SETTLEMENT PROPOSED : ee ee Northern Interior To Vote v " kk * x MH kk \ IWA District Policy Committee this week recommend- \ Vy Ota Pedtiatios t be Inclornational Woodworkers of America viexta Counc Xa. Vol. XXIII, No. 14 <> * 2nd ISSUE, JULY 1956 - VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY S WFI LOGGERS STAGE PROTEST Tactics employed by Western Forest Industries Ltd. at the Gordon River Logging operations recently provoked a Serious work stoppage, which soon involved approximately 300 men. Trouble flared when the crews complained of insufficient notice of the start of the early shift and the lack of any guarantee of eight hours’ work. When the protest was lodged, management took the position, it is reported, that if the men did not go to work on the company’s terms, they would be discharged. Apparently, this did not improve the situation. Several meetings have heen held to reach a basis of settle- ment. Local Union 1-80 officials are endeavoring to secure a mu- tually satisfactory adjustment. Union Label Proves Worth ‘Mollar for dollar, union-made goods are best’ was the keynote struck by J. C. Clayman, Director of Organization and :-the Union Label Campaign for the Amalgamated Clothing Workers when he opened his union’s drive in B. C. for public recognition of the union label on men’s gar- ments. ‘The campaign was formally launched at a luncheon, attended by employers, trade union offi- cials, and representatives of the press. George Droncck, local rep- resentative of the Amalgamated presided, and introduced in addi- tion to the guest speaker, Sol Spivak, manager of the Amalga- mated’s Joint Board, Toronto. ‘When interviewed on the Green Gold radio program, the cam- paign director declared in answer to the question: “what is the pur- pose of the campaign?” “A portion of the men’s cloth- ing industry is unorganized, Prin- cipally the unorganized workers ave in the Province of Quebee. Now mostly we are not terribly excited that they are not organ- ized, but the important thing is, they get low wages, they get sweat shop wages. They work under intolerable conditions. The competition is unfair, We of the ‘Amalgamated, are determined to put an end to this intolerable situation, so we are starting the nation-wide campaign to acquaint workers and the public with the Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ label and to acquaint them in turn with its worth and its fame, and to make it clear to workers and the public in general, that the Amalgamated Clothing Workers Union Label is a sym- bol of decency.” When queried as to whether eS WHAT'S INSIDE Pose IWA Pix .. this would benefit workers gen- erally, he stated: “It means simply this. Here we Inave a large group of men and women, to repeat, principally in the Province of Quebec, although there are some elsewhere who get anything from 22c to 60c below ANTI-UNION CLOTHIERS NAMED Amalgamated Clothing Workers’ Director, J. C. Clayman, informed a Van- couver luncheon audience re- cently that the principal line of men’s garments handled by the Hudson’s Bay Co., under the brand name “Hyd Park” is made by the Scott Clothing Co., which at pres- ent is fighting the Union. This company undercuts the union standard of wages by approximately 25 cents an hour. Union rates. Now obviously, it must be clear to anyone listening to us, that this kind of wage can- not sustain either individual or family life in any aspect of dig- nity or comfort. . “These poor folk who live on their sweat-shop conditions, mak- ing 25, 30, 81 and 32 dollars a week, simply cannot sustain themselves in a manner which we conceive to be a decent Canadian standard of living. “So frankly and plainly we of the Amalgamated Clothing Work- (A | ed acceptance by the IWA membership in the Northern Interior of a proposed “package” settlement, which emerged from the recommendations of Conciliation Officer Reg. Clements in lieu of a Conciliation Board. The mem- bership referendum will commence July 21. Negotiations are continuing in the Southern area. Settlement outlined in the report of the Conciliation Officer was examined in de- tail at a special meeting of the District Policy Committee in Vancouver, July 17, It was then considered that the proposed terms should be referred to the member- ship in the Northern Interior for accept- ance or rejection. Reasons given for recommending ac- ceptance were in summary as follows: @ The proposed settlement is the best obtainable through negotiations under the present circumstances. @ The value of the terms contained in the proposed settlement, when con- sidered as a “package” closely approxi- mates the demands originally stated by the membership at the Wages and Con- tract Conference. @ If approved by the membership, the proposed terms will probably go into effect on September 1, without fur- ther dispute with the employers, as indications point to acceptance by the employers also. @ The District Policy Committee also considered that the proposed set- -tlement remedies a number of long- standing grievances.of the membership, especially with regard to the specific category rates, now up-graded substan- tially, and further increased by the across-the-board general wage hike. @ The proposed improvement in the union security clause has long been sought in the Northern area, and offers the assurance of further contract im- provements in the future, by reason of improved and entrenched organization. Representatives of the District Policy Committee immediately. arranged to at- terid a general membership meeting in Prince George, Saturday, July 21, to ex- plain the outcome of negotiations. District President Joe Morris, and Associate Re- search Director Joe Miyazawa, were as- signed to this mission. Terms of Proposed Settlement Two-Year Contract 1. The proposed settlement will extend the master contract over a two-year per- iod, terminating, August 31, 1958. This is recommended in order to enable the inclu- sion of the maximum number of the Union’s demands, as permanent features of the contract. It permits time for mar- keting plans to be stabilized in relation to the additional financial committments. Wage Increase 2. A wage increase totalling 13 cents, across-the-board is proposed. An increase of eight cents an hour will be made effec- tive September 1, 1956, and a further in- crease of five cents an hour will be made effective September 1, 1957. It is stipulated that this increase shall apply to all rates. 21 Category Increases 3. It is proposed to revise twenty-one categories upward, establishing rates ranging from $1.50 to $1.95. The general wage increase will be in addition to these specified category increases. Four new classifications will be added. 5 Additional Paid Statutory Holidays 4. It is proposed that during the con- tract year, September 1, 1956, to Septem- ber 1, 1957, two additional paid statutory holidays, New Year’s Day and Good Fri- day will be added to the list of paid sta- tutory holidays. It is further proposed, that during the contract year, September See “SETTLEMENT” Page 3 See “LABEL” Page 2 TRADE UNION LEADERS, in Vancouver, pledge their support to Amalgamated Clothing Workers as they launch a campaign for more general recognition of the union label on men’s garments. (Front row, from left) A. E. Hallock, Sol Spivak, Jacob Clayman, director of Union Label Campaign; Tom Gooderham. (Back row, from left) George Droneck, George Home, Lloyd Whalen, and Dan Radford. LISTEN TO Creen ColdCJOR 7.00 p.m. t CJ AV - 6:30 p.m. Thursday Thursday > CKPG = Ist and 3rd Thursday- 6 p.m.