ist Issue
dune, 1965

SPECIAL INSERT

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

A OUR “MAKE-READY TIME”

“Changing conditions in a changing industry create
changing bargaining demands!”

By. JACK MOORE
Regional President

N June 15, 1965, coast members of the IWA
automatically gained a wage increase of 13
cents an hour. This has added $5.20 to the week’s
earnings and $270.40 to the annual earnings for
those on the base rate.
This is the outcome of the
1964 settlement as ap-
proved by referendum
ballot of the membership.
It is a welcome pay boost.

On this contract an-
niversary date, it is more
important to look for-
ward than backward. The
record of IWA negotia-
| tions has been one of
| steady progress in the im-
| provement of wage rates
' with due attention to
other important contract
benefits. We plan con-
tinued progress.

It is not too soon to start thinking about next
year’s negotiations in order to prepare adequate

a

JACK MOORE

contract demands that will be in tune with the
needs of our members.

Wage rates will again assume importance be-
cause of the marked increase in living costs and
the astronomical profits accumulated by the em-
ployers. At the same time, as each year goes by,
job security demands increased emphasis.
technological changes in the lumber industry are
steadily displacing many of our members.

The rate of change in production methods has
been such that many of us find it difficult to realize
its significance and the shift of emphasis necessary
in bargaining demands. The output per man has
greatly increased. Fewer workers are required in
ratio to the increased volume of production. We
have too many members who are being displaced
by change, only to take their places in the ranks
of the unemployed.

The enemy of job security is not automation.
or mechanization. Properly planned, automation
could be job-creating and not job-destroying.
The real enemy of job security is the failure of
management and government to develop an ef-
fective program of manpower adjustment.

Some of these problems were outlined in a
fashion at the recent labour-management confer-
ence under the auspices of the provincial govern-
ment. No satisfactory solutions emerged from the
two days’ discussions. Nevertheless, a good deal

duced.

kept for reference
The

With some fresh

of information of value to trade unions was pro-

I have asked our Education Department to
compile information from this and other sources
for this insert. The insert can be detached and

when discussions on contract

demands commence.

At least it is a preliminary survey of back-
ground factors with which we must reckon and
indicates the changing climate in which negotia-
tions will be conducted.

thinking about these problems,

and a modernized approach to the facts, we may
move toward solutions:
Again, I remind IWA members that we in-
tend to co-ordinate our bargaining on the prob-
lems of technological change with the bargain-

ing of other unions whose jurisdictions touch

the acceptance of

industry.

upon the lumber industry. Much study and dis-
cussion of these problems will be required. A
combined effort, extending: along the Pacific
‘Coast from California to Alaska could compel

plans to offset the present rate

of workers’ displacement.

It will be dangerously unrealistic to rely solely
on our bargaining.
public policy to secure measures that are vitally
necessary to ensure a more complete answer for
workers threatened by the modernization of our

We- must seek to influence

“ITS LATER THAN WE THINK"

A SEARCH FOR ANSWERS

HE trend of discussion at

the recent labour-manage-
ment - government conference
in Vancouver proved the need
for such a conference. Still
more, it proved the need for
further consultation between
the parties represented be-
fore satisfactory solutions for
the problems presented ap-

pear.

Admittedly, the conference
was a search for answers.
Ready-made answers were not
at hand. The conference did
outline the problems of tech-
nological change more clearly.
Some avenues to explore were
indicated.

Trade union interest in
searching for answers was evi-
dent by the large number of
leading trade unionists in at-
tendance. They had numerous
questions to ask and many
were obviously frustrated be-
cause they could not jump
into the debate. Questions had
to be submitted in written
form, a restriction which irk-
ed many.

Any trade union report of
the proceedings can do little
more of practical value than
to extract the information
provided which may serve as
guide lines in developing trade
union policy.

The major theme of the
conference was “manpower
adjustment to technological
change in the sixties.” This
brought the discussion down
to earth more effectively than
on former occasions of this
nature. Speculations upon the
future course of “automation”
were shoved into the back-

und. As a matter of fact
word “automation” has

lost some of its magic spell, so
many contradictory predic-
tions been made about

the future. The fact was made

change has been with us for
some time and is progressing
at a more rapid pace. Little
has been done about it .to pro-
tect the interests of the work-
ers, because of the prevailing
belief among industrialists
that automation is job-creat-
ing and not job-destroying.

