Potlatch Workers Approve Strike Vote

LEWISTON, Idaho — Workers at the Potlatch Corp. mill and power boiler in Lewiston are poised to take to the picket lines.

Members of the Association of International Machinists and Aerospace Workers, AFL-CIO, voted to strike Tuesday. The vote was approved by 67 percent of the union members.

Union representative Ron Teigen says there are no immediate plans to form picket lines. Teigen says the union will engage in last-ditch negotiations to resolve differences over salaries and pension benefits.

Company spokesman Matt Van Vleet says the company has also agreed to return to the bargaining table.

The vote marks the first time woodworkers have voted to strike since the early 1970s.

The union represents 225 workers at the mill and another 40 working at the power boiler.