Courtesy / USW 27
USW 27's “Bat Light”.
December 7, 2022
Woodland Pulp workers in Baileyville vote to strike
file PHOTO / MAUREEN MILLIKEN
Railroad cars loaded with timber at the Woodland Pulp Mill in Baileyville. USW Local 27 workers plan to give their 10-day notice ahead of a strike beginning Dec. 19.
Three years after ratifying a contract with Woodland Pulp LLC in Baileyville, 92% of United Steelworkers Local 27 members at the mill who voted rejected the company’s latest contract offer and authorize a strike.
On Monday, USW Local 27 said the most recent offer didn’t meet members’ demands for wage adjustments to reflect the increasing cost of living.
The voting took place by in-person ballot Dec. 6 and 7, with 85% of members voting. The union said it will now provide a required 10-day notice to the company so the strike could begin the week of Dec. 19.
“The wages and benefits we are requesting are not unreasonable and are necessary for us to keep up with inflation,” USW Local 27 President Shawn Howland said in a news release. “These negotiations have left us feeling unappreciated and unvalued, considering the hard work and resilience our members showed during COVID 19 pandemic.”
Scott Beal, a manager with Woodland Pulp, told Mainebiz the company is disappointed in the voting results.
"The company believes the contract which was voted down is very competitive," Beal said. “Based on information we have received concerning recently concluded labor negotiations the financial components of the offer are above the national average for our industry. Also, it's important to note the company has not asked for any concessions during these negotiations and none were included in this or any previous offer to the union.”
Beal added, “Woodland Pulp is hopeful the union membership will reconsider their position and thus their vote.”
The mill, which is just north of Calais on the St. Croix River, produces St. Croix Hardwood, a type of pulp made from locally sourced wood, which is sold to paper makers globally, as well as to its affiliate company, St. Croix Tissue. Howland said the company’s production numbers are at an all-time high, largely due to the efforts of Woodland’s hourly employees.
During the pandemic, Howland said, the mill received about $6.7 million in federal paid protection program loans, all of which was forgiven. The mill remained open throughout the pandemic, he noted.
“We dutifully went into work at the mill every day, at risk to our families and ourselves,” he said.
Howland noted that one member died of COVID-19 following a coronavirus outbreak at the mill.
He continued, “USW 27 members have sacrificed a lot during the past few years and the workers deserve to be compensated fairly for their hard work and dedication.”
The vote followed tense negotiations, during which union leadership worked with the international union and its attorneys, said United Steel Workers Labor Representative Mike Higgins.
Late last month, USW Local 27 projected the union’s message on the side of the mill: “Essential Workers Deserve a Fair Contract.”
Prior to the last round of bargaining, USW 27 members said wages were a top concern.
“Over the past few years the members of Local 27 have been told to keep working, that we are essential, while we have faced COVID, brought it home to our families and even had to suffer the loss of our fellow union members,” Local 27 member Matthew LaPlant said in a separate news release. “Now pulp is at record prices and we are being pushed for every minute of uptime we can get. Every month we are told we set new shipping records. If we can face these dangers, and then ship more pulp than ever with record prices, then the company should step up and pay a fair wage.”
United Steelworkers Local 27 was among a number of trade and production unions, representing nearly 300 employees, that ratified contracts with the mill in 2019.
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