eS Eee » thewestern canadian lumber worker ' VANCOUVER, B.C. SEPTEMBER, 1973 an OF 34 3. > ; s A\S in -¢ <= f ad * ‘- FIRST IWA MEMBER fo receive a cheque from the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Plan a J was Brother Malcolm Nicholson, second from left, who was presented with the cheque during the Regional Convention. Brother Nicholson started work in the industry in 1941 and recently retired from Eburne Sawmill in Vancouver. With Brother Nicholson are left, G. H. Dorset, Pension Plan Administrator; John Billings, President of Forest Industrial Relations Ltd.; and Jack Moore, IWA Regional President. NEW RATES RETROACTIVE COAST PLYWOOD WORKERS " WIN SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES Jack Munro, Acting Regional President and Spokesman for the I.W.A. Coast Negotiating Com- mittee, announced that negotiations with Forest Industrial Relations Ltd. on improvements to the Ply- wood Job Evaluation Pro- gram have been = suc- cessfully concluded. The terms of setilement ea 13} 83-2 i ilapged AE!| BS0as > ee =; i THE LUMBER WORKER RETURN REQUESTED >.:, Commercial Dr.. Vancouver, B.C. provide for accelerated increases for all categorie over base rate. : Between 6,500 and 7,000 1.W.A. members employed in plywood veneer, hard- board and particleboard operations under the Coast Master Agreement will receive category rate ad- justments ranging from 3c to 78c per hour with retro- active pay calculated on 104 previous calendar days. Said Munro: “This is by far the most significant settlement ever negotiated for the plywood section of our membership. If puts money into the pockets of all plywood workers over base rate and rewards our members on an accelerated basis in line with the Indus- try’s increasing demand for additional knowledge, skills, efforts and responsi- bilities.” The cost fo the Industry is estimated at approximately two and one-half million dollars. SEPTEMBER 30TH PRESIDENT JACK MOORE RESIGNING FROM OFFICE Jack Moore, President of the Regional Council for the past eleven years, is resigning from the Union September 30. Regional ist Vice-President Jack Munro (see biography Page 11) will take over the top post at that time. In announcing his resignation Moore stated that he had taken a new job but would still be serving the workers. He added that he wasn’t in the position at this time to state what the job would be. Speculation is that he has been offered a federal or provincial government post. Brother Moore joined the IWA following his discharge from the RCAF in which he served during the Second World War as a fighter pilot in the Middle East. He worked for a number of years in the logging camps and mills in Port Alberni until his election in 1951 as Financial Secretary of Port Alberni Local 1-85. He retained this post until 1957 when he was appointed executive assistant to Regional President Joe Morris. In 1959, he was elected ist Vice- President and held that position until 1962 when he succeeded Morris as President. Brother Moore’s eleven years in office were anything but peaceful. He was bitterly attacked by his opponents but was able to beat them off to carry out his plans to make Region No. 1, the largest Region in the IWA and the members the highest paid woodworkers in the world. He succeeded in both these aims. During the past eleven years the Region’s members- hip has increased by nearly 20,000 and the base rate has risen by $2.50 an hour. Brother Moore also had another goal. It was his fondest desire to see woodworkers retire with an industry paid pension. This wish was realized when the Region negotiated the [WA-Forest Industry Pension Plan last year. IWA DELEGATES VOTE TO MOVE HEADQUARTERS IWA delegates attending the 36th Annual Regional Conven- tion in Vancouver, August 20- 25, approved by roll call vote, a resolution calling for the IWA International Headquarters in Portland, Oregon, to be moved to Vancouver. The resolution must now be referred to the IWA Inter- national Convention meeting in Vancouver, September 24-28, for action. The resolution provoked considerable debate. Its backers argued that locating the Headquarters in Van- couver would effectively stifle those groups who claim that the IWA is an American dominated union with the Canadian members having little or no autonomy. . Those opposed to the move argued that the Union’s membership was equally divided between: Canada and the United States with both sections having complete autonomy and the Union shouldn’t allow itself to be stampeded by nationalistic flag wavers. REGION SEEKS NEW TAX FORMULA Recognizing the necessity of providing the Regional Council with sufficient money to main- tain and expand services to the membership, delegates to the Regional Convention approved a proposal to establish a new per capita tax formula. The formula is based on the same principle as the formula now in use in the majority of the Local Unions. The proposal must be sub- mitted to a referendum ballot and if approved would provide the Regional Council with 15 percent of two hours per member per month at the basic hourly rate. If the new formula is ap- proved it will not increase the dues paid by the members, either now or in the future. The Local Unions have in- dicated that they can afford to pay the increase now. ‘However, the Regional Consti- tution prevents them from doing so until they have authority from the member- ship through a referendum ballot. The Regional Council’s need for more money is acute. Unless it is put on a sound financial basis many of the projects now underway will have to be curtailed drastically and future ones shelved. Many of these projects are vital to the life of the Union. The IWA is now the largest union in Western Canada. Whether it remains so largely depends on the scope of its - present and future plans for development. _ The Union to stay strong must maintain an adequate organizing staff. Too many woodworkers: are still unorganized to the detriment of union members. A defence fund must be raised to combat attacks from See “FORMULA” Page 4