressed sent to them as well as an agenda.
• The minutes were welcome as follow up; some said copies of the minutes were given to other officers.
• Some wanted the council contact list so that they could continue discussions after the calls.

‘Weingarten Rights’
A WORKER’S RIGHT TO UNION REPRESENTATION

There is no time like the present to educate ourselves on where we stand as workers at this large company. USW members should be aware of an important legal safeguard that union-represented workers have that non-union workers do not.

The right of employees to have union representation at investigatory interviews was announced by the U.S. Supreme Court in a 1975 case (NLRB vs. Weingarten, Inc.) These are known as the Weingarten rights. Employees have Weingarten rights only during investigatory interviews, when a supervisor questions an employee to get information which could be used as a basis for discipline or asks an employee to defend his or her conduct.

If a union worker has a reasonable belief that discipline or other adverse consequences may result from what he or she says, they have the right to request union representation. Management is not required to inform the employee of his/her Weingarten rights; it is the employee’s responsibility to know and request.

When an employee makes the request for a union representative to be present management has three options: (1) stop questioning until the representative arrives, (2) call off the interview or, (3) tell the employee that it will call off the interview unless they voluntarily gives up his/her rights to a union representative (an option employees should refuse.)

Management often tries to say that the only role a union representative has in an investigatory interview is to observe the discussion. The Supreme Court, however, clearly says a representative can assist and counsel workers during the interview.

The Supreme Court also ruled that during an investigatory interview management must inform the union representative of the subject of the interrogation. The representative must also be allowed to speak privately with the employee before the interview. During the questioning, the representative can interrupt to clarify a question or to object to confusing or intimidating tactics.

While the interview is in progress the representative can not tell the employee what to say but he may advise them on how to answer a question. At the end of the interview the union representative can add information to support the employee's case.

Right now, employees who work in a non-union workplace are not entitled to have a coworker accompany them to an interview with their employer, even if theythinks that the interview might result in discipline.

Our Weingarten rights are one more important reason why it pays to be a union member!

IP Union News February 2009

2009-03-04T06:57:00.000-08:00

IP Locals, USW Leaders Hold National Conference Call, Discuss Key Issues at IP Facilities

On Thursday January 22, local union leaders from dozens of IP mills and converters joined USW Vice President Jon Geenen, District 9 Director Stan Johnson, Assistant to the President Leeann Anderson and Strategic Campaigns staff on a national conference call, utilizing the latest technology to improve union communications.

Johnson started the call by talking about the impact of these difficult economic times, difficulties experienced by union members in paper and other industries and the importance of using improved communications tools to increase union effectiveness. He said, “What’s happening in paper is a microcosm of what’s happening in the bigger economy,” but that within current economic and political events “lies opportunity for us to change the direction our nation has taken over the last decade.”

Geenen gave details about the emerging crises, reporting that though IP’s stock is down, the company is in a good cash situation right now. He discussed the specter of bankruptcies at Smurfit-Stone, Abitibi/Bowater and elsewhere, and how the union’s strategy is to preserve and protect jobs. The good news is that IP and GP mill and converter agreements have provided union workers with the best contract protection ever in the face of this downturn. Geenen said, “Collective bargaining with IP became the benchmark for new practices to collective bargaining.” For example, a Temple Inland company-wide agreement is up for consideration now. These Master Agreements minimize the chances for a race to the bottom in the industry.

USW staff reviewed the Building Power program underway at IP local unions since the June 2007 National Paper Bargaining Conference in Pittsburgh, the mill Master Agreement that was reached and the members’ demands for a national deal for converters. Also discussed were the three phases in the timeline created by the IP Working Group and adopted by the conference
membership, stressing education, mobilization & visibility, bargaining support, communications and conference wide activity. Communications Action Teams (CATs) are being created local by local, and conference newsletters are being circulated. Locals with pictures or stories for the newsletter should send them to the Strategic Campaigns Dept. (hscott@usw.org) or get them to staff reps who can send them to us.

Locals brought up problems with healthcare insurance and ways members have been denied benefits due to enrolment issues. A member going in for open heart surgery was told by management he must call off from work every day. Another member off work due to a heart attack was told he did not qualify for S&A benefits. Members who have problems like this are encouraged to contact Deb Edwards (dedwards@usw.org) at the Nashville office so she can create a database of complaints in order to address every one of them.

There is some confusion regarding the maintenance salaries in the Master Agreement. Geenen and Johnson urged locals with these problems to send them specifics so they can address them with the company. Converter locals said some members need a better explanation of when the Master Agreement’s $33 and $34 for pensions kicks in. Johnson said an email message will
go to locals explaining it.

Locals also urged that IP workers not forget about the laid off people as it relates for signing up for excessive amounts of overtime. Johnson said union workers should not allow themselves to be overworked to the point of endangering themselves and others. Leeann Anderson said the USW has been working to create a website for laid off members particular for each state. Information will be available through http://www.makeourfuturework.org/.

Locals from Savannah reported that the plant went down for a shutdown and inspection. They found 700 bad welds in the boiler. The company kept getting extensions on the inspection. This is a serious safety issue. Geenen said if the company is trying to get extensions on inspections, send information about it to him immediately. Other issues discussed include availability
of TARP money, retiree medical savings, the IP CEO’s big bonus and stock values. Plans are underway for more conference-wide calls to discuss these and other important issues in the future.

IP Union News--January 2009

2009-01-22T10:15:00.000-08:00

IP Conference using new technology to build unity

USW-represented workers at International Paper mills and converters around the country are strengthening their ability to communicate with each other quickly and effectively, using everything from the newest technologies to good old fashion word-of-mouth. Local IP union leaders were pleased with the results of a recent test of a new “blast text message” system to be used if we all need to learn about and/or act upon issues of importance. In addition, International Vice President Jon Geenen and IP Bargaining Conference Chair Stan Johnson are organizing in late January a “National Conference Call for the Bargaining Conference @ IP” as another possible way to keep members of each local union informed and involved. And many local unions are strengthening their in-shop communications network to put in the hands of each union member newsletters, handbills and other printed material at the job site. Conference members and leaders are committed to using whatever vehicle that works to build a stronger Union Conference @ IP!

Arden Hills IP workers glad for contract extension
At IP’s Arden Hills, Minnesota converter plant, formerly a Weyerhaeuser facility until purchased by IP in August of 2008, a Local 264 Negotiating Team member wrote the following letter:

I want to send a special thanks to the USW and the IP Union Conference leadership for bargaining and drafting the one year contract extension framework agreement for former Weyerhaeuser locations with our new owner International Paper. The extension our membership ratified by an 80% margin maintained all current language and overtime premiums, secured our current Health and Welfare Plans, gave us a 2% general wage increase and added $1.00 to our defined benefit pension multiplier. Our membership understood the economic conditions in the fall of 2008 was not the best time to be entering into collective bargaining with a company we are not use to dealing with, knowing, or having dealt with in the past. This one year extension gives members of our local, the IP conference and the USW a full year to prepare for and to know what to expect from IP as we enter into full collective bargaining in the fall or 2009. Again thank you USW.

In Solidarity
Dave Saeger
#264 Negotiations Committee

Union workers in better shape to deal with economic downturns
As the news about current economic problems continues to come in, it’s important to remember that working people who are protected by a union contract are in a much more secure position than those who don’t have a union to back them up. Union-represented workers have earned legal bargaining rights with management, preventing unilateral changes in agreed-upon wages, benefits and other conditions of employment. Union workers have a legal, binding contract for their labor. Non-union workers have no such guarantees, even to have a voice in process. The only thing non-union workers can hope to “hang their hat on” in tough economic times is favoritism and kissing up to the boss in order to get ahead.

