2 Union States Case In Talks Negotiations opened in the first week of June with the bargaining representatives of the lumber operators in the Northern and Southern™ Interior with the presentation of the following demands: (1) A fifteen per cent across the board wage increase, ___ (it should be explained here that the reason for the higher increase demanded in the Interior than at the Coast is that wage rates have been lower than at the Coast. The Union intends to continue its effort to place the Interior wage scale on a parity with that at the Coast.) (2) A night shift differential of six cents per hour. te. @) An amended vacations with pay clause to establish con- ditions similar to those now provided for in the Coast agreement. It is also asked that steps be taken to fix stated periods for vaca- tions, and to prohibit arbitrary decisions establishing closures as vacation periods. i (4) Provision for two ten-minute rest periods for each shift in manufacturing plants. (5) Full Union Shop conditions, (6) Provision for the revision of category rates. A list of categories where inequities exist will be presented at the opening of negotiations. It is also asked that definite provision be made under which | the Union and management will meet and agree on the designations and rates for new machinery installed, or when the job conditions are materially changed. (7) _ Provision that work done in the bargaining unit shall be done only by members of the bargaining unit. (8) A contract clause to ensure that on any work performed by sub-contractors, the employer who has contracted out this work shall stipulate that the terms and conditions of the agree- ment are adhered to by the sub-contractor. (9) The inclusion in the contract of a new section requiring _ B.C. LUMBER WORKER NELSON, Trail and District Labour Council, with the Canadian Labour Congress Charter presented by B.C. Federation of Labour Secretary, George Home, during the installation ceremony held in the Canadian Legion ~ Building, June 7th, in Nelson. Group includes Ernest Boulet, President; H. A. Moir, Ist Vice-President; Lance that all vacancies shall be posted with: proper arrangements for Stacey, Secretary-Treasurer; H. R. Cole, 2nd Vice-President; Jack bidding. (0) Amended leave of absence clause to require that the Union shall be notified of leave granted for reasons other than those stated in the contract, and when the leave is for more than three weeks, for other reasons than stated in the contract, the mat, |P# atthe coast for the same the Union during the negotiations. |for all that a night shift worker ter shall be discussed between the Union and management. ore, pg said ff the Union A ths present time, it is suffi- iu iste by seen of hie = (11) Deletion of the clause in the present contract relating to. | ‘wed since 1018, of sucking ta elim |p penn, suet ad ie eating eee ec i sued since 1948, of secking to clim- font ip- | dustry, and i a in the return to the bargaining unit of members who have tempor- |insic any wage differential as’ bec | reece sosmction is up. Ship dus ane in ‘near vial ota 4 mGlpibeenioromoted’t fi ais P a y wage dif ntial as ments to Canada and the U.S. | dustries, higher night shift differ- ly Promoted to supervisory positions. (Southern Interior) | tween coast and interior rates. are up this year as compared |entials are now being paid, than (12) Provision for an industry-wide medical services plan on wa cost to ier peta Fs now paid in the Interior, nr a 50-50 contributory basis. (Southern Interior). Points van in his Pe neat cy a distributi f shi Vacation Peri fi | In the opinio; 7 ji ee sid bes le distribution of Sship- ‘acation Periods {| uthe pinion of the conference, any contract negotiated this | supporting the need for a fifteen| ments from the Interior are 55% “The third contract demand reo Wh year should be for the period of one year only. per cent wage increase included | to Canada, and 44% to the U.S., |tates to the vacation period, ‘The < : (13) That Article XV, Section 1 (a) be amended to provid> | the following, as here summarized: | with .6% to other points. request mace: bysthesn iat atinat i ‘or ivi et 1 r, eae . P Aan * r permanent arbitrator. 0 Cost of living has risen | ‘The rapidly rising demand in|a stated period be fixed for an- ] Demands of Interior IWA members now under discus-| S8>S*@ntially, and wiped out the | 10th the Canadian and the Amer- | nual vacations. i sion with the Interior lumber operators in preliminary bar- gaining talks, were declared by IWA Secretary-Treasurer, George Mitchell, in a series of radio talks over Station CKEK,| 4 rt i i g ? »| dex has risen 7.1 points since | oxpanded market demands will | w ‘i & Peing necessary, reasonable, and well within the resources | 1956. Food costs have risen 10 Sree nal Stimulate’ eee Why, eee ee prelerred a b of the Interior lumber industry. points during the same period |) duction. tion months generally throughout In an item by item explanation of the “package” demanded by the Union, he gave top priority to the demand for an across the board wage increase of fifteen per cent, The five per cent asked over and above the wage increase already demanded for the coast master contract was explained by him as necessary to bring Interior wage DUNCAN BUSINESS