THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER © ant

[WA FIRE FIGHTING. BRIEF

gional Council submitted the
following brief to the Select
Standing Committee on For-
estry and Fisheries.

In its continuing battle to
force removal of the Forest
Service’s limitation on wage

rates for loggers conscripted
to fight forest fires, the Re-

Mr. Chairman and Mem-
bers of the Committee:

On behalf of the members
of the IWA, we wish to ex-
press their appreciation for
this opportunity to state their
views regarding certain mat-

ters referred to your Commit-
tee,

You may be assured that
the members of the IWA have
followed your deliberations
respecting forest management
with close attention. This un-
ion heartily supports the gen-
eral sanction given by the
Legislature to principles of
conservation, sustained yield,
and regeneration, with the
widest possible application to

all areas bearing merchant-
able timber.

REFERENCE TERMS

We note that the terms of
reference for your Commit-
tee during the present session
enable your Committee,
among other matters, to re-
view:

“1. The procedures followed
for the protection of our
forests as a result of the
experiences recorded in
the serious 1967 fire sea-
son,

“2. The change in effect on
fire protection because of
the multiple use of our
forest lands.”

On this occasion our rep-
resentations relate only to
Section 120 of the Forest Act
now before the Legislature
for amendment in Bill 20, an
Act to amend the Forest Act.
We speak especially on behalf
of loggers, members of the
IWA, large numbers of whom
were recruited for extended
fire fighting duties in 1967.
We ask your Committee to
take cognizance of the fact
that the 1967 fire fighting duty
for loggers at the Coast and
in the Interior was hazard-
ous, arduous, and damaging
to personally-owned protec-
tive clothing.

IWA RECOMMENDATIONS

Our recommendations re-
late to the exception in Sec-
tion 120 of the Forest Act to
claims for reimbursement,
stated therein as follows:

“That the amount allowed
for wages paid for the serv-
ices of the men so employed
shall not exceed the rates fix-
ed by regulation.”

This exception, applicable
in a wide range of circum-
stances, limits wages paid to
$1.25 an hour,

We submit that this stipu-
lation creates inequities which
unjustly penalizes experienc-
ed loggers whose services are
now often indispensable for
efficient fire fighting during
large scale forest fires.

We direct your attention to
the fact that present-day fire
fighting methods have under-
gone a radical change since
the limitation on wage rates

was first written into the For- -

Act.

the use of equipment with
which loggers are familiar
such as bulldozers, power
saws, water tank trucks, pow-
ered pumps and service trucks
for woods operations. Often
the operation of this equip-
ment must be expertly co-or-
dinated with the use of water
bombers. Experienced loggers
have knowledge of the new
techniques now demanded.

Experience gained in 1967
demonstrated that fire fight-
ing can be more efficiently
conducted when loggers work
as crews, because they are
already accustomed to work-
ing as a unit during their
regular employment. It is ad-
vantageous to have as crew
bosses during fire fighting the
same supervisors under
whose direction they have
previously worked, because
thus they have confidence
that their orders are given
by men who know their indi-
vidual capacities and the haz-
ards frequently encountered
in a highly specialized occu-
pation.

1967 FIRE SEASON

During the 1967 fire sea-
son logging crews were re-
quired to fight fires that were
not company responsibility.
These loggers received only
$1.25 an hour, though on oc-
casion they were despatched
to points distant from the
sites of their regular employ-
ment. Those employed on
“company responsibility”
fires, such as those listed as
“accidental” or “slash escape”
fires, would work at wage
rates negotiated with the em-
ployers. The disparity in
wage rates was keenly resent-
ed, and became the subject
of heated controversy, espec-
ially in those instances when
the employer acted as an
agent of the Forestry Service
for recruitment purposes.

We attach as an appendix
to this submission a copy of
the Memorandum of Agree-
ment signed by Forest Indus-
trial Relations Limited on be-

half of the employers in the
Coastal Region and the IWA
Regional Council,

This Memorandum of
Agreement sets forth the
rates to be paid under the cir-
cumstances specified. In view
of the 1967 experience, we
are now asking the employers
in the Coast Lumber Industry
to extend these provisions to
include all employees engag-
ed in fire fighting and to in-
corporate the Memorandum
of Agreement in the Coast
Master Agreement. Unless
the Act is amended as we
propose, claims for depart-
mental reimbursement made
in respect of wages by the
companies, will not allow for

wage rates in excess of $1.25
an hour.

LOGGERS’ PAY RATE

When some loggers receive
the rate of pay specified in the
agreement with the employ-
ers and others, probably em-
ployed by the same company,
receive only the statutory
rates of pay, the companies
concerned are frequently
blamed for unjust discrimina-
tion. Unnecessary friction re-
sults.

In any event, the rate of
$1.25 an hour is not adequate
remuneration for the skilled
and arduous work demanded
from experienced loggers, and
for which they are now ex-
pected to suffer actual finan-
cial loss. In addition, they fre-
quently must travel long dis-
tances to the site of the fire
on their own time, and bear
the expense of replacing dam-
aged protective clothing. A
necessary expense required
for safety reasons is the use
of loggers’ caulk boots.

CHEERFULLY ACCEPTED

The loggers have always
cheerfully accepted the stren-
uous requirements of compul-
sory fire fighting. It is only
reasonable to propose that
they should not be forced to
subsidize the Forest Service
fire fighting by the enforced
acceptance of the lowest min-

imum wage rate in the prov-
ince.

As a matter of justice, ex-
perienced and skilled loggers
should not be so penalized for
the performance of a public
duty.

The Forestry Service per-
sonnel are not so penalized.

When loggers are placed on
the rate of $1.25 an hour for
a prolonged period, income
for their families is unfairly
reduced.

We are pleased to note that
The Truck Loggers Associa-
tion is in accord with our
views on this matter. This
group of employers are thor-
oughly familiar with the cir-
cumstances and recognize that
wage rates at the higher scale
are required for the most ef-
ficient fire fighting.

We take the liberty of quot-
ing some relevant paragraphs
from the brief prepared by
the Association for your Com-
mittee, as follows:

FOREST ACT

“Under the Forest Act, an
occupier of forest land, such
as a logger, must employ his
crews and equipment for
fighting fires and must pay
the cost of such fire-fighting.
In cases where a major fire
develops, the Forest Service
will conscript other logging
crews to supplement the
work of the occupier. These
conscripted crews are paid by
the Forest Service at the
statutory rates. The IWA con-
tract iricludes an hourly rate
for fire fighting; some em-

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ployers pay this rate while
others continue to pay crews
their regular job rates which

are of course higher. Conse-_

quently, on the same fire, men
doing the same work may be
paid any of the following dif-
ferent rates — the Forest
Service rate, the IWA fire-
fighters rate, or regular job
rate. Such an absurd situa-
tion leads inevitably to inef-
ficiency in fighting fires. “Fire
fighting is dirty and danger-
ous work and-trained men
equipped for such work
should be paid at rates com-
mensurate with their ability.

LOGGING CREWS

“The Forest Service has
found that logging crews

working as a unit under their—

own supervisors make the
most efficient fire fighters.”

The IWA therefore recom-
mends:

That Section 120 of the For- |

est Act be so amended as to
authorize the payment of
wages to loggers engaged in
fire fighting in accordance
with the wage rates estab-
lished in the Memorandum
of Agreement signed by
Forest Industrial Relations
Limited and the IWA Regi-
onal Council.

We trust that our request

may have your most favour-
able consideration.

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