Rie.

Me ig

B.C. LUMBER

WORKER

the IWA in Vancouver this
| The report dealt with the coast
‘negotiations, and the last-minute
settlement reached last mid-sum-
mer,

A wage increase and three ad-
ditional paid statutory holidays
were automatically placed in ¢f-
fect throughout the Northern and
Southern Interior,

Category revisions also served
to strengthen the wage structure
in that region,

Alberta contracts negotiated re-
cently have boosted the base rate
by almost fifty cents per hour in
some instances as contrasted with
the “disgracefully low wages paid
before the advent of the IWA in
the Alberta lumber industry.”

The story told of this major
activity of the Union read as
follows.

Coast Negotiations

“Any report on the 1957 coast
negotiations must necessarily
Stress the solidarity displayed by
the general membership under
very trying circumstances. It was
also evident that the bargaining
Strength of the Union was enor-
mously strengthened by the ad-
herence of the local unions to the
use of one central bargaining au-
thority acting in close consultation
with them at all times.

“The District Policy Committee
elected from their number a Dis-
trict Negotiating Committee of
seven members. This was com-
prised of the following: Chairman
and spokesman, District President
Joe Morris; Secretary, Fred Fie-
ber, Local 1-71; and members, G.
Smythe, Local 1-80; W. F
Allen, Local 1-85; J. MacKenzie,
Local 1-118; S. M, Hodgson, Local
1-217; and Joe Madden, Local
1-357.

“The bargaining last year took
an unusual course. The entire
ninety-day period stipulated by law
for bargaining was exhausted with-

out reaching any basis for settle-
ment. The employers would make
no wage offer and their proposed
centract amendments contemplat-
ed a weakening of the contract.

Printers of
The B.C.
LUMBER WORKER

LIMITED

PRINTERS ‘AND
LITHOGRAPHERS

An Employee Owned Co,

944 RICHARDS STREET
- -PAcific 6338-9

EMBERS GAINED
1T ALL POINTS

_ Contract conditions throughout all sections of the lum-
“her industry in British Columbia and Alberta have shown
marked improvement as a result. of the bargaining strategy
eos This claim was fully substantiated in the District
Officers’ report submitted to the Annual District

Convention
week. &

Unprecedented Decision

“The Chairman of the Concilia-
tion Board to which the dispute
was finally referred, took unpre-
cedented action by recommending
a three month adjournment of the

hearings. Acceptance of his re-
commendations which, -in our
opinion, contravened the~ law,

would have deprived the union of
right to take strike action if con-
sidered necessary. The action of
the Chairman was effectively re-
pudiated by the union's nominee
on the Board, Brother Bob Smeal
of the CBR. acting on our
behalf,

“The findings of the Board were
then referred by the District Policy
Committee to the membership.
The membership voted an em-
phatic 90% rejection of the Board’s
majority report, and by an equally
emphatic vote, authorized strike
action. A deadline was fixed and
all the usual strike preparations
were made. Not at any point was
there the slightest wavering on the
part of the union’s members.

Premier Intervened

“As the situation grew moré
tense, the Provincial Premier, the
Hon, W. A. C. Bennett, sought
the opportunity to confer with
both parties. Our acceptance of hi:
invitation to attend such a con-
ference in Victoria was in accor-
dance with the Union’s policy to
explore every possible avenue lead-
ing to a satisfactory and amicable
settlement. The initial conference
sponsored by the Premier dead-
locked.

“He again summoned both
parties into conference in Van-
couver on the eve of the date set
for strike action. After an all-
night session and approximately
five hours before the ten am.
strike deadline, terms of settlement
were reached which the negotiat-
ing committee agreed to recom-
mend to the membership. Strike
Preparations were immediately
suspended, pending the member-
ship decision,

“The wage increase was sub-
stantial, especially in view of the
adamant attitude taken by the
employers from the outset toward
all monetary items. Evidently, they
had accepted the view that I.W.A.
members would not seriously co:
sider strike action under the cir-
cumstances,

Union Stop Won

“Your officers consider that the
union shop conditions gained,
marks an important victory in view
of the stubborn opposition offered
the union’s proposals in this re-
spect for many years.

“Another important concession
gained was the liberalized vacation
provision. Three weeks’ vacation
after five years with vacation pay
at the rate of 614%.of earnings,
signals an advance in this respect
not surpassed by any other union
in the Dominion,

INSTRUCTORS at the CLC sponsored seminar for B.C. staff members January 13-17th, at- Manning Park,
B.C., were from left, Howard Conquergood, Kalmen Kaplansky, Andy Andras, George Home.

