FROM PAGE EIGHT

“CONVENTION”

comprised of a number of components
designed to be used independently or as a
unit.

This system will immediately benefit
those who are currently handling arbitra-
tion cases for their Local. It has also been
designed to form an integral part of any
future training sessions on handling arbi-
tration cases.

The components of the index system area
Cases Reported index, a Subject Matter
index, and a Citation index. The Cases
Reported index is designed to be updated
immediately and forwarded to the Locals
with the arbitration cases.

This new index now tells you at a glance:
—who the arbitrator was;

—whether the grievance was upheld;
—the subject matter of the grievance;
—what IWA arbitration cases, Labour

Relations Board cases, Statutes, or Memo-

randums of Agreement were referred to

and relied on by the arbitrator.

There are separate indexes for arbitration
cases reported in the Northern Interior, the
Coast, the Southern Interior, and for the
Prairie Locals.

Both the Subject Matter and the Citation
index will be up-dated quarterly and for-
warded to the Local Unions. The Subject
Matter index will form the backbone of any
future expedited arbitation system. Eventu-
ally the Subject Matter index will incorpo-
rate all arbitration cases throughout the
Region. To date, Coast arbitration cases
from mid-1970 have been indexed by sub-
ject. Only the most recent arbitration cases
from the Northern Interior, the Southern
Interior, and the Prairie Provinces have
been indexed thus far.

The Subject Matter index lists, in date
order, by topic and sub-topic, the arbitration
cases dealing with a particular subject. The
index is extensively cross-referenced for
easier accessbility and handling.

The Citation index lists independently all
IWA arbitration cases, Labour Relation
Board cases, Statutes, Memorandums of
Agreement, or Interpretations cited and
relied upon by various arbitration boards.
This index gathers together for the first time
a historial jurisprudence of IWA cases.

The overall objective of the indexes is to
provide the most relevant information to the
greatest number of people in the simplest
form. The indexes have already proven
useful in assisting Local Unions in the
settlement of grievances prior to arbitra-
tion. As well they are helpful in the decision
whether to proceed to arbitration. Ulti-
mately, the efficient use of the indexes
should result in reducing or minimizing
legal costs.

Sister Beattie continues to be involved in
various educational areas within the IWA.
As well, she continues to prepare and
instruct two week-long courses on Labour
Advocacy and Advanced arbitration for the
Canadian Labour Congress Winter School.

‘TRADES AND APPRENTICESHIP

ep cuccsnip
e number of apprentices indentured to
Forest Industry has continued to drop
the past year. This has occurred in spite
the fact that most of the apprentices who
been working in production in line with
ir seniority have since returned to their
de. The main reason for the drop in the
1 number of apprentices is the signifi-
decrease in new indentureships. This
ion exists not only in the Forest
but most other industries as well
reflection of the economic times

Trades Upgrading

As mentioned last year, an agreement
was reached to deliver upgrading programs
for tradesmen in the Southern Interior with
emphasis on electronics and hydraulics.

Most tradesmen in that area who wished
to participate in this have been given the
opportunity to do so or will do so by the end
of the year. Twelve other trades courses are
in the process of being developed at BCIT
and other training institutions as a result of
meetings with tradesmen where they
expressed a need for upgrading in various
fields. This was initiated at meetings of the
union and management along with repre-
sentatives of both senior levels of govern-
ment.

Whether the actual training will take
place in the near future or not, remains to be
seen, but in any case, the courses will be
developed and ready for use in line with
meets as outlined by the tradesmen on the
job.

Welding

The two Provincial committees on which
we have representation have concluded the
development of an apprenticeship course for
welders. This will be of three years’ duration
with four periods in school. It is expected
that the schools will be teaching these
programs around the beginning of the year.

In regards to the C, B and A level of
welding certificates we must remind all
concerned that the process for existing
welders to be grandfathered without exami-
nation expires on June 1, 1984.

Sawfiling

The Province of Alberta has now estab-
lished the three trades of fitter, filer and
benchman. Local 1-207 initiated and
actively participated in this development
and it is to that Local Union’s credit that
this step has finally been achieved in a
province long involved with the forest
industry.

FINANCES

As in previous years, the report on Finan-
ces relates to the audited statement of the
General Fund and Strike Trust Fund for the
year ended June 1983.

GENERAL FUND

Stated to the nearest thousand, you will
note that Income has increased from
$1,703,000.00 to $1,784,000.00, an increase of
$81,000.00.

