IWA MOBILIZES FOR Ottsie Pebticatia ot tts International Wooduorhert of Amertea at. disia Cavs Nob Vol. XX, No.8 >= March 20, 1952 5c per copy Vancouver, B.C. SPURNED WIDOWS Request of the Greater Van- couver and Lower Mainland Labor Council communicated to Premier Johnson by urgent telegram, that Workmen’s Compensation pensions for wi- dows be made retroactive went unheeded. A few days later the Legislature gave second read- ing. to the amending Bill, with- out offering relief to those widows now doomed to remain on the $50 a month payment. The question was raised on the floor of the Council by George Home, Secretary of the B.C. Fed- eration of Labor, who reported Emerging from the confer- ence decisions will be the basic terms upon which the IWA will open negotiations for an finproved master contract in the Coast area, to replace the 1951-52 contract expiring on Tune 15. These terms will be vigor- ously pressed under the man- date of the District Convention which stipulated “no contract, no work”, on June 15. Substantial wage increases are regarded as a “must”, in view of steadily rising living costs and the improved profit, position of the operators. New Features Sought In addition to the question of wage rates, the delegates at the District Convention expressed a general demand for features in the contract which will better working conditions and enhance general security in employment. The Wage and Contract Con- ference will be required to con- STRATEGY MEETING | MARCH 22nd AND 23rd IWA Wages and Contract Conference in Vancouver, March 22-23, to which have been summoned delegates from all Local Unions, will be the focus of attention from all IWA members in B.C. who recognize it to be one of the most significant in the history of the Union. CONTRACT BATTLE year’s bargaining. Prominent on the agenda of the conference is consideration of ways and means to place the full economic strength of the Union behind the demands that will be stated as negotiations open in April. PER CAPITA BALLOT SOON Early submission to mem- bership referendum ballot will be made by the B.C. District Council, IWA, of the District Convention recom- mendation to increase the portion of the per capita tax alloted to District purposes by 15 cents per dues month, In discussion of the ques- tion. before Local Union meetings, District Officers on an analysis made of the En- quiry Boards’ reports dealing with Compensation, Hospital Insur- ance and the ICA Act. IWA dele- ‘See WIDOWS” Page 2 U.K. face Expert Here CCL OFFICIALS WELCOME J. M. Peddie, National Executive Member of the Cooperative Political Party of Great Britain, and Director of the Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd. (Left) CCL Regional Director, Dan Radford; J. M. Peddie; and President Andy Smith, Local 1-357, IWA. sider such demands as those for Paid Statutory Holidays, Union Shop, Travel Time, improved seniority, vacations with pay, guaranteed annual wage, guar- anteed daily rate for piece work- ers, hours of work, and Health have stressed the importance of making sound and ade- quate financial provision for the responsibilities which will be placed upon the Dis- trict organization by the Wages and Contract Confer- Rate Discrimination Charged 1-71 NAMES FIRMS STALLING Statement released this week by Financial Secretary Fred Fieber, Local 1-71, IWA, directs the attention of Coast loggers to discrimination practiced by some opera- tors in category wage rate revisions. Revisions negotiated on a uniform basis by a number of firms have been with- held by others, with resulting serious discrepancies in the rates paid for corresponding categories in different opera- tions. The IWA official pointed out’ that the inevitable result will be ; increasing dissatisfaction in the | Coast logging camps and the mi- gration of skilled men to those operations which extend the pre- vailing rate for their skills by the required wage rate revisions. The disturbing factor in_ the situation confronting the Log- gers’ Local is that companies which have granted wage. revi- sions in their operations else- where have denied this right to their employees in isolated camps along the Coast. Island Revisions Made Category wage revisions have been incorporated in the wage seales for all major log- Pecan on Vancouver lying within the juris- dictions of Seals 1-85, 1-363, and 1-80. Similarly wage revisions X © have been accomplished in the Coast operations of MacMillan and Bloedel at St. Vincent’s Bay, Kitimat Constructors, and Canadian Forest Products, Englewood. _Halt has been called to revi- sions by B.C. Forest Products Ltd. in the Britain River and Vancouver Bay camps. Stalling tactics have been ex- perienced by the Local-Union