“The settlement won was ap-
proved by an overwhelming vote
of the membership, and immed-
iately the usual steps were taken
to complete the necessary formal-
ities for all certified operations,
including those which bargain in-
dependently, so that all contracts
throughout the industry might be
uniform.

Interior Negotiations

“As in 1956, Master Agreements
for the Northern and -Southern
Interior had been negotiated for
a two year term, the District Pol-
icy Committee was relieved of
the necessity of conducting In-
terior negotiations and enabled to
concentrate on the struggle at the
Coast. A wage increase, raising
the base rate to $1.53 an hour was
automatically given effect on Sep-
tember 1 Three additional
statutory holidays were also in-
cluded in the Master Agreements
at the same time. The Interior
Agreements terminate on August
3ist, and the membership demands
in that area will require further
consideration at this convention.

Interior Category Revisions

“Important progress was made
during the past year toward a full-
er implementation of the under-
standing reached with Interior em-
ployers two years ago regarding
category revisions. Important ad-
justments were negotiated in all
the major operations, many long
standing grievances were elimin-
ated, and serious inequities were
remedied.

“Your officers were able to
demonstrate successfully to the
Interior employers, the justice of
negotiating a more equitable wage
structure to provide uniform rec-
ognition of special skills. These
revisions have not been completed
in all operations, but as a result of
last year’s progress, it is believed
that all Interior employers will
find it impossible to evade much
longer their obligations in this re-
spect.

*I.W.A. members in the Inter-
ior were most appreciative of the
efforts made by your District Of
ficers to initiate a long overdue

solution of this problem, especially

OUR

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the singular wage scale. The in-
creases ranged up to 30 cents an
hour and averaged 10c an hour.

Alberta Negotiations

“It became necessary for your
officers to give considerable at-
tention to negotiations conducted
by Locals 1-207 and 1-206 in Al-
berta during the past year. The
organization in that province is
still in the formative stage. All
efforts to negotiate satisfactory
contract conditions have met with
determined opposition on the part
of the employers. An inescapable
handicap to these negotiations is
the fact that wage rates were dis-
gracefully low prior to LW.A. in-
tervention.

“In the majority of the opera-
tions, the rates usually ranged be-
tween 60 cents and 80 cents an
hour. The Agreements negotiated
last year in the operations, certi-
fied to the I.W.A,, established
noteworthy improvements in
many respects, and gained addi-
tional wage increases. Under
I.W.A. contracts, the base rate
has now been increased to at least
$1.15 an hour.

“Equally important is the fact
that contract provisions now ne-
gotiated in the Alberta operations
gain for the workers there, many
of the contract benefits regulating
working conditions _ commonly
found in British Columbia, which
were unknown in the Alberta lum-
ber industry until the advent of
the LW.A,

Local 1-252 Negotiations

“The effective steps taken by
the officers and members of the
most recently chartered Vancou-
ver local union, 1-252, to stabilize
the wage position of its members,
is deserving of special mention.
Because of the special circum:
stances, these negotiations did not
form part of the Coast bargaining
programme, although full support
was tendered the local union by
the District Council.

“The dispute with the employ-
ers in the Vancouver woodwork-
ing plants reached a point where
a strike vote became necessary.
The members backed up their de-
mands with a 92 per cent strike
vote. As a result, a settlement was
reached which awarded wage in-
creases for skilled tradesmen
ranging from 35c to 50¢ an hour,
spread over a two year term. Spec-
ial adjustments were ‘made for a
number of skilled categories to
remedy some long standing griev-
ances. Nine paid statutory holi-
days were also written into the
new contract.

“Your officers record this sub-
stantial victory on the part of
Local 1-252 with warm congratu-
lations to the officers and mem-
bers.

Special Contract Problems

“At a number of points during
the past year, provocative action
on the part of employers in the
neglect of grievances or misin-
terpretation of contract provisions,
caused the aggrieved workers to
lodge a protest by stopping work.
In each instance, prompt action
was taken by your District Offi-
cers to mediate the dispute and
affect an agreement enabling a
resumption of production.

“There were six such occur-
rences, All of them could have
been avoided had. management
taken a more conciliatory attitude.
Your officers have steadfastly en-
deayoured to impress the bargain-
ing representatives of .the em-
ployers that I.W.A. members de-
sire to maintain the contract con-
ditions provided these are not
voided by inexcusable breaches of
the contract by anti-union em-
ployers.”

* * *

He: “I think, dear, that you fib
a little occasionally.”

She: “Well, I think it’s a wife’s
duty to speak well of her husband

at times,”

SERIOUSNESS of the present unemployment situation

eh

in Port Alberni and -

surrounding areas is well illustrated by the above photograph taken by the
officers of Local 1-85, IWA, who estimate that there are some 2,500 un-

employed persons secking work there as of January 15th,