ee FA TA eve OD

_ for the lumber operators with an up-to-date

hie Dee Sa a

THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER

WORKER.

AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH.

Authorized as Second Class Mail, ‘Post Office Dept.,

Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash

VOL. XXXII, No. 7

VANCOUVER, B.C.

oe PER COPY

1st Issue
April, 1966

SS

TALKS END IN DEADLOCK

HIGHER WAGES LURE
B.C. WOODWORKERS

Attractive wage offers now being made to skilled and
semi-skilled workers in the lumber industry by large American
industries may compel the operators to reconsider their total
opposition to the IWA’s wage demand, it is predicted in busi-
ness circles. ,

If the industry is idled by the current dispute, the present

trickle of workers across the international boundary may
swell to a large-scale migration. The question posed is, ‘““Where

- will the industry then get the key workers required to main-

tain efficiency?”

The boom in the Pacific Northwest states has resulted in
a manpower scarcity instead of a long-time surplus. Over-all
unemployment in the United States has dropped to 3.8% of
the work force, the lowest since 1953. Large firms are com-
peting with each other for experienced. workers.

U.S. FIRMS WORRIED

The following statements appearing in the American press
are typical.

“The companies that are advertising for help aren’t look-
ing for guys that are unemployed because there aren’t any.
They’re trying to attract employed people.”

“We're scrambling like everybody else for people, and
we're using every rabbit we can possibly pull out of our
hat to get them.”

“The guy we want is usually so busy working he doesn’t
think of changing jobs, so we try to get the ear of his wife.”
Boeing Company, Seattle, wants 15,000 more workers in
Seattle this year. It is beating the employment bushes in small
towns from the Pacific Northwest into southern California.

Lougheed wants 5,000 to 6,000 more workers for one
California plant alone.

Aggressive recruiting and intensive training programs have
helped fill jobs so far, but employers now report diminishing
returns from conventional procedures and are invading Canada.

See “HIGHER WAGES” — Page 8

SYD THOMPSON

RE-ELECTED

Syd Thompson, President
of Local 1-217 IWA, Vancou-
ver, was re-elected to his 5th
term of office by nearly a
three to one majority in the
Local elections just conclud-

ed.

Also re-elected were Gor-
don Paterson, 3rd Vice-Presi-
dent and George Kowhbel, Re-
cording Secretary.

Other officers, elected by
acclamation, were Tom
Clarke, ist Vice-President;
Bob Clair, 2nd Vice-Presi-
dent; Doug Evans, Financial
Secretary; Hector Poirier,
Warden; Bob Blanchard, Con-
ductor.

The Balloting Committee
will report the results of the
~ vote to the next membership
meeting of the Local Union.

* * *

Employers Present Stone Wall
Of Opposition to |WA Demands

*

* *

The first stage of conciliation in the dispute between
the IWA and the Coast lumber operators has ended in
a complete stalemate. On April 22, Conciliation Officer
John Sherlock notified the IWA Coast Negotiating Com-
mittee that he would then make his recommendation
to the Minister of Labour. This wound up his efforts
to establish an area of settlement.

At press time the Negotiating Committee was
awaiting advice as to whether his recommendation will
be the appointment of a Conciliation Board, or only that
no Board be appointed.

In his report to the Union, committee spokesman,
Jack Moore, said:

“During the two ten-day rounds of discussions with
the employers’ representatives, no overtures of any kind
leading to a settlement of the dispute were made by
the employers. We encountered only a stone wall of
opposition to all the demands of the employees.

“Apparently Mr. Sherlock was unable to convey to
us any suggestion from the employers that they are
prepared to modify their originally announced intentions
to cut back, instead of improve our contract.”

Advice from the Minister of Labour as to the next
step is expected to be released on or about April 29.

EMPLOYERS PREACH STONE AGE ECONOMICS

By STAFF REPORTER
Someone should supply the editorial writer

‘textbook on economics. In their scab-produced
publication they have revived economic con-
cepts of the Stone Age in a lame attempt to
prove that wage increases obtained by work-
ers only dim any hope of better living

standards.

It is implied that workers were better off
in the 1920’s and 1930’s on a wage of 75c
an hour, or $6.00 a day. The wage dollar
of that period could buy so much more, they

from present expendable income, the gap
between consumer demand and productive
capacity would create something in the nature
of a catastrophe.

PRICE HIKES CAME FIRST

The editorial repeats the ancient lie that
increased wages have been solely responsible
for increased prices. Actually, wages have
had little or no relation to prices in the com-
modity market. Prices have been managed,
administered, or fixed. Prices have been
raised to whatever it was considered the traffic
would bear.

claim. Wage increases since that time, they
explain, have only boosted prices to devalue
the wage dollar.

. The lengthy editorial is more remarkable

for what it omits than for what it explains.
As the writer must be credited with a higher
1.Q. than he appears to have, his editorial
can only be regarded as another attempt to
distort facts and economic truths to conceal
the weaknesses of the employers’ case in the

present negotiations.

Workers who recall the “hungry thirties”
wince at the employers’ estion that

a decent living. Starvation wage levels of that
period yielded only bare subsistence.

LABOUR’S STRUGGLE PAID OFF

The facts, as recorded, disclose that
labour’s struggle to gain increased wages in
the years that followed has resulted in more
acceptable standards of living in terms of
goods and services for workers’ homes. More-
over, the spending of the increased wage in-
come has been a powerful stimulant for a
higher level of business activity in the entire
economy.

If the employers by some hanky-panky
‘could subtract the increases in wage income

Wage increases have followed, not pre-
ceded, price increases. The organized workers
have had no alternative but to demand wage
increases that offered them some hope of
overtaking runaway prices.

Over large areas of merchandising, mon-
opoly business interests have destroyed free
and open price competition. With no re-
straint on the manipulation of prices, how
else can the organized workers protect their
living standards than by demanding corre-
sponding wage increases?

See “EMPLOYERS PREACH” — Page 3