Organizing panel
Continued from page twenty-four

her brother and sister unionists in order to take

on the employer and the government.”

Yates said that many unions have begun
reforming their leadership so that women, peo-
ple of colour and those from other sectors have a

place in the leadership circle.

Brother MclIssac said that about 30.7 percent
of the workforce is organized, down 7 percent
from 1992. He said that central labour bodies
like the Ontario Federation of Labour and the
B.C. Institute for Organizing are coordinated
research and organizing activities and can be

more effective in their campaigns.

and help in the organizing campaigns.

“They're the eyes, ears and mouth of the union
ing the team

is the most important part of an organizing
_ drive. This is where you win the campaign. You

inside of that plant,” he said. “Trai:

educate the employees about your union.’

Ken Neumann said that his international
union, which has over 700,000 members, spent
over $15 million on organizing last year and is

about to double that amount in the future.

He said that unions have to actively organize
other sectors to protect their strength in their

_ core industries.

The Steelworkers still have their strength in
smokestack industries such as steel mills, the
mining industry and the resource sector and are

now reaching out to all sectors includin,
banking industry and even workers employed at

Thille ’
ae of the things that you must remember is
that when you're diversifying and you’re moving

Bou must maintain service to your current

ship,” said Neumann.

” added Carroll. —
184 President D.
the organizer

‘more pride among

rogram is “one of the
Paonene union has done.”

e Mike McIsaac

Brother Will said that the IAM trains teams of
workers inside plants to understand the union

a thousand members would not be

Union delegates gave a warm welcome to fed-
eral New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDo-
nough, who spoke to I.W.A.convention delegates
for the second time, the first being in 1996, after
she won the party’s leadership.

I.W.A. National President Dave Haggard told
the delegates that it is Alexa McDonough among
those who have stood up for workers’ rights and
has been key in rebuilding the party from near
extinction on the federal scene.

McDonough, fresh off a tour of coastal logging
operations, with members of Local 2171, said the
visit reminded her of “the critically important
role of the forest industry and forestry jobs, not
just to the B.C. economy but to the Canadian
economy as a whole.”

“That’s what makes it so absolutely unaccept-
able that the Prime Minister of this country and
the federal Liberal government don’t seem to
take that into account in their economic develop-
ment policies and their trade policies...,” she said
to applause.

McDonough said that the union’s working with
government and industry through Forest Renewal
B.C. to meet new standards and develop new
opportunities and keeping people working in the
forest is an example of constructive coping.
Turning to the federal scene, the NDP leader

NDP federal leader speaks

said that federal finance minister Paul Martin
has balanced the budget by downloading costs on
the provinces, by slashing unemployment insur-
ance and by gutting our social safety net.

“The Prime Minister is dangerously out of
touch with Canadians...” said McDonough. “I
don’t need to tell you that we are well on our way
to a two-tier, American style health care system.
Canadians don’t like it and Canadians don’t
vant it, and we're going to make sure they don’t
get it.

She said that the NDP is demanding that $2.5
million of the federal budget surplus be put back
into health care, which should solve the critical
lack of care and create 50,000 new jobs.

The NDP is also pushing for a 1% tax cut to
the GST, to help combat the loss of real income
for working families. It is also targeting an out-
reach effort to talk to members of the medium
and small size business community.

“Just as you’re working with industry to
develop new sustainable forestry practices with-
out compromising your right to fair wages, with-
out compromising your right to fair labour prac-
tices and protection of health and safety, we
must work with business on job creation without
SOU DrORISINE our social democratic values,” she
said.

Safety resolutions

Continued from page twenty-two

TRUCK SAFETY AND WCB POLICY - the 1.W.A.
demands that the Workers Compensation Board
of British Columbia expand occupational health
and safety guidelines to say that the load ona
vehicle used in a forestry operation must not
exceed the limits specified by the vehicle manu-
facturer or certified by a professional engineer.

WALKING WOUNDED - the convention demanded
that the union organize a campaign in B.C. to
expose, where appropriate, the practice of employ-
ers and the WCB of forcing workers to work
while injured when it is contrary to published
Board policy.

WCB/EMPLOYER PARTNERSHIP PROGRAM - the union
is directed to lobby appropriate regulatory agen-
cies and provincial governments to reassess the
current policy so that rebates are used to enhance
and develop better safety programs.

WCB CLAIMS APPROVAL - the I.W.A. will lobby the
B.C. provincial government to mandate a more
efficient system of adjudicating medical and
WCB claims.

WCB CLAIMS PAYMENT - the union will demand
that the Workers Compensation Board be required
to make rapid payment of claims once they are
approved.

° Delegates Larry Lewis and local president Ron
Diotte, from Local 700, follow safety resolutions.

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 1998/25