The I.W.W. has a very rich history in the Lumber Industry, and there are many other aspects to timber workers, timber unions, logging, mills, and forestry. Here are a few of the more commonly received questions from readers to these sites:
#1 - Is there currently an organized IWW Timber Workers Union?
No, but there should be. Working conditions in the timber industry in North America have been declining since the 1980s and no major improvements had been made since the 1930s when the IWA (a once progressive CIO union) purged popularly elected anti-capitalist leaders from its ranks under very questionable pretenses.
#2 - What did the IWW ever do for timber workers?
Quite a lot, actually. Most of the good conditions that Timber Workers gained throughout the twentieth century are a result of the actions made by IWW timber workers and organizers, even though only a minority of timber workers were ever organized by the IWW. Perhaps the most dramatic example is the winning of the eight-hour work day on March 1, 1918.
#3 - What's wrong with the timber industry now?
Plenty. Multinational corporations dominate the industry, and they over harvest timber lands, threatening job security. Over 80% of timber jobs have been lost to automation and over harvesting. Milling operations have been moved to countries with lax labor standards, and corporations have busted lumber unions considerably. Much logging is conducted by non-union, "gyppo" (subcontract) firms who underbid each other for increasingly scarce work.
#4 - Aren't excessive regulations and wacko environmentalists really responsible for declining timber jobs?
No. In fact, environmentalists (whether they intend to or not) actually propose more sustainable forestry practices than timber corporations. Environmentalists are perceived as middle-class city dwellers with no practical timber industry knowledge, but this is a generally inaccurate stereotype. Many of them are not unconcerned with the conditions of timber workers, but they are not very articulate. Timber capitalists know that they are over harvesting forests and busting unions, and they use environmentalists (or environmental regulations) as a convenient scapegoat.
#5 - Isn't the IWW just a front group for the radical "eco-terrorist" organization, "Earth First!"?
No, and Earth First! are not "eco-terrorists". To begin with, the IWW was formed in 1905, long before Earth First! which was formed in late 1979. The IWW is a labor union, Earth First! is a radical environmental organization that likes to think of itself as a movement. While it is true that the IWW and Earth First! have shared a few members (notably Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney), they are separate organizations. It should be noted that some loggers and mill workers (some of them members of the IWW and some of them not) are also Earth First!ers as well.
#6 - What is the difference between "Lumber", "Timber", and "Forest" workers?
None really; these are merely different names for Industrial Union #120 of the IWW. The official name is "Lumber Workers Industrial Union 120", but forest service workers, restoration workers, and scientists are as welcome as loggers, mill workers, and lumber yard workers.
#7 - I see some references to Lumber Workers Union #500; how is that different from #120?
LWIU 500 is the old name and number for LWIU 120. The IWW industrial union classification system has been changed several times over the organization's history.
#8 - Can you help me obtain my pension benefits?
We receive this question frequently. Unfortunately this is a matter between you and your union (unless your union is the IWW). We might be able to help give you advice on how to contact a lawyer, but there is little we can do beyond this.
#9 - I want to join the IWW and organize my fellow Lumber / Timber / Forestry Workers into LWIU 120. What do I do next?
Excellent! Join the IWW and contact us at your earliest possible opportunity. Ask us about organizer training.
#10 - I have some additional information and/or texts for this web site. Whom do I contact?
Contact the web site administrator. The contact address is listed at the bottom of this web page.
