¢
oF
5
El
c-)

©

Legislative
resolutions get
nod by convention

SPECIES AT RISK ACT - the union went on record
at the convention as being opposed to Bill C-33,
the Liberal government’s Species at Risk Act
which has the potential to devastate the B.C.
forest industry with disastrous results for the
‘union membership.

B.C. AND SPECIES AT RISK ACT - the I.W.A. will
lobby the provincial government to not enact
this proposed federal legislation which does
address the impact on workers and their com-
munities.

CANADA PENSION PLAN - the federal government
will be lobbied to make changes to the CPP to

allow the age of entitlement to be reduced from
age 65 to 60 for full pension benefits.

NEW GUN CONTROL LAWS - the convention voted
to lobby the federal and provincial governments
against recent legislation to control the guns of
law abiding citizens.

TAX EXEMPTION FOR VOLUNTARY SERVICES - the
1.W.A. will lobby the provincial and federal gov-
ernments to have the cost of obtaining forms
and certifications tax deductible. 7

HOLIDAY PAY - the convention demanded that
legislation be changed at the federal and provin-
cial levels to not tax income earned as holiday

pay.

TRADESMENS TOOLS - the union will lobby the
provincial and federal governments to return to
trades apprentice programs back to where they
were in the 1980’s at allow tax deductibility of

tradesmens tools.

FARM WORKERS - the union will lobby the B.C.
provincial government to cover farm workers
under the Employment Standards Act.

ANTI-SCAB LEGISLATION - the union will join the
OFL in demanding that the Ontario govern-
ment return the replacement worker/scab law

of the previous NDP government.

SUCCESSORSHIP RIGHTS - the convention called
on the union to pressure all governments to
pass legislation making it mandatory that cur-
rent eallechve agreements apply. to new con-
tractors and to include successorship rights to

protect the existing employees.

Continued on page thirty-two

Policy resolutions approved
unanimously by delegates

LAND-USE PLANNING - the union went on record
as being opposed to government land-use initia-
tives that would put forest workers out of work
and demanded that the B.C. government look at
a transition policy, before any consideration is
given to new land-use plans.

UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE - the convention went
on record as supporting Canada’s health care
system by demanding that the federal and
provincial governments stop any contracting
out of medical services. It also called on all gov-
ernments to properly fund health care services.

SOFTWOOD LUMBER QUOTAS - the union will
actively petition the federal and provincial gov-
ernments to eliminate softwood lumber quotas.

EXPORT OF RAW LOGS - the union will lobby all
the provincial and federal governments to stop
the export of raw logs and cants on both private
and public lands on both the provincial and
national scales.

STUMPAGE RATES IN B.C. - the I.W.A. is directed
to lobby the B.C. government to change the cur-
rent stumpage formula into one that truly
reflects the value of raw fibre.

LAND-USE DECISIONS - the union will lobby the
provincial government to not enter into talks on
Jand-use issues prior to discussing issues with
affected workers and communities.

PROTECTING FOREST INDUSTRY JOBS - B.C. provin-
cial ministries will be contacted and the union
will demand that they take a leadership role to
ensure that union members have the right to
safe employment that is confrontation free from
radical greens.

HARVEST ON PRIVATE LANDS - the union will lobby
all levels of government to ensure that harvest-
ing done by forest companies on private lands
be done on a sustainable basis.

KOOTENAY LAND-USE PLAN - the convention
adopted a resolution in which the I.W.A. opposes
the Kootenay Boundary higher level land-use
plan which will put forest workers out of work
and that the government complete a social eco-
nomic impact study and have a transition pro-
gram in place before the plan is reconsidered.

VALUE-ADDED MANUFACTURING - the union will
call on provincial governments to enact legisla-
tion to force all tenure or timber license holders
to create jobs through producing value added
wood products.

MILL CLOSURES - the union will call on federal
and provincial governments to develop pro-
grams and strategies to maintain mills and pro-
tect employment where it is possible.

INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY FUND - the delegates
voted to increase funding to the International
Solidarity Fund to five cents per member per
month from the previous three cents.