IP Union Conference News

2008-11-26T10:23:00.000-08:00

IP to shut Louisiana plant, 550 workers affected
In August, IP completed the $6 billion purchase of Weyerhaeuser’s containerboard packaging segment. The sale IP management announced Nov. 21 it would indefinitely shut down the Bastrop, La., pulp mill due to a continuing decline in demand and global economic weakness. This comes a week after the company announced it would shut
down one paper machine at its mill in Franklin, Va. USW Vice President Jon Geenen said, “The USW is in bargaining with management at these plants and is fighting for a fair severance agreement for union workers at IP who are being affected in these difficult economic times.”

Weyerhauser locals meet in Nashville
Weyerhauser local unions participated in a special meeting in Nashville Sept. 17-18. Weyerhauser was purchased by IP in August 2008. Local unions had a presentation on the IP Union Conference’s building power plan called “Common Goals, New Beginnings.”
Members talked extensively about joining fellow IP locals in the building power program. Weyerhauser workers voiced support for the plan. They bring a lot of experience to the table, and are looking forward to increased solidarity with IP locals through the IP Union Conference.

About Our Union...
When the USWA and the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) International Union merge on April 14, 2005 we formed the largest industrial union in North America under the banner of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW). Our union has more than 850,000 active members in over 8,000 bargaining units. The combined union is
the dominant union in paper, forestry products, steel, aluminum, tire and rubber, mining, glass, chemicals, petroleum and other basic resource industries. For more information about the union, check the USW website at www.usw.org

IP workers meet for safety and health conference

2008-11-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

The union’s first joint IP health & safety conference recently took place in Birmingham, Ala. Members had a chance to discuss the hazards in their workplace and develop strategies to address the problems.

The conference had a union-only session on Sept. 16 and a joint labor/management session on Sept. 17. 76 USW local union officers attended, as well as health and safety representatives from IP’s 14 mills.

Workers voiced concerns over long hours that cause fatigue on the job, the push for production and needed training. Strategies were discussed to address these problems, such as effective H&S committees, prioritize safety issues and getting
management to address them.

Union members also discussed the strengths and limitations of current health & safety committee structures, health & safety victories, long-standing unresolved issues, worksite health and safety programs and plans for the future. During the joint session, labor and management from each mill discussed problems, what is happening that is good and what H&S programs should be started. A follow-up meeting is scheduled in 18 months to report on the progress in identified areas.

Stan Benton, Local 1803 in Augusta, Ga., said of the meeting, “This program helped people from our mill learn about the common problems in all the mills that we can work on together.”

International Paper -- Union Conference News -- October 28, 2008

2008-10-28T06:13:00.000-07:00

Getting to Know International Paper
International Paper is a global paper and packaging company with a major presence in North America, Europe, Latin America, Russia, Asia and North Africa. Last year the company was ranked as the world’s 93rd largest publicly traded company with $22 billion in sales.

Purchase of Weyerhauser’s Containerboard Packaging Segment
In August, IP completed the $6 billion purchase of Weyerhaeuser’s containerboard packaging segment. The sale included 9 containerboard mills, 72 packaging locations, 10 specialty-packaging plants, four kraft bag and sack locations and 19 recycling plants. Twenty-six USW represented facilities with 2,845 USW members were included in the sale. Because of contract protection provisions that the USW negotiated last year with Weyerhaeuser and IP in the framework agreements, the transition in ownership has taken place without serious problems so far. IP recognized contracts at USW represented locations and all 2,845 fellow union members kept their jobs and seniority rights, as well as their wages, pensions and benefits. As part of the transition to the IP Union Conference, Weyerhauser local unions met in Nashville, Tennessee to discuss important issues and priorities.

Who’s Running This Company
The top executive at IP is CEO John Faraci. Faraci and the company’s other top managers answer to an 11 member Board of Directors, which is elected by the company’s shareholders. As of March 2008, Morgan Stanley/Van Kampen Asset Management was the largest single shareholder with 9.3% of IP’s stock.

Our Union @ IP
With the addition of the brothers and sisters from former Weyerhauser locals, the IP Union Conference represents almost 13,000 workers at IP. District 9 Director Stan Johnson chairs the IP Union Conference, International Vice President Jon Geenen is co-chair, and Assistant to the President Leeann Anderson is the Conference Secretary.

Union Workers and Our Rights

Remember that although we work on company property, and must obey management’s work
rules and the terms of our labor agreements, this does not mean we surrender all of our
rights at the front door when we come to work.

Two important rights we should never forget about are our right to Free Speech, which means our ability to communicate with each other and fellow union workers at other plants, and our right to Concerted Activity, which means we are legally protected when we lawfully act together as a group for our mutual self-interest as employees of IP.

Both of these rights are important tools in the efforts of union workers to improve our
conditions of employment, and those of IP workers across the country!

For more information about the IP Union Conference – seeking to strengthen, unite and advance the interests of union workers at International Paper – check out the conference web site: www.SolidarityatIP.org

International Paper - Union Conference News - September 2008

2008-09-18T06:25:00.001-07:00

Joint Union-Company Committee Tackles Heath Insurance at Mills

The Joint Mill Health Care Committee, consisting of local union leaders, International union staff and company representatives, was established under the IP Mills global agreement. It met last month with a positive outcome. The premiums for our mill-employee only PPO plan will be reduce from $240.75 per month for family and $87.55 per month for single, to $219.60 and $79.87 respectively. This adds up to a total savings of $253.80 per family per year and $92.16 per individual per year.

At a time in history when health care insurance premiums are skyrocketing, this premium reduction is very good news and a good first step towards normalizing the premium split at 80% company, 20% worker. Normally, this only occurs if benefit levels are decreased, however, in this case, our benefit levels stay the same due to our global agreement. This represents continued movement towards 80/20 cost sharing for family health care coverage.

The Committee realizes there is more work to be done beyond reviewing claims, rating methodology and premiums. We committed to further work together to reduce costs to this PPO plan by exploring some innovate initiatives. The Committee will meet again in February and will continue to share information in the months between.

IP Agreement Paying Off

National paper bargaining started taking off in 2005 when just months after the PACE merger, top USW and International Paper officers met. Through these discussions and the persistence of members, we achieved a major breakthrough: Successorship for the mills that IP would be selling. This marked a big change in labor relations at IP where disputes and conflict had been the norm for years.

The successorship clause quickly paid off when IP sold its coated free sheet assets to private equity and other firms. Two of the sold mills in Sartell, Minn., and Bucksport, Maine, were purchased by a private equity firm now known as Verso Paper. By having successorship, the Verso mills were able to build on their contracts in 2007 bargaining and obtain a common expiration date, which strengthens workers’ bargaining power.

Ongoing discussions with IP also produced a landmark global agreement. It included immediate successorship for all the mills, and addressed economic and other job security issues for the company’s 14 USW-represented mills.

IP mill membership overwhelmingly ratified the agreement, which included a method of funding retiree health care benefits that was worth millions of dollars. Family health care insurance was secured, and the pension multiplier was increased to $50 in an industry where employers are demanding 401k plans instead of a guaranteed pension. The global agreement also allows for local contracts and bargaining to remain in place; no changes can be made to those local agreements without the approval of the locals’ membership.

“We did away with IP’s ability to adjust our insurance, and the global agreement also left us the autonomy to negotiate our contract on local items,” said Randy Burkett, an IP member at the Cantonment, Fla., mill. “Job security in today’s world is not easy to get. With the power of 14 union mills coordinating our bargaining with IP, we were able to secure our jobs.”

Converters Get Protection, Too

The IP discussions then proceeded to a global agreement covering over 30 IP converters—the largest agreement of its kind ever in the paper industry. Successorship was obtained; the wage pattern was improved by 100%; the workers got the best pension multiplier in the converter sector; and the PPO active medical health care plan cannot be changed unless the union agrees to it. Local unions maintained their ability to negotiate local issues, and management will not be able to force changes to the contract without the local’s approval. As with the mills, the converter master agreement also restricts reduction in the converter work force to volunteers or attrition except during temporary layoffs or where partial or complete closures occur.

