Weyerhaeuser workers on strike as of today

Weyerhaeuser workers, and members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Woodworkers union, are on strike as of today.

According to information shared to KXRO, the strike began at 12:01am this morning.

In a statement to workers from union leaders on a private Facebook group, and screenshotted for KXRO, an offer from Weyerhaeuser was presented on Monday, but it was not accepted.

The statement says that general wage increases were proposed, but at a level that was not acceptable.

We are told that there will be pickets at the Raymond sawmill gates and also some of the mainline woods roads headed into Weyerhaeuser land.

Negotiations are anticipated to continue this week.

In a statement from Weyerhaeuser, they told KXRO:

“We have been formally engaged in collective bargaining with IAM since May, and we have made several offers related to wages and benefits,” says Denise Merle, senior vice president and chief administration officer for Weyerhaeuser. “After we presented our final offer, IAM workers at multiple sites went on strike late last night. While we are very disappointed in their decision to walk out, we are committed to supporting our employees and negotiating in good faith with union representatives. We are prepared to continue discussions to produce a contract that is beneficial for employees and sustainable for the company across business cycles.”

Weyerhaeuser stated that they have approximately 1,200 employees who are members of IAM, including employees in the company’s Wood Products and Timberlands organizations, in Washington and Oregon.