THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER AUGUST, 1974 | Editor’s note: The following questions - and answers about the IWA_ were prepared by the Research & Education Department of the Union to acquaint prospective new members and the _ public with the structure and aims of the organization. The IWA is the International Woodworkers of America — the organization of working men and women who perform the. maintenance and : production tasks in the logging, lumber and wood 4 products industries of Canada and the United States. WHEN WAS THE IWA STARTED? wa The IWA was formed in 1937 by honest, : courageous, hardworking woodworkers to whom great credit is due. It was formed at the time of the Great Depression when thousands of workers were joining the new industrial unions of the CIO in the United States and the CCL in Canada. WHO BELONGS TO THE IWA? ; Maintenance and production workers in logging, sawmills and planing mills, hardwood dimension and flooring mills, millwork, veneer, plywood, and structural wood plants, wood kitchen cabinets, wood containers, pallets and skids, mobile homes and prefabricated wood buildings and components, wood preserving, particleboard and hardboard and dozens of related industries belong to the IWA. HOW MANY MEMBERS DOES THE IWA HAVE? There are more than 230-locals and about 115,000 members in the IWA, approximately half of them in Canada and half in the United States. Since the IWA is affiliated with the AFL-CIO in the United States and the CLC in Canada, backing our membership are the millions of members in those two national federations. ; 4 WHAT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE IWA? For the purpose of handling its activities the IWA divides the United States and Canada into five geo- graphical regions. Each local union is in one of these regions, and each region has three members on the International Executive Board, including the Re- gional Directors. The regions have Regional conven- tions which enable local unions to meet periodically to discuss problems, hear reports and establish Re- gional policy. HOW DOES THE IWA OPERATE? The supreme governing body is the International Union convention, which is held every two years. Delegates hear reports on activities since the last convention, develop programs and policies to guide future activities, and nominate officers. The con- vention is the only body that can amend the con- stitution of the International Union, except that ed changes in per capita payments to the ational must be submitted to secret ballot vote by all IWA members. Between conventions, the i Paoontive Board of the International Union is the top erning body. The Executive Board consists of the International Executive Officers, the five onal Directors and ten other members — two i by IWA members in each region by secret ~ HOW ARE THE INTERNATIONAL OFFICERS ELECTED? The officers of the International Union are nominated at conventions and, when there is a contest for an office, elected by secret ballot vote of all IWA members. The term of office is four years. The Executive officers are the President, First and Vice-Presidents, and Secretary-Treasurer. = Bs cod argensen al Seratecers «5 appear in the Union constitution and can be shengol convention action. WHO ARE THE CONVENTION DELEGATES? Every local union in good standing has a right to send delegates to the convention. Every delegate to the convention must be a member of an IWA local union and must be elected by the local union. The number of delegates and the number of votes to which each local is entitled varies with the size of the local union and is spelled out in the constitution of the International Union. HOW ARE LOCAL.UNION OFFICERS ELECTED? In the local union the officers are elected by the members in secret-ballot elections. The officers are elected for not more than four-year terms, depending on the term of office of the local union’s constitution. Local unions have the following officers: president, one or more vice-presidents, financial secretary, recording secretary, conductor, warden and three trustees. All of these except the trustees, plus other elected members, form the Local Union Executive Board. HOW IS THE CONTRACT NEGOTIATED? A local union negotiating committee, elected by the membership of the local, meets with management to negotiate the collective bargaining agreement. The settlement must be voted upon and approved by the membership of the local. WHAT IS THE UNION’S ROLE IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING? An officer or member of the Regional Council staff usually assists the local negotiating committee in its negotiating sessions with management. Ad- ditionally, much of the work of the IWA Research and Education Department is geared to strengthen- ing the collective bargaining position of all of the IWA locals. Staff economists do research to provide information on sales, profits and wages. A skilled technician, experienced in analyzing and negotiating pension and welfare plans, is available to assist our locals in these highly technical fields. The educational activities of the IWA seek to improve the knowledge. and techniques of our officers, stewards and committeemen. Finally, programs of company- wide conferences provide a method to coordinate the bargaining activities of locals that negotiate with the big multi-plant companies, and in much the same way, industrywide councils and conferences help the bargaining activities of locals in, for example, the southern plywood industry. WHAT ARE THE INITIATION FEE AND DUES? Within the limits set by the International Constitu- tion, each local union sets its own initiation fee and dues. The International constitution provides for a minimum initiation fee of $10. The Constitution sets the minimum monthly dues at $5 without any maximum. The dues and / or dues formula are set by secret ballot by the members of the local union. WHAT HAPPENS TO THE MONEY? Out of each member’s dues the Regional Council pays to the International a per capita tax of $1.00 per month. The rest of the money remains with the Region and the local union to pay for the costs of carrying on the business of the Region and the local. WHAT DOES THE INTERNATIONAL DO WITH THE $1.00 PER CAPITA? Under our constitution, 20 cents is earmarked and must be set aside into a pension fund. Furthermore, just as each local union pays a per capita ‘ax to the International, the International also pays per capita taxes to the AFL-CIO for our members in the United States; to the Canadian Labour Congress for our members in Canada; to the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO; to the Union Label Departments of both the AFL-CIO and the CLC and to the International Federation of Building and Woodworkers unions. The total of these affiliation fees averages about 15 cents per month. Thus, out of the $1.00 per capita tax the International receives from the local unions, 35 cents is earmarked even before it is received. WHERE IS THE REST OF THE MONEY SPENT? The biggest part of the income of the International Union goes to pay for the salaries and expenses of the staff required to service and to assist our local unions. The International office alone has about 40 employees, including the various professional departments — accounting, legal, public relations, research and education, and the assistant directors of organization. The International publishes a bi- monthly newspaper, the INTERNATIONAL WOOD- WORKER, which is available to the IWA member- ship. WHY SHOULD | BEA MEMBER OF THE IWA? As a member of the IWA you join with other workers in the industry and in organized labor to obtain better wages, hours and working conditions— a fair share of the production of goods and services in the economy through the negotiation and en- forcement of collective bargaining agreements arrived at by legal equals in the age-old process of give-and-take discussion. You and your family are protected by pensions, insurance, health plans, safer © working conditions, the elimination of favoritism and unfair practices in employment and promotion. Instead of being a servant, you are a worker with human dignity and rights equal to everyone else — including the president of the company.