2008-09-18T06:25:00.000-07:00

Joint Union-Company Committee Tackles Heath Insurance at Mills

The Joint Mill Health Care Committee, consisting of local union leaders, International union staff and company representatives, was established under the IP Mills global agreement. It met last month with a positive outcome. The premiums for our mill-employee only PPO plan will be reduce from $240.75 per month for family and $87.55 per month for single, to $219.60 and $79.87 respectively. This adds up to a total savings of $253.80 per family per year and $92.16 per individual per year.

At a time in history when health care insurance premiums are skyrocketing, this premium reduction is very good news and a good first step towards normalizing the premium split at 80% company, 20% worker. Normally, this only occurs if benefit levels are decreased, however, in this case, our benefit levels stay the same due to our global agreement. This represents continued movement towards 80/20 cost sharing for family health care coverage.

The Committee realizes there is more work to be done beyond reviewing claims, rating methodology and premiums. We committed to further work together to reduce costs to this PPO plan by exploring some innovate initiatives. The Committee will meet again in February and will continue to share information in the months between.

IP Agreement Paying Off

National paper bargaining started taking off in 2005 when just months after the PACE merger, top USW and International Paper officers met. Through these discussions and the persistence of members, we achieved a major breakthrough: Successorship for the mills that IP would be selling. This marked a big change in labor relations at IP where disputes and conflict had been the norm for years.

The successorship clause quickly paid off when IP sold its coated free sheet assets to private equity and other firms. Two of the sold mills in Sartell, Minn., and Bucksport, Maine, were purchased by a private equity firm now known as Verso Paper. By having successorship, the Verso mills were able to build on their contracts in 2007 bargaining and obtain a common expiration date, which strengthens workers’ bargaining power.

Ongoing discussions with IP also produced a landmark global agreement. It included immediate successorship for all the mills, and addressed economic and other job security issues for the company’s 14 USW-represented mills.

IP mill membership overwhelmingly ratified the agreement, which included a method of funding retiree health care benefits that was worth millions of dollars. Family health care insurance was secured, and the pension multiplier was increased to $50 in an industry where employers are demanding 401k plans instead of a guaranteed pension. The global agreement also allows for local contracts and bargaining to remain in place; no changes can be made to those local agreements without the approval of the locals’ membership.

“We did away with IP’s ability to adjust our insurance, and the global agreement also left us the autonomy to negotiate our contract on local items,” said Randy Burkett, an IP member at the Cantonment, Fla., mill. “Job security in today’s world is not easy to get. With the power of 14 union mills coordinating our bargaining with IP, we were able to secure our jobs.”

Converters Get Protection, Too

The IP discussions then proceeded to a global agreement covering over 30 IP converters—the largest agreement of its kind ever in the paper industry. Successorship was obtained; the
wage pattern was improved by 100%; the workers got the best pension multiplier in the converter sector; and the PPO active medical health care plan cannot be changed unless the union agrees to it. Local unions maintained their ability to negotiate local issues, and management will not be able to force changes to the contract without the local’s approval. As with the mills, the converter master agreement also restricts reduction in the converter work force to volunteers or attrition except during temporary layoffs or where partial or complete closures occur.

Pulp Truth Special Edition

2008-09-05T11:15:00.000-07:00

Solidarity Works! Three-and-a-half Years of Success in Paper

As summer draws to a close, we recap and celebrate the resounding success we’ve had in paper bargaining. We’ve achieved this success despite overwhelming odds in an industry that has seen unprecedented change because of mergers and acquisitions; the emergence of China and Russia’s insatiable demand for fiber to supply world-class paper machines that produce paper that is exported and illegally dumped on our shores; the rise of paper imports; a weakening economy; an increase in electronic communications; and high energy and transportation costs.

Our members’ solidarity, increased communication and mobilization made our victories possible.

Successorship, otherwise known as a contract protection clause, has been the backbone of our success. When a successorship provision is in our contracts, your job, wages, benefits and
workplace rights stay in place if your mill or converter is sold. Without this provision and the power of our membership and union, our sector would have been in shambles.

IP Successorship

National paper bargaining started taking off in 2005 when just months after the merger, USW International President Leo W. Gerard met with CEO John Faraci of International Paper
(IP), the industry’s largest player. Through these discussions and the persistence of our members, we achieved a major breakthrough: Successorship for IP’s 14 mills.

This marked a significant change in collective bargaining and labor relations at IP where disputes and conflict had been the norm for years.

The successorship clause quickly paid off when IP sold its coated free sheet assets to private equity and other firms. Two of the sold mills in Sartell, Minn., and Bucksport, Maine, were
purchased by a private equity firm and are now known as Verso Paper. By having successorship, the Verso mills were able to build on their contracts in subsequent bargaining in 2007 and
obtain a common expiration date, which builds true bargaining power.

Smurfit-Stone Container Successorship

When Smurfit-Stone was looking to spin off assets as well, our union moved to protect our members by securing successorship for the company’s transactions with private equity firm,
Texas Pacific Group, and Kapstone. During these negotiations, a pattern for successorship agreements was reached that immediately covered all USW-represented workers employed by
Smurfit-Stone. It was also agreed that the health care coverage workers had in 2005 would apply to contracts negotiated in 2005-08.

“In today’s time, it is not so much about making progress on health care as it is in making sure we hold the line on health care and not go back,” said Smurfit-Stone worker Eddie Wingfield. With national paper bargaining (NPB), you feel more confident you won’t go into a contract bargaining situation and come out with less than the NPB goals.”

Stora Enso Global Agreement

After over 21 months of bargaining, all contracts with Stora Enso were open or near expiration. This created the pressure necessary to getting the first global contract of its kind in the paper sector. A common expiration date and successorship were obtained, which proved important when NewPage, owned by private equity firm Cerberus, bought Stora Enso. NewPage has to now honor the global agreement, which includes job security, gain sharing of profits, industry-leading wages, and pension and health care provisions. The common expiration dates enable the
former Stora Enso mills to bargain from a position of power with NewPage.

Landmark IP Agreement

As part of the ongoing discussions with IP that the IP membership approved and endorsed, a landmark global agreement on economic and job security issues was reached for the company’s
14 USW-represented mills. IP mill membership overwhelmingly ratified the agreement, which included a method of funding retiree health care benefits that was worth millions of dollars. Successorship was expanded to the 14 mills, health care was secured, and the pension multiplier was increased to $50 in an industry where employers are demanding 401k plans instead of a guaranteed pension. The global agreement also allows for local contracts and bargaining to remain in place; no changes can be made to those local agreements without the approval of
the locals’ membership.

“We did away with IP’s ability to adjust our insurance, and the global agreement also left us the autonomy to negotiate our contract on local items,” said Randy Burkett, an IP member at
the Cantonment, Fla., mill. “Job security in today’s world is something unheard of to get. With the power of 14 mills and coordinated bargaining, we were able to secure our jobs.”

IP Converters Get Protection Too

The IP discussions then proceeded to a global agreementcovering over 30 IP converters—the largest agreement of its kind ever in the paper industry. Successorship was obtained; the wage pattern was improved by 100%; the workers got the best pension multiplier in the converter sector; and the PPO active medical health care plan cannot be changed unless the union agrees to it. Local unions maintained their ability to negotiate local issues, and management will not be able to force changes to the contract without the local’s approval. The master agreement also restricts reduction in the converter work force to volunteers or attrition except during temporary layoffs and partial or complete closures.

Weyerhaeuser Workers Get Job Protection

Upon hearing that Weyerhaeuser might sell its containerboard packaging and recycling business, the Weyerhaeuser council immediately pursued a deal for the industry pattern successorship
clause. Besides immediately getting this clause in their contracts, workers also got longer term deals in exchange for substantial wage increases that would preserve their contracts for a longer period of time in the event of a sale. This move paid off when IP bought Weyerhaeuser’s assets, and the transition was seamless for over 2,800 USW-represented Weyerhaeuser employees.

