VOLUME 53, No. BROADWAY NOVEMBER, 1987 ular political leader. Delegates gathered in Vancouver, September 28 to October 1 for the first annual TWA Canada conven- tion. It was the first convention which truly felt like a national con- vention. The mood throughout the four days was serious, a mood that reflected the issues being discussed. A highlight of the four days was the presence of Northern Ontario mem- bers of the Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union [LSWU]. There have been a number of mergers between the IWA and LSWU and their pres- ence was a evidence that we are indeed growing larger and stronger. National President Jack Munro opened the convention with a moment's silence for workers who lost their lives over the last year. He denounced the fact that year after bers on the job to serious injury or death. Following the tribute to those who have paid the ultimate price for their job, Munro set the tone of the con- yention. “We have got a hell of a thing going for us with this TWA, The fact that we can do what we have done in a short 50 years, well I’m very proud to be standing up here today”. Munro continued by saying, “during the 1986 strike we took on an issue that has been the curse of every trade union right across the country. Contracting out, ig the issue, we took them on and we fought a tough fight and we won”. Munro concluded his speech saying, “Jf we are going to realize the poten- tial for woodworkers, then we are The first convention which truly felt like a national convention National New Democratic Party Leader Ed Broadbent, Canada’s most pop- year we are still losing IWA mem- | FIRST NATIONAL CONVENTION going to have to make our decisions here at this convention with New Brunswick as much in mind as B.C. We are truly a national union now, and our debates and resolutions have to reflect that.” | The key issue debated over the four days was the new national con- stitution. The entire text of this is included in this edition of the Lumberworker. The new constitu- tion lays out the perimeters for the new national union. It is the first time that the IWA has addressed its constitution in a national setting. This new constitution makes the process of the merger between Regions 1 and 2 complete. The [WA is now truly a national union in both membership and constitution. The strike fund was an important issue on the convention floor. Dele- gates voted to increase the assess- ment per member from the present rate of $2.00 per month to $5.00. The increase is scheduled to kick in im- mediately in the west while in the east it will be phased in over a five year period. The increase is being phased in slowly in the east in order to deal with the unique problems that the east is presently facing. Locals are having to organize into large geographic areas and this is costing the locals in the east enough already. There is also the wage dis- parity that exists in some operations in the east. The phased in approach will allow eastern members and east- ern locals to stabilize after the mer- ger of last year. The increase will strengthen the strike fund and allow the IWA to better weather long, ex- = = Former IWA Regional Council Pres- ident Joe Morris and former B.C. Federation of Labour President Art Kube visit the Convention. tended strikes. This will have a sub- stantial impact at the bargaining table. There was heated debate over the timing of the Wages and Contract Conference for the next round of bar- gaining. There were strong feelings expressed that the conference should be delayed until the final report is in on Contracting Out and Flexibility. After considerable debate it was National President Jack Munro on the first day to the Convention: “We lave a hell of a thing going for us with this IWA. The fact that we can do what we have done in a short 50 years, well, I’m very proud to be standing up until after the report is delivered. Delegates also voted to increase officers’ salaries. Delegates had the opportunity to hear a number of guest speakers. The highlight was a speech by Cana- da’s most popular political leader, National NDP Leader Ed Broad- bent. Broadbent spoke on a number of issues including the forthcoming free trade agreement, the maturing of the NDP and the kind of support that the NDP is experiencing across the country. Provincial NDP Leader Mike Har- court spoke and received a warm welcome. He sounded a familiar and responsive theme of Bill Vander ‘See page 2 — CONVENTION THE LUMBERWORKER — working for you! The Lumberworker is the primary way in which the [WA membership receives its information from the elected leadership. It is the glue that can bind the diverse elements of the new IWA together. It should strive to reflect a national point of view, it should reflect the larger issues that the new IWA has to deal with, these issues are national in scope. The Lumberworker now belongs as much to the east as to the west and it should reflect that. Each issue should as much as possible reflect the views of the east in order to familiarize the membership in the west with the new larger responsibil- ities of the union. The Lumberworker is a vehicle through which to com- municate national ideas and issues and to deal with policies that are of concern to the membership in the larger sense. The paper must also strive to maintain its roots in the locals and to ensure that it stays in touch with local issues and concerns, without losing sight of the national perspective. The Lumberworker is a vehicle to reflect regional concerns and issues and most certainly, a pub- lication that would cover ongoing disputes and strikes across the country. It is an opportunity to tell the membership about the struggles being fought by their brothers and sisters in other parts of the country. Above all, the Lumberworker is a vehicle through which to show the membership, the general and specific aims and directions of the national leadership of the IWA. Lastly, the Lumberworker should not. be afraid to address an issue that could be seen as controversial. In addressing these issues in the publication it is possible to begin debate on an issue or set of issues prior to a national or regional convention.