‘THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER

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WORKER

Vol. XXXVI, No. 3

VANCOUVER, B.C.

5c PER COPY

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1st Issue
February, 1968

WAGES
INFLATIONARY?

\(Editor’s Note: The efforts of the IWA’s Regional

Council and the Southern Interior Local Unions on strike
to bring the facts behind our membership’s demand for
“equal pay for equal work” to the attention of the general
public have brought about a drastic change in the atti-
tude of a formerly non-responsive public news media. As
a typical example of this change the Lumber Worker is
reprinting below an editorial from the “Merrittonian.
Weekly” in Merritt dated January 23, 1968.)

WE in the Town of Merritt may think we are in

bad shape due to the IWA strike — we may
well prepare ourselves for more of the same in 1968
in other work lines. Men simply are not going to
work for the privilege any more. Those days have
vaporized since World War Il.

Some self-styled experts say wages are infla-
tionary — that is the biggest misstatement of the
year. Wages are our only community investment
that brings returns to every citizen in the community,
through direct spending. What good would an in-
dustry be to a town if there was no payroll, or if the
payroll individual wage was so small that all the
wife could buy is hamburger?

Taxes have escalated, post office postage has
jumped; the government has led the way in this
inflationary trend.

We feel that an agreement with the IWA and
the Southern Operators will be reached by this
spring. A Union official has stated that lumber prices
have climbed 10 to 20 per cent in the last month.
If these figures are correct, this should go a long
way toward settlement.

But this same spokesman stated, “Nearly all
of the forest industry is foreign-owned or controlled.
Profits leave the province, but wages stay here. The
more wages that stay here as far as I’m concerned
the better for our economy.” :

These large companies have a responsibility to
the community where the resources are being ex-
ploited. Aside from the vested capital, the only
returns the community receives is wages from these
resources. Our resource is, according to the theory
of democracy, a heritage of the people, and as such
indirectly belong to the people, which is put out for
capital to exploit — for capital. gain. We realize
that vested capital should be protected and a cap-
ital gain assured on their investment. Likewise it is
equally true that the community rights be protected
— and the worker is part of that community right.

Since this editorial was written an IWA meeting
- was held recommending that bargaining be con-
_ ducted if possible with the three local strike-bound
mills, along the line of the recent Celgar agreement.
This could be the first break in the Southern IWA
Wage hikes usually are the result of trying to
| catch up with inflation — if only with the hope of
catching up with the price of the postage stamp.

LOCAL 1-85 CHARGES

TFL CONTRACTING OUT

Officers of Local 1-85 have

charged that the major forest
companies are deliberately ac-
celerating the use of the con-
tracting out clause on their
Tree Farm Licenses for the
sole purpose of destroying the
- Union rates and job security
established by the IWA.
have requested the
Williston, minister

of lands and forests, to meet
with Regional officers over
the problem which to date has
caused serious crew unrest
and a number of work stop-
pages in the Local and
throughout the Regional
Council.

The problem evolves
around Section 26 of the For-
estry Act which covers con-

TO SPEED UP NEGOTIATIONS

UNION AGREES TO STUDY
PROVIDED REFERENCE TERMS MET

The IWA Coast Negotiating
Committee announced Febru-
ary 5 that the Union would
participate in a joint study. of
the Coast lumber industry, as
suggested by Labour Minis-
ter Peterson, provided that
the books and records of all
companies involved are open
for complete disclosure to the
person or persons conducting
such a study.

The Minister made the pro-
posal January 29 at a meeting
attended by the Union’s Ne-
gotiating Committee and rep-
resentatives of Forest. Indus-
trial Relations Ltd. Mr. Peter-
son suggested that the Union
and companies agree to the
appointment of an indepen-
dent statistics consultant to
aid the coming Coast contract
negotiations.

THE IWA IS
{ ON

IWA EAST INDIAN MEMBERS who are being threatened
with eviction from company bunkhouses. Their employer,
the K.P. Wood Products at Avola, (a subsidiary of Weyer-

haeuser Corporation) claims it is financially unable to meet
the cost for the bunkhouse heat, light and water. Also
pictured is 1-417 president Bob Schlosser who is fighting
the eviction notice for the members.

AVOLA IWA MEMBERS
THREATENED WITH EVICTION

One of the most contempt-
ible actions to demoralize
Southern Interior IWA mem-
bers on strike is being dis-
played by K. P. Wood Prod-
ucts Co. Ltd., Avola Branch,
in Avola.

Besides employing at least
one “scab” this Company has
now gone on a terror cam-
paign against 7 New Cana-
dians of East Indian descent
by threatening legal action
against them under the Land-
lord and Tenant Act (1960).

In order to maintain a crew
during normal production
periods the above Company
erected a wooden bunkhouse,
cookhouse and washhouse and
purchased two mobile units

for sleeping quarters for the
unmarried East Indians.

After strike action was
started early in October 1967
the seven East Indian IWA
members continued to submit
the agreed upon rent for the
above facilities out of their
strike assistance pay.

In December 1967 the Com-
pany started action to evict
the members without any re-
gard for their future welfare
in sub-zero temperatures. Bob
Schlosser, President of Local
1-417, IWA, held a meeting
with officials of the Company
in Kamloops on December 29,
1967, and after being informed
of the Company’s flimsy ex-

See “AVOLA” — Page 3

He offered the full research

- facilities of government de-

partments, in particular the
research branch of the labour
department but stated the
cost of the study should be
shared between the Union
and companies.

In announcing its decision
to the Minister, the Union in-
sisted that such a joint study
was dependent on the com-
panies and government agree-
ing to the terms of reference
set out by the Negotiating
Committee.

The Union is also insisting
the study go back to at least
1960 and that the provincial
government assume the finan-
cial responsibility of any- cost
involved.

Spokesman for the Com-
mittee, Regional president
Jack Moore stated:

“For many years the people
who have acted as mediators
and Industrial Inquiry Com-
missioners in disputes be-
tween the IWA and the lum-
ber industry have deplored
the lack of mutually accepta-
ble statistics of the industry
and have been forced to make
recommendations for settle-
ment based on insufficient
factual statistics. This lack of
information has led to strikes
in the industry such as the
four-month Southern Interior
strike now in progress be-
cause the companies to date
have refused to make their
books and records available

.to determine the truth con-

cerning their operations.

“In line with the recom-
mendations of Mr. Justice
Nemetz in 1966 we feel this
statistical survey is the pro-
vincial government’s financial
responsibility and therefore
suggest to Mr. Peterson that
his department bear the cost
of any survey.”

Following are the Union’s
terms of reference for the
study:

Living Costs
1. Impact of: rising con-
sumer prices upon wages.

Improvements in Productivity
2. Productivity per man-
hour—fewer workers produce

See “STUDY” — Page 11

CLAUSE DELIBERATELY ACCELERATED

tracting out for Tree Farm
Licence holders.

This section states that a
certain percentage of the
work in the TFL must be con-
tracted out to private contrac-
tors. These contractors in
turn may sub-contract out

any portion of their contract.
Unfortunately, employees
of the contractors and sub-

contractors are not bound by
the terms of the IWA Master
Agreement even though the
Union holds certification over
the operation.

John Squire, recording sec-
retary of Local 1-85, met with
Williston on the problem Jan-
uary 15 and informed him
that the Union had been told

by officials of Forest Indust- -

rial Relations Ltd., that the
contracting out acceleration
was the result of pressure be-
ing brought to bear on the
companies by the Forestry
Department.

The accusation was denied
by the deputy minister Mc-
Kinnon, who pointed out that

See “CLAUSE” — Page 2