It seems to me that if these workers are dumb enough to go on strike when the price of lumber in the us is so low and the canadian dollar is so high and the forest companys are loseing as much money as they are, the dummies deserve to starve.

I for one will buy what I need, from where ever I like, if the material is of the quality I want and at the price I want to pay...
And these unions don't intimidate me so they can can go hang.
Unions are to protect their workers from the big bad business man not to run around trying to act tough in the eyes of the public....
violence dont' work with me either.

It seems that there is always someone on strike somewhere. How far from the original company and employee are we being asked to support a stike action?

Seems to me that it would be more appropriate to focus their strike efforts at the workplace and with the employer in the specific community they live, work and spend their money. Chester

Dozer Gofaster and Chester you should know something about the subject before commenting. Where do you think your quality of life came from!!!!!!!

"Seems to me that it would be more appropriate to focus their strike efforts at the workplace and with the employer in the specific community they live, work and spend their money."

You have some learning to do. What they are drawing people’s attention to is something called “fair distribution of public good”. Based on all but one remark here, it is painfully obvious that many here do not understand that notion. Therefore, PG is precisely the place where they are wasting their effort. Then again, maybe it is time we learn how the remainder of the industrialized world operates these days. The sooner we do so, the sooner we can rejoin it and get over this MPB problem we are having.

In today's market, virtually no forest product can get sold to any major retailer unless it bears a “green” stamp that the product comes from a “sustainable managed forest”. Around here, most use a CSA certification to show that it does. The Prince George Timber Supply area has such a certification. People who are interested in that are as diverse as IKEA, the LA Times and other major US newspapers, major US magazine publishers, typically based out of Chicago, etc. In fact, marketers from those companies have been in PG to see for themselves how the commercial forest activities are handled.

Why? Because the consumers in the large urban areas demand it. Therefore the supplier of the end product will demand it from the primary manufacturer. Simple concept! They all think the same way as Gofaster – they will buy the product they want from whomever they want to buy it from! As a result, major retailers follow suit because they got to where they got because they know the customer is always right, even when you think they are wrong.

So, in case you do not realize what all is included in what is considered by people to be sustainable managed forests, it goes far beyond the ecologically sound practices, but also goes into the social and economically sound practices. Thus reasonable compensation for work, safety at work, keeping as much work in the community rather than farming it out or shipping logs out to be processed elsewhere – all those kinds of things are considered when a company is given a “green stamp” of approval. The system is audited by independent auditing firms and public advisory groups are involved in the whole process.

So, now that you have learned that, you might see why the unions are doing what they are doing. Kind of useless around here, but extremely effective in Urban America. The price of lumber, in that equation, is virtually irrelevant.

If this is the first time you have heard about this (since very few if any local reporting is done on such matters), then you can start by reading this Canfor site:

http://www.canfor.com/sustainability/certification/csa.asp

If you are looking for more bedtime reading, read this:
http://www.carrierlumber.bc.ca/Prince%20George%20Sustainable%20Forest%20Mgt%20Plan.pdf

Here is a quick overview:
http://www.aesa.ca/new/pdf/Byron_Grundbergs_Presentation.pdf

and another more detailed overview of the three key accreditation systems.
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/tbt_e/meeting_march06_e/gignac_e.ppt#23

So, just keep in mind, what we think here is irrelevant. We are just two bit players. It is what LA, Chicago and New York think that is important. High or low cost, that is where the client base is. That is where the corporate decisions are made. It’s called the global market. You want to get out of it? Close down 80% of our production capacity and we can get out of it. Kiss PG and much of the rest of this part of the province goodbye since it will make the MPB epidemic pale in comparison.

Wow, can OWL ramble on or what eh? Reminds me of Dan Rogers back in his days on council. By the time he's finished you can't remember the question or what point he was trying to make. Owl should get on council and put everyone to sleep, or at least keep everyone up real late by the time he finishes talking!

Unlike you YDPC, I try to to inform ..... people can take it or leave it. It's their choice.

As for you, keep up your ad hominems. It seems to be the only thing you are capable of.

Then again, we all have our parts to play.

:p)

Owl, thank you for enlightening me. As a contract worker and business owner most of my working life, I sometimes don't understand the rationale behind strike action or even the bigger picture behind it.

Although,my personal union experiences have been less than favourable during an 18 year period between 1976 and 1995, I still feel they have a role to play. Chester

Chester - thanks for that, and I apologize for sounding a bit harsh in my note. It is the frustration coming through in my old age.

In this case I am at a real loss as to why the local media is not more informative to the public in our forestry based community about such activities. There may have been an article here or there, but I must have missed them.

Then again, I suppose the forest companies could do a better job of letting the public know about such activites. Sometimes there are too many things seemingly going on behind the scenes to my liking.

Not from unions that is for sure.

Owl "..ad hominems"?? What the heck?

I had to check the dictionary to see if it was OWLish diatribe diarrhoea?

Only thing in the dictionary was "homiletic - morally uplifting" or "hominid - member of the primates". Maybe the "ad" means something?

Oh well, it was probably a mispelling on Owls part for Homer Simpsons. Can you say spellcheck! Heh heh.

Seamutt my quality of life sure as hell did not come from the unions....

Check your own spelling there Yama....
not meant to be nasty ...just a fact...
Have to agree Owl, seems to have his encyclopedia handy at most times...
way to go there Owl.

That shows how much you understand about your quality of life Dozer.

ad hominems? Are ya sure that aint a slur against gays? Ah, Latin. No wonder it is a dead language.