MUNRO SPEECH TO BUSINESSMEN CALLS FOR CO-OPERATION “We want your industries and your enterprises to succeed and grow ... we should not have a difference o: opinion in this area.” These were the words of IWA- CANADA President Jack Munro as he spoke to an influential assembly group of business community repre- sentatives at the Canadian Club in Vancouver on February 22nd. Munro went on to say that, “added wealth is produced by both sides of the equation — your entrepreneurial skill and our ability to work hard and fast.” In his speech Munro pointed out that in 1988 the unionized work force accounted for about one-third of Can- ada’s personal income tax payments. “Our influence rarely reflects that fact ... When I see numbers like that and compare them to the amount of input that labour has in the decision making process, I know something is out of whack,” said Munro. Commenting that the traditional Canadian market economy has strings attached, the national union leader said that Canadians are reluctant to wrap themselves around free trade and desire rather an economy which pros- pers in a balanced, well managed way. “What’s missing is some visible sign to your employees and the public at large that you fully intend to oper- ate responsibly within those con- straints,” charged Munro. ‘aking an apparent shot at Cana- dian Pacific Forest Products, Munro indicated that community members in Tahsis, B.C. were shocked when workers were given less than a week’s notice of a layoff. CPFP, at the same time, was mak- ing application to the British Colum- bia government to extend its timber supply agreement. “How could any sensible manager operating a mill which consumes a public resource under a long-term ten- ure agreement expect people in this single industry town to sit idly by while the company pulls a stunt like that?”, questioned Munro. Inearly 1987 the B.C. Federation of Labour made overtures to the BC. Business Council and the Vancouver Board of Trade to form a labour man- agement research institute called the Pacific Institute For Industrial Pol- icy. After the introduction of Bill 19 in April of that year, the whole concept was scrapped. Labour relations turned sour because of diabolical labour legislation. Munro said that co-operative efforts such as the cancelled research insti- tute are needed. He cited several IWA-Industry ini- tiatives which have enhanced the col- lective bargaining relationship in the BC. forest industry. The Western Wood Products Forum, an IWA-CANADA-McMillan Bloedel joint effort to deal with market and labour issues, has successfuly oper- FORESTS MINISTER HEARS OF PUBLIC ALIENATION By Clay Perry The Parksville demonstration by over three hundred IWA-CANADA members, and the Brief submitted by Local 1-80 provided a fitting climax to BC. Forests Minister Parker’s series of public hearings. _ If there had previously been any doubt in the minds of either the gov- ernment or the giant corporations that dominate our industry that things have to change, surely the experience of this series of eight meet- ings with an angry and alienated pub- lic will have removed that doubt. As one of the two Locals that are the hardest hit by Fletcher Chal- lenge’s massive closures and cut-backs — Victoria is the other — the Duncan Brief focused on that disaster. “When Fletcher Challenge pro- posed a takeover of British Columbia Forest Products, the government asked for assurance that there would not be any layoffs as a result of the takeover. The Company gave that assurance. Now, only a little over a year since those commitments, Flet- cher Challenge has announced a mas- sive layoff of 425 workers. (Ed. note: This figure does not include affected workers with seniority retention, and contract employees). The Company cites log shortages and overcutting by their predecessor, B.C. Forest Prod- ucts Ltd. Where was the Ministry of Forests and Lands while this was taking place? What has happened to the goal of creating community sta- bility in return for our public re- sources? “Our Youbou, Lake Cowichan and Duncan communities are in a crisis situation. Unemployment is high and there is no hope of finding well paid jobs in their communities to support the hundreds of families affected by the layoffs. “Fletcher Challenge officials have told their employees conflicting sto- ries over the last two years in regard to how much old growth is left to harvest. As late as December 1988, 12/LUMBERWORKER/MARCH, 1989 the Chief Forester for the Company stated that with the old growth and the blending in of the second growth harvest, there would be jobs in perpe- tuity for the loggers and mill workers of their Company. This was after you, Sir, had already been advised of the impending layoffs. Neither the Com- pany, nor yourself, bothered to tell the people who were going to lose their jobs. Surely, in the year 1989, that is something which all of us in British Columbia must find totally unac- ceptable.” The Brief went on to suggest that T.F.L.s be managed by the “... vari- ous communities (involved) and the workers” so that “the incentive would be there to manage those lands for the long-term good and stability of those towns and villages.” Certainly something has to be done. The