“The Weyerhaeuser council knew successorship was an important issue, and little did we realize eight months later that successorship language was going to be the most important thing we negotiated,” said Weyerhaeuser council president Robert Tapp. “The one great benefit was we didn’t have to reapply for our jobs. I have seen in other facilities where workers did not have that successorship clause and they had to either reapply for their jobs or start over with a new owner at less pay. The day of the Weyerhaeuser-IP transaction was business as usual.”

Grassroots Solidarity Results in Domtar Agreement

Grassroots solidarity in bargaining for all locations at one table helped the Domtar council secure an umbrella master agreement covering economic and job security issues. The deal locked in members’ health care coverage for the remainder of the current local union agreements and the next four-year local contracts. Besides obtaining an increase in the pension multiplier by $5 in the first year of each contract, Domtar workers also got successorship language to protect their jobs and contracts in case their facilities are sold.

Global Agreement Reached for PCA Mills

In mid-August, the USW reached a global agreement with Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) that covers over 1,200 workers at the company’s four mills. This five-year agreement
provides important employment security provisions, immediate successorship language, the best wage increases in the paper sector, a $6 per year of service pension increase that immediately is put in place and the best health care in the paper sector that is locked in until 2013 and 2015 in some cases. This deal paves the way for a global agreement with the PCA converters.

Local union members enthusiastically endorsed all these deals, with ratification votes well over 80%in every case.

Taking the Offense in Health and Safety

Working in the paper sector can be hazardous. Arms are caught in paper machines; workers’ heads are scalped in converter operations. Workers are killed in devastating explosions, such as the one at IP’s Vicksburg, Miss., mill and the more recent explosion at PCA’s Tomahawk mill that killed three.

To change the way our union and the paper industry approach health and safety in the paper workplace, we have sent out to local union mill officers a survey that is the first of its kind. We are trying to gauge what is being done at the mills regarding health and safety and what is needed to support local union leaders, rank-and-file members and the communities in which they work.

To make sure every mill returns its survey, the deadline has just been extended until September 19. An analysis of the results will be done, a report issued and a health and safety plan created. Our goal is to push for changes in and better regulation of the paper industry.

Pulp Truth -- Issue 16

2008-09-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Unsafe Working Conditions Caught Up to Workers in July

In Pulp Truth issue 15, we reported that Peter Conley of Local 449 in Waterville, Maine, suffered a massive stroke at the Huhtamaki plant where he worked. Brother Conley, 44, died
July 23 at Maine Medical Center and left behind three children ages 19, 12 and 5.

In addition to the three July accidents reported in Pulp Truth issue 15, four more incidents occurred in July.

Shortly before midnight on July 18, Local 1017 member Shawn Sharrow was injured when his arm and shoulder were caught in a winder machine at Dunn Paper in Port Huron, Mich.

Sharrow, who was 20 at the time of the incident, was airlifted to the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, where he was listed as critical but stable for four days. He suffered broken bones in his shoulder and neck, cracked ribs, internal injuries and corneal abrasions in both eyes. There was concern about permanent nerve damage to his arm and neck.

Sharrow’s mother, Kim, said doctors at the medical center called his survival a miracle and attributed it to his age and general condition. Sharrow is now back home in Port Huron.

USW Emergency Response Team (ERT) representative Hilary Chiz assisted the family and those who helped with Sharrow’s rescue. USW Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Assistant Director Dave Ortlieb conducted the investigation and provided the company with changes that could be done to prevent a repeat of the incident.

At the NewPage facility in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Local Union 2-94 member Kurt Resheske, 33, was severely burned July 29 while working near a washer inspection door. He sustained second and third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body. ERT representative Duronda Pope assisted the family and HSE representative Steve Sallman responded to the incident.

On July 29, 2008 a high density recycling fiber storage tank explosion at Packaging Corporation of America’s paper mill in Tomahawk, Wisconsin, fatally injured three employees. The tank that exploded was used to store recycled fiber storage, and the three individuals were engaged in maintenance activities which included welding on the top of the tank’s high density spreader when the explosion occurred. A fourth employee, who was standing on the tank’s catwalk was also injured, but he was treated and released and is recovering from his injuries.

Two of the employees fatally injured in the explosion, Steven C. Voermans, 52, and Randy J. Hoegger, 55, were local union members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 1713. The third fatally injured employee was Don Snyder, 46, a salaried employee. The fourth injured employee was a college student and member of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers Local Lodge 1713. ERT representative Duronda Popeand HSE representative Steve Sallman responded to the incident.

After reportedly having a dispute with a supervisor, Edmund Giasson of Local 900 at the NewPage mill in Rumford, Maine, died from a heart attack July 28. Giasson, 53, had worked at the mill close to 30 years and was known to be “very, very serious about his job,” according to local president Gary Hemingway. Giasson had a history of heart problems.

These incidents point to the need for paper mill locals (and later those with converting operations) to fill out the Paper RAP survey they received in mid-August. See story on the next page.

Contracts that Reopened in August

If the re-opener date for your local contract is not listed here, please contact PT editor Lynne Baker at lbaker@usw.org to have your contract listed. Not listed last month was the Temple-Inland Orange, TX contract that expired July 31.

Georgia-Pacific, Monticello, MS, Aug. 1
Georgia-Pacific, Akron, OH, Aug. 1
Georgia-Pacific, Monticello, GA, Aug. 1
International Paper, Geneva, NY, Aug. 1
Corrugated Carton, Newark, NJ, Aug. 1
Schiffenhause Pkg. Corp. North, Suffern, NY, Aug. 1
Pactiv Corporation, Red Bluff, CA, Aug. 1
Schiffenhause Pkg. Corp. South, Newark, NJ, Aug. 1
Schweitzer-Maudit, Ancram, NY, Aug. 1
RTS Packaging, Merced, CA, Aug. 1
Smurfit-Stone Cont., St. Cloud, MN, Aug. 1
Temple-Inland, Gilroy, CA, Aug. 1
Weyerhaeuser Co., Anaheim, CA, Aug. 1
Precision Products, College Park, MD, Aug. 6
Sonoco, Hutchinson, KS, Aug. 6
Shelby Co., Westlake, OH, Aug. 6
International Paper/Shorewood Pkg., Waterbury, CT, Aug. 7
International Paper (div), Pineville, LA, Aug. 10
Rand Whitney, Worcester, MA, Aug. 11
Georgia-Pacific, Memphis, TN, Aug. 15
Unsafe Working Conditions
Caught Up to Workers in July

Mill Leaders Must Complete Paper RAP Health & Safety Survey

“The time for after-the-fact investigation is over. We must take a proactive approach to ensure paper workers don’t lose their life or get injured when they go to work,” said International Vice President Jon Geenen.

Around August 19, each local union president of a mill received the Paper RAP health and safety survey that VP Geenen’s comment refers to. The survey’s success depends on a very high response rate. So:

• If you are paper mill leadership, please prioritize completing the survey.
• If you work in a paper mill, please offer to assist the local leadership to accomplish this important task.
• If you work in a converter within a council that has mills, encourage mill leadership to get this done. (FYI: We’ll later focus on converters.)

A few things about the survey:

• Complete one survey per mill
• Get input from key members as needed
• Make the September 12, 2008 deadline
• For another copy, contact Joyce Russotto (920-722-1085; jrussotto@usw.org) or your international representative.

Together, we will use the survey’s results to leverage change at the local, industry and national policy levels to protect our brothers and sisters.

A Model in Coordinated Bargaining: U.S. Steel Agreement

The new tentative, four-year agreement at U.S. Steel shows what is possible when collective bargaining evolves and we coordinate our strength.

