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_ Vol. XXX, No. 22

: After eight months of dispute between
- Local Union 1-288 IWA (the lumber inspec-
_ tors’ local) and the Pacific Lumber Inspection
Bureau, the majority report of a Conciliation
Board, November 26, proposed terms of
settlement. E. P; O’Connor, the union’s nom-
inee, dissented in a minority report. -

The Local Union’s Negotiating Committee
has urged rejection of the Board’s proposals,
mainly on the ground that they recommend
no change in the grade stamp licensing
- system.

The Local Union had demanded that the
registered grade stamp be used only under
the direct supervision of PLIB inspectors and
that it be not contracted out.

The 270 inspectors, who form Local 1-288
IWA, will now vote to accept or reject the
Board’s report. A ninety percent rejection
vote is predicted by Local Union President
Rod Beaton. Authorization of strike action
is also recommended ‘by the Committee.

Developments, as they affect other IWA
Local Unions, will be considered at a Regional

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of Pomertea Regional Council No. 1

Authorized as Second Class Mail, 'Post Office Dept., Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash.

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LOCAL 1-288 TAKES STRIKE VOTE

VANCOUVER, B.C. Se PER COPY

Staff Conference, December 8, and at the
following meeting of the Regional Executive
Board, December 9, 10, 11.

The lumber inspectors have consistently
claimed that the practice of leasing the reg-
istered PLIB grade stamp indiscriminately
will lower grade standards on B.C. lumber
and thereby adversely affect shipments.
Graders, however well qualified, but under
an employer's discipline, are under pressure
to up-grade inferior lumber, it is contended.
Instances were cited during the hearings of
dismissals of graders refusing to depart from
established standards.

The Conciliation Board decided, after its
analysis of the problem, that the market re-
quirements for inspection- service would de-
termine the degree and extent of inspector
employment. No agreement between em-
ployer and the Union in the matter would
alter this situation, said the Board.

WAGE INCREASE

The Conciliation Board recomrnended a

wage increase of 28 cents an hour in a two-

2nd Issue
Nov. 1964

yeor agreement, equivalent to the general
wage increase secured last June in the Coast
industry.

The Local Union had demanded a seventy-
cents-an-hour increase above the $2.72 an
hour present minimum, considered roughly
equivalent to increases recently awarded
Coast certificated journeymen tradesmen on
the coast.

The Board recommended no increase in
shift differentials above those now prevail-
ing for other categories in the Coast lumber
industry.

Local 1-288 had opposed the employer's
demand for a field examination every two
years. The Board proposed that only newly-
hired inspectors be asked to meet this re-
quirement as a condition of employment.

The prevailing vacation pattern for the
Coast industry was recommended as well as
the recent improvements in the Coast.Health
and Welfare plans. Other fringe benefits
were proposed.

The full text of both reports follow.

MINORITY REPORT

This report is confined to the two
main issues which are dealt with

MAJORITY REPORT

ARTICLE I
Purpose of Agreement

provided with proper and ade-

ARTICLE I
quate service at reasonable-

Employer Rights

sevarally, as follows: cost...” The employer proposed the de- (a) The’ Union agreed to a new
PROHIBITION OF The Annual Report of the Bureau letion of the word “professional” section: ic proposed by the Em-
CONTRACTING OUT THE states: and the addition of the word ‘ef- ployer.

REGISTERED GRADE STAMP
The present Agreement, Article I,
provides, inter alia: .
“Recognizing that the PLIB and
its Inspectors have a definite and
joint responsibility to see, first,
that the buyers of West Coast
forest products receive the qual-
ity and quantity of material
ordered and, second that the Mills
who are members of the Pacific
Lumber Inspection Bureau and
other buyers of its services are

} OBJECTIVE

“From the start the fundamen-
tal objective has been to provide
independent, impartial inspection
of forest products in a uniform
manner in accordance with the
specifications of a contract be-
tween buyer and seller. PLIB
employees inspect, grade, tally
and personally place PLIB grade
marks, when required, on lumber

ficient” after the word “proper.”

The Union agreed to the addition
of “efficient” but was opposed to
the deletion of the word “profes-
sional.”

The Board recommends that the
word “professional” be retained in
the agreement.

ARTICLE I
Bargaining Agency
The Union agreed to the wording -
change proposed by the Employer.

(b) The Union opposes the Em-
ployer’s proposal that “all newly
hired employees must agree as a
condition of employment to write
the B.C.L.M.A. Field Exam on
theory and practical work at least
once every two years.” Insofar as
this applies to new employees the

Board recommends that the pro-
posed Section I(b) be added to the
_ agreement. .

See “MINORITY” — Page 4 See “MAJORITY” — Page 4

Ku Klux Klan attacks IWA officer

LAUREL, Miss.— Masked,
armed night riders of the
Ku Klux Klan recently kid-
napped and savagely beat
Ottis Matthews, financial sec-
retary of IWA Local 5-443,
jecause the union has com-
plied with federal law to end
_ job discrimination at the huge
_ Masonite Corporation plant in
Laurel.

The vicious attack on Mat-
thews, along with related
incidents and threats of mur-
_ der, are under investigation
by local law enforcement of-
fieers, the Mississippi High-
way Patrol and the Federal
- Bureau of Investigation.
Officers of the local union

Klan to stand up and be
counted,

Matthews, Business Agent
J. D. Jolly and other officers
of Local 5-443 have been
holding a series of union
meetings with employees on
all shifts at Masonite. They re-
ported that more than 90 per
cent of the workers have
pledged support to the union
and the cause of law and
order.

Matthews was on his way-

home from the Union Hall
after 7 p.m. Monday, Novem-
ber 16, and was driving on a
country road when he saw
headlights from a car behind
blink several times.

Another car ahead then
pulled out and blocked a
bridge over a creek. When
Matthews stopped, a man
from the car behind ran up
and held a gun at his head
and ordered him to move
from under the wheel.

Other masked men then
got into the front and back
seats of Matthews’ car, tied

a blindfold over his eyes, tied
his hands with rope and drove
him about a quarter -mile off
the public road to a dump
area.

Then they ripped off Mat-
thews’ trousers and pushed
him to the ground.

He was beaten with a
heavy strap. During the beat-
ing, the masked men also
poured a corrosive liquid on
his body.

Over and over during the
assault, spokesmen for the
group ordered Matthews to
stop talking against the KKK,
to obey their orders in the
future and not to try to
identify them to law officers.

After the beating, Mat-
thews hands were freed and
he was warned to forget about
the beating and keep his
mouth shut. All except one
man then walked away. The
last man held a gun at Mat-
thews’ head and told him not
to move for five minutes, then

disappeared into the dark-
ness.

Matthews found the men
had pulled several sparkplug
wires loose on his car, but
he managed to get it started
and drove to his home, where
he notified the Jones County
sheriff's office of the attack.

A deputy sheriff drove Mat-
thews to a hospital, where
he was treated for the beat-
ing and shock.

Two nights later, another
attempt was made by night
riders to ambush Matthews.
When he drove away from
the Union Hall, he saw cars
pull out of parking places
ahead and behind his car. He
attempted to catch the car
ahead, to identify the license
number, but was unable to do
so. The other car then sped
away, circling back to Laurel.

The same night, Matthews
received a report that the

See “ATTACKS” — Page 2