2nd Issue, August

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Monte Lake Men ©
Win IWA Praise

Peo cicils are unanimous in their praise of the soli-
darity and trade union militancy displayed by members of
Local 1-417 IWA, Salmon Arm, who for nee months re-

sisted the efforts of Pondosa Pine Lumber Co. Ltd. to up-
- root all effective trade union organization in the Monte Lake

operation.
The settlement finally secured,
- August 15th, after a series of con-
ferences in Vancouver, vindicated
the stand taken originally by the
employees, and set forth in detail
the conditions of work sought at

the outset.

When the clash occurred, the
employees were confronted with
the threat that employees who had
asked that their grievances be pro-
cessed as required under the
agreement would be discharged.
A collective protest against this
threat led to a situation later de-
scribed by them as a lock-out,

Injunction Issued

Their efforts to picket the oper-
ation and check the importation
“scabs” was prevented by an
injunction. Later they secured
possession of adjoining property,
and kept the IWA picket ban-
ners legally flying where all could
see them. In spite of innumerable
handicaps they made their protest
widely known against unfair la-
bour practices.

They had the assistance of Dis-
trict Secretary-Treasurer George
Mitchell, who in company with
Business Agent Bob Ross, Local
1-417, remained in close super-
vision of developments, and fin-
ally secured a settlement confer-
ence,

Prosecution Granted

With the support of the Dis-
trict Officers, the right to prose-
cute the employer was gained, and

They Say...

_

GEORGE HOME, Secretary,
B.C. Federation of Labour on
“Town Meeting in Canada”, Aug-
ust 22nd:

“According to a report of a con-
ference on ecomonic progress held
in January, 1958, in the United
States, it was found that wages
have trailed prices and wage costs
have not justified price inflation.

“The same conference was of
the opinion that wages must in-
crease greater than prices, other-
wise the economy as we know it
in North America would collapse.
This is based on the theory that
there is a steadily growing pro-
ductivity in our country, and that
unless we hae wage increases
over and beyond price increases
then it would be physically im-
possible to buy back the goods
which we are capable of produc-
ing, This in turn would create
stagnation and would result in un-
employment.

“In fact this is our claim today,
that the seriously growing unem-
ployment problem we have in
Canada can be traced to the fact
that wages have not kept up to
rising prices nor to productivity.

“This claim is borne out by a
recent study conducted by the De-
partment of Industrial Relations
at Queens University.

“Using the statistics of the De-
partment of Labour, we find the
real weekly earnings of Canadians
between the years 1949 and 1955
increased by 22%, while the con-
sumer price index increased by
16.49, showing an increase of
5.6% in the real standard of liv-
ing; but the same source shows
that the output per man hour be-
tween these years increased by
23.99%, while the real weekly earn-
__ ings had only increased by 22%,
2 ithe

action in the courts was launched.

Hostilities ended, when across
the conference table in Vancou-
ver, a point-by-point agreement
was hammered out to the mutual
satisfaction of employer and em-
ployees,

Unique Settlement

The agreement signed is unique
in many respects, as it spells out
for the guidance of foremen and
job stewards, exactly what should
be done in situations which form-
erly caused trouble.

Rest periods will be a matter
of experimentation for thirty days.
All the workers locked-out will
be re-instated, with full seniority
rights. Charges made by the Un-
ion in the courts will be dropped.
Category rates have been adjusted,
and qualifications defined.

The chain of authority in issu-
ing orders was clearly defined in
the agreement, and many required
work practices were stated in such
a manner as to remove all doubt
about the duties of the employee
concerned, and responsibilities of
management.

At meetings of the employees
attended by the District and Local
Union officials, satisfaction was
expressed at the outcome, and the
belief declared that the basis had
been laid for harmonious rela-
tions in the future. It was con-
sidered that the clash and its re-
sults would provide a deterrent
to similar developments in other
Interior operations.

showing a lag of 1.9% in output
per man hours.

“In my opinion the statement
of Mr. James Muir, Chairman of
the Royal Bank of Canada to a
general meeting of shareholders
held in Montreal in January, 1958,
also supports this position.

“Jt is sometimes: argued that
chronic inflation is due to repeated
and excessive wage increases in
response to successful trade union
pressure, Or perhaps there are
two culprits, successively increas-
ing labour costs and profit mar-
gins, both in excess of what the
traffic can reasonably be expected
to bear.

“This round robin of cost and
price rises is undoubtedly a fac-
tor in any inflationary situation,
but even the best intentions on
the part of both labour and man-
agement cannot long resist the
inflationary environment created
by excessive spending through the
errors or inefficiencies of mone-
tary and fiscal management, In
such a situation wages would rise
even without trade unions to
press for them,

“The employer finds that to
increase production in response to
rising demands he must bid for
labour at a higher price and even
to maintain present production he
must resist the efforts of others
to raid his labour force. He may
often find it necessary to raise
prices but these higher prices can |
be paid only because the original
inflationary environment makes it

possible for his customers to pay
them, Under these conditions
wages and prices rise together,
but they are the symptoms, rather
than the cause of inflation ., .’”

“ANCHOR” MAN for the Canadian White Pine Division’s tug-o-war team, Harry Jaeck, really put up a
strong battle but he and his team mates were not quite good enough for their opponents during the Ninth
Annual Picnic of Local 1-217, IWA, August 2nd, at Confederation Park. ‘

B.C. Fed. Convention
Opens October 21st

Call has been issued for the 3rd
Conyention of the-B.C. Federa-
tion'of Labour to be held in the
Canadian Legion Hall, 2655 Main
St, ‘Vancouver, October 2st
through to October 24th.

A banquet and dance will be
held on Wednesday evening, Oc-
tober 22nd.

Two important pre-convention
conferences have also been an-
nounced, A pre-convention con-
ference on unemployment will be
held Monday, October 20th, in the
auditorium of the Labour Temple,

307 West Broadway. Invited to
this conference are employee
members of Local and Regional
Employment committees, Boards
of Referees, and members of Lo-
cal Union Unemployment Com-
mittees.

The purpose of the conference
on unemployment is to give con-
sideration to the present serious
unemployment situation, and to
plan a program for consideration
of the Federation convention,

It is hoped to appoint a Com-
mittee to draft a report for the

consideration of the Federation
convention, said committee to be -
guided by the resolutions on the
subject.

A Union Label pre-convention
conference will be held Monday,
October 20th, in the Lower Audi-
torium of the Teamsters’ Joint
Council Building, 490 E. Broad-
way. The recommendations of
this conference regarding the pro-
motion of union label recognition,
will also be transmitted to the

Federation convention.

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