The LRB issued a decision this week about an attempt by the CEP to raid a local of the Pulp, Paper, and Woodworkers of Canada: http://www.lrb.bc.ca/decisions/B235$2012.pdf
The CEP is part of the BC Federation of Labour, but the PPWC are not: http://www.bcfed.com/about_us/affiliates
Do you know anything about the PPWC and why they have chosen to remain outsiders from the house of labour and open themselves up to raids?
Weren't they part of the CCU, several of whose affiliates joined the CAW about 20 years ago? I'll ask around.
The PPWC is a proud CANADIAN trade union with a long history on this coast. They came into being in the early 1960's. They rejected the International unions that were in the Pulp and Paper industry because they were American controlled "business unions" so they have never been a part of the BC Fed or CLC. They are a not a CLAC style fake union but a real one with a strong socialist tradition.
They do not see eye to eye with the Steelworkers/IWA who are the main union in the forest industry. For instance they have been very vocal in their opposition to exporting raw logs while the USW doesn't say a lot because the only members they have working in most Locals are the fallers and log haulers.
The decision is in keeping with the board's very rigid requirements for membership cards. The board in the past has disallowed cards that had two different types of ink from pens. So if someone filled out the body of the card ans then the member signed it with a different pen it was suspect. Needless to say organizers now carry lots of pens all the same.
LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING
The drive to unionize the pulp and paper mills of Canada was forged by two American unions: in pulp, the International Pulp Sulphite Workers Union (the In- ternational), and in paper, the United Papermakers International Union (the UPIU). Each held jurisdiction rights in their respective areas, granted and guard- ed by the AFL-CIO. They were, one may say, the only game in town.
By the late 1950s, virtually all pulp and paper mills in North America were certified by one and, often, both of these unions. Many pulp mills were also paper mills, thus the dual certification.
These unions, of course, were American through and through. Their overview of Canada was in keeping with the American business overview. Branch plant mentality ruled the day.
Yup, thought so.
The Confederation of Canadian Unions was formed (under a slightly different name) in 1969, as an umbrella for a number of unions which had left or been expelled from their U.S. internationals, often after developing some very militant traditions and going through difficult struggles. The PPWC was one of the most notable ones, as were CAIMAW (big in Winnipeg in the 70s, the Griffin strike, etc.), CASAW (smelter workers), CTCU (textiles), Mine-Mill, and a few others. At a time when Canadian unionism was still the minority trend, they kept their organizational independence from the Canadian Labour Congress. Tough times and dwindling resources - plus the growth of Canadian unionism - led to some of the major affiliates representing most of the roughly 20,000 members of the CCU deciding through membership votes to merge with the CAW in 1991-92 - CAIMAW, CASAW, CTCU, Mine-Mill, and wasn't there something called CACAW in B.C. too (communications workers)?? The CAW, having itself broken from the UAW in 1985 and carved out a militant reputation, was seen by many as a safe haven for the same principles which had motivated the formation of the CCU and respected the fighting traditions of the affiliates. Not sure how they'd see that today. And I have no idea why the PPWC didn't follow that general trend.
And, of course, anyone not in the CLC is seen as fair game for being raided or for raiding, so the game goes on.
ETA: I forgot to mention the final irony. The decision referenced in the OP dismisses an application by the CEP to have a vote which could potentially displace the PPWC as bargaining agent at some small outfit (I'm guessing it's small...). The CEP, of course, is the soon-to-be merger partner of the CAW, now that the conventions of both unions have agreed to a marriage, to be consummated in 2013. So at least some PPWC members may end up in the (... they haven't picked a name for the merged union yet ...) 20 years later...
ETA: I forgot to mention the final irony. The decision referenced in the OP dismisses an application by the CEP to have a vote which could potentially displace the PPWC as bargaining agent at some small outfit (I'm guessing it's small...). The CEP, of course, is the soon-to-be merger partner of the CAW, now that the conventions of both unions have agreed to a marriage, to be consummated in 2013. So at least some PPWC members may end up in the (... they haven't picked a name for the merged union yet ...) 20 years later...
Yeah I was kind of thinking the same thing. There are more members of ex-CCU affiliated unions in the CAW than there are in the current CCU.
Looking at the CCU website, it consists of only three other relatively small unions aside from PPWC...the York University Staff Association, a small telecom union and a small Nova Scotia public sector union.
Thanks for the details - I didn't know about the CCU.