Workers obtained very significant wage hikes and substantial bonus and pension increases. Benefit programs were improved for active and retired employees, and health care premiums
were reduced for retirees.

Job security was improved by a requirement in the tentative agreement that U.S. Steel make capital investments in its plants so that they can compete in the world economy. The contract
also looks toward the future by creating an “Energy Efficiency and Carbon Emissions Task Force” to address the threat of global warming and its impact on the steel industry.

Another job security provision in the agreement is that the outsourcing of work will return to the jurisdiction of USW members.

The tentative agreement covers some 16,000 workers employed at 14 U.S. Steel locations.

PCA Mill Global Agreement Secures Workers’ Future

A new five-year global agreement negotiated with Packaging Corporation of America (PCA) contains wage increases totaling 13.75 percent, increases pension and other benefits, maintains
existing health care plans and premiums, offers job security and makes it easier to organize nonunion PCA facilities.

The agreement covers about 1,200 workers at four PCA mills in Valdosta, Ga., Counce, Tenn., Filer City, Mich., and Tomahawk, Wisc. USW members at the four mills overwhelmingly
approved the contract in a vote on Aug. 14.

Items not covered in the master agreement are negotiated at local union bargaining tables upon renewal of the local union’s contract. If an agreement is not reached on these items, the
renewal contract remains unchanged. This prevents management from imposing contract terms on the local union. The local union renewal contracts are also five years in length.

Health care benefits and employees’ 20 percent contribution toward health care premiums were locked in immediately after ratification of the global agreement for the period of the local union contract. Also enacted upon ratification was a contract and job protection clause in case a PCA facility is sold; a restriction to work force reductions unless a facility is partially or completely shut down; and a ban on negative attacks during organizing campaigns.

Increases in wages, pensions, short-term disability benefits, life/accidental death and dismemberment benefits and retiree life insurance benefits will occur the day after the expiration of the current local union agreements. The monthly service multiplier for mill workers’ pensions will be increased by $6 to $46.62, which is one of the highest flat dollar pension benefits in the industry. Short-term disability benefits will be increased $70 over the term of the renewal contracts. Life/accidental death and dismemberment benefits will increase a total of $9,000. Retiree life insurance benefits will be secured at $10,250.

International Paper - Union Conference News - August 2008

2008-08-21T08:30:00.000-07:00

Common Goals New Beginnings
IP delegates to National Paper Bargaining Conference earlier this year agreed on multi-year plan to build a stronger union conference at IP. All agree that it is more important than ever to coordinate our activities and use our strength in numbers at IP for the benefit of all. As the old labor slogan goes: United We Stand, Divided We Fall!

Conference Website is UP!
Your online place to get news about the IP union conference is now up and running. Here’s how to get there: www.SolidarityatIP.org. It included conference newsletters since last summer. You can hit the site, read the news, make comments and discuss with your union brother and sisters. But remember, the internet is no substitute for face to face contact. IP Conference members are encouraged to continue having newsletter distributed by CAT Team or local union leaders at work!

Membership Training
As requested by local union activists at the National Paper Bargaining Conference, the International union is now preparing a comprehensive publication outlining all training programs offered by the USW. As soon as it’s completed, this publication will be made available to all IP Conference members.

Conference Communication and Action Team Organized
As per requests from IP union members, all “Conference CAT” positions are initially being filled by USW staff, but interested activists are being identified in each part of the country. As soon as possible, the transition will be made to a more member-driven structure. This Conference CAT plan was a major component of the program to build union power at IP that was developed at the Common Goals, New Beginning Conference. For more information, check the conference website.

Weyerhaeuser Plants Now Under IP Ownership
Since the announcement was made March 17 that Weyerhaeuser was selling containerboard, packaging and recycling facilities to IP, union-represented workers from Weyerhaeuser have been preparing for a seamless transition which was completed August 4th. The Weyerhaeuser Council had only 8 months earlier worked to successfully negotiate a contract protection clause (successorship). A special meeting has now been called by USW Vice President Jon Geenen for representatives of Weyerhaeuser local unions on Sept. 17-18 in Nashville. More on this in upcoming issues of this newsletter.

PULP TRUTH -- INDUSTRY WIDE NEWS

2008-08-01T08:26:00.000-07:00

Contracts that Reopened in July

If your local is not listed here, please contact PT editor Lynne Baker at lbaker@usw.org to have your contract listed.

Appleton Papers, Appleton, WI., July 2
International Paper, Statesville, NC, July 2
Mid-Atlantic, Montgomerville, Pa., July 2
New York Folding Box, Stanhope, NJ, July 2
Georgia-Pacific, Blue Rapids, KS, July 3
Monadnock Paper, Bennington, NH, July 3
Newark Group, Mobile, AL, July 3
Georgia-Pacific, St. Marys, GA, July 8
Art Kraft Container, Tullytown, PA, July 8
Island Container, Wheatley Heights, NY, July 17
Heritage Container, Brooklyn, NY, July 17
Delta Corrugated, Palisades Park, NJ, July 17
Norampac, Maspeth, NY, July 17
P.C.A., Valdosta, GA, July 17
Rock-Tenn, Lynchburg, VA, July 17
Smurfit-Stone Cont., West Point, VA, July 17
Green Bay Packaging, Ft. Worth, TX, July 18
Smurfit-Stone Cont., Philadelphia, PA, July 18
SCA Tissue, Cherokee, AL, July 23

USW Assists Graphic Packaging in Getting Tax Credits

Our union assisted Graphic Packaging International, Inc. in obtaining economic development tax credits from the State of Michigan and the City of Kalamazoo for a $27 million planned expansion of the company’s Kalamazoo operations.

More than 500 employees work at the site. Our union represents the hourly workers. The expansion is expected to add up to 160 local jobs.

The Kalamazoo operations include a coated-recycled paperboard mill and a production facility where folding cartons are manufactured for a wide variety of food, beverage and consumer products packaging.

This is another example of how a union can help a company succeed in today’s tough global marketplace.

Rising Price of Crude Oil Prompts Temporary Shutdown

As of Aug. 1, Graphic Packaging is shutting down its No. 2 machine, which produces coated unbleached kraft paper generally used in the production of beverage cartons, at its West Monroe, La., mill. The rising price of crude oil has caused higher costs for key mill production inputs like fiber, natural gas and petro-based chemicals. To compensate, the company is idling certain older, higher-cost assets. Whether or not the machine is started up in January will depend on the company’s assessment.

Producing about 100,000 tons of paper annually, the machine is operated by a 24-person crew. Local 364 President Al Hamby told The News Star, “As of now, they’re not laying anybody off, but they aren’t guaranteeing anything in the future. If they lay off the employees, they would be
hard to replace because they are skilled, experienced workers. It’s hard to just go out on the street and find 24 people who can operate one of these machines. So if they plan to restart the machine, they’ll probably need to keep them.”

Canadian Government Gives Energy Rebates to Paper Companies

To help paper companies compete, the Canadian government gives quarterly energy rebates to pulp and paper mills in Ontario that purchase a minimum of 50,000 megawatt hours annually and commit to increased energy efficiency.

Companies participating in the $140-million, three-year Northern Pulp and Paper Electricity Transition program have already received over $51 million in total. Nine mills are currently
participating. The rebates are designed to help lower a company’s energy costs by 15 percent.

In June, Domtar’s Ontario pulp and paper mills in Espanola and Dryden received C$4.3 million in electricity rebates to help lower their energy costs.

Other steps the Canadian government has taken to address electricity costs include encouraging large power consumers in the forest sector to undertake self-generation power projects
through the Forest Sector Prosperity Fund and Loan Guarantee program; extending the rate cap on Ontario Power Generation’s non-prescribed supply; having a co-generation power procurement program under the Ontario Power Authority; and having an Ontario Power Authority program to compensate companies for load shedding and shifting during high cost power peaks.

