tr ae LUMBER WORKER Vol. XXXVII, No. 6. VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY =>’ April, 1969 PRESIDENT BILL SCHUMAKER gives the oath of obligation to six new members prior to the start of the Annual Meeting. ’ ONLY TWO POSTS CONTESTED SCHUMAKER, MUIR RE-ELECTED AT 1-423's ANNUAL MEETING Only two of the top offices were contested in the election of officers at the 24th Annual Meeting of Local 1-423 IWA, April 12, in Kelowna. Officers re-elected by ac- clamation were President Bill Schumaker, 1st Vice - Presi- dent Jack Welder, Financial Secretary S. A. “Bill” Muir, Recording Secretary Noel Gooding. Elected to the other offices were John DeMontreuil, 3rd Vice - President; Denis Rich- ards, Conductor; Nick Papav, Six-Year Trustee. Contesting the position of 2nd vice-president are Mike Wishlow and George Arishen- koff. Seeking the office of warden are Cam Parker and Joe Portelance. Bill Schumaker was re- elected the Local’s Regional Executive Board Member. Guest speakers at the meet- ing were Regional 3rd Vice- President Jack Munro, Inter- national 2nd Vice-President Keith Johnson, and Interna- tional Director of Research Walter Simcich. VANCOUVER, B.C. PERMIT No. 2059 RETURN THE LUMBER WORKER . REQUESTED >2:5 Commercial Dr., Vancouver, B.C. Munro reported on a num- ber of problems causing con- cern in the Regional Council. He hit out at the atrocious . working conditions in the Manitoba bush camps where workers were earning $15 and $20 for two weeks work under the most primitive sanitary and safety conditions. He sug- gested that the IWA would have to devote more time, money and effort in organiza- tion in these areas if the Union was going to make any real headway. He then went on to praise the fight being waged by the IWA members striking the Crestbrook Forest Industries Ltd., at Fort Macleod, Alberta. The hundred employees of this operation, he stated, were locked out December 17 by the company and their fin- ances are all but exhausted. Following his address, the Local Union voted to send $500 to aid the strikers. CONTRACT REOPENING A formal application to The hardest hitting speech was that of Walter Simcich who is leaving the Union in June. He stated that while Canadian woodworkers were the highest paid woodworkers in the world, they were a long See “LOCAL 1-423” P. 8 INTERNATIONAL TO SEEK TAX INCREASE Notice has been served by the International officers that top priority will be given at the IWA International Con- stitutional Convention in Sep- tember, to win delegate sup- port for the Executive Board recommendation to increase the per capita tax by 50 cents a month. The present per capita tax of 75 cents per member a month was established nearly twenty years ago and is the lowest per capita tax of any union. The International officers report that the International’s financial position is now so grave that it will be impossible to carry on much longer and do an adequate job unless more tax money is forthcom- ing. Financial woes of the Inter- national Union were outlined by the international trustees in their report to the execu- tive board. Since last September, the trustees reported, the decrease in assets of the International Union amounted to $27,842... “The total bank balance on deposit 1, 1967, in the amount of $182,350, or approximately $10,000 per month.” This decrease in assets will continue during the next fis- cal year under departmental See “INCREASE” P. 3 Seandeeit IN LOCAL 1-405 CELGAR TRADESMEN TO GET COAST RATES Local 1-405 IWA has signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Celgar Ltd. at Castlegar, which will provide coast rates for tradesmen in the operation on September 1, 1969. The new. wage rate break- through was negotiated by Re- gional President Jack Moore, Regional 3rd Vice - President Jack Munro, Local President Wayne Nowlin, Local Finan- cial Secretary Elmer Atwood, and Plant Committee Mem- bers L. Fietz, J. Nichvaloff, J. Poluck, H. Leslie. Rates in the Agreement took effect March 20, 1969, and will be adjusted upward by a further 24 cents an hour September 1, when the final increase of the current con- tract is paid to the 350 com- pany employees at that time. Following are the terms of the new Agreement: 1. (a) Effective March 20, 1969, the wage scale shall be adjusted and the following rates, exclusive of the Trades- man Qualification: premium, shall apply to persons em- ployed as Journeymen: Per Hour Millwright ———-..-- $3.59 Carpenter/Millwright —_ $3.59 Machinist ..--_--------- $3.65 Welder 2222. $3.59 Meckhanic = $3.59 Electrician ——________- $3.74 (b) The former Job Cate- gories for tradesmen will be replaced by those listed above is understood and agreed that the former Job Content is not changed in any of these categories. (c) Effective March 20, 1969, the wage scale shall be adjusted and the following rates. shall apply to employ- ees designated as Helpers and Improvers under the Condi- tions of the Apprenticeship Training Plan: F Per Hour Helpers (all trades) $2.98 Improvers (all trades) _ $3.18 2. Persons employed as Un- certified Journeymen who subsequently obtain a Trades- man _ Qualification (T.Q.) shall be paid an additional 21 cents per hour retroactive to the effective date of certifica- tion. In the case of Welders DPW No. 1 and DPW No. 2, tickets will be recognized as Trade Qualification. 3. (a) Employees engaged as Journeymen who on March 20, 1969, will be receiving a rate higher than the appro- priate rate as set out in Sec- tion 1 (a) of this Agreement shall be deemed “Red Circle” employees. (b) It is agreed that the over-rate paid to “Red Circle” employees will continue to be paid for so long as the em- ployee remains in a Trade-~ category. (c) A list showing the names of “Red Circle’ em- ployees, their Job Categories © and the amount of the over- rate is attached to and forms part of this Agreement. RESEARCH DIRECTOR LEAVING IWA JUNE 1 International Research Di- rector Walter Simcich is leav- ing the IWA June 1, to take a position at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Walter joined the IWA in March, 1965, after working six years for the California Labour Federation. Prior to that he worked for the Pack- inghouse Workers Union and the National Labour Relations Board. During his four years with the IWA he demonstrated a complete dedication to the la- bour movement and worked untiringly to win better wages and working conditions for Union members. He worked very closely with Region 1, in negotiations both in the Interior and on the Coast and his presenta- tion of industry conditions won high praise . throughout the IWA. Regional President Jack Moore stated that Walter will be sorely missed in future negotiations. “No other IWA Research Director,” he said, “could refute the employers’ figures so completely while WALTER SIMCICH International Director of Research proving the case for the Un- ion.” He added that everyone in Regional Council No. 1 wished Walter the best of luck in his new job.