: ‘More Safeguards Needed To Protect Agreements By J. HOLST, Second Vice-President Changes must be brought about to the Labour Relations Act and the Union Agreements if we are to establish protec- tion required to avoid loss of job security, seniority, and other vested rights established under IWA contracts. Whole or parts of opera- tions are being contracted out, with the result that the original employees are being laid off with no rights to job opportunities with the con- tractor. Over the past few years a number of cases have been tested before the La- bour Relations Board which involved contracting out. A recent ruling by the Board is now being appealed by the IWA, held that the contractor did not have to abide by the collective Agree- ment. This presents a serious problem to union members who have established vested rights such as seniority, vaca- tions with pay and other benefits under the Agree- ment. An employer can con- veniently get rid of not only the Union Agreement but all his employees with years of service through the contract- ing out of a portion or all of his operation. Logging, green chains, car- loading, booming grounds and other parts of the operation in the forest products indus- try have been contracted out by large and small companies. In a number of cases the original crew, with years of seniority, was replaced by the contractor’s own employ- ees or by employees newly hired. This raises a serious ques- tion as to the stability of em- ployment for the individual. It raises the question of the effect on the community where the people have set- tled, especially if it is a small community. There are many other com- plications for- persons dis- placed by contracting out. It is very necessary that the contractor be duty-bound to carry out the terms of the collective agreement, whether he contracts out part or all of an operation. A real effort must be made, therefore, to have the neces- sary legislation passed which will correct this injustice. Safeguards must also be established through IWA Agreements to protect our members from loss of jobs, and vested rights, as a result of contracting out. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Eorest Product E’acts 3,500 B.C. Coast Lumber Shipments (Million Board Feet) 3,250 3,000 2,959 2,750 2,500 2,250 es Se | 2,000 1,750 1,500 “n “MWA TERGORNE — Shipments.only- Ste. 1,250 1,000 eee SS ae 1962 1963 B.C. Coast lumber shipments (this includes waterborne, rail and truck) in 1963 rose to an all-time high of 3,320 million board feet (estimated), 10% higher than the year 1962. Over the five year period under review B.C. Coast total lumber shipments have risen by 39%. Waterborne shipments of lumber made the largest gain with 1963 total of 2,220 million board feet (estimated), 209% higher than 1962 of 1,847 million board feet. The bulk of 1963 shipments were sent to the United States market where the 11 months shipments totalled 941.4 million board feet as against 804.3 million board feet during the same comparable period in 1962. Besides the large increase to the U.S. market in 1963, the volume of shipments to the United Kingdom has remained constant at about 450 million board feet. One new market has emerged during the past few years; Japan has now be- come the third largest overseas customer. In the 11 months period of 1963 Japan imported from B.C. 255.3 million board feet of lumber; in 1959 the total to this market was 1.2 million board feet. On Softwood Imports Reciprocate With U.S. Union Urges Pearson The following is a copy of a telegram sent to Prime Minister L. B. Pearson by IWA Regional President Jack Moore on in- structions of the Regional Executive Board, urging the Cana- dian Government to reciprocate with the U.S. in lowering tariff restrictions on American goods entering Canada. Copies of the telegram were also sent to the Hon. Walter Gordon, Minister of Finance; the Right Hon. John Diefenbaker, Leader of the Opposition; and T. C. Douglas, National Leader of the New Democratic Party. “In view of the recent pocket veto of the Country of Origin bill by President Johnson of the United States, a veto which was strongly urged by our International Union from our international headquarters in Portland, Oregon, the International Woodworkers of America, Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1, strongly urges an examination by your ‘gov- ernment of the present tariff structure set by Canada on U.S. Softwood imports. “We believe in reciprocity LEATHER on these matters and urge that our tariff be reduced to the same level as that placed on Canadian Softwood im- ports by the United States. It is our considered opinion that action on this is neces- sary if we are to continue our trade expansion, particularly in the United States, and to minimize as much as possible the urgings of particular in- terested groups, in the United States, that have been cam- paigning strongly and vigor- ously for quotas and other types of trade barriers.”