Latest Health & Safety Incidents in the Paper Industry

Unfortunately, this is turning out to be a record year for health and safety incidents. It could be because U.S. manufacturers are emphasizing production at all costs in order to compete with other manufacturers in low-wage nations like China.

One of our members had a fatal accident at around 9:00 a.m. on Sunday, June 22 at Haverhill Paperboard in Haverhill, Massachusetts. According to The Eagle-Tribune, the victim, Lloyd “Butch” Benjamin, 49, a member of Local 204, fell about 25 feet from a ladder and struck his head. He was working inside the plant at the time of the incident and was taken by ambulance to the local hospital where he was pronounced dead. Kim Nibarger from the USW Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Department is conducting an investigation of the incident. Al McDougall, coordinator of the USW Emergency Response Team (ERT) program is assisting the family. Haverhill Paperboard is part of the Newark Group, which has USW members at 11 of its mills.

Local 2-21 members Trudy Broman and Paul Nelson, who work at the NewPage mill in Escanaba, Mich., were on top of a tank that once had sodium chlorate in it that they were assigned to wash out with water. An explosion occurred—the cause is unknown at this time—and Broman sustained severe third degree burns on 50 to 60 percent of her body. She was in critical condition and was transported to a hospital in Milwaukee. Her doctors were concerned about the condition of her lungs and she has a long road of recovery ahead of her. Nelson sustained second-degree burns on his hands and is recovering from his injuries. HSE representative Kim Nibarger is investigating the incident, which occurred July 8, and ERT representative Duronda Pope is assisting the family.

USW member Grady Olson of Local 2-469 was seriously injured when his right arm was caught between a roll of paper and a powered “paster roll” in a paper coating machine at the Appleton Paper facility in Appleton,Wisconsin. Brother Olson is recovering from the July 11, 2008, accident at Appleton Medical Center’s intensive care unit.

Around 1:30 p.m. on July 15, Local 449 member Peter Conley, who works at the Huhtamaki Paper facility in Waterville, Maine, became dizzy and ultimately lost consciousness while he was at work. After a protracted rescue effort, he was taken to a local hospital and later was transported to Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine. Conley is in the cardiac intensive care unit and his family has been told he suffered massive damage, probably due to a stroke, with ancillary heart damage. HSE assistant director Dave Ortlieb is conducting the investigation and ERT representative Hilary Chiz is assisting the family.

Don’t Forget to Register for Health & Safety Conference

It’s not too late to register for the USW Health & Safety conference being held in Pittsburgh Aug. 18-22 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and Westin Convention Center hotel. There will be over 42 workshops covering such topics as Permit Required Confined Space, Introduction to Systems of Safety, Hazards of Noise Exposure, Introduction to USW’s Triangle of Prevention Program, Hazard Mapping Your Workplace and Hours of Work.

Besides the workshops there will be plenary speakers and time for union-only and joint company meetings. This is a joint labor-management conference, so you are encouraged to invite management representatives from your workplace to attend. On Aug. 18 there will be a union-only session. The joint labor-management sessions start Aug. 19. The conference adjourns at noon on Aug. 22.

The deadline to register for the conference is Friday, Aug. 1. To register on-line and for more information on hotel reservations, flight arrangements and the conference fee, go to http://www.usw.org/.

Increased Energy Costs Force 106-year-old Mill to Close

Increased costs for natural gas and electricity to run machinery and excess industry capacity for 100% recycled paperboard prompted The Newark Group Inc. to decide to shut down the 106-year-old Haverhill Paperboard Corp. in Haverhill, Mass., Aug. 29.

Cost of raw materials, such as waste paper, have doubled for the mill because China continues to import greater amounts of paper for its new mills; the increased demand causes the cost to rise ever higher.

Plant officials are moving the Haverhill operation to a facility in South Carolina that powers machinery by burning coal, which is substantially cheaper.

The plant closing affects 174 full- and part-time employees. Plant managers have said that even if the employees worked for free they still could not keep the plant running.

Dennis Clifton, president of Local 4-204, which represents about 140 workers, told The Eagle Tribune the mill closing is a “bad situation all the way around. It’s not a good feeling, and like everyone else, I have house and car payments and the bills keep coming in. It’s a bad situation for our employees and for the city, which stands to lose a lot of tax money.”

Clifton said he understands the reasons for closing the plant. “I’ve heard it spends $35,000 a day on fuel. The union has programs that might help, unless the company has this closing etched in stone.”

Haverhill takes recycled paper and turns it into solid multilayer products, such as book covers and foldable cartons for the food and gift industries.

IP Converter Facilities Approve Master Agreement

2008-04-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

USW members at 32 International Paper converting facilities overwhelmingly approved a four-year master economic and security agreement last week. With the addition of the converters, all USW-represented IP facilities are covered by a framework agreement. Last summer, a master economic and security agreement was reached between the USW and IP for the paper mills.

"Never before have we had a single agreement covering so many issues at so many converter locations," said USW president Leo W. Gerard. "This contract not only contains strong economic and job security provisions essential for our membership, but it also enables IP to compete globally."

"Our members' ratification of this new master agreement for the converter facilities is an indicator of the quality of the agreement and a sign of progress in our relationship with International Paper," said USW International Vice President Jon Geenen. "The activism and unity of members made this contract possible. They've been involved in the process since the development of a basic bargaining agenda at meetings a year ago."

"This converter master agreement covers wages, retirement benefits, health insurance benefits, job security issues and joint labor-management efforts in health and safety and public policy, and is similar in structure to the IP master mill agreement ratified last summer," said USW District 9 Director Stan Johnson. "It provides real security for our members and their families that they didn't have before."

Local issues and non-economic bargaining will be handled at local union bargaining tables, and the local unions will still have their own contract expiration dates. Because neither party is permitted to engage in a work stoppage during the terms of the master and subsequent renewal agreements, any changes to the local agreements will be permitted only by mutual agreement, bringing a halt to an era of difficult and hard bargaining.

Effective immediately in all local union contracts is a successorship clause that keeps the contract in place when a facility is bought or sold. Without a successorship clause, the new company is not required to hire any current employees, an if the company does not hire 50% + 1 of current employees their right to union representation is gone.

The master agreement restricts reduction in the converter work force to volunteers or attrition except during temporary layoffs and partial or complete closures. Both parties agreed to ground rules during organizing campaigns that include a ban on negative attacks and threatening, interrogating or coercing employees.

Voting for the IP converter master agreement was completed by April 20. Ratification required the approval of a majority of members who voted. The converter master agreement covers IP facilities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Weyerhaeuser Sells Containerboard, Packaging and Recycling To International Paper for $6 Billion in Cash

2008-03-17T12:00:00.001-07:00

REPOST FROM COMPANY PRESS RELEASE

FEDERAL WAY, Wash., — Weyerhaeuser Company (NYSE: WY) today announced the sale of its Containerboard Packaging and Recycling business to International Paper (NYSE: IP) for $6 billion in cash, subject to post closing adjustments. Weyerhaeuser said it expects to use a substantial portion of the after-tax proceeds from the sale to pay down debt.

The transaction includes nine containerboard mills, 72 packaging locations, 10 specialty-packaging plants, four kraft bag and sack locations and 19 recycling facilities. (See list at end of release for locations.) The transaction affects approximately 14,300 employees.

Steven R. Rogel, chairman and chief executive officer, said the announcement completes the company’s strategic review of the CBPR business.

“We are pleased with the outcome and we will continue to focus on those areas that present the greatest opportunities for the future,” Rogel said. “This future begins with the trees and the land, and our outstanding stewardship of these resources. To this we add our unique expertise in growing and extracting value from the trees and the land on which they grow.

“I want to thank the CBPR employees for their dedication, patience and professional approach during this review. Their efforts continue to improve the performance of this business and I’m confident that this transaction positions CBPR for an even more successful future.”

