BY IWA IN MANITOBA

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

-

PICKET LINE CLAUSE NEGOTIATED

A major breakthrough was
achieved by Local 1-324 IWA
Manitoba, in the signing of a
new two-year agreement with
the Farmers Erectors Ltd.,
The Pas, which provided an
across-the-board wage in-
crease of $1.02 an hour.

The contract, which runs
from the 20th of March, 1970, to
March 19, 1972, contains the
provision long sought by the
IWA in British Columbia that it
is not a violation of the contract
for the crew to respect picket
lines established by bona-fide
trade unions.

The Union negotiators
headed by Regional 3rd Vice-
President Jack Munro and
aided by Local Business Agent
Art Friske and Plant Chair-
man W. J. Benson, achieved an

forest industry and could lead
to’ mass action which would
affect the major resource
industries in the province.‘‘We
believe that negotiations can
resolve differences in these
major industries, but point out
that the destruction of free
collective bargaining through
compulsion in the construction
industry can make continued
collective bargaining im-
possible in other major in-
dustries and paralyze industry
throughout the province.

“We urge government and
employers to co-operate with
us in avoiding that danger.”

In the face of labour’s
ultimatum, the government
invoked Section 18 of the
Mediation Commission Act
(Bill 33) and ordered the
construction unions to report to
’ work July 20. It refused to
comment on what action would
be taken if the unions failed to
obey the order.

(Under the Act, unions
failing to obey a back to work
order are liable to a $10,000 fine
and individual unionists liable
to fines of $1,000 each plus fines
of $150 per day for each day
they ignore the order.)

number of other significant
gains in the agreement.
Included in these were:

— Nine statutory holidays.

— Four weeks holiday after
ten years of service at eight
per cent of total earnings.

— Health and Welfare
coverage in the IWA Plan with
the Company paying on behalf
of each employee eight cents
per hour. The Company also
agrees to pay an additional
four cents per hour on behalf of
each employee into the
Manitoba Medical Plan.

— Loss of pay for jury duty
will be paid by the Company.

— Free gloves will be

provided at the start for Green
Chain, Dry Chain employees,
lumber pilers and welders.

When the majority of the
striking construction unions
failed to heed the back to work
order, the government took one
of its famous second looks by
calling the disputing parties to
a conference in Victoria.

At an 8-hour meeting July 22
the unions and the construction
employers agreed to a plan
proposed by the government
that the dispute be submitted
to a mutually selected third
party mediator to bring in a
recommendation.

This recommendation would
be submitted to the members
of the unions involved to vote
on within seven days of the ap-
pointment. It was also agreed
that in the event the two sides
failed to agree on a mediator,
Deputy Labour Minister Bill
Sands would be appointed.

Whether this plan brings a
speedy end to the construction
tie up remains to be seen. One
thing, however, is very clear.
By suggesting a third party
mediator in the dispute the
government has put its much
vaunted Mediation Com-
mission in a very shakey
position. ,

CANADIAN WORKERS
FAR BEHIND AMERICANS

Canadian workers are
demanding and getting parity
with their U.S. counterparts —
Right?

Ask a businessman, and he’ll
probably tell you, yes, but
Canadian workers aren’t as
efficient as American workers.

The fact is, in the past two
decades the difference bet-
ween what the average
American worker makes over
his Canadian counterpart has
stayed virtually the same.

Recent Study
Corroborating evidence
comes from a recent study of
the Canada Department of

Labor. The study — Wages in
Canada and the United States,

An Analytical Comparison —
was reported in the March,
1970, issue of The Labor
Gazette, the labor depart-
ment’s monthly journal.

Average labor income in the
U.S. dad that in Canada

by 27 percent in 1949, falling to
only 26 per cent in 1967, the
study shows. This occurred, by
the way, while the gross na-
tional product in this country
was rising faster than the GNP
in the U.S. :
In 20 Years

So despite demanding parity
with U.S. workers, Canadians
picked up a big one per cent on
their American brethren in
nearly 20 years. ;

Like to learn more about the
wage study? You can’t.

A labor _ department
spokesman says somewhat
sheepishly that although many
requests for the report have
come in since The Labor
Gazette wrote it up, the report

is not available.
“Tt was a mistake,’ the

embarrassed labor depart-

ment man says. “It should

never have appeared.” :
He was at a loss to explain

why.

From then on free gloves will
be provided once a month with
the exception of welders who
will receive them once every
three months.

— Fifty per cent of the cost
of safety toed boots will be paid
by the Company the first year,
and twenty-five per cent of the
cost each year thereafter.

— Overtime in excess of
eight hours will be paid at time
and one half.

— All hours worked on
Sunday by production workers
will be paid at double time
rate.

An employee working in
excess of two hours overtime in
his shift will be provided with a
meal or in lieu of a meal
receive $1.75.

— Swing shift receives ten
cents an hour and the
graveyard shift fifteen cents
an hour.

Other provisions of the

agreement covering job
security, seniority, job posting,
bereavement leave, grievance
procedure, and leave of ab-
sence, are the same as those
contained in the IWA Coast
Master Agreement.

Millwrights bai

Electricians

Chip-n- Saw Operator
Utility and Relief
Knife Grinder

966 Operator

Debacker Operators _

Trimmer Operator
Lift Operator

Edger Operator
Carrier Operator

Truck Driver
Green Chain Piler

Log Deck =
Labourer —
Clean-Up =
Watchman tie

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Following are the new rates
for the various classifications
which became effective March
20, 1970, with the signing of the ©
contract and the final rates
which become effective March _

20, 1971:

$3.91 $4.34

3.91 434

— 3.59 4.02

— 3.59 4.02

— 3.64 4.07

3.49 3.92

3.44 3.87

— 3.39 3.82
3.39 3.82 |

= 3.34 Bere)

= 3.29 27

3.29 3.72

_— 2.99 4.42

2.99 3.42

2.94 3.37

2.94 3.37

2.94 3:37

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