2 7 & i NANAIMO — A picket line set up by members of Local 1-480 of the International Woodworkers to protest exports of raw logs to Japan was ordered down Monday by a cease-and-desist order. The picket action, at CIPA Lumber Co. wharf where a Japanese ship was load- ing logs, was sparked by layoffs at sawmills in Chemainus — where the company imposed cutbacks because of log shortages. . 81% vote gives TWU first pact since 1979 Telecommunications Workers returned en masse to.their jobs at B.C. Tel Monday following the completion of the ratification vote Thursday when TWU members voted 81-percent to accept the new three-year agreement, modelled roughly on the Peck report. Some 6,775 unionists voted on the contract, with 5,493 voting to accept and 1,259 rejecting its terms: Although the ‘‘no’’ vote was large, it was nevertheless seen by the un- ion as an indication of the lingering bitterness over the long dispute with the U.S.-owned company. Amar on the return to work was the suspension of ten members by sole arbitrator Allan Hope, an ac- tion which drew ‘‘shock’’ from TWU president Bill Clark. Clark said that he found it in- credible that a strikebreaker — the. B.C. Tel supervisors — ‘‘can fire a striker when that striker isn’t even on the payroll.”’ The supervisors laid the charges against the strikers during the course of the dispute resulting in. the company firing 24. Of those, 10 were suspended but will remain on the payroll awaiting the outcome of their arbitration cases while the other 14 return to work where they will also await arbitration. Hope will alone decide the cases. _ The terms of the new agreement provide for a seven percent increase retroactive to Jan. 1, 1981; a six percent increase retroactive to Oct. 1, 1980 and another increase retroactive. to March 1 which will vary in percentage terms according . to job classifications. The last year of the agreement calls for an across: the board in- crease of 12 percent on Jan. 1, 1982. Alice Arm ‘unknown’ Continued from page 1 The molybdenum mine will dump 90 million metric tons:of tox- ic mill tailings into the waters of Alice Arm every day. The arm is. the traditional fishing grounds and a major food source for the Nishga Indians. Opposition groups have also ob- jected to the narrow terms of refer- ence for the review panel which, unlike a public inquiry, has no power to subpoena witnesses for testimony under oath, or to allow cross examination. The chairman of the previous re- view panel, Winston Mair, resign- ed several weeks ago after the Nish- ga Indians boycotted the panel to protest the inadequacy of the pro- cess. .The new chairman, University of Victoria professor John MclIn- emey, will only begin again the same process, said Hewison. Spokespersons for the Nishgas said this week that they would boycott MclInerney’s panel as well, despite his offer to hold public hearings. ‘We question the credentials of anyone who would preside over a _review, when thereis no evidence to “review,” said Hewison. With dum- ping to begin April 1 and the review panel instructed to report by mid- May, the panel will ‘‘really be con- ducting an autopsy,’’ he added. Hewison released advance cop- ies of an article to be published March 27 in the Fisherman by edi- tor Geoff Meggs which detailed the past review process. The Fisherman quotes members of a 1978 federal government inter- departmental committee which considered the available evidence about the Amax project, as being “pretty well unanimous”’ in reject- ing the project. Most of the scientists were criti- cal of the flimsy evidence provided; mostly by Amax itself. However in spite of the unani- mous view of the experts who stud- ied the available information, the committee coordinator, Rick Hoos, presented a verbal report to federal officials in support of the — project. No written or formal re- port was ever issued. In March 1979, the federal fish- eries and environment ministries granted Amax a permit to proceed with the mine on the basis of a ‘‘de- tailed review’’ of the project. After the permit was issued, the Fisherman reports, the federal In- stitute of Ocean Sciences was asked to monitor the dumping of the tail- ings, but protested. in July, 1979 that not enough was known about Alice Arm to ‘‘predict the behavior and impact of tailings in Alice Arm.”’ However as recently as March’ 16, fisheries minister LeBlanc assured Parliament that the Amax project had been adequately re- viewed by government scientists. NDP fisheries critic and Prince Rupert MP Jim Fulton questioned LeBlanc about the revelations in Parliament this week but received no direct reply. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 27, 1981—Page 12 . ‘workers — 1980. This does not include. The major collective agreements held by the International Wood- workers of America, the Canadian Paperworkers’ Union and the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada, covering some 52,000 workers, expire in June., Bargain- ing may be under way soon. These negotiations could set the . tone and possibly the general pat- tern for the many sets of negotia- tions that will follow in other in- dustries.. This year will see major collective agreements expiring which cover more than 214,000 50,000 more than in agreements like those of the 10,000 striking civic workers in the Greater Vancouver area, which expired in 1980. The IWA held its wage and con- tract conference on February 26 and 27 and came out of it witha 31-point package of demands. The 200 delegates who attended represented all British Columbia locals. There was unanimous agreement that it was “‘imperative this year”’ that all three employer groups (coast, Interior and north- ern Interior) sit down with the IWA’s provincial negotiating com- mittee to hammer out one collect- ive agreement for all IWA mem- - bers in B.C., in place of three. According to offical statements released by the IWA, the priority demands will be the following: @ A one-year agreement. @ A general wage increase of $2.50 an hour across the board, protected by a COLA clause. e@ Accumulated time off — namely one day for every three weeks worked, to be taken at the worder’s discretion. -@ Category revisions. A key demand under this heading calls _ for