Chips off the of Block AT A p (Northwest Coalition for Alternatives to Pesticides) has its roots in the I N forestworkers’ struggle against Thiram and later 245T. Several forestworker groups were in attendance at a meeting in 1977 in the Oregon Coast Range, when 17 organizations got NCAP off the ground. Current NCAP Director Norma Grier joined Hoedads about that time. “A lot of people attracted to pesticide issues went into Hoedads. Many were women who wanted to work with other women. They were brand-new skills for most of us . .. operating a chain saw on a production basis.” While working in the Coast Range, a co-worker became ill from Silvex. That led to testimony in the 245T cancellation hearings. For several years legal success was limited, but in January 1984, Federal District Judge James Burns ruled against the federal agencies using herbicides and ordered them to write “worse case analyses” before again applying the chemicals. NCAP had filed the suit, based on previous litigation, along with the Oregon Environmental Council and the Portland Audubon Society. When Burns was informed in March that none of the agencies involved had complied with his request, he issued a full injunction against herbicide spraying, until the issue was resolved, and threatened to throw both the secretaries of Agriculture and Interior in jail. The precedent set by the case has far-reaching implications id there ip now a case being tried to curb clearcutting on the Mapeleton Ranger Disti near Eugene, calling for a worse case analysis due to the impact on fish habitats. Needless to say, the federal agencies involved are scrambling to find a way to avoid compliance with Judge Burns’ requirements. But it’s a major victory nonetheless, and Grier happily asserts, “It has given us a lot of credibility. Our morale is very raised. We can make a difference.” 1 0 7 0 when the Northwest Forest Workers Association was formed, a 111 J. f health insurance program was created as a concrete benefit for the member cooperatives. Successful from the first, some 450 members were enrolled at the program's height. “Then the depression hit treeplanting,” remembers Rick Koven, the first NWFWA director and current president of Workers Trust, Inc. In October 1981, the NWFWA Board ceded off the program, urging Workers Trust to go national, to help ensure the survival of the critical insurance program for its members. Two and a half years later, Workers Trust is a totally autonomous health insurance company, with 3200 member owners representing 400 organizations in 40 states. Membership is currently limited to worker-owned businesses and self-employed individuals. Koven is interested in “acting outwardly as a stimulus for transforming American business in a democratic fashion. We believe the workplace should be democratic. Insurance is just a product. It’s not ultimately what we do.” Future plans include expansions into group buying, telecommunications, networking and pension plans. Koven sees Workers Trust as both the beneficiary and second generation of the forestworker co-ops. “No one in the Hoedads could see past tree planting. And the conditions of the time pass by. In order to create economic institutions to make a lasting contribution to communities, they need to be sustained. Here we want to create a lasting economic institution.” Though his years in the woods are happily behind him (Koven was a member of Great Notions Co-op), he feels the experience was valuable. “What about the thousands of people who went through, picked up something and carried it elsewhere? We’re not doing too badly for ex-tree-planters.’’ forced on the co-ops, the Hoedads decided to eliminate the autonomous crews. That meant the end of the separate women’s organization. The women accused the leadership of bowing unnecessarily to government pressure. “In the past, Hoedads was more willing to make a stand. Now they aren’t bothered with issues, only money,” Reeves stated. She also cited the rift between treeplanters (generally men) and those crews that preferred other types of forestry work, like timber stand examinations and cone collecting (generally women). The Hoedad majority believed that the women’s crew was the cause of major financial losses. But in fact, Reeves said, it was the treeplanting crews that incurred 70 percent of the losses, and the work that the women’s crew performed actually made money. Whatever the case, the percentage of women in Hoedads dropped from 35 percent in early 1983 to the present 15 percent. Back to Basics 1■ 7» or reasons good or bad, the Hoe- A dads and the other surviving Northwest forestworker co-ops have tightened their operations to withstand the current economic and political pressures. There are those who can envision another period of growth. Gerry Mackie foresees a NWFWA again composed of 14 co-ops. “We’ve learned from this experience, and we’ll grow with a stronger footing and in a more businesslike manner.” Yet there aren't many 40-year-old treeplanters. The work is so physically demanding. Many have moved on, their in* volvement with these worker-owned businesses a watershed experience in their lives. With reverberations felt throughout the culture of our region. As J.R. Ogden muses, “The founders are getting old; the gypsy days are behind us. If we get through this year, we will have to recruit new people and educate them to continue this idea.” Though in their darkest hour this winter he gave the Hoedads only a 75 percent chance of survival, things have rebounded this spring. Both Hoedads and Second Growth garnered large contracts planting in the ashes of Mount St. Helens. Reminds one of the phoenix. • Bill London is a free-lance writer living in the North Idaho woods who writes on forestry and environmental topics. futons • blankets • cushions flannel sheets • tatami mats bed frames • pillows unfoldings 2107 N. 34th Seattle, WA 98103 (206) 634-0630 s uccess A Modem fairytale OPENS JUNE 29 “A FASCINATING CONFRONTATION OF EXTREMES" G. GORDON LIDDY TIMOTHY LEARY Clinton St. Quarterly 11
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