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Ron Grant

FORMER OFFICER
DIES SUDDENLY

Ron Grant, the highly liked and respected
secretary of Local 1-288 IWA (Lumber
Inspectors), passed away suddenly Novem-
ber 9th, in Vancouver.

He had been in ill health shortly after his
retirement in 1979 but had shown signs of
improvement.

A long-time worker in the forest industry
Ron first started work in one of the B.C.
Coast sawmills in the late 1930's. At the
outbreak of the Second World War he
enlisted in the army and served overseas for
five years. On his return he went to work as
a lumber inspector at the old B.C. Fir &
Cedar Mill in Vancouver,

A strong union man Ron worked with his
fellow inspectors to become affiliated to the
IWA. The Lumber Inspectors at that time
were a CCL charter local. While Ron was
overseas the Inspectors had applied to the
IWA for affiliation but their request was
refused on the grounds that they would be
better off as members of IWA local unions
where they worked.

However, the Inspectors persistence paid
off and they were affiliated to the IWA in
1961 as Local 1-288. In the elections that
followed Ron was elected the Local’s finan-
cial secretary which at the time was not a
full-time position.

In 1971, Rod Beaton the Local’s president
and full-time business agent retired and Ron
was appointed business agent and the
Local’s member on the Coast Negotiating
Committee.

For the next eight years Ron dedicated his
time to looking after the welfare of his
inspectors. It was a rough period for him
and the Local Union. The forest companies
wanted to introduce a “Licenced Stamp”
system which would allow the mills to grade

‘You are both ambitious, responsibte and bom leaders,
‘but Cringeshaw here has certain qualities that...

their own lumber without the services of an
inspector.

Ron recognizing that it would mean the
end of the Local if the companies got their
way, fought hard and bitterly to prevent the
stamp use. He was successful in keeping the
stamp system out of Coast sawmills repre-
sented by Forest Industrial Relations Ltd.,
but the others jumped at the opportunity to
grade their own lumber.

With the aid of the Regional Council Ron
was able to fight off the attacks of the Coast
FIR companies until 1975 when he was
forced to conclude an agreement which
allowed all mills the right to use either a
lumber inspector or a “Grade Stamp
Licenced Agreement”.

While this agreement was supposed to
protect the members of Local 1-288, it in fact
had the opposite effect. Fewer inspectors
were hired and in 1979 the Local’s ranks
were so badly depleted that the decision was
made to disband the Local and place the
remaining inspectors in other IWA Locals.

During this period Ron worked night and
day to ensure that his members retained all
their seniority rights on the job in their new
Locals. It was a difficult task to accomplish
and would have tired the strength ofa much
younger person.

Even in his retirement Ron showed his
dedication to the Local by getting all its
affairs in shape and arranging a final
farewell meeting of the members. Few
people have this type of loyalty for a cause
but for Ron it was simply doing what came
naturally to him.

A quiet funeral service was conducted in
Langley November 16th, which was
attended by his family and many of his
friends from around the province. Pall
bearers were Regional president Jack
Munro; Local 1-80 president Roger Stanyer;
former president of Local 1-288, Rod Beaton;
Local 1-288 member Bernie Lane; Local 1-85
president Earl Foxcroft; former Local 1-217
president Syd Thompson.

ALBERTA CREW WINS
B.C. AGREEMENT

The majority of the provisions of the
1981-1983 Provincial Agreement have been
extended to the Woodlands crew at St. Regis
Alta. Ltd. in Hinton, Alberta following
negotiations in November.

A new two-year Agreement providing for
a 15% increase effective December 1, 1981
was ratified by the crew on November 23rd.
Other major improvements in the first year
include: Tradesmen’s revisions; Weekly
Indemnity increases; Life Insurance
increase; improvements to Long-Term Dis-
ability; and personal floating holidays for
employees with five years or more seniority
(specifically, 1 floater for 5 years, 2 floaters
for 10 years, and 8 floaters for 20 years of
service) in addition to the existing 11
Statutory Holidays.

The negotiations, directed by 3rd Vice-
President Ernie Clarke of the Regional
Council, were concluded one week before the
1979-1981 Agreement expired. The negotia-
tions were more successful because of the
extension of the 1979-1981 Contract to have
it expire in November 1981, rather than in
March 1981.

The second year of the Agreement pro-
vides for a 13% wage increase to all
employees, an improved vacation schedule,
additional AD&D Life Insurance to
$30,000, Weekly Indemnity to $360 per week,
and vision care similar to B.C.

Of major importance to the Union was the
negotiation of pay for Committee involve-
ment in the grievance procedure previously
paid by the Union in order to have Commit-
tee members off the job for meetings.

The new base rate for common labour will
be $11.46 per hour December 1, 1981, and
$12.96 per hour December 1, 1982.

The Committee consisted of Joe Pirker,
President of Local 1-207, IWA; Mike Pisak,
Ist Vice-President of Local 1-207 (an
employee of St. Regis); and Committee
members Art Green, George Phipps,
Dwayne Heaton and Vern Koch.

Cara Dubeski

Domenic Boscariol

BURSARY
WINNERS

Winners of Local 1-423’s $500 Union
Bursaries for 1981-82, were Miss Cara
Dubeski, whose father is an IWA member
employed at Riverside Forest Products Ltd.
in Lavington, and Domenic Boscariol
whose father is an IWA member employed
at Pope & Talbot Ltd. Grand Forks
Division.

Miss Dubeski will be attending Okanagan
College in Vernon in the Science faculty.
Her goal is to obtain a Bachelor of Phar-
macy degree.

Mr. Boscariol will be attending UBC in
the Science faculty. His goal is to obtain a
degree in Mechanical Engineering.

KRAMMER
APPOINTED

Mike Kramer, anational representative of
the Canadian Union of Public Employees,
has been appointed the B.C. Federation of
Labour secretary-treasurer. The appoint-
ment fills the vacancy caused by the resig-
nation of the former secretary, Dave Mc-
Intyre, who resigned for personal reasons.

Lumber Worker/December, 1981/3