asubstantial general revision of all rates for tradesmen and appren- tices. (As reported previously in the Tribune, there is a widespread dissatisfaction on the part of tradesmen over rates of pay and this has resulted in the formation of a tradesmen’s society under the provincial Societies Act. However, the society stands committed to working within the established forest unions as a pressure group.) Some interesting and significant projections are made in an editorial which appeared in the March, 1981 _issue of The Barker, official publication of IWA Local 1-217, in Vancouver. For example: “The cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index con- " tinues to leap ahead of negotiated wage rates with greater stride year after year. The Consumer Price In- dex (CPI-Canada) increased: dur- ing the period January 1979 to January 1981 at an annual average — trend rate of 11.4 percent. The trend rate of inflation for 1981 is currently estimated by conservative forecasters to be 12 percent.-This will be the highest rate of inflation for Canadians in the post war period. : “Based on the current trend the cost of living in June 1981 is ex- pected to be 28.4 percent above what it was in January 1979. Dur- ing this 2% year period the TWA’ base rate rose by 22.1 percent. This means that the purchasing power of IWA rates of pay was eroded by 2.6 percent before the general in- ‘crease of June 15, 1980, and will have eroded again by 6.3 percent by the end of the current agreement. Translated into dollars and cents _ able to pressure the government in- is for B.C. iahar in 1981 that means 63 cents per hour on the base rate for a cost of living catch- up back to January 1979. “By the end of 1981 it is expected that the annual rate of inflation will be at 12.5 percent and growing steadily. Whether or not there will be even higher rates of inflation beyond 1981 will depend to a great extent on federal government energy pricing policies. If the multinational oil monopolies are Labor ‘Comment Jack Phillips to raising domestic fuel prices:to world market levels we will have higher rates of inflation for several years.” The editorial ‘loses with the following table: : Percent Cost of Living Catch-up + 6.3 Cost of Living Protection (June ’81-June ’82) Share In Increased National Productivity (79-81) +12.5 + 4.5 +23.3 The base rate in the [WA agree- ment is now $9.96 an hour. If the 23.3 percent end figure above were applied to that rate, it would bring an increase of $2.32 an hour, bring- ing the rate up to $12.28 an hour. Judging by the long, bitter and recently concluded struggle of the Telecommunication Workers against B.C. Tel — and bearing in mind the tough fight of 10,000 Greater Vancouver civic employees on strike now for two months — the IWA and the pulp unions would be well advised to prepare. themselves for a fight.: The closing part of an editorial which appeared ites tne January/February issue of The - Barker placed it this way: ‘All of the giant companies have reduced their operating costs through the modernization of some of their existing operations and in several instances have built new mills that are highly automated. This is the time that we. must derive a fair percentage of the increased profits due to this in- - creased production at lower labor costs. “The industry quite clearly is presently i in a position to meet the priority demands as will be defined by the union as negotiations pro- ceed. “However, a fair and equitable settlement will not be reached without one vital ingredient — total membership support. The term total membership sup- port can be used in two ways. It could be used as m e Ei _ mittee makes a report and then to ‘ timely preparation of the member- ] ship for a strike if necessary. — ‘than three times the combined -equitable. BUNE support, that is for the members to sit and wait till the negotiating com” support its recommendations. On the other hand, it could mean the active involvement of the member- ship in the negotiating procedures: — This should be based on solidarity between the three unions ( IWA, CPU arid PPWC) at the top and at the local level. There should be frequent and timely information — on the course of negotiations and@ According to the opinions I have been given from members in 4 © number of locals, there is 4 widespread feeling among thé membership that they will not get | good settlement unless they are prepared to strike and unless thé employers know it — and that @ strike may be unavoidable. pe . Although the IWA has more — membership of the two pulp and paper unions, past experiencé demonstrates that if the three unions fail to work together in con- tract negotiations, the employers (in many cases the three unions hold agreements with the same companies) will play one against - the other and all will lose. If at all | possible, a situation should be avoided where one union settles only to have another union picket — the job sites where its members are — employed — —as wehave regrettably seen in the past. | The high degree of militant unity | generated by. the B.C. Federation — of Labor in support of the Telecommunication Workers’ Union should be applied to the forest negotiations if serious di ficulties arise. If the forest giants know they have to come across — with a good settlement or take oD the entire labor movement, they will be more likely to negotiate on terms the membership will considet The unions in the forest industry should be pace setters in B.C., in terms of wages, benefits and work- ; ing conditions. If ever there was all opportunity to take center-front stage in that role, this is the yeal- ‘Judging by all reports, the IWA | and the two pulp unions have played a positive role in the solidarity actions in support of the | Telecommunication Workers’ © Union and the civic employees in | the Greater Vancouver. It must also be said that there was no con- flict between the regional leader-— ship and the membership in that , regard. | Now, if the three unions can "achieve the same solidarity in ad- vancing ‘their own negotiations, — they will, I am sure, get the full backing of the entire trade union movement, with the co-ordination of the B.C. 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