The fact is that neither de-
scription fits the present situa-
tion. The present transitional
period discloses that change
plus failure to achieve man-
power adjustment to change
has hurt an unknown number
of workers in ways that are
tragic.

“THE INDUSTRIAL MIX”

The most convincing evi-
dence on this point was given
by Dr. Gil Schonning, head
of the Economics and Re-
search Branch, Federal De-
partment of Labour. He said:

“There is ample evidence to
prove that thousands of work-
ers and their families have be-
come the fall-out casualties of
economic and technological
changes. The extent to which
workers get hurt in the eco-
nomic and technological explo-
sions over their lifetime may
vary considerably. Some get
knocked out early and never
fully recover. These are
among what I have termed the
‘stranded’ workers in many of
our depressed areas, and, in
many instances, the second and
succeeding generations inherit
this condition. Others are hit
later in their careers and are
either partially or wholly
knocked out of the job market.
In another category, others are
periodically stymied in their
careers but by investing their
savings or going into debt
they manage to make another
start. There are many other
examples,

"I think we have gradually

come to recognize the import-

ance of this situation in recent .

years. Two hey questions usu-
ally arise here. The first ques-
tion is, to what extent should
investment be made by em-
ployers and/or the public in
improving the adjustment of
manpower to economic and
technological changes and, sec-
ondly, to what extent should
the cost of the changes in the
job markets be borne by others
than the affected workers?

“We know that an industri-
alized economy as strongly ex-
posed to international competi-
tive pressures as ours, must
remain efficient and flexible.
This is an economic necessity
for the employers and a social
objective of our society be-
cause a highly desirable by-
product of the development is
a rising standard of living. To
keep our economy viable we
need to make a great deal of
investment in change, since
change is obviously the essen-
tial ingredient of progress. Un-
fortunately, and for various
reasons, we have not hitherto
recognized or understood fully
the significant role that man-
power plays, and should play,
in achieving our objectives.
Consequently, our pre-occupa-
tion has largely been centred
on how to use scarce capital
resources for physical facili-
ties. This, I would suggest,
has led to a misallocation of
funds as between investment
in physical and human re-
sources, with human resources
getting the short end of the
deal so far. This, as I said
earlier, has brought about two
undesirable results — ineffici-
ent use of manpower, and a
great deal of unnecesary bu-
man suffering.

“How do we rectify this
situation? We are going to
discuss some aspects of this in

the next day and a half. We

can recognize four broad man-
power areas which require
further attention and strong
effective policies, although a
good start has been made in
this direction. We shall be
concerned primarily with two
of these — both on the supply
side of manpower.”

DIMENSIONS OF THE
PROBLEM

Everyone agreed that we
need to know more about the
size and nature of manpower
problems created by change
in industry. Most of all, we
need to know what sort of
manpower our economy is go-
ing to demand over the next
five years. This is necessary
that workers may prepare to
adjust themselves to new de-
mands. Trade unions may find
it necessary to shape their
bargaining demands to meet
a new situation.

The situation, mainly as it
appeared at the beginning of
the sixties, was illustrated by

Dr. Schonning with a series
of graphs. Some of these are
reproduced here, together
with some which appeared in
the last report of the B.C.
Department of Labour.

B.C. EMPLOYMENT
PICTURE

The following chart reveals
the trend of employment and
unemployment in relation to
the growth of the B.C. labour
force.

Note the deep troughs of
unemployment which afflict
this province for more than
half the working year as a
chronic recurrence. The sea-
sonal nature of employment in
B.C. is clearly emphasized.
With this chart should be con-
sidered the fact that each year
the number of employable un-
employables seeking public
assistance increases. Manpow-
er adjustment to industrial
change in B.C. is almost un-
known.

SEE NEXT PAGE

Fig. 3. Monthly Trends in the Labour Force, Employment and Unemployment,

British Columbia, 1958 to
(000! 5)

Persons

1964 (First 10 Months)

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Seurce; The Labour Force (revised series}, Dominion Bureau of Statistics, Octawa,