The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory review and receipt of financing by International Paper. The transaction is currently expected to close in the second half of 2008. International Paper has committed financing for the entire purchase price. Weyerhaeuser CBPR and International Paper will continue to operate separately until the transaction closes.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Weyerhaeuser in the transaction.

Weyerhaeuser Company, one of the world's largest forest products companies, was incorporated in 1900. In 2007, sales were $16.3 billion. It has offices or operations in 13 countries, with customers worldwide. Weyerhaeuser is principally engaged in the growing and harvesting of timber; the manufacture, distribution and sale of forest products; and real estate construction, development and related activities. Additional information about Weyerhaeuser's businesses, products and practices is available at http://www.weyerhaeuser.com.

Weyerhaeuser Sells Containerboard, Packaging and Recycling To International Paper for $6 Billion in Cash

2008-03-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Converter Talks to Resume

2007-11-20T12:07:00.000-08:00

Our negotiating committee is set to resume bargaining with IP for the converter operations. Formal talks began on October 12th with our top table committee and IP’s corporate bargainers, and more meetings are scheduled. Our newsletter will provide updates as the talks progress. The converter bargaining goals are largely the same as they were for the mills – namely, that the union will be fighting for a master agreement that provides fairness and justice for our members on the shop floor and retirement with dignity.

Fifteen Things Every Union Member Should Know about Safety and Health in the Workplace

2007-11-20T12:05:00.000-08:00

1) The twin goals of a union safety and health program are to improve working conditions and to build the union. They are equally important. In fact, you can't do either one well unless you do both.

2) Management has different goals, even enlightened management. They may care about safety in its own right, but are probably more concerned about workers comp costs. And building the union is never one of management's goals.

3) What you do with the company on safety and health is a form of collective bargaining. Even if you don't see it that way, they do.

4) Safety and health isn't a technical issue. Technical knowledge helps. But there are plenty of places to get technical information. Strategy and organization are much more important.

5) Every local union needs a union safety and health committee. You should set one up even if you don't have a joint safety and health committee. You don't need the employer's permission to establish a union committee.

6) It's also good to have a joint safety and health committee, with representatives from the union and from management. The joint committee is a good way to resolve safety and health problems.

7) Even if you have a joint committee, you still need a union committee. The union committee can be the union reps on the joint committee, or a larger group.

8) The union members of the joint committee should meet by themselves as often as they meet with management. You need separate meetings to set union priorities and plan strategy. Can you imagine what would happen if your bargaining committee met only with the company at contract time, and never by itself?

9) You should never, ever, allow the company to appoint your safety and health reps, to veto the union's choices, or dismiss your reps from their union positions. Never. Ever.

10) Union safety reps should think of themselves as organizers, promoting safety and health in a way that builds the loyalty and commitment of your membership. That means involving the membership whenever you can. And it means good communication with your membership, both written and by word of mouth.

11) "Behavior" contributes to some accidents. But hazards cause all of them. And it is easier to fix hazards then to change human nature. 12) Safety programs that focus on behavior tell our members that they are the problem. In fact, our members and their union are the solution.

13) The best way to find hazards is for union safety and health reps to talk to every worker about his or her job, and how to make it safer and easier. It's even better to enlist that member in pushing for improvements.

14) And what's the best way to build the union through safety and health? See # 13, above.

15) You're not alone. You have lots of resources through the USW. Every district has a safety and health coordinator. Our International Health, Safety, and Environment Department is available for help by phone, fax, email, or mail.

Unions Approve Package to Keep Bastrop, LA Paper Mill Running

2007-11-01T12:02:00.000-07:00

Bastrop, La. – The United Steelworkers (USW) today said that the members of locals 13-0272, 13-0360 and 13-0382, along with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 895, have voted to approve changes to their contract with International Paper (IP) in order to help maintain the facility as a viable pulp production mill.

USW International Vice President Richard LaCosse gave credit to the union’s members for recognizing the importance of keeping the long and proud tradition of papermaking intact in Bastrop.

“Our members were faced with a very difficult decision today,” he said, “and I believe that today’s vote was the right one for the future of the community.”

With about 600 employees in Bastrop, IP is the largest employer in Morehouse Parish.

The USW represents 850,000 workers in the United States and Canada employed in the metals, rubber, chemicals, paper, oil refining and other industries as well as the service and public sectors.

Common Goals, New Beginnings

2007-10-25T06:06:00.000-07:00

Working Group Fine-Tunes Plan for I.P. Union Conference

Building on the two-day regional meetings held over the summer for union members working at International Paper, nine representatives from our new Union Conference at IP met as a working group" in Pittsburgh to discuss the challenges ahead and map out a strategy to improve communication, build solidarity and increase our capacity for mobilization within and between IP locals. This group of nine, who were recruited from this summer’s regional meetings, represents IP mills and converters, as well as both officers and members.

With reports from several of our top table negotiators, the working group outlined specific goals for the next several months. The group first discussed the union’s strengths and weaknesses compared to those of the company, then formulated the plan to build our solidarity at every level on shop floors throughout the country.

Their recommendations for the future of the conference include a regular monthly newsletter, expanded mobilization and communication training and bringing together the locals for another round of regional meetings, which will hopefully include participants from locals that did not send delegates to the summer meetings. The conference will be committed to providing guidance and education for any local that seeks to engage more of its members and improve participation in other union activities.

As the Union Conference at I.P. continues to strengthen in solidarity, more locals will also have the opportunity to participate in the USW’s "Building Power" training. In short, Building Power helps local unions establish stronger mobilization and communications power within the local.

Back to the Table: Converter Bargaining to Begin

Now that the IP mills are under a master agreement for the first time since Ronald Reagan was President, the time has come to start working toward a similar breakthrough contract for brothers and sisters at the converter plants.

Formal talks began on October 12th with our top table committee and IP’s corporate bargainers. The converter bargaining goals are largely the same as they were for the mills – namely, that the union will be fighting for a master agreement that provides fairness and justice for our members on the shop floor and retirement with dignity.

IP Locals Build Power

2007-08-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

When representatives of a majority of IP locals met in five cities over the past two months for the USW Building Power program, they participated in training to strengthen local power so we can stand strong in dealings with IP.

International staff conducted the two-day work sessions at Matteson, Ill.; Concord, N.C.; Schenectady, N.Y.; Birmingham, Al., and Shreveport, La., bringing the classes closer to the locals to reduce costs for them. Another training lass will be held Sept. 8-9 in Winter Haven, Fla.

Convert the Contract for the Converters

2007-08-24T12:34:00.000-07:00

The focus now is on the converters.

A year ago when the bargaining committee met with the council, they agreed to work toward a master agreement for the mills first, then move immediately to secure an agreement for the converters.

All efforts are now focused on securing a deal for the converter workers since a new bargaining relationship has been established between the USW and IP.

There is general understanding of basic differences between converter locals and mill locals, but it is clear that improvements at the converter plants are necessary, as soon as possible.

USW Local 1055 President Sharon Brooks of Ft. Wayne, Ind., said, “If we want an acceptable converter deal with IP, we’re going to need to demonstrate to the company through Union Solidarity that we are determined and all in this together. Everybody needs to get on board if we are going to make the most of this opportunity.”

Historic Agreement Approved

2007-08-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

United Steelworkers members at the mills voted overwhelmingly on Aug. 23 to approve the first master agreement with International Paper in 25 years, demonstrating the strength of our solidarity.

The vote follows a meeting in Nashville earlier in August, where the majority of local officers who listened to the team that bargained the master contract said they’d recommend it to their membership.

Top USW officers and staff were on hand for discussions and questions, illustrating the importance the International union places on gaining a fair deal at IP.

