s

AUGUST, 1971

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER : a

LOW-PAID JO

BS

MORE DANGEROUS

Ontario has upped its work-
men’s compensation to the
“highest”? maximum benefits
in Canada, the provincial labor
department announced.

The increases reflect
climbing wages and probably
the coming provincial election,
which is expected this fall.

Labor Minister Gordon
Carton said close to 4,500
widows and about 4,400
dependent children would
benefit. The widows’ monthly
pension will be increased Aug.
1 to $175 from $125. The
widow’s children will get $60 a
month instead of $50. Orphaned
children will get $70, up from
$60.

The basic compensation
formula has been made
slightly more generous, by

about 10 per cent. Now an
injured worker gets up to 75
per cent of his pre-injury
earnings up to a maximum of
$5,200. The earnings ceiling
will be raised on Aug. 1 to
$9,000 from $7,000, so the
maximum pension for a totally
disabled worker will go to
$6,750 annually.

The labor minister said 57
per cent of injured workers on
compensation earned less than
$7,000 a year before they were
hurt. Twenty-three per cent
earned between $7,000 and
$9,000.

The figures indicate that the
most dangerous jobs are
seldom lucrative and that low-
paid workers probably suffer a
disproportionate number of
disabling accidents.

ONTARIO STRENTHENS
PLANT SAFETY LAWS

Ontario has moved to
strengthen its plant safety
laws.

A new Industrial Safety Act
introduced in June requires
employers more explicitly to
show that their plants are safe
and have adequate sanitary
facilities. :

The new act guarantees
the confidentiality of in-
formation disclosed by em-
ployees to industrial in-
spectors.

It also increases maximum
fines for violations to $10,000
from $5,000.

ON THE LIGHER SIDE

A big striped tom cat was
seen running wildly through
the company town, down
alleys, up fire escapes and over
the house tops. A logger
recognized the cat and phoned
to the owner to tell him about
the cat’s strange behavior.
“Your cat’s running around
like mad, Olie,” he told him.

“I know,” said Olie, ‘‘we just
had him fixed and he’s running
around cancelling
engagements!”

ke. *&

The machinery salesman
heard that a logging contractor
who owed his firm a lot of
money was about to go under.

He rushed over and said, ‘‘Say,
is it true that you are going into
bankruptcy?”

“Sure is,’? said the con-
tractor, ‘“‘but don’t worry —
I’m making your outfit a
preferred creditor.”

“Great. You are making my
firm a preferred creditor!”

“Yep, I’m telling you now
that you are not going to get
anything. The others . won’t
know it for 90 days yet!”

eke ok

Chokerman Charlie told us
about a friend of his who took
his wife surf casting but the
tide kept bringing her back.

WATKINS LOGGING CREW CHILLIWACK LAKE AREA

| DIRECTOR TOURS
>) ),\/@ = HANEY LOCAL UNION
| . | The following photos are of logging members of Local 1-367

IWA Haney which were taken during a tour of the Local Union by
Regional Safety Director Andy Smith.

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WHONNOCK-BORDEN & PENN CREW HOPE AREA

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