Plead Inability | To Pay Increase In its final summation, the IWA Negotiating Committee directed the attention of the Conciliation Board to the fact that the employers had not attempted to plead inability to pay the wage increase demanded. In rebuttal of a claim made by the employers, the Union had the following to say: “At the conclusion of their Brief the Employers call to our attention the “forgotten” people— the stock holders—who are en- titled to a reasonable return on their investment. “The officials of incorporated companies would like to lead their stock holders to believe that la- bour takes so much out of the sales dollar that there is little left. “Where such an argument is put forth it is usually a cover-up for their own mismanagement or for some furtherance of their own selfish ends. However, we do not have any evidence of either con- dition being present in this indus: try in B.C., so we are surprised to ployers’ Brief. There are good reasons why this is not usually in- jected into labour - management relations. Workers Main Concern “Frankly, we are not too con- cerned with .the stock holders. We represent the workers, and their interests come first. The stock holders give their extra cash to an enterprise on specula- tion but the worker gives his life. “We are not going to belabour this point but before leaving it we'll put it in its proper perspec- tive. We see little suffering to the stock holder jn the following figures: DIVIDENDS PAID 1956 1957 B.C. Forest Products Crown Zeller- -. $ 1,447,625 $ 1,257,125 NET WORTH 1957 1956 $ 39,629,033 $ 30,075,892 bach (Canada) 6,635,665 3,820,250 «98,612,180 99,505,565 MacMillan . & Bloedel ........ 5,268,273 5,265,470 134,897,671 129,939,781 Powell River .. 6,300,000 7,650,000 62,230,239 60,451,628 Western Plywood .. 442,779 400,381 5,264,701 5,190,871 $20,094,342 $18,303,226 $340,633,824 $325,163,737 11% increase in dividends, 5% inerease in net worth payments. MacMillan & Bloedel “To cite a most specific ex- ample: MacMillan & Bloedel have returned earnings in the business since 1951 amounting to $21.70 per share and equity per share is now $26.33. “From 1952 to the present, Mac- Millan has spent $148,000,000 in capital expansion. All of this has been financed from carnings, with the exception of a recent $32.5 million bond issue. Net profits of $4.50 per share per year is ex- pected when the Company’s ex- pansion programme is fully oper- ating. “With figures like this it is easy to understand why the Union is not overly concerned with the state of the stock holders.” Drive Against Fallers Unfair Demand of the lumber operators to delete the minimum basic rate and the daily rates for fallers and buckers from the master agreement was vigorously denounced by IWA spokesman before the Conciliation Board. Expert witness of the employers admitted under cross examination from the Union’s committee that fall- ing costs on a- per thousand basis had gone down, even though earnings had increased. Points made in disputing the employers’ demand were in summary: The Union, as the certified bargaining agency should retain the right to bargain for all the employees in the unit, The Operators’ demand can only be regarded as a thinly disguised attempt to cut the earnings of the fallers and buck- ers. WHAT'S INSIDE Political Aim .... 9 a 12 Modern equipment has not lessened the requirement for special skills but has made skill more important, Fallers and buckers are often required to work on a “feast or famine” basis, Since the employers have de- manded the incentive system, they should be prepared to pay the penalties of an incentive system. If earnings of $32 a day is an average, as stated by the em- ployers, it must follow that many are working for much less than this average. Employers’ witness admitted that there had been an increase of 5,000 feet per man day. see the matter raised in the Em- WOULWat YY rag aaa at Aylorwialional Wood uted 6] aan Diserict Comaell Ha Vol. XXV, No. 11 ="5 1st ISSUE, JUNE 1958 - VANCOUVER, B.C. SS 5c PER COPY Loggers Express Anger Loggers are “fighting mad” because of the employers’ de- mand to increase their board rates by $1.50 a day, and re- duce their take-home pay by this amount, the Conciliation Board was told by the IWA|}, negotiators. Injustice of the employers’ attempt to raise the board rates is seen in the following points raised by the IWA. The employers are only in- terested in recovering their alleged financial losses in the operation of cookhouses and bunkhouses -independently of their business of producing logs. The cost of operating a cookhouse and bunkhouse is part and parcel of the opera- tional cost of a logging camp. Loggers must support two homes in order to make a liv- ing in the logging industry. Cookhouse and bunkhouse costs are chargeable against the employers’ income tax. See “BOARD” Page 3 Wage Hike Justified Summary of the IWA argu- ment for a ten per cent across the board wage increase makes the following points among others: Costs of living have risen 3:3%. Food costs have risen 48%. More B.C. demanded, spokesman Joe the wealth in this province. should be asked to work for The Union's brief expressed the opinion that statistical data sup- plied by the employers had been misleading. Comparisons had been made with 1955, which had been the best year in ten, to make it appear that 1957 had been a dis- astrous year. The IWA negotia- tors claimed that if the average of the past ten years had been taken, the year 1957 would be [WA Proves All Markets Demand Lumber Conclusion of the IWA presentation before the Concilia- tion Board hearing the dispute with the coast operators re- vealed that lumber market conditions are vastly better than has been represented by the employers. Pointing to the fact that the operators had not been able to plead financial inability to pay the wage increase Morris said, “The lumber workers form the largest group within the province’s in- dustrial working force. They produce sixty per cent of It is unthinkable that they the lowest wages. This will happen if the employers get their way.” scen to be very close to the. av- erage. The employers’ arguments were riddled when the. Union supplied tke statistics to show tHat market- ing prospects are rapidly improv- ing and are most promising for the next year. Total shipments to all the major markets are up as the following table indicates: Total Shipments 1958 1957 Change United Kingdom....140.7 million bd. ft. 99.7 million bd. ft. 4% USS. Atlantic Seaboard 186.1 million bd. ft. 66.5 million bd. ft. 180% Eastern Canada...... 4.2 million bd. ft. none million bd. ft. —— Total to all Other Countries....204.4 million bd. ft. 86.3 million bd. ft. 135% U.K. Market Improved When the facts. were tabled regarding prospects in the United Kingdom market, it was shown that this market is again import- ing the bulk of its requirements from Canada, (See accompanying table). The prices of B.C. lumber are 20% above those existing in 1924. Contrary to the statement often See “WAGES” Page 3 made that the Baltic countries and Russia are price-cutting, it was shown that prices are still closely competitive. This is especially significant, when it is realized that ocean freight rates to the U.K. are down 20%. Russia’s prices are 7% higher than in 1954. Finland’s prices are 2% below and Sweden's prices are up 2% above 1954, See “MARKETS” Page 3 a Tn is B.C. FEDERATION OF LABOUR OFFICIALS and CCF provincial officers made the first attempt to grapple with the problems presented in the terms of the resolution adopted in Wi nipeg by the CLC proposing a new political party at the recent CCF Annual Provincial Convention. (From left) Alex Macdonald, CCF Past Presi- deni See “FALLERS” Page 2 President B.C. Federation of Labou ‘egional Vice-President, Joe Morris, CLC; Mrs. Grace MacInnis, CCF Provincial President; William Black, and Ed O’Connor, Regional Vice-President, CLC. LISTEN TO [Green Gold—CJOR 7:00 Thursday Our>p> CKPG-Ist & 3rd Thurs., 6:00 p. CKEK-Thurs., 8:15-8:30 p.m.