VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Western Forest Products Inc. has announced that they have agreed to the terms of a tentative collective agreement with the United Steelworkers Local 1-1937. The USW represents approximately 1,000 Western employees.

The tentative agreement is subject to a ratification vote by the USW membership, which is expected to occur before the end of the year. The USW bargaining committee has advised that they will be recommending that its members accept this agreement.

“This tentative agreement is the result of the professional and principled work of the bargaining team members from both the USW and Western, who worked respectfully to find common ground and solutions that support both employees and the business,” said Steven Hofer, president and CEO of Western Forest Products. “A new collective agreement will provide critical business certainty to the company as we look to accelerate the transition to higher value products through reinvestment in our operations. I want to thank the bargaining team members for their work to deliver a fair and balanced agreement.”

If ratified by the union members, it would bring stability to a region that has faced disruptions in lumber production, including recent curtailments due to market conditions and labor shortages.