Weyerhaeuser worker strike ends after 46 days with 'not the greatest' contract
A six-week worker strike at Weyerhaeuser mills across the Pacific Northwest ended Friday after union members narrowly voted to approve a new contract that included wage increases and benefits.
The approved contract did not include all the changes unionized workers were hoping for but did secure improvements such as lower healthcare premium costs and 14% wage increases, according to Brandon Bryant, district business representative for International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
"This has been a long journey and the end is not exactly everything the union wanted, but it is better and improved from where we were seven weeks ago," Bryant said in an email. "We look forward to returning to do the great work that we do, at our mills, our log yards, our mechanic shops, our logging roads, on the highways, and in your communities."
Close to 85% of the roughly 1,200 union members in Oregon and Washington State voted Thursday, with 54.88% voting in favor of the new four-year agreement.
The strike lasted 46 days going back to Sept. 13, with Cottage Grove Weyerhaeuser mill employees picketing outside every day, according to longtime millwright and electrician Joe Bethke. The Cottage Grove mill is one of the largest employers in the nearby community.
Weyerhaeuser president and CEO Devin W. Stockfish announced the end of the strike in a news release Friday, saying he thinks it allows the company to provide "safe, reliable jobs with competitive wages and benefits."
"We know this has been a difficult process for everyone involved, and we have appreciated the patience and professionalism of all parties as we worked through the negotiation," Stockfish said in the release.
In his email, Bryant thanked community members who supported picketing workers, including some who contributed to GoFundme pages to help workers get by financially while on strike.
"We want to thank the numerous people and businesses that have supported our members on the picket lines," Bryant said. "Your boxes of donuts, pizzas, homemade cookies, firewood, handmade picket signs, donations and gas cards inspired our members to hold the line."
The union was pushing for the company to eliminate a new requirement that workers pay out-of-pocket for healthcare premiums. The company did not remove the premiums, but they are set at a locked-in amount that will not increase over the four years, Bryant said.
The final contract also includes additional vacation time, higher payout for sick leave, and higher pay for those working outside normal business hours.
While the final contract is "not the greatest," according to Bethke, he said he was satisfied with it. He said he still doesn't think it reflects the profit workers helped the company achieve in recent years.
"Overall, I think we did OK; it was one of the higher percentage of raises we've gotten in forever, but our biggest problem is it doesn't compare to what we gave them over the last two or three years," Bethke, who has worked in the Cottage Grove mill for more than 24 years, said.
In 2021, Weyerhaeuser had its strongest financial year on record, according to Stockfish in a January news release, bringing in $2.6 billion in net earnings over the year.
The Cottage Grove mill will ease back into normal operations this week, with maintenance workers getting the mill ready and safety training Monday and production crews coming back Tuesday, Bethke said.
Louis Krauss covers breaking news for The Register-Guard. Contact him at lkrauss@registerguard.com, and follow him on Twitter @LouisKraussNews.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Weyerhaeuser worker union strike ends after 46 days