GUIDE LOUTET AGENCIES LTD. INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE J. Lindsay Loutet Gordon R. Loutet Duncan aE coWiehan 131 Jubilee St. S. Shore Road HANEY BUSINESS GUIDE “ESQUIRE” MEN’S WEAR (Graham Mowatt) HANEY BRITISH COLUMBIA PORT ALBERNI BUSINESS GUIDE MacGREGOR’S MEN’S WEAR- For Everything A Man Wears h % WORK, SPORT or DRESS ye =~ We Can Afford To Sell The BEST For LESS! WOODWARD STORES (PORT ALBERNI) LTD. “YOUR FAMILY SHOPPING CENTRE” Closed Wednesdays All Day . Hours: 9 - 5:30 Phone 1600 innon, Recording Secretary; Danny Haigh, Sergeant-at-Arms; Executive members, H. H. Towhey; J. Crawford; G. W. Heighton, and George Home. rates closer to the level of those value of wage increases awarded during the past two years. © The consumers’ price in- Necessities which are the chief items in workers’ family budgets have risen the most. @ The consumers’ price in- dex in April was 125.2 as com- pared with the 1949 base of 100. Productivity @ Productivity in the indus- try generally has risen more than 8%. @ It costs no more to pro- duce 1 M. board feet of lumber than before the 1956-57 wage increases. @ Throughout the industry as a whole across the province, production has risen by 20%. The number of workers has de- creased by 11%. @ Wages can therefore be increased without increasing the labour cost per unit of produc- tion. maintain business stability. Un- less wages are adjusted to keep pace with rising productivity, widespread unemployment will result. Wage Settlements @ The Union is asking less than has been already conceded to the majority of the Unions in and markets, will be submitted by ican markets, as proved during the hearings of the Coast Concili- ation Board show clearly that the With regard to the other co! tract demands, the TWA official said in part: Night Shift Differential “One demand is for an increase in the night shift differential to six cents per hour. This special provision for workers who must work shifts other than the regular day shift is now standard practice in the coast region as well as in other industries. It has become standard practice for very good reasons. “When crew members are re- quired to start work in the late afternoon or late evening they are at work when most people are able to engage in available recre- ational and cultural activities to- gether with other members of their families and of the commun- ity. tion in community life. “What is perhaps more import- ant to them is that their home life must be placed on a quite differ- ent time schedule. Their meals must be prepared at different times than for other members of the household, Even though there may be small children, home life must be so arranged that they may enough by way of compensation “For the great majority, July and August are the vacation months, There is no valid reason the industry except where special conditions prevail, as in some log- ging camps. € “Tn all such exceptions, the va- cation period should be determined by mutual agreement, with reason- able consideration of the employ- ces’ preferences. “One good reason why vaca- tions should be taken in the summertime is that this is the only time when, with school children in the household, all the family may holiday together. “A further request made re garding vacations is that a prohi- bition be written into the contract to guard against the attempts made by some employers to de- clare arbitrarily that closures are to be accepted as vacations. Rest Periods “The Union demands that a Earni ulting from nad ink Complete Stock of Work and Dress Clothing itecaid aoe ccustinitg ahoe “Night shift workers are de-|definite contract provision Be "THE STORE WITH THE POPULAR BRANDS” be shared with the workers to |Prived of this normal participa-|made for two ten-minute res periods for each shift. Here again the reasons for the demand are almost self explanatory, especially when we realize that almost every- where in present-day industry these coffee breaks are commonly observed. “As a matter of fact it is the opinion of industrial experts that these rest periods pay off in terms the province. . sleep during a portion of the day-|of improved efficiency. Present @ Wage settlements in the | tine, mechanization of the industry province this year have ranged | «tjcyally, it involves extra ex-| places increasing pressure on © on an average from 734% to 15%. Some unions have gained 10 to 24 cents per hour on one- year contracts, @ A street-sweeper in Van- couver gets $1.84 an hour. The base rate in the Interior lumber industry is at present $1.53. Markets A full compilation of statistics regarding production, shipments, pense in the home, and certainly the worker concerned faces risks to his health that are not exper- jenced on a day work schedule. “These, and other conditions, which are an inevitable conse- quence of night work justify the additional rate demanded for the night shift. s “An increase of six cents under these circumstances is little workers to maintain a faster pace, with constant attention to the particular machine in operation, or to the movement of material. “Frequently the monotony of repetitive motions require these few minutes relaxation and re~ freshment. The value of these rest periods has been proven. ‘; See “INTERIOR” Page is