THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

1st Issue
Feb., 1966 ~

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"WARNING"

place could not be regarded
as evidence of general infla-
tionary pressures.

**Rather, consideration
should be given to the need
for continued expansion to
provide jobs for the unpre-
cedented number of young
people about to enter the la-
bour market. The govern-
ment’s own commitments
with regard to medicare, the
‘war on poverty,’ increased

aid to education and an ex-
* panded manpower policy
would involve major federal
expenditures. Progress in
these areas would be incon-
sistent with a belt-tightening
policy.

COST

“The cost to the Canadian
economy of a return to high
unemployment and slow
growth — which could result
from the premature imposi-
tion of restraints— could be
fax greater than the cost in-

curred by moderate price ad-
vances,” the CLC concluded.

Turning to wages, the CLC
had this to say:

“The facts about labour
costs in Canada are very
similar to the experience in
price movements. For many
years productivity in Cana-
dian manufacturing has been
growing at roughly the same
pace as wages and other la-
bour benefits, with the result
that labour cost per unit of
output has been very stable.
A recent study by the US.
Bureau of Labour Statistics
shows that between 1957 and
1964 labour cost per unit of
output in Canadian manufac-
turing rose by a total of only
three per cent. This was less
than the increase in any other
major industrial country, in-
cluding the United States.
When the devaluation of the
exchange rate on the Cana-
dian dollar is taken into ac~
count, Canada is seen to have
a nine per cent drop in unit
labour cost over the period.”

INTEREST

i The CLC said it was an or-
ganization which “can be
counted on to behave in a
manner consistent with the
nation’s economic interest”
and continued:
“We fail to see that this
would require the workers we
represent to forego continued
‘wages increases under pres-
; ent economic conditions. We

see

of

no convincing evidence
wage or price develop-
nts which would call for
h a course of action...We
the notion that, when-
s edge ahead of
should be

that is

a negative and unproductive
approach. The positive - ap-
proach is to take steps to in-
crease the rate of growth of
productivity. The Economic
Council made many sugges-
tions in this connection, in-
cluding more effort in educa-
tion, increased incentives for
industrial research, and the
development of a co-ordinated
and active set of manpower
programs.”

A section dealing with im-
mediate collective bargaining

prospects was framed in these
words:

“Times are relatively good,
corporations are showing a
high rate of return on their
investments which is reflected
in a new peak in profits and
dividend payments, and there
is an obvious ability on the
part of employers to pay
wages higher than has been
the case in recent years. In-
evitably, wage and salary
earners will seek to share in
the good times. Where they.
are organized into trade
unions they. will just as in-
evitably do so through the
process of collective bargain-
ing and, if necessary, engage
in the entirely legal process
of strike action after other
methods have failed to
achieve a satisfactory settle-
ment.

ACTION

“Tt is still worth bearing in
mind that in the great ma-
jority of cases collective bar-
gaining results in the conclu-
sion of collective agreements
satisfactory to both parties
without recourse to either
strike or lockout action. The
process of collective bargain-
ing, including the occasional
stoppage of work, is one of
the mechanisms used within a
market economy such as ours’
to attain a redistribution of
the wealth which is produced.
If corporations are to have
virtually unlimited freedom
in the pursuit of profits work-
ers. must be free in turn
through their trade union and
otherwise to obtain for them-
selves a fair share of the
product of their labour.”

LIGHTER SIDE

Customer: When I bought
this car, didn’t you agree to
replace anything that broke?

Salesman: Yes, sir, I did.

Customer: Well, in that
case, I want a new garage.
ee
Traffic Policeman: Lady,
you were doing seventy miles
an hour!

Woman Driver: Isn’t that.
wonderful! And I only learn-

ed to drive yesterday.

cee

PLYWOOD CONFERENCE held in Woodworkers’ House February 11-12. Attending the
Conference were representatives of Local Unions having plywood operations and the
Union members of the Plant Review Committees. Discussion centred around instruc-
tions from the last Regional Convention dealing with proposed changes to the Ply-

wood Manual.

ADULT CLASSES —

OTTAWA (CPA) — Immi-
gration Minister Marchand,
the man designated to take
over the proposed new De-
partment of Manpower, made
his first public move by an-
nouncing that the federal gov-
ernment plans to spend an-
other $20,000,000 a year in
training adults at vocational
classes.

PEOPLE ...use BCA |

BCA knows how to run an airline to

HEADING UP the Conference were Regional President
Jack Moore and Regional 1st Vice-President Jack Mac-
Kenzie. who were assisted by Plywood Evaluators Al Busch
and Tony Vanderheide. Group left, International Assistant
Research Director Frank Fuller; Tony Vanderheide; Jack
Moore; Al Busch; Jack MacKenzie.

g
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3

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