Expenses for the period decreased from
$2,243,000.00 to $1,998,000.00,.a decrease of
$245,000.00.

Thus expenditures exceeded Income by
$214,000.00.

You will note that the bank balance as of
June 30, 1983 was ($145,000.00) overdrawn.

However, it should be further noted that
as of September 30, 1983, the deficit has been
reduced to ($8,867.28).

Only by a great deal of sacrifice by many
people were we able to overcome our precar-
ious financial situation. All of the Regional
staff were extremely co-operative in this
area. The fact that some of our staff worked
for other unions during the past eight.
months was also of great assistance.

Brothers Nick Worhaug, Clay Perry,
Larry Rewakowsky and Frank Wall all
worked for a lengthy period of time for other
organizations.

STRIKE TRUST FUND

1983 Strike Assessment Income stated to
the nearest thousand was $885,000.00, down
from $985,000.00 in 1982.

The Fund paid out in assistance and
expenses $98,000.00 and received from
assessments, interest and advance refunds
$1,234,000.00 for a credit to the Fund of
$1,136,000.00, leaving a total equity in the
Strike Fund of $3,7353,000.00 as of June 30,
1983.

CONCLUSION

The Officers would like to take this
opportunity to thank all of the Regional
Staff, the Regional Executive Board, the
Local Unions and the membership for their
patience and understanding during the past
year.

Respectfully submitted,
REGIONAL OFFICERS

J. J. Munro, President

R. F. Blanchard, Ist Vice-President
N. L. Menard, 2nd Vice-President,
R. Stanyer, 3rd Vice-President

G. A. Stoney, Secretary-Treasurer

FORESTRY

From a letter to B.C. Forest Minister
Waterland by Dr. J. H. Border, Pest Man-
agement Expert.

I have just returned from assessing my
field experiments on the mountain pine
beetle in the Clisbako River area in the
southwestern portion of the Quesnel Forest
District. I am not, however, writing to you
about my research. The pertinent subjects of
this letter are the mountain pine beetle and
the emasculated status of pest management
in the B.C. Forest Service.

This spring, a few spot infestations of the
mountain pine beetle were clearly visible
from the air around the Clisbako River.
These infestations could have been con-
trolled by single tree disposal techniques at
approximately $20-35/tree, despite trhe lack
of roads in the area. Now the situation is
much worse, and frankly frightening. On a
20 km flight from Nazko to the Clisbako
River, I counted 68 spot infestations on one
side of the aircraft alone. My field crew
recorded up to seven-fold increases in the
numbers of newly infested trees, and many
new spots have appeared that will not be
visible from the air until next summer. Even
one glance at the beetle infestation map in
the Quesnel District Office is enough to shift
a tenured professor like me into the letter-

writing mode.

BUT WHAT IS BEING DONE? VIRTU-
ALLY NOTHING. THERE APPEARS TO
BE ENOUGH MONEY AND RESOURCES
TO MONITOR THE DEMISE OF THIS
VAST FOREST, BUT LITTLE TO DO

REPORTS

ANYTHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO PRE-
VENT IT. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRAGIC
WHEN ONE REMEMBERS THAT JUST
RECENTLY, MUCH OF THE POLICY,
FUNDING AND PEOPLE WERE IN
PLACE TO DO THE JOB. THE FOOT
SOLDIERS ARE NOW GONE, VICTIMS
OF THE GOVERNMENT'S RESTRAINT
PROGRAM. THE BEST YOUNG CREW
MEMBERS IN THE QUESNEL FOREST
DISTRICT ARE LAID OFF, AND A
SUPERB OLD-HAND TECHNICIAN HAS
BEEN TRANSFERRED FROM PEST
MANAGEMENT TO TIMBER EVALUA-
TION TO PROVIDE HIM WITH CON-
TINUED EMPLOYMENT.

BUT IN SWEDEN...

The National Forest Survey at the College
of Forestry in Umea recently published
these assessments: total stock, which at the
start of the forest surveys in the 1920s was
barely 1,800 million m’sk (cubic metres solid
volume over bark), now amounts to more
than 2,500 million m°sk.

During the 1970s the stock increased by
an average of 12 million msk per year. The
stock increase occurs mainly in the exploita-
ble and mature forests.

The annual growth is also on the increase
and the gross amount for the late 1970s is
put at close on 85 million m'sk, which is also
a record. After making deductions for
natural mortality, the net growth is about 77
million m‘sk.

Lumber Worker/Fall,1983/9