THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER : ’ i) THEY ATTENDED: IWA An educational seminar snonsored by Local 1-424 IWA, at Williams Lake, De- cember 4 and 5, attracted 40 job stewards and committee members who travelled hun- dreds of miles from overa- tions in the Prince George Quesnel, Canim Lake and Williams Lake areas. SUCCESSFUL educational seminar was held in Williams Lake earlier this month and drew a good attendance from many IWA operations in the Local: 1-424 area. This Lumber Worker photograph shows the group which took part in the two-day study- discussion meetings, including Local President Ross Inglis, Regional First Vice-President Jack MacKenzie and Educational Director Grant MacNeil. Grouv discussions dealing with the subjects of trade union basics, parliamentary procedure, and job stewards’ duties, were conducted by President Ross Inglis, assisted by Regional First Vice Presi- dent Jack MacKenzie and educational director Grant acNeil. In opening the seminar, Vice President MacKenzie comvlimented the local union on the excellent arrangements and representative composi- tion of the attendants. He stressed the fact that expan- sion of the lumber industry in the northern interior of- fered a unique ovportunity FROM HUNDREDS OF MILES AWAY for the local union’s growth. President Ross Inglis con- cluded the weekend sessions with praise for the interest shown in the union’s program. He announced that similar seminars were under consid- eration for other areas in the local’s jurisdiction. IWA Management of S. M. Simp- son Ltd. — owned by Crown Zellerbach — at Kelowna has offered only the lowest rates of small operators in the in- dustry in negotiations with the IWA for new rate cate- gories covering new equip- ment. Regional President Jack Moore, who was called in to try and resolve the months- old negotiations earlier this month, told the management: “You are nice people to talk to but that is about all. Quite frankly, I have found you im- possible throughout the whole day’s ussions The company months ago installed a chip and saw, a barker and automatic head rig. Local 1-423 at Kelowna and the plant chairman held meetings with the company in an effort to establish proper rates on these cate- gories. But instead of trying to find fair and equitable rates, the company appears to have confined its studies to scrounging every low rate they could find — including some rates quoted from non- union categories. For example: the company proposed $2.29 for the barker, an increase of three cents. FRUSTRATIONS AT KE JACK MOORE LOWNA Their argument was that they have to consider the size of the barker, the production output, the size of the logs they have to work with. The Local said it was not the sawmill employees’ fault that all the good logs are up in the plywood special Local 1-423 bulletin, employees were told that management had stuck to the old line — “our pro- duction is marginal and we have to make a profit.” “Tt is unfortunate such a callous attitude of disregard is held by this company for its many faithful employees,” the bulletin said. SICK VISITS Frances Love and & Smith, ere Construction, Lo- bee Joe Serpa, Pacific Pine, 1-387 » Va ae. Can. White ose, B.C. For- 3 P. Mar- 367; ore. Ca ‘ameron, Pacific Ven- Local 1.397) Paul Schidki, Fraser Wiis, pera th, Westminster Shook Price, Queen ALBERTA BREAKTHROUGH UNION SHOP, WAGE BOOST Union shop security and a wage increase have been won after a short strike of IWA members in Southern Al- rta. The breakthrough came at the Fort Plywood and Lum- ber Company at Fort Mac- leod, Alberta. The employees struck the plywood operation for two days before settlement terms were worked out between IWA negotiators and the firm for a renewal of the contract. The pact includes a 32-cent wage package, a union shop clause, a health and welfare program and two additional statutory holidays for a total of nine. e@ wage increase applies in three steps: cents an hour retroactive to August 1, 1965, an additional 10 cents an hour on February 1; 1966, and a final 10 cents on February 1, 1967. The plant manufactures plywood from green veneer shipped from British Colum- bia. Establishment of a union shop is considered a major victory for the workers in the Alberta operation. LOCAL 1-405 OBJECTS IWA Local 1-405 at Cran- brook has lodged a complaint with the manager of Kicking Horse Forest Products at Golden, charging that the company has tried to discredit the union during the recent oil workers dispute. ocal financial secretary Elmer Atwood said a com- pany letter circulated to em- ployees contained several un- true statements and indicated a challenge of the IWA’s right to act on behalf of its mem- rs. “However, this is not the first time we have had to deal with eighteenth-century union - busting tactics,” he said. He said part of the letter was “cleverly designed to un- dermine membership support of our union by suggesting that they were not repre- sented” at a Cranbrook meet- ing of all unions in the area called to discuss the oil workers dispute. Atwood. said that Pete Palumbo had been elected by the Golden sub-local -to at- tend and represent that area. He wrote to the manager: “If your company had truly been concerned with the wel- fare of employees, you would have recognized that some- thing had to be done to pre- vent a strike in the oil indus- try, and the possibility of ex- tensive layoffs due to lack of petroleum products, not to mention the hardship on the public as a whole. “There is not a doubt that your company, through the Lumber Manufacturers Asso- ciation, could have brought a great deal of pressure’ on the oil companies, the union and government, to settle this dis- pute instead of leaving it up to the labor movement.” IMAGE Labor’s public image, prob- lems facing unions in B.C. to- day, present organizing ef- forts and current economic problems are the four major topics for the B.C. labor staff seminar to-be held at Parks- ville Jan. 31 to Feb. 4. These are some of the ques- tions that will be asked — and answered — by course instructors: Are public atti- tudes toward labor changing, and if so, is it favorable or unfavorable? Is public understanding go- ing to be more or less im- portant to labor in the future, how much has labor in com- reaching the public? Mm organizing, the course will examine the gains being made in signing up unorgan- ized workers and look into various problems including that of jurisdiction among unions. The seminar, sponsored jointly by the B.C. Federa- tion of Labour and the educa- tion department of the Cana- dian Labour Congress, will be held in the Island Hall Hotel at Parksville.