iN ae

Working conditions How about:

Health and safety at the work site that
considers:

© exposure to chemicals

© safe and available vehicles and drivers
© appropriate first aid standards
°

procedures for hazardous sites and
conditions

radio telephones

appropriate supervision

tools and training

working hours and days off

water supply

food supply and cooking facilities
kitchen and dining hygiene

camp size

toilet and personal washing facilities

Women How about?

Men and women having equal rights including
the right:

to work in the silviculture industry
© to protection against discrimination
© to equal pay

Jobs How about?

Some Job description that considers:

e nondiscriminatory hiring and firing
processes

job training
© seniority (by contractor)
sick leave

© an employment agreement for each con-
tract

Should we consider union administered
services for workers such as:

© day care

¢ dental plan

¢ medical insurance
© fegal aid

A Message
from the PRWA
Steering Committee:

Who are we?

The Pacific Reforestation Workers’ Associ-
ation has been actively involved in Reforest-
ation Workers’ concerns for three years. At
the 1984 P.R.W.A. Annual General Meeting a
proposal to work with the I.W.A. in organiz-
ing .tree planters was almost unanimously
adopted. The recommendation to join with
the I.W.A. came after carefully analyzing all
options through the three years. An eleven
person committee was elected at the AGM
to work in the organizing process.

Why was this
Recommendation Adopted?

Reforestation Workers are the final victims of
Government cuts. Contractors are forced to
bid lower and lower, and then to cut the price
to tree planters.

Without a strong organization behind us, that
downward spiral will go on and on. There is
no “bottom line” to this process.

We need to establish and defend some
minimum standard of wages and conditions.
We need minimum standards for camps,
food, health and safety.

We need to protect our jobs.

GOVEPNMENE How about?

Speaking with a united voice to the Ministry of
Forests and the government on topics such as:

© ecology

the use of chemicals

health and safety regulations
site conditions and preparation
the Forestry planting contract
payment by areas vs. by tree
Forestry quality control

Worker involvement row abou

Workers participating in the management of
their work and their work place by considering:

© democratic participation in a union
© democratic participation at work
© camp grievance procedures

If more than 55% of the em; c

a given contractor join the Union, and
application for certification is approved by the -
Labour Relations Board, by law the contractor
must then negotiate a collective agreement.
Reforestation workers will have their own
agreements. Initially all of them will be
negotiated on a contractor by contractor basis.

The demands will be formulated by treeplant-
ers. The contractor, I.W.A. negotiators, elected
treeplanters from the certified contractor, and
P.R.W.A. members who have been actively
involved with treeplanters concerns will sit
down at the bargaining table to conclude a
collective agreement. The aim is to see
improvements through agreements that both
employers and employees can live with.

The 1.W.A. will make every effort to reach all
treeplanters in B.C. We will all have the chance
to join and participate in the Union. If we stand
together we can improve our situation, and
defend ourselves.

i ii oe

Think about it!

Consider the following as possible things to
negotiate for or to work towards in the 1.W.A.

Wages How about?

© minimum daily pay

© a prompt and straightforward pay system
(every two weeks)

e pay for travel time

pay for time lost because of an interrupted
supply of trees or lack of a site to plant on,
for time lost because of adverse weather
conditions, and for time lost getting into a
cancelled, postponed, or defaulted contract.

e pay for camp set-up and take-down

© no camp fees

sshd

By joining the I.W.A. we can band together and
work towards obtaining these goals. It is
possible and everyone benefits. Once we
obtain certification with a significant amount
of contractors we will establish a bottom line
throughout the industry. Contractors will then
be tendering bids from an equal footing and
cut-throat bidding will become a thing of the
past.

Some time this spring or summer you and your
fellow treeplanters will be directly approached
to sign a check-off to join the l.W.A. When you
arrive at your camp site discuss these benefits
with the rest of the workforce. With this kind of
approach the organizing drive in your camp
will without a doubt be a success and the goals
we are all striving for will be reached at the
earliest possible date.

The organizing drive is being conducted by a Steering
Committee of P.R.W.A. members, the ILW.A. Regional
Council and Local 1-217 of the I.W.A. located at 2859
Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C., V5N4C7.

If you and your fellow treeplanters in your camp have not
yet been contacted regarding joining the I.W.A. please call
874-0274 in Vancouver and ask for a P.R.W.A-1.W.A.
Steering Committee member. :
If you are a considerable distance from Vancouver you
may wish to call the Local LW.A. Union office in B.C.
nearest you who will forward your information to the
P.R.W.A-I.W.A. Steering Committee.

Local 1-80 Duncan 746-6131
1-85 Port Alberni 724-0171
1-118 Victoria 479-1675
1-363 Courtenay 934-3834
1-367 Maple Ridge 463-8804
1-405 Cranbrook 426-4871
1-417 Kamloops 554-3167
1-423 Kelowna 762-2801

1-424 Prince George 563-7771
1-425 Williams Lake 398-8248 actin

6/Lumber Worker/Spring, 1984