B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Re a

and Issue December

PERATORS TRIE
__ Interior lumber operators were charged by District

Joe Morris with the attempt to liquidate the
‘A and impose their own contract terms by methods of

ee when he appeared before His Honor Judge A. E.
x al

The enquiry, ordered by the
cial Government under the
terms of the ICA Act, opened in
2 George on December 16
and continued for two days, Evi-
dence on behalf of the employers
“was entered after the submission
of a carefully prepared brief by
the IWA spokesman.
The Commissioner indicated
that he would make the effort to
bring the disputing parties to-

settlement, in the hope that the
strike could be ended before
Christmas Day.

The case for the Union as pre-

sented by District President Joe |;

Morris, was summarized for the
Green Gold radio program listen-
ers on December. 17 by Vice-
President William Gray as fol-
lows:

Today, in Prince George, His
Honor Judge A. E. Lord is com-
pleting his enquiry into the strike
situation in the Northern In-
terior. At a later date he will
open public hearings on the strike
issues in the Southern Interior.
Both parties to the dispute have
been required to submit to the
Commissioner evidence and argu-
ment relating to the matters
under dispute, The Commissioner
will endeavor to secure agree-
ment on the matters under dis-
pute, or, if agreement is not pos-
sible, he will make suitable
recommendations to the Govern-

ment.

The Submission ©

District President Joe Morris
presented the case for the Union,
and in his submission reviewed

. all the circumstances leading up
to the present strike, as well as
the efforts made by the Union to
mediate the strike issues. I pro-
pose to summarize his presenta-
tion here, as in this way the posi-
tion of the IWA will be most
clearly defined.

When the background of the
present strike is examined, it
is then seen that industrial
strife has been brewing in the
Inferior ‘since 1951, This con-
flict has centred around nego-
tiations for contract terms, but
it has also been rooted in the
backward conditions found on

every side in the Interior lum-
ber industry.

1951 Agreement

The record as disclosed by the
IWA before the Commissioner
demonstrated that during the
1951 negotiations an agreement
had been reached between the
employers’ representatives and
the Union before a Conciliation
Officer.

The “package” proposal agreed
to at that time included the fol-
lowing items: (1) compulsory
echeck-off; (2) a 19%-cent-an-
hour wage increase, plus cate-
gory revisions; (3) 26-cent-an-
hour night shift differential; (4)
‘a 5-day, 44-hour week, with over-
time rates for Saturday and Sun-

gether for discussion of terms of |_

Prince George this week,

JOE MORRIS

day; (5) two weeks’ vacation
after five years’ service; and (6)
an improved grievance procedure.

Employers Rejected

This agreement was later re-
pudiated by the operators them-
selves, and the dispute went be-
fore a Conciliation Board, which
recommended in effect the same
package proposals as originally
agreed upon between the bar-
gaining representatives for both
parties, The Union voted for ac-
ceptance, The employers rejected
the Board’s proposals.

Late in November of that year,
the issues were mediated through
the Labor Relations Board, with
a settlement which awarded the
Union much less than officially
recommended.

It should be noted that in this
1951 settlement, the employers
insisted upon the deletion of any
form of union security, even
though union security was then
recognized at the Coast. They
also increased the board rate in
camps, and introduced a cost-of-
living bonus clause, which has
not since benefited the workers
by one single cent.

In 1951 the base rate was
established at $1.30, and has
not been changed from that
date to this. Of equal import-
ance is the fact that the em-
ployers then refused to adjust
the category rates. This fact
has brought the average rate
for skilled workers 40 cents an
hour below the average rate
paid at the Coast.

Same Pattern in 1952
When negotiations opened in
1952, the same delays were ex-
perienced due to the same obsti-
nate attitude on the part of the

pute went before a Conciliation
Board the Union secured a ma-
jority recommendation for a 344-
cent-an-hour wage increase, three
paid statutory holidays, and a
number of technical improve-
ments in the contract. Again the
Union accepted the outcome of
conciliation and again the em-
ployers rejected everything.

It was in 1952 that they start-
ed the practice of threatening
lockouts, if the employees failed
to sign the terms dictated by the
employers. Lock-outs, as a mat-
ter of fact, became general
throughout the Interior in the
latter part of November. After
four months of strenuous nego-
tiation the employees, under the
threat of l6ck-outs, signed an
agreement, late in December, on
the 1951 terms.

The same pattern was followed
by the employers in the present
year, when negotiations opened in
July. Evidently, they believed
that their employees could be co-
erced or bludgeoned into accept-
ance of any terms that they
might choose to enforce.

