THE WESTERN CANADIAN

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Vol. XXXVI, No. 22

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2nd Issue
November, 1968

CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS President Donald Mac-
Donald in his address to the recent Federation Convention
stated that the federal government failed to heed the CLC’s
warning that unemployment in Canada would soon reach
the five percent level. He also condemned Finance Min-
ister Benson’s budget for failing to provide a stimulus
to ward off unemployment. Group from left are, Ray
Haynes, Len Guy, George Johnson, MacDonald.

UIC UMPIRE

BACKS

LOCAL 1-80 APPEAL

Local 1-80 IWA Duncan,
has successfully appealed to
the U.LC. Umpire, a claim
for one of its members who
was denied Unemployment In-
surance benefits by the Board
of Referees in Victoria, on the
grounds that he was too old
and his English imperfect.

The claimant, Mr. Mike
Balaban, retired July 28, 1967
from his job as a planer man
at MacMillan Bloedel’s Che-
mainus Sawmill Division,
after working there 25 years.

He filed an initial applica-
tion for U.I.C. benefits on Au-

gust 2, 1967. On August 8,
1967, the insurance oficer had
Balaban’ 's retirement confirm-
ed by his former employer
who also mentioned Balaban’s
inability to do heavy manual
labour due to his age.

Because Balaban had failed
to notify the U.I.C. of this fact,
the insurance officer disquali-
fied his claim.

Balaban took his case to
Local 1-80 where Financial
Seeretary Ed Linder made an
immediate appeal to the Board

of Referees. He informed the
Board that Balaban would
undertake any light job but
as the claimant didn’t drive,
he was restricted to work
near available transportation.

The Board met to consider
the claim February 5, 1968.

_It expressed the view that

Balaban had voluntarily re-
tired July 28, 1967, which al-
lowed him adequate time to
find re-employment.

In contradiction, it pointed
out that many areas normally
open to employment were not
open to the claimant due to
his age, and due to a language
problem. By unanimous deci-
sion, it backed the disquali-
fication and dismissed the
appeal.

Linder then made his appeal
to the Umpire. He pointed out
that while Balaban was not
young, he was physically well
able to work and “his English
and vocabulary as good as that
of thousands, if not hundreds
of thousands of people in Can-

ada.”
See “APPEAL” — Page 4

TOP LOADING RATES
WON BY LOCAL 1-85

FOR TAHSIS SHIPLOADERS

A new Memorandum of
Agreement has been signed
with the Tahsis Company by
Local 1-85 IWA, Port Alberni,
which provides the highest
shiploading wage rates in
North America.

FIRED

EMPLOYEES
REINSTATED

Local 1-417 IWA Salmon
Arm officers were. successful
in getting two fired employees
of the Rogers Forest Prod-
ucts Ltd., Malakwa, rein-
stated to the job.

The men, members of Local
1-417, were dismissed by the
mill owner last October fol-
lowing the Local’s application
for certification of the. opera-
tion.

The Union filed a complaint
with the Labour Relations
Board charging the Company
with interference with the
formation of a union. How-
ever to speed the matter up
the Union decided to process
the grievance under Section
7 of the Labour Relations Act.

At a hearing directed by R.
S. Raguin, Labour Board offi-
cer, the Union presented its
case. Chief witness was Re-
gional Organizer Vern Grif-
fith who testified that not only
had the mill owner interfered
with the Union but had threat-
ened to shut down the plant.

He stated that the mill own-
er told him in no uncertain
terms that he would not allow
his plant to be organized even
if it meant going out of busi-
ness. Griffith pointed out that
this threat hit hard at the
crew because the mill was the
only industry in Malakwa.

Following this evidence, the
Union was able to force the
Company to agree to reinstate
the two fired employees and
win back pay for one of them.

The agreement, negotiated
by Local President Walter
Allen and the Tahsis Sawmill
Committee, Tahsis, has creat-
ed a new category of Produc-
tion/Shiploader with a present
base rate of $4.26 an hour.
This rate will be increased by
another 18 cents an hour June
15, 1969.