WOOD CONSTRUCTION - the convention went on
record as supporting organizations that are
working towards the objective of increasing
wood construction.

FIRST CONTRACT SETTLEMENTS - delegates passed
a motion calling on the national organizing
report to include the number of new members
for which a first collective agreement has been
negotiated, since the previous convention.

ENDORSEMENT OF NDP - the convention endorsed
the New Democratic Party, provincially and fed-
erally, in the next election and will encourage
its members to participate and support the
party in all upcoming elections.

VOTING AT NDP CONVENTIONS - the delegates
approved a motion calling for plumbing to be
disallowed at the election of delegates meetings.

GAS AND DIESEL FUEL - the I.W.A. will lobby the
federal government to reduce the price of gas
and diesel fuel to immediately help the econ-
omy.

NOTIFICATION ON RESOLUTIONS - a policy was
adopted calling on the union to give local unions,
within six months, a notification on what actions

the I.W.A. has taking on resolutions passed at
the previous national convention.

NON-CULPABLE DISCHARGES - the union will pres-
sure the Canadian Labour Congress and the
federations of labour across the country to pur-
sue a challenge to the legality and/or constitu-
tionality of non-culpable terminations.

LOGGER ACCOMMODATION - the union will lobby
all governments and municipalities to stop
“shacking and batching” in forest operations
and that operations be run out of local commu-
nities or proper living accommodations be estab-
lished in forest operations.

WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION - the I.W.A. will
send letters to the federal and provincial gov-
ernments that it is against the WTO policies, as
they are made up behind closed doors.

SCHOOL CLOSINGS - the union will lobby the B.C.
government to keep small and rural schools
open out in small communities.

DAYCARE - the union commends the B.C. govern-
ment for undertaking a publicly-funded daycare
program and will urge the government to put
needed resources forward to make the program
a success while getting the provincial govern-
ment to lobby Ottawa to implement a Canada-
wide program.

AUTO INSURANCE - the union will lobby the B.C.
government to increase the safe driver’s dis-
count by 20 percent to 60 percent.

FUNDING OF ORGANIZING - a resolution passed
calling for 25% of local dues to go into the strike
fund and 5% to go into the organizing fund
when the organizing and growth fund reaches a
$1 million balance and for the opposite to hap-
pen when it dips to $500,000.

ARCHIVING OF I.W.A. HISTORY - delegates approved
the establishment of an I.W.A. Archives, where
local unions will be given the option of donating
their historic materials.

WEIGHT LIMITS ON HIGHWAYS - a resolution passed
calling for load limits to be evaluated and
reduced on our highways and that stiffer penal-
ties and fines be imposed including the removal
of a driver’s license if he/she knowingly hauls
an overload.

B.C. BUSINESS SUMMIT - the convention con-
demned the B.C. Business Summit report and
will express its concerns to the business com-
munity and government.

WATER EXPORTS - the I.W.A. will lobby the fed-
eral and provincial governments to cease any
bulk exports of water and to become a resource-
based national union, more involved in the
practical conservation of water.

PLUTONIUM SHIPMENTS - the federal government
will be lobbied to stop all shipments of MOX
plutonium until proper emergency training is
done to deal with emergency situations and
there is a guarantee that citizens living along
the shipping route are free from harm from
radiation.

GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOODS - the I.W.A. will
lobby the federal government to label GMO
foods and will lobby the World Trade Organiza-
tion to enact studies on the effects of the pro-
duction of GMO foods in relation to the loss of
jobs from farmers, farm workers, and food pro-
duction workers by affected regions.

FIGHTING PRESERVATIONISTS - the union demands
that the federal and provincial government take
action to implement the recommendations of
the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Nat-
ural Resources in order to help secure the future
employment of the union’s membership and the

tability for the families in the communities
where they live.

NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE - a resolution
passed calling for the union to provide represen-
tation at the National War Memorial in honour
of deceased civilians and veterans of war and
that local unions provide representation at their
individual local war memorials in honour of
deceased civilians and veterans of war.

a  —— ——————

LUMBERWORKER/DECEMBER, 2000/31