After 46 days, union workers at timber corporation Weyerhaeuser have ended their strike. Operations are set to resume at Oregon and Washington locations as early as next week.
Members of Local 246 picket outside International Paper on Sept. 13, 2022, the first official day of the strike against Weyerhaeuser.
Brian Bull / KLCC
More than 1,000 members of Woodworkers Local 246, part of the International Association of Machinists, took to the picket lines on Sept. 13.
Thomas Thede is president of the Local 246 Lodge in Springfield. He told KLCC that the last vote with membership was held Thursday night, ratifying the four-year agreement with Weyerhaeuser.
One of the main sticking points was payment on open health care costs, which members had not paid before.
“We were able to agree on some fixed costs, rather than percentages. Not what we really wanted, we wanted zero of course, but they were lower than most people paying for premiums.”
Thede said now it’s just a matter of hearing from the company as to when workers may return to their shifts. That could be Monday or Tuesday, depending on safety protocols for certain jobs.
©2022, KLCC.
