2nd Issue, June

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

1

Pity
The
Poor!

By H. G. HOWITH

OTTAWA (CPA) —The cor-
poration executive — that poor,
downtrodden, exploited critter —
made only “modest” salary gains
in 1957.

The trend today, says Busi-
ness Week, management’s bible,
is toward lower salaries for

executives. “In 1955,” the slick
magazine says, “three executives
broke through the $700,000 bar-
rier. In 1956, one climbed past
$800,000. In this latest annual
survey ... the peak was $623,-
336, reached by Arthur Homer,
president of Bethlehem Steel,
who had stood third in the 1956
ranking.”

The survey lists 352 captains of
industry who pull down salaries
and “additional compensation” in
around the $100,000-and-up brack-

et.
33 Over $300,000

Thirty-three listed made more
than $300,000 in 1957. Of this 33,
21 came from Bethlehem Steel and
General Motors.

Base salaries remained pretty
steady, Business Week says, but
bonuses “dipped.” For example,
G.M. president Harlow Curtice’s
bonuses plummeted from $494,000
in 1956 to $357,000 in 1957, And
Engene G. Grace, top earner in
’56, had his bonus slashed from
$659,01’ to $469,036.

(A number of unionists have re-
marked that they wouldn’t mind
taking a “bonus cut” down to
$469,036!).

Wage Increases

The picture for the destitute
executive, however, wasn’t al-

together black. There were-
some raises, Chrysler president

L, L. Colbert got boosted from
a paltry $250,900 in salary in

1956 to a more comfortable
$250,900 salary plus $238,000 in

“additional compensation” in
1957. (Chrysler has an “incen-
tive plan.” Mr. Colbert got the
$238,000 extra because Chrysler
apparently sold more cars in
1956 than in 1955.)

There were other little raises
too. For instance, National Steel
Corporation paid its president,
Thomas E. Millsop, $320,000 in
1957, a jump of $40,000 over his
1956 dole of $278,000. Interna-
tional Business Machines prexy
Thomas J. Watson Jr. got $62,000
extra last year — he went from
ee in 1956 to $282,000 in

Printers of
The B.C.
LUMBER WORKER

LN ON

LIMITED

IWA Members At Co

. | Ly

mpensation Seminar

From Page 2

ference to plant seniority from the
provision for suspension of sen-
iority under emergency conditions
for a period of not more than five
days. The proposed deletion of the
word ‘plant’ could only cause con-
fusion, and provide a pretext for
complete evasion of seniority pro-
visions.
“1 Recommend”

“The minority report states that
the evidence before the Board
is such as to justify a ten per cent
wage increase, provision for re-
vision of Tradesmen’s rates, and
plans for an industry-wide medical
services plan on a 50-50 contribu-
tory bais. The items dealing with
arbitration procedure and seniority
can be negotiated on terms that
have already been indicated as
satisfactory. The remaining de-
mands, it is stated, are of suf-
ficient merit to warrant inclusion

“Censored”

in the terms of settlement.

“We are asking for prompt
and emphatic action on the
membership referendum. The
results should be communicated
to the District Office not later
than June 25th. We ask that
this report, which is insulting
in its barefaced and callous
treatment of the human fac-
tors involved, should be reject-
ed by an overwhelming majority,
and the proper answer given by
authorizing strike action. It is
unthinkable, that the group of
workers who produce the great-
er part of the province’s wealth,
should now bear the brunt of
the Employers’ plan to freeze
wages. From here on we must
fight, for in no other way can
we secure justice. We have done
it before, and we must do it
again.”

From Page 3

“Rest periods check the lag in
efficiency which otherwise occurs
toward the end of a half shift, and
thus adds a safety factor.

Union Shop

“The Union this year will make
a determined effort to secure full
union shop conditions in all opera~
tions. It should be noted here that
some Interior operations control-
led by large corporations have al-
ready agreed to the Union shop
for the IWA,

“The Union shop is now estab-
lished at the coast, and is proving
a stabilizing factor in labour-
management relations, There is
no good reason why this right

“Interior”

should be any longer denied the
lumber workers in the Interior,

“It is difficult to understand,
why employers are so insistent
that labour relations in the In-
terior should always be so far be-
hind progress made elsewhere in
industry. Certainly, we are wit-
nessing the Interior employers
making every effort to modernize
the industry in other respects.
The Union Shop demand is not a
cost item.

