all manufacturing in 1963 to equality in 1973. However in spite of this magnificent accomplishment ours is still a relatively low wage in- dustry. It would appear, particularly in B.C., that the industry wich derives the most wealth from both nature and labour does not distribute its fair share in the form of wages. Production of Lumber from B.C. Sawmills (million board feet) Coast Interior TOTAL 1972 1973 1972 1973 1972 1973 Jan. 350.3 350.4 367.4 484.9 117.7 835.4 Feb. 364.7 351.0 431.8 511.8 796.5 862.9 March 413.1 405.7 488.0 564.8 901.1 970.5 April 356.8 362.6 453.5 509.3 810.3 871.9 May 379.7 404.4 462.4 508.3 842.1 912.7 June 3264.2 391.7 471.1 515.8 735.3 907.5 July 174.4 322.6 382.0 435.1 556.4 757.7 August 332.8 378.5 494.2 520.8 827.0 899.3 Sept. 336.5 329.1 473.0 442.4 807.1 771.5 Oct. 359.0 389.7 493.1 531.4 852.1 921.1 Nov. 371.0 357.3 489.1 453.9 - 860.1 811.2 - Dec 308.9 427.2 736.1 i SOURCE: Production, Shipments and Stocks on Hand of British as Columbia Sawmills, January 1972 through November 1973, 35-003, Statistics Canada. COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT TRENDS The central issues in collective ais bargaining have not changed very much; people are still bargaining to improve wages, hours and working conditions. The price of fringe benefits is skyrocketing. These increases must be bargained for. Wages are being eroded by in- flation. These wages and the resulting purchasing power of workers must be protected through both substantial wage increases and adequate cost of living allowances, More time away from the drudgery and monotony of machine-paced industrial plants is ae becoming an issue in negotiations a throughout North Ameica. This ; time off is coming from longer a vacations, more holidays and a = variety of shorter working time EF schemes. ‘ On-the-job safety and health, a ‘ travesty in the past, is becoming a on real issue, particularly to in- dustrial unions. This concern has resulted in employer-funded Joint Occupational Health Programs to investigate the health hazards in anata and find ways to eliminate em. Pre-paid legal and dental plans are coming into being much as medical plans have in the past ten years, providing access to professional services for workers who have been denied those ser-. vices in the past. __ The average price of a house in Canada rose 22 per cent during 1973. The cause, ac- cording to a _ leading _ spokesman for the real estate industry, is lack of serviced land for residential develop- in price of more cent were reported n Victoria, Vancouver, igary, Hamilton, Toronto a. In Vancouver the erage price went to $41,505 m $31,465 — a jump of 32 per it —- while in Toronto prices nt up 29 per cent, from to $44,105. Ss were com piled Itiple Listing ds which cover 74 an 20 per Settlements in B.C. are heavily “front end loaded.” That is, most of the wage increases are in the first year of two or three year agreements. The average first year increase of 12.6 percent is good; the average second-year increase of 7.7 percent allows workers to nearly break even with the rising cost of living; the average third year increase of 4.7 percent puts workers in the hole. The average yearly increase of two-year agreements is about 10% percent compared with an average of 9.9 percent in the first two years of three year agreements. Dental Care Dental care is the fastest growing new fringe benefit being negotiated by labour and Management. Dental plans have been set up in a number of ways. Most are administered through insurance companies but some actually operate their own clinics — purchasing a building, equip- ment and hiring dentists and technicians. The clinic permits closer cost control. Cost controls are an important consideration for any dental plan in order to guard against in- creasing the out-of-pocket costs to the participants. Controls in ‘“‘open- panel” plans, where participants May select any dentist, usually take the form of pre-authorization procedures. Forms must be filled out by the dentist with information REAL ESTATE PRICES BOOSTING HOME COSTS real estate boards operating in this country. Ontario’s average price was up 26 per cent, while British Columbia’s average price was up 23 per cent. The lowest increases were in Quebec, with 4 per cent, and in Manitoba, with 10 per cent. Saskatchewan had the lowest prices for housing of all provinces, according to the survey. Sinclair Stevens, Progressive Conservative member of parliament for York Simcoe, has predicted that a new house in Metropolitan Toronto may cost $400,000 in the year 2000 if real estate prices in the area continue their rapid increase. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER on dental work needed and costs. The forms are then checked by the plan’s administration office to make sure the costs are in line. Dental plans incur the highest costs in the early years as people take care of dental work previously neglected. Once the large surge of major work is completed, however, the cost of periodic check-ups and preventative maintenance bring the cost of the plan down. In 1973 a dental care plan went into effect for IWA members and their families in the western United States. The plan covers 37,000 and certainly strengthens the argument for dental care in western Canada. Occupational Health While the emphasis in industrial safety has historically been towards removing physical -ha- zards at the workplace there has been a recent push toward un- covering and eliminating hazards created by chemicals, noise and other workplace materials and conditions: There are many en- vironmental hazards in logging and wood processing but due to the absence of medical research we know very little about them. A clue to the severity of the in- Net Worth, 1963 & 1972 1963 1972 Change B.C. Forest