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IMMEDIATE
REFERENDUM

Vol. XXII, No. 11 <> * Ist ISSUE, JUNE 1955 - VANCOUVER, B.C.

&S

5c PER COPY

SCHEDULED

Terms of contract settlement, tentatively agreed upon between the IWA Negotiating
Committee, and Forest Industrial Relations Ltd., in conferences held under the direction
of the Conciliation Board, Mr. Fred Smelts, Chairman, are now recommended ‘for accept-
ance by the Union’s Policy Committee and will be submitted to an IWA membership refer-
endum vote this week.

The Conciliation Board has unanimously reported to the Minister of Labor that a fair
and reasonable basis for agreement has been established, in the terms outlined, subject to
tatification by the IWA membership, and the employers represented by FIR.

The proposed agreement will extend over a two-year period, commencing June 15,
1955, in order to allow (1) the inclusion of a maximum number of the Union’s de-

mands; (2) the completion of steps necessary to remedy sectional problems; and (3) sta-
bilization of marketing plans on the new basis. :

In the opinion of the members of the District Policy Committee, this “package”, nego-
tiated before release of the report of the Conciliation Board, satisfies the major objectives
of the Union in this year’s negotiations. Negotiations aided by the Board enabled con-
sidetation and adoption in principle of such vitally necessary reforms as fare allowance,
travel time, stand-by time, and job evaluation under new production techniques. These
might easily be sacrificed for purely monetary considerations during attempts to reach a
settlement in the heat of a more intense economic struggle.

The members of the District Policy Committee considet that they have achieved agree-
ment on proposed contract provisions which round out a total of benefits greater than
On any former occasion, and, also, which accomplish in all important respects the

purpose declared earlier by the membership—a contract which will permanently benefit
the workers in all sections of the lumber industty.

They point to the fact that the employers were persuaded to abandon proposals, which
might endanger sound labor-management relations, including their proposal to increase
the board rates in logging camps to $3.00 per day, and another one to delete the clauses
affording protection to cookhouse and bunkhouse employees in the matters of hours of

work and vacations.

THIS IS THE PROPOSED ‘PACKAGE’

The various items in the proposed “package” are summarized
below, and further amplified on succeeding pages.

Contract expiry date to be June 14, 1957.

‘age increase of 5c an hour, across the board, effective June
15, 1955, and an additional increase of 5c an hour effective June 15,
1956, applicable to all piece-work rates.

An additional paid statutory holiday, Dominion Day, during
the first year of the contract period, and a further paid statutory
holiday, New Year's Day, during the second year of-the contract
period

' Payment in all logging operations for time in excess of ten
hours in any one day (allowing half-hour lunch period) spent after
leaving marshalling point, until return to
said point, at straight time rates.

Payment of fares for loggers, (1) both
ways, if employee works 20 days or less, and
(2) one way, if employee works less than 40
days and more than twenty. This applies to
all logging camps and Tahsis sawmill, with
exception of camps paying the Queen Char-

LISTEN TO

Gaki-CJ0R

lotte Island differential.

Payment of stand-by time for shingle sawyers and shingle pack-
ers at the rates of $2.25 and $1.75 an hour, respectively, whenever
such time accumulated is one-half hour or more in any one day.

Category rate increases of 5c an hour for cut-off sawyers, knee
bolters, splitter men, and deckmen in shingle mills, and carrier driv-
| ers, and fork lift drivers in sawmills. >

Establishment of a job evaluation program for plywood plants
under the supervision of a joint labor-management committee.

Strengthening of the union security provisions by deletion of
the word “new” in line 3 and line 6 of Article I, Sec. 3, and the word
“now” from the first line of Article III Sec. 1(b).

Protection for boatmen under the contract.

Streamlined grievance procedure, with protective proviso for
distant logging comps. :

Restricted arbitration board procedure. , ‘

Provision for the negotiation of contract rates for newly-acquired
stands of timber, with interim application of existing rates.

\. Exclusion of office employees from the bargaining units.
“The proposed agreement emerged from a six-day series of
“See “SETTLEMENT” Page 2

7.00 p.m.* CKNW 7:05 p.m. Sat, CJAV 6:30 p.m. Thur.
He “ "© CKPG - Ist and 3rd Thursday- 6 p.m.
SY © CHWK ~ Monday, 715 pm. to 730 pm.

Peg Ce ®

Settlement Recommended

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