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

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