A Conciliation Board, dealing
with the dispute in the Northern
Interior proposed in a majority
Yecommendation a 6-cent-an-hour
wage increase, union security in
the form of mairitenance of mem-
bership, three paid statutory holi-
days and a study of category re-
visions.

Again, for the third time, the
Union accepted the recommenda-
tion. Again, for the third time,
the employers rejected the results
of conciliation in toto,

THREATENED AGAIN

The Union thereupon made
application for a goyernment-
supervised strike vote which
was conducted on September
25. On that day a number of
employers posted lock-out no-
tices to take effect if their em-
ployees voted for strike action.
This action on the part of the
employers precipitated imme-
diate and spontaneous strike
action, when the over-all vote
was declared to be in favor of
same. i

To complete this chronology
of events, it should be noted that
during a series of conferences
with the Provincial Government,
the IWA consented to accept me-
diation. The employers informed
the Premier that they would not
accept any mediation. As a re-
sult the Commissioner, Judge
Lord, was appointed under the
terms of the ICA Act, and the
employers have now been brought
to a publie accounting for their
actions.

The Union’s representatives at
Prince George have pointed out
to the Commissioner, what this
record discloses, beyond any sha-
dow of doubt. It has been shown
that the Union has consistently
followed the legal bargaining
procedure in dealing with the em-
ployers. By the same token it
has been shown that the employ-
ers have made no effort to bar-

‘gain for a settlement in good
faith.

Union Liquidation Sought

District President Morris
stated: “The employers’ tactics
have obviously been those of
taking every known means to
liquidate the Union. By their
actions they have openly
flaunted the law of the prov-
ince regarding labor relations.
They want to settle matters
their way on the basis of
strength ys. strength, rather
than reason vs. reason.

employers. When finally the dis-

HEADS

Every recommendation of 2
Conciliation Board has been
summarily rejected in 1951,
1952 and 1953, Rather than
negotiate in good faith at the
bargaining table, they have
chosen to arrive at their objec-
tive by innuendo, intimidation,
and threat of reprisal to those
who would dare to oppose
them.

Employers Have Profit
Advantage

“We sincerely believe that we
have fought our case on the
facts, all the way through. Our
arguments are no different now
than they were four months ago
—time does not change the facts,
We have shown conclusively, that
the employers in this dispute
have financial advantages over
the Coast operators, in stump-
age, labor costs and selling
prices,

We have proven with govern-
ment statistics, that they are get-
ting more production each year
and shipping more lumber than
ever before at prices that are
competitive with U.S. operators
in the Western Pine Region.
There is no question of the In-
terior employers being well able
to afford substantially more in
the way of money than the Con-
ciliation Board recommended.

We have plainly indicated that
it costs the workers even more
to live in the Interior than it does
at the Coast, and yet the Interior
workers receive an average of
40 cents an hour less than the
Coast worker.”

D TO LIQUIDATE IWA. - MORRIS

Union Security Vital

It has been indicated by state-
ments made by the strikers them-
selves that the strike could quick-
ly be settled, if the employers
would agree to establish a reas-
onable form of union security,
The Union desires maintenance
of membership, as now estab-
lished at the Coast, plus the
compulsory check-off already
xecommended for the Interior,

On this point, District Presi-
dent Morris said, “The need for
Union Security, in the face of
employer tactics, in the Interior,
is of paramount importance, Only
by the protection afforded them
under unionization can these
workers be secure in their jobs.
These workers need a strong
union in this area now more than
ever before. Compulsory check~
off is one of the major points as
far as the Union membership is
concerned . . .”

STRIKE
PICKETS
ACTIVE

IWA picket lines throughout
the strike area guarded by Lo-
cal 1-405 are successfully hold-
ing back all the employers’ at-
tempts to employ strikebreak-
ers, it is reported this week by
International Representative
Vic Mauro.

This determination remained
unshaken at the Knight Lumber
Co Ltd., Crow’s Nest Pass, des-
pite the employer’s threat to
evict any employee who stood
picket duty.

On at least one occasion the
pickets have protected the em-
ployer’s interests. A man caught
stealing lumber from the Cran-
brook Sash & Door Co. Ltd. was
taken in charge by the pickets
and forced to return his loot.

Strikers have sought to im-
prove the opportunity for better
social relations. The - Cranbrook
crews, with their wives and
friends, recently attended a dance
sponsored by the Canal Flats
Strike Committee, and helped
raise money for the Christmas
Fund.

Some of the woodworkers on
strike struck up friendly relations
with a Hutterite farmer in Al-
berta, and negotiated turkeys for
themselves at a cut rate per
pound that would make a city
dweller’s mouth water.

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