of- ficials in the camps of Powell River Co. Ltd. at Kelley Logging, O’Brien Logging, and Alice Bay Logging; camps of Alaska Pine and Cellulose Co. at Holberg and Port McNeill; and camps of Nor- them Pulp Co. at Sandspit, Beaver Cove, and Bentinck Arm. As indicated in the scale of wage revisions appearing else- where in this issue, the differen- tial thus enforced ranges from 2 cents an hour to 15% cents an hour and affects mainly the rigging, loading and boom crews. and Welfare plans. Conference delegates will as- sume responsibility for placing priority on-these demands and determination of the minimum demands for this year. No illusions are entertained by IWA officials with regard to the bargaining strength required to make substantial progress in this ence for negotiation of an improved master contract. As bargaining is conducted mainly through the District Council agencies, it is urged that these should not be hampered by the financial re- strictions imposed in the past. a Interior, and later in the year NEW EDUCATION PLAN Integration of I.W.A. educat ional activities with those of the Canadian Congress of Labor in the promotion of a series of Week-end Institutes across the province was announced this ~week by the IWA District Officers. Program details were outlined during the recent visit' to Vancouver of Educational Director Howard Conquergood, CCL, It is anticipated that the Institutes will be held during the months of April and May on the Lower Mainland and in the Curriculum will include the subjects, Shop Stewards’ Duties, Grievance Procedure, Union Administration, Labor Laws, Col- lective Bargaining, and Functions of Government. on Vancouver Island. 60,000 TAKE Strike vote involving 60,000 woodworkers in the Pa- cifie Northwest States will be held prior to April 14, it was announced this week by International President A. F. Hartung during a flying visit to Vancouver and Duncan. The Northwest Regional Negotiating Committee will be assembled on April 18 to plan further action as a result of the vote. Decision to conduct a strike vote followed a series of con- ferences with the Lumberman’s Industrial Relations Commit- tee, and subsequently with the Tr-County Loggers, Oregon Coast, and Willamette ‘Valley and Plywood operators, The “offer” presented to the IWA / was to renew present contracts with no changes. These are the groups with which “trouble” appears to be brewing, the TWA has inform- ed Federal tors. a eg! which includes: VACATION — Improved vaca- tion including 2 weeks’ vacation after 3 years and 3 weekseafter 5 years’ seniority, to bring it more into line with area practice. HOLIDAYS—Three additional holidays making 6 in all, another contract feature which is pre- dominant in the area. The Weyerhaeuser Timber Co., along with a few other operators in the area, paid 5 holidays last year after the Wage Stabilization Board made it permissible. HEALTH & WELFARE—The Union is seeking a flat sum of money to cover premiums for its insurance program rather than the hourly deductions now made. The insurance program hee STRIKE VOTE benefits of: Death and dismemberment. $3000 life insurance. $6000 for accidental death on or off the job. Loss of limbs, maximum $3000. $40 a week for 26 weeks for any one illness or accident. Up to $20 a week and not less than $10 a week to supple- ment Workmen’s Compensa- tion. Hospital medical and surgi- cal coverage. The surgical cov- erage is under a $300 schedule. SHIFT DIFFERENTIAL — Calls for an increase to 10¢ for swing and 15¢ for graveyard shift. a } LEAVE OF ABSENCE— The Union also asks to broaden the leave of absence clause to include people elected to public office. TRAVEL TIME for loggers. REST PERIODS for mill, ply- wood, box and other manufactur- ing operations. MINIMUM CREWS for the «veration of power saws. eyes, etc. It was pointed out by the com- mittee that out of 88 wood deaths under the IWA Health and Wel- fare Plan, 58 were fallers or buckers. More than 60% of woods deaths were in the cutting crews. According to reports from the State Commissions, many deaths occurred when men were working too far from anyone and could not hear warning shouts due to the noise of their own power saw exhaust, The IWA insists no man work alone where he cannot get assist- ance in case of an accident. WAGES — 20¢ straight across the board. The Committee points out that nearly half of that is permissible under WSB regula- tions for cost-of-living adjust- ments. In addition to those points, the locals having Weyerhaeuser Tim- ber Company contracts are seek- ing full union shop. The Commit- tee said an overwhelming trend of union shop conditions is now shown as a result of the recent nor-onerating railroad decision.