The memorandum provides
that ships will not be loaded
for less than rates paid in the
Ports of Vancouver, Port Al-
berni or New Westminster.
Base rate for shiploaders in
Port Alberni is $3.88 an hour.

The Tahsis shiploaders re-
ceive, in addition to the $3.88
an hour, all the IWA industry
increases negotiated by the
Coast Negotiating Committee
from June 15, 1967; to June
15, 1969, which will give them
at that time a base rate of
$4.44 an hour.

The agreement also provides
rates of pay for overtime
hours, night hours, meal
hours, and other penalty rates
equal to those applicable in
the other ports of B.C.

Gang sizes are defined for
Package and Loose gangs con-

sistent with gang sizes in oth-
er ports. Hatch tenders, winch
drivers, side runners and jit-
ney drivers receive the usual
premium rates.

The loaders are protected
by all the terms of the Coast
Master Agreement in respect
to statutory holidays and an- —
nual vacations.

On top of this, the memor-
andum provides that in the
event that shiploaders in the
other ports negotiate wage in-
creases during 1969, the Tah-
sis workers may have their
contract reopened.

Approximately thirty - six
employees of the Tahsis Saw-
mill are covered by the agree-
ment. When there are no ships
to load, the men work as mill
production employees operat-
ing the “B” Mill midnight
shift. -

They operate the complete
shift — automatic trimmers,
edgers, drop sorters — clean
through to the green end.
When a ship arrives, the shift
is shut down and the men re-

vert to the category of ship-
loaders.

35-CENT INCREASE

FORT PLYWOOD CREW
REJECTS MAJORITY AWARD

Fort Plywood Ltd. announc-
ed on November 16 that they
rejected the majority award
of a Conciliation Board.

The award called for an im-
mediate increase of 35¢c an
hour and later increases total-
ling 33c over a two-year con-
tract. It also called for the im-
plementation of a Plywood
Evaluation Plan, which would
provide, on the average, ap-
proximately twelve cents an
hour more.

At a later union meeting,
the crew also rejected the
award, with only one dissent-
ing vote.

Regional 1st Vice-President
Jack MacKenzie said the
crew had to consider that the
award would still leave them
behind B.C. Interior rates,
where the company produces
the same product from the
same timber, and sells it at
the same price.

“The members can’t see

any reason why they should
be left behind, neither can I.

“The Region is very pleased
to see the crew so determined,

and we'll support them all the
way.”

BIGGEST PRICE INCREASES COME WHERE UNIONS WEAKEST

The Wall Street Journal of
October 22nd carried an amaz-
ing headline for a publication
which is considered to be a
spokesman for Big Business.

It said simply — “Inflation
Paradox—Analysis Say Prices
Rise Fastest in Fields Lacking
Strong Unions.”

The subhead said — “Gains

in Productivity Offset Higher
ssiongy 2 Pay; om jor Insur-
: » Nurses Soar

trade union economists have
been trying to get across all
along. It’s not just the wages
paid that counts. It’s mainly
what is produced for the
wages.

The WSJ admits that the
public generally believes that
“union demands for ever
higher wages” are the chief
eause of inflation.

But, it quickly adds, “many
economic analysts say that the
biggest price increases are

. pomalag: mhbre unions are

weak and where labor costs
are not even a major con-
sideration.”

Pointing to the highly-
unionized auto industry, the
WSJ article says that even
with the higher prices of the
new models, the government’s
consumer price index puts
new car prices, on the aver-
age, at about the same level
as a decade ago.

FEW FIELDS

“On the other hand, few

fields are so little unionized

as medicine. But physicians’
fees, on the average, have
jumped almost 40% in the
past 10 years.”

WSJ quotes an economist
with the National Bureau of
Economic Research as stating,
“The stereotype of big unions
commanding big pay increases
and causing, ultimately, big
price boosts, just doesn’t jibe
with the facts.”

The record shows that the
biggest price increases are

coming in areas where highly
skilled professionals are need-
ed to meet sharply rising de-
mand, or where it is difficult
to offset wage rates with auto-
mated equipment, or where
factors are involved that have
little at all to do with labor
costs.

LAST DECADE
In the last decade the
United States has had the ©

See “BIGGEST” — Page 2