thewestern canadian lumber worker Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA Western Canadian Regional Council No. 4 Affiliated with AFL-C10-CLC Sth Floor, 1285 Pender Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6E 4B2 Phone 683-1117 Editor—Patrick S. Kerr Busin \ger—Wyman Trineer Forwarded to every member of the WA in Western Cana cordance with convention decisions. ‘Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per EDITORIAL R EGIONAL president Munro’s suggestion that Canadians should withhold their mortgage payments to the banks for a limited period to force the federal goverment into taking action to curb the country’s high interest rates, must appeal to a lot of Canadians. It certainly must appeal to the over forty thousand homeowners Federal Housing Minister Paul Cosgrove admitted will lose their homes this year because of the exorbitant increase in interest rates. However, there is another way of attacking the problem which would benefit home- owners and prevent the banks and other lending institutions from increasing their already obscene profits. The New Democratic Party proposes that interest rates be lowered to approximately the current rate of inflation. This would not only benefit those with mortgages but would also stimulate housing construction. The NDP also proposes that as a temporary measure, there should be a six month freeze on all mortgages coming up for renewal to give the federal govemment time to lower interest rates for mortgages to an acceptable level. To carry out its original purpose, the NDP would demand that the Central Housing & Mortgage Corporation return to the field of direct lending. A Mortgage Fund within the corporation would provide direct loans, particularly to first time home buyers who have the most difficulty getting into the housing market. And finally the NDP would have the government act to fix the interest rate for the amortation period, so that the interest rate remained stable during the life of the mortgage to ensure homeowners would not be faced with the prospect of losing their homes due to factors beyond their control. These are simple measures that could prevent the tragedy of thousands of Canadians losing their homes. Unfortunately, it appears that the goverment is more concerned with the welfare of the lending institutions than it is for the people. 34,000 copies printed in this issue 7 Sy CEE wy “Dear Pierre please thank MacEachen for protecting our interests” Vig = - The above caption was drawn by Edward Cleave, a member of Local 1-367 IWA, employed at B.C.F.P.’s Hammond Division, Haney. NEW MEMBERS THANK UNION The following is the speech made b, Sharon Hill, a member of the office workers employed by Weldwood of Canada’s Quesnel operation, who recently became members of the IWA, Brother Chairman, Brothers and Sisters: On behalf of the office workers — Weld- wood Quesnel. We appreciate your recogni- tion of our solidarity in your report. I would like this opportunity to inform you that since we have joined the IWA we have overturned many of the Company’s policies which we have endured since the plant was certified in 1952. We were in fact part of this certification however we were excluded by management until the spring of 1980 when we asked the IWA for their help. You talk about improved working condi- tions. Our office was deplorable and Weld- wood readily admits that since we signed they have poured over $40,000.00 in office improvements. However, we still endure temperature ranges from 60° in the morning to 90° by mid-afternoon because their heating system isn’t adequate and they haven’t yet been able to replace their defunct air conditioner thatthey installed in 1951. We have put in several months of bitter struggle with tremendous support and guidance from our own Local Union and the Regional Council officers. We had to go to the Labour Relations Board three times before we even got to the bargaining table. The Company continu- ally intimidated, harassed and finally tried to coerce us with a 28% wage increase but we wanted to be in the IWA and everything they tried served only to unite our determi- nations all the more. We signed Check-offs June 1, 1980 and reached a partial agreement on December 23, 1980 that we could be considered part of the existing contract in verbage but not in wages. However, as part of the negotiations we continued working on a job evaluation and grouping system that was to help us establish a wage scale. As in all precedents, the Company would not even consider our position and it was not until we struck the plant down (which was over 500 employees) in mid-April, 1981 that we could impress Weldwood we were serious in our demands. Through a media- tor we negotiated our job groupings and wage scale with the complete understand- ing that BROAD negotiations were coming in the summer and we would be a part of whatever the IWA’s settlement was. As a lot of you, who supported us this summer, know we took another hard stand against the Company to further close the $2.37 gap between our base rate and the industry base rate. Only with your support did we accomplish a few adjustments along with the 15% and 13% raise to give our group a fair raise. Unfortunately, we could not budge on closing that gap and by the end of this contract we will fall to over $3.00 per hour behind the industry base rate. Wehave enjoyed forcing poor Weldwood into this position. Our people have seen about a 65% increase in their wages and our base rate is just now $8.78 per hour. We would like to thank all the Locals wit! Weldwood operations in them for their support and encouragement when we turn to them. Local 1-425, Williams Lake and 100 Mile House stayed on strike with us in full support of our issues and the members in our own Local at the Houston and Babine operations honoured our pickets when they arrived only 4 days after being back at work. The Coast Locals, 1-71, 1-217 and 1-357 helped us to leaflet and inform the Weld- wood plants here and your support went a long way to getting us a better settlement. 4/Lumber Worker/December, 1981