B.C. LUMBER WORKER

2nd Issue, April

FROM PAGE 2
¢
Issues

now, so let the loggers take the
rap, and foot the bill for the
pleasure of working for us in the
distant camps.

Fallers and Buckers

We're trying to get a better
deal for the fallers and buckers
because the pressure has been on
for some time to slash their con-
tract rates, or set conditions
which have the effect of reducing
their income.

We gained for the fallers and
buckers last year the right to
negotiate their contract rates
under the protection of the con-
tract in accordance with a stipu-
lated formula, Now we see the
necessity of writing into the
contract a satisfactory provision
for-a daily rate.

The employers say “no” again.
They have always shown a de-
cided preference for a system
under which they could spur the
fallers and buckers to greater
and greater production efforts
under the illusion that they could
accumulate a fortune for the end
of their days.

Fallers and buckers, they
would have other people believe,
are the sort of persons who can
afford to ignore considerations of

Bared”

health and safety, just so long
as they make huge profits for the
operators, from which they get
the short end. The ugly facts are
that too many of the fallers, and
buckers, expert and skilled
tradesmen, suffer tragic deaths
and crippling accidents together
with a reduced expectation of
life, because their vitality is im-
paired by over-exertion on the
job.

It is important that fallers and
buckers gain the opportunity to
stabilize their annual earnings
on a basis that is commensurate
with their skills and the hazards

they must face, but up to the}

present the employers insist on
out-dated employment conditions.

The 40-hour Week
In every section of the indus-

try, the workers, whether em- |

ployed in logging camps, saw-
mills, shingle mills or plywood
plants, regard the 40-hour week
as a contract provision of great
importance to their welfare.
They recognize that it was ob-
tained only after years of strug-
gle. Whenever it has been threat-
ened the workers have quickly
rallied to its defence.

In spite of this experience the

STATE OF THE

: INDUSTRY

B.C. TIMBER
SCALED

operators again propose that the
Union’s membership should. ac-
cept two steps backward into
conditions now almost universal-
ly discarded in modern industry.

They propose that, when the
40-hour work week has not been
completed that the employees
may be required to work Satur-
days at straight time. They also
propose that the logging crews
should join with them in applica-
tions for oyertime permits, in

STATE OF THE
INDUSTRY

\

WATERBORNE
SHIPMENTS

(580 MILLI

‘Up 399, 1954

ON.

i's LUCKY...

when good friends get together

“. . . HAPPY IS THE HOUSE
THAT SHELTERS A FRIEND”

LUCKY Days are Happy Days, and
you can look forward to more and more
of them during this carefree season.
They are days of pleasant companion-
ship, and of course a good companion
is Lucky Lager, largest selling beer in
the entire West.

Also Brewers of Silver Spring
YE OLDE ALE

LUCKY LAGER BREWERIES

(1954) LIMITED

order that they might work a 48-
hour week, whenever the employ-
ers think it might be necessary.
I needn’t tell you that the IWA
representatives at the bargain-
ing table have opposed these
potential violations of the 40-
hour week, with emphatic lan-
guage.

Shingle Mills

In the shingle mills, the saw-
yers and packers, who work on
piece-work rates, have convinced
the ‘Union that their long-stand-
ing grievances must be remedied
this year. The proposal made
has been to set a guaranteed
daily rate under the contract pro-
visions. In this way it would be
possible to cope with the chang-
ing conditions, especially those
relating to the quality of cedar
provided, and ensure satisfactory
annual earnings.

The merits of the claims made
on behalf of the shingle mill
workers cannot be disputed, but
the employers have found all
manner of excuses to avoid mak-
ing the sensible adjustments re-
quired.

The need for a medical ser-
vices plan has already been rec-
ognized over wide sections of the
industry. The Union has pro-
posed that a joint contributory
plan be extended to the entire
industry. It is obviously unfair
that some should enjoy this pro-
tection while others must risk
the ruinous financial effects of a
long sickness requiring medical
attention, or perhaps be forced
to postpone medical treatment
until the ailment suffered has
reached an advanced stage.

One might expect the employ-
ex's to be interested in the better
health of their employees. What
do we find? They have shown no
interest in this matter, but have,
instead;proposed weakened con-
tract conditions which would

make the. grievance procedure
tougher, arbitration so costly as
to be almost prohibitive, restrict-
ed bargaining units, a limited’
check-off arrangements, and
many other items, all more likely
to make the contract a provoca-
tive document, instead of an
agreement to establish harmon-
ious relations.

If you ask me what all this
means, I must tell you that it
betrays the intention of the em-
ployers to make the lumber
workers fight for every single
additional benefit to be written
into the contract this year. So
now we know that we must pre-
pare to win this fight. We'll win
it, if we can, at the bargaining
table, but only if every IWA
member gets on his toes in the
kind of organized Union effort
that will demonstrate to the em-
ployers that we're not shadow-
boxing.”

REUTHER
RETURNED

CLEVELAND (CPA) —
Walter Reuther, President of
the Congress of Industrial Or-
ganizations, was unanimously
re-elected for a sixth term as
President of the United Auto
Workers (CIO-CCL) at the
UAW annual convention here.
Emil Mazey was re-elected
Secretary-treasurer unopposed.

By amendment of the union’s
constitution, two new Vice-
presidencies. were created bring-
ing the total to four. Richard
Grosser of Toledo and John Liy-
ingston of Detroit were re-elect-
ed while Leonard Woodcock, Di-
rector of Michigan’s Region 1-D,
and Norman Mathews, Director
of the Union’s Chrysler Depart-
ment, were elected to fill the two
new posts.

optometrist.

Abramson & Hollenberg

OPTOMETRISTS

A Lucky Break
Broken glasses are often a lucky break for eyes
handicapped by an obsolete lens prescription.
Since human eyes change with use, abuse and age
++. periodic eye examinations are necessary to
- detect any need for lens correction.

for broken glasses to give your eyes the break they
deserve. Schedule regular check-ups by your

Don’t wait

734 GRANVILLE STREET

MA. 0928

MA, 2948

; Ground Floor — Vancouver Block

a PERE ERT