USW Vice President Dick LaCosse said, “What’s important is the package as a whole.” The package includes a competitive PPO health care plan that no longer allows the 5% per year unilateral changes and marches us toward our intended goal of IP paying 80% of the premium costs in four years. It contains the first ever company-paid contribution into an early retirement health care fund for workers 50 and older, and it establishes what is virtually the highest-in-the-industry pension multiplier for current workers. Strong successorship language is included to protect us if our facilities are sold.

It was noted at the Nashville meeting that the strong support of local union members and leaders for the bargaining committee made IP sit down with us as a council, which is a significant victory.

LaCosse reminded council members, “Those who came before us left it better for us. We have a responsibility to leave it in better shape for those who come after us.”

USW Local 9-738 President Randall Childs from Riegelwood, NC said, “This is a step forward for workers at the 14 mills. It proves that we can get a better deal for the people when we join together and support each other. Now, we need to show that this is a joint effort between the primary mill workers and the converter workers, too.”

“New Beginning”

2007-04-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Union IP Council Meeting Brings Agenda for Change

Workers from International Paper (IP) local unions around the country met in Nashville on
Tuesday, April 3, for the USW IP Council meeting, hammering out a common program to advance the interests of all workers at this major forest products manufacturer.

The council, which represents more than 80 United Steelworkers locals and local unions
affiliated with other International Unions, discussed issues that will be facing workers at IP location in the future. They talked about the value of building a united front of all union workers at IP in pursuit of basic, reasonable improvements in wages, job security, benefits and working conditions.

USW Vice President and IP Bargaining Chair Dick LaCosse said to the assembled group of IP
workers at the Nashville meeting, “With renewed spirit on the shop floor and the added strength gained from merger with the larger USW, International Paper workers have a rare opportunity for a New Beginning.”

LaCosse said top representatives of the USW are now assigned to work with the IP Council on
many levels, all working to bring additional resources and strength to the union group.

Rank and file workers from IP mills and converters voiced many comments, questions and
concerns throughout the council meeting in Nashville.

IP workers at the union conference spoke out about local concerns, and developed an action plan to build power.

Union delegates expressed great interest in issues talked about at the “top-table discussions”
between top union officers and high-level company representatives. Everyone present was fully aware that change will not take place overnight. Ongoing bargaining with IP is far from being resolved. And union members from the different IP locations know how important it is that the company sees we are united and committed to getting fair contracts at all sites.

The meeting produced a common feeling among delegates that a leading paper company such
as IP should understand basic needs of workers in regards to wages, maintaining decent, affordable health care, retirement security including adequate pensions and contributions towards retiree health care, job security, contracting out restrictions and other areas of common concern. The consensus of the meeting was that establishing a bargaining structure with IP is critical to establishing a new relationship with the company.

Council members reviewed the latest news about current collective bargaining activities,
including details about top-table discussions with the company. Local union representatives also
reviewed the economic situation of the company and the industry.

USW members from locals that have been through the “Building Power” program at their
individual sites voiced approval of it and spoke about how the program has strengthened their local unions.

Nearly all the locals with agreements expiring in 2007 have had or are scheduled to have the
“Building Power” training program completed in the near future. All other IP locals will be trained at central geographic locations over the course of 2007.

Local-to-local communication will improve through the Contract Action Teams developed by
the program. The desired result will be for IP management to see the value of coming to terms with an increasingly well-organized workforce.

An assortment of union staff specialists reviewed the current collective bargaining situation at
individual local unions, talked about “successorship” language guaranteeing that workers maintain union conditions in the event of plant sale and spoke about what it will take to strengthen the position of union workers at IP.

Particularly emphasis at the Nashville meeting was placed on what’s happening with contract talks in Terre Haute, Indiana, Georgetown, South Carolina, Vicksburg, Mississippi, Selma, Alabama and numerous converter plants where labor agreements expire this year.

USW District 2 Director and IP Council Coordinator Jon Geenen talked about bargaining priorities at mills and converter shops, and the importance of working together to achieve common goals. Geenen emphasized bringing the converter local unions more fully into the coordinated bargaining process.

This plant-by-plant Building Power educational and action program is designed specifically for IP workers from both mills and converters, and is intended to make the most of the collective power workers at this company possess when organized, motivated and coordinated.

The USW Strategic Campaigns Department staff is assisting local unions in setting up a basic
game plan for forthcoming “Building Power” training sessions at local unions. And in an effort to
build labor unity at IP, workers represented by other unions within the IP system will also be invited to attend the training classes.

Delegates to the meeting also determined that IP local presidents will meet in Georgetown,
South Carolina in solidarity with workers seeking a new union contract at that mill.

As the conference wound down, one delegate spoke for many when he said he was glad this
was not just an information-sharing session, but a way to put together a solid action plan to build union strength for the benefit of all IP employees for many years to come.

Current and Upcoming Union Contract Expirations

USW District USW Local City State Product Expires
07 7-613 Terre Haute IN Paper 10/21/2006
08 2-505 Franklin VA Fiber Recycling Plant-Waste 11/13/2006
01 672 Solon OH Corrugated Boxes 12/1/2006
13 314 Edinburg TX Corrugated Boxes 1/31/2007
09 9-1418 Houston MS Corrugated Boxes 2/14/2007
04 828 Geneva NY Corrugated Boxes 3/31/2007
07 7-154 Indianapolis IN Folding Boxes 4/27/2007
07 7-154 Portland IN Partitions 10/14/2007
01 864 Mason OH Corrugated Boxes 10/31/2007
09 1441 Selma AL Fine Paper 11/5/2007
09 1444 Selma AL Fine Paper 11/5/2007
02 2-945 Fond Du Lac WI Corrugated Boxes 12/31/2007
11 264 Arden Hills MN Corrugated Boxes 1/31/2008
13 895 Carrolton TX Corrugated Boxes 2/28/2008
09 835 Auburndale FL Corrugated Boxes 3/7/2008
13 1148 Texarkana TX Paper 4/22/2008
13 1149 Texarkana TX Paper 4/22/2008
07 7-647 Des Plains IL Corrugated Boxes 4/15/2008
09 1137 Courtland AL Paper 6/15/2008
09 1161 Courtland AL Paper 6/15/2008
09 9-193 Courtland AL Paper 6/15/2008
09 1441 Maplesville AL Lumber & Chips 6/16/2008
01 1-662 Wooster OH Corrugated Boxes 6/30/2008
13 272 Bastrop LA Paper 7/31/2008
13 360 Bastrop LA Specialty Papers 7/31/2008
13 382 Bastrop LA Specialty Papers 7/31/2008
09 9-429 Statesville NC Corrugated Boxes 8/31/2008
04 381 Newark NJ Corrugated Boxes 9/15/2008
04 745 Waterbury CT Folding Boxes 10/6/2008
13 351 Pineville LA Kraft Linerboard 10/9/2008
09 462 Prattville AL Linerboard 10/31/2008
09 1458 Prattville AL Linerboard 10/31/2008
09 1978 Prattville AL Linerboard 10/31/2008
02 2-1007 Howell MI Corrugated Boxes & Sheets 11/30/2008
07 7-182 Hartford City IN Corrugated Boxes 12/8/2008

2009 contract expirations: USW Local 622, Lake Wales, FL; Local 1496, Meldrim, GA; Local 9-477, Georgetown, SC; Local 554, Springhill, LA, Locals 497 and 4-5, Ticonderoga, NY; Local 9-795, Savannah, GA; Locals 444, 9-447 and 1561, Cantonment, FL; Local 1055, Fort Wayne, IN; Local 694, Richmond, VA; Local 946, Kalamazoo, MI; Locals 983 and 1803, Augusta, GA; Local 9-546, Bay Minette, AL; Local 1216, Chicago, IL; Local 997, Welford, SC.

2010 contract expirations: Local 398, Springhill, LA; Local 8-294, Chesapeake, VA; Local 9-1755, Atlanta, GA; Locals 2-505 and 1488, Franklin, VA; Local 635, Mt Carmel, PA; Local 9-738, Riegelwood, NC.