industry is employing fewer and fewer people per cubic meter of timber logged. It takes three times as much wood to sustain a forest industry job in B.C. as it does in Sweden. A contin- ually smaller percentage of industry’s revenue goes to workers and to the Crown. A month hardly goes by with- out some new revelation about wasted timber, discarded seedlings, saw-logs being chipped for the pulp mills, stumpage not paid, etc. The public is getting angrier all the time. And in B.C. and Ontario, it is the public that owns the timber on which our livelihoods depend. The industry simply cannot continue in its present form. As Klaus Offerman said in his Brief on behalf of Local 1-405, “... alienation of the public, caused by the industry and exacer- bated by the government policies, threatens the political sustainability of land use policies ‘.. we therefore feel it is extremely urgent that the government adopt Forest Policies to ensure many more good jobs for Brit- ish Columbians.” Clay Perry is Director of IWA- CANADA’ Environment and Land Use Department. ated since its inception in April of 1988. Experts on both sides of the table lecture, discuss, and debate seri- ous issues which affect both share- holders and workers. “In August (1988) we put together a working group to study the feasibil- ity of a specialization agreement for our coast plywood plants. The group is looking at ways to improve produc- tion efficiency in existing plants by having individual mills specialize ina narrower range of plywood products. “Tf the plan makes sense, we will need the formal approval of the Fed- eral Government’s Competition Tri- bunal. Once in place, this agreement would be one of the first of its kind in Canada,” said Munro. “We are a union that believes you create more jobs when you sell more product,” said Munro. Explaining an IWA and Council of Forest Industries’ initiative to capture foreign markets, the speaker said a recent overseas mission to Japan has done a lot to create a presence for Canadian wood products in that market. “Initiatives like the Forum and Market Development are the kinds of solutions that labour wants to talk about,” added Munro. “But the onus is now on employers and government to show that, they too, are being innovative and cooperative.” a ‘ LOCKED OUT at Sawarne Lumber Co. Ltd. since February 3, Local 1-217 members pose for a picture outside the Richmond lumber remanu- facturing mill. L to R are Avtar Mann, Harry Bains (Business Agent), Nirbail Olaa, Raj Johal, Shinda Sanghera, and Miki Johal. B.C REMANUFACTURERS FORCE STRIKES, LOCKOUT Approximately two hundred and thirty members of Local 1-217 and 1-357 are dug in for potentially long disputes against lumber remanufac- turers who are asking for concessions that would gut their contracts. The members involved believe that the disputes could last a long time and are prepared to fight until the end. Workers at Island Lumber Special- ties Ltd. (Local 1-217) in Vancouver and Allwood Industries Ltd. (Local 1-357) in Langley struck their opera- tions on January 23. Sawarne Lumber Ltd. locked out 92 Local 1-217 mem- bers on February 6 as talks broke down between the union and K. D. Halliday and Associates, negotiators for an ad-hoc group of five remanufac- turing companies. Members at Fraser River Planing joined their fellow unionists on March 10. Thirty workers at the Richmond plant walked off the job to escalate the overall strike action. On November 19, 1988 the com- pany negotiators tabled a document demanding cuts to an agreement which the majority of remanufactur- ers in the lower B.C. mainland had already signed. The employers are attempting to establish a rate system for new employees based on a discriminatory scale of total hours worked for a per- centage of a job rate. Piece rate systems in areas such as pre-cut bridging, repackaging, stick- ing, desticking, and car-loading are demands introduced by the comp- anies. Company negotiators also want a variety of concessions to health and welfare benefits, medical coverage, holiday and vacation pay. : “They’re getting some awfully bad advice,” said Local 1-217 negotiator Erich Ewert. “We understand the problems of the remanufacturers and advised them over two years ago to form an association of common inter- est. Now, at the last minute, they’ve hired a negotiator who has given them lousy advice and has a basic inability to negotiate.” During the November meeting the companies offered only a 2% wa increase in the second year of the contract. To insult union bargainers, the inept company negotiator offered a_ $500 signing bonus which would diminish by $100 every two weeks the union refused to sign. Plant Chairmen at three job sites have circulated a bulletin asking other IWA members for moral su port at this time. They feel the dis- pute could last longer than the 4% month BC. strike in 1986. The reman- ufacturers worked during the strike, each paying $10 per day to Support other brothers and sisters in their battle against contracting out in mills and logging operations. The IWA picketers are determined not to accept an inferior contract. Employer indifference has already cre- ated industrial unrest in the remanu- facturing sector of the industry.