“Usually in explaining the mat-
ter to those unfamiliar with the
Union shop it is necessary to make
the distinction between the Union
shop and the closed shop, Under

~

7

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fn

LOGGERS’ AND LUMBERMEN’S CHOICE
For Over 35 Years

Watson's Leather

JOHN WATSON LTD.

Gloves

Union Made by

VANCOUVER, B.C.

closed shop conditions, the em-
ployer is required to hire only
those who are already members of
the Union.

“Under Union shop conditions,
as proposed by the IWA, the em-
ployer hires additional employees
as he may determine. After a stip-
ulated period, the employee must
become and remain a member of
the Union as a condition of em-
ployment,

“Under the present Interior
agreements, any employee who
becomes a member of the Union
is required to maintain that mem-
bership during the period of his
employment.

“In any consideration of the
Union shop, one simple fact
must be held in mind. In the
first instance, the employees by
majority vote have selected the
Union as their bargaining agen-
cy, in accordance with the laws
of the province. This choice is
made freely, and in a completely
democratic way, under -the su-
pervision of the Department of
Labour.

Stabilizes Collective
Bargaining

“Tt follows that the Union then
accepts the responsibility of bar-
gaining for all the employees in
the bargaining units, as defined in
the certification. This obligation
is accepted on behalf of members
and non-members alike.

“The Union is also held respons-
ible for the observance of the con-
tract provisions on the part of all
employees in the bargaining unit
whether members or not.

“When these conditions are
recognized, it becomes apparent
that if the collective bargaining
process is to work satisfactorily,
and in a completely democratic
manner, all the employees in
the bargaining unit should be
members of the Union. Only in
this way can each employee gain
a voice in the making of bar-
gaining decisions which affect
his or her welfare, Once the
employer recognizes the bar-
gaining rights of the Union, he
is not free to by-pass the Union,
and engage in bargaining on

Alex B. Macdonald

Barrister & Solicitor
Notary Public

204 Holden Bldg.
16 East Hastings St.
VANCOUVER 4, B.C.

MU 4-6641 - 4621 - 4939

wages and conditions with any
one individual.

“As the Union is held respons-
ible for the observance of the con-
tract on the part of all the em-
ployees, it is evident that the
Union should be able to meet this
responsibility through relations
with each employee made possible
by membership in the Union.

“Free Riders” Scored

“The day-to-day interpretation
of contract provisions are quite as
important as agreement with re-
gard to its terms upon signing.
The contract, when signed, and
honoured by both parties becomes
a medium through which many
matters concerning working con-
ditions are agreed upon, This has
proved to be one of the stabilizing
results of collective bargaining
procedures.

“Such matters as seniority in
re-hiring or in promotions are de-
termined by clear-cut procedures
of consultation. Grievances are
dealt with through the machinery
provided in the contract by Un-
ion’s representatives.

“Here again, we see immediate-
ly the importance of requiring that
each employee, should for these
purposes be a member of the
Union.

“From experience we have
learned, that if a few employees
remain outside the Union, they
are soon pointed to as workers
who are willing to accept all the
benefits of the Union’s bargaining
without sharing in any of the col-
lective responsibilities. They are
known as “free riders”, and are
so regarded by their fellow-em-
ployees in the Union. This is a
frequent cause of friction on the
job. %
Better Atmosphere
“When the Union Shop is es-
tablished in an operation, the
Union is then given some security
of status in bargaining relations
with the employer. The atmos-
phere becomes much more whole-
some.

“Without the Union shop, the
Union is always compelled to
maintain a constant fight to retain
its standing. Only. too frequently,
it is exposed to a constant under-
ground campaign, initiated by the
employer, to deprive employees
of the right to organize and bar-
gain collectively.

“Upon the adoption of the
Union shop, the effort to fight for
a foothold in the operation is di-
verted into other channels to serve
the welfare of the members,

Rate Revision

“Throughout recent years, under
the contract provisions at the
coast, when necessary, the cate-
gory rates for skilled workers

SOLICITOR TO THE 1. W. A.

See “INTERIOR” Page 12