USA : Roseburg Forest Products workers rally over contract dispute
SPRINGFIELD — Holding signs that proclaimed “No 12-hour shifts” and “We need our pension!,” unionized Roseburg Forest Products employees from Douglas County on Wednesday protested in front of the company’s
new corporate headquarters over proposed changes to their labor contract.
About 30 people participated in the protest, including current and former workers, mostly from the company’s Riddle and Dillard mills. They said they’ve been unable to agree on several terms with the company since the last four-year contract expired June 1.
“We just want a fair contract,” said Debbie Moore, a dryer operator at the Riddle mill.
Mike Axtell, a lathe operator at the same mill, said workers’ frustration centered on two points in negotiations: Company managers want to require employees to work overtime when requested, and they want to freeze employees’ pension plans.
In a written statement, Roseburg executive Kellye Wise declined to comment in detail about the dispute. The company provides competitive wages and benefits, he said, and it’s continuing to bargain in good faith.
“Roseburg understands that our employees’ commitment and hard work are a critical part of our success,” said Wise, senior vice president of human resources and labor relations. “We demonstrate similar commitment by continuing to provide some of the highest wage and benefits packages in the industry. We respect the fact that our employees have chosen to belong to a union, and we continue to bargain in good faith.”
“However, we are dealing with several complex issues that don’t always fit neatly on a handheld sign or banner,” he said. “Part of our challenge as an employer is ensuring that our employees get accurate information throughout the bargaining process. As a company, we prefer to do our negotiating at the bargaining table and opt not to discuss contract negotiation specifics publicly at this time.”
Roseburg Forest Products and the Lumber & Sawmill Workers Local 2949, the union representing employees, have negotiated throughout the summer. Several workers held signs stating the overtime and pension changes were unacceptable. One employee held a sign that read, “Don’t force our hand. We will strike!”
The protesters stood on the public sidewalk in front of Roseburg’s 50,000-square-foot administrative building, which the company has been remodeling since purchasing it from Northwest Community Credit Union last year.
The company’s information technology employees have been working at the site for some time, but the company recently moved several dozen corporate executives to the Springfield site from its former headquarters in Dillard.
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