Products $ 57,037,000 $ 98,365,000 13% Champion International 316,879,000 652,633,000 106% Crown Zellerbach 429,473,000 578,706,000 35% Crown Zellerbach Canada 111,081,000 136,715,000 23% Domtar 190,600,000 243,750,000 287% Evans Products 26,896,000 231,326,000 760 To International Paper 896,977,000 1,102,703,000 23 To Koppers 157,530,000 245,079,000 56% MacMillan Bloedel 267,483,000 396,676,000 48 To Noranda Mines 131,966,000 462,810,000 251% Scott Paper 292,495,000 532,100,000 827% Scott Paper Ltd. 14,315,000 21,197,000 48% Triangle Pacific 7,834,000 * 31,381,000 301% Weldwood of Canada 34,165,000* * 71,125,000 108% Weyerhaeuser 553,181,000 1,154,119,000 109% * Figure is for 1966; data for 1963 is not available Source: Annual Reports * * Company incorporated in 1964; figure is for year 1965. dustry’s noise problem is seen in the hearing tests conducted at the International Convention in Sep- tember 1973. The B.C. Workmens Compensation Board found that 87 percent of the 75 delegates tested had at least a partial hearing loss. One-half were in the early warning category (partial loss) and the other half suffered from per- manent ear damage. Wood dust is now classified as an irritant in that it is not considered toxic itself nor abrasive to the respsiratory system. But thorough studies have never been conducted to determine whether, for example, woodworkers encounter a higher rate of emphysema than would be expected in the general population. Some government money is now being funneled into the study of occupational illnesses but recently unions have been attacking the problem at the bargaining able. The 1973 negotiations in the oil refining industry produced agreement came after the union first proposed a study fund financed with a 2 cent per hour company contribution. The pioneers for negotiating company financed health studies are the United Rubber Workers with their 1970 contract settlement. The in- dustry pays for medical studies carried out by schools of public health up to % cent per straight time hour. This research is already producing startling results that will benefit all workers in the rubber industry. Is the forest products industry so different? There is no shortage of en- vironmental hazards in forest products and there is certainly a need to uncover and eliminate the ill effects of those hazards. BRITISH COLUMBIA WAGE SETTLEMENTS (Construction industry excluded; 4th qtr. 1972 — 3rd qtr. 1973) 1 yr. agreement 2 yr. agreement 3 yr. agreement All Agreements AVERAGE Who are the Motor Vehicle Insurance Companies which are taking the elected government of B.C. to court over the Insurance Cor- poration of B.C.? Cowichan-Malahat MLA Robert Strachan, Minister of Transport and Com- munications, listed them recently: in a fighting speech ‘which brought responding applause from both sides of the house. Here’s what he said: “TJ think the people of British Columbia should know who the companies are that are saying to the people of this province ‘you do not have the right to do certain things with regard to automobile insurance’. They are: The Allstate In- Surance Company, headquarters at Northbrook Illinois: The Bankers and Traders Insurance Company, Headquarters in Australia: The Canada Accident and Fire Insurance Company, headquarters at London, England: The Employers’ Mutual Liability Insurance Company, headquarters at Wassa, Wisconsing: The Federated Mutual In- surance, headquarters at Owatona, Minnesota: The Fidelity Insurance Company of Canada, headquarters at Baltimore, Maryland: . The General Accident In- surance Company of Canada, headquarters at Perth, Scotland...” ALLINDUSTRIES Ist yr. 2nd yr. 3rd yr. 8.6% ss chy 11.4% 6.7% 1.4% 7.770 6.0% 6.4% 9.4% 6.3% 5.77 SOURCE: B.C. Department of Labour , An Hon. Member: ‘‘That’s the unkindest cut of all. (Laughter. ) Hon. Mr. Strachan: ‘‘That’s right, the unkindest cut of all. Great American Insurance Company, New york, N.Y.: The Guardian Insurance Company of Canada, Headquarters at Lindon, England: Hartford Fire Insurance Company, Hartford, Con- necticut: Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Company, Boston, Mass.: London -Insurance, London, England: Maryland Casualty Company, Headquarters at Baltimore, Maryland: The Pearl Insurance Company, headquarters at London, England: The Phoenix Insurance Company, headquarters in New York. headquarters England.” MANUFACTURING Ist yr. 2nd yr. 3rd yr. 7.6% — ae aes 12.3% 8.6% — 12.9% 6.9% 5.1% 12.6% 7.170 4.77% Prudential Insurance Com- pany, headquarters at London, England: Reliance Insurance Company of Philadelphia, headquarters at Philadelphia: The Royal General In- surance Company of Canada, headquarters at Newark, New Jersey: The Saint Paul Fire Marine Insurance Company, headquarters at Saint Paul, Minnesota: The Security Mutual Casualty Company, ; Chicago, Illinois: The State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Com- pany, headquarters at Bloomington, Illinois: The Travellers Indemnity Com- pany of Canada, headquarters at Hartford, Connecticut: The Cornhill Insurance Company, at London, AMBULANCE SERVICE The Provincial Government will assume responsibility for all ambulance services in the province, possibly as soon as July. The move will create a province-wide network of ambulance services, including a single phone number for use throughout the province, co- ordination of ordinary am- bulances as well as air am- bulance and remote area services, and reduction of ambulance fares to about $5 per trip. (Some services currently cost $25 and more.) Cocke said the new program will cost about $6 million for the next fiscal year, and $9 million in the following year, The move will assist municipalities, which now must operate their own service or pay a private service to be available. MARCH, 1974 t