EY LMT The highest paid postal worker earns a maxi. three years ago! xnxx less money than they were three years to make ends meet. changed. The figures for 1967 are based on of that year, and although there has be per cent a year. and deductions to make them conform home pay. EXAMPLE “A” Weekly take home pay in 1970 Net increase in dollars over 3 y EXAMPLE “B” Weekly take home pay in 1967 _.. Weekly take homé pay in 1970 *Percentage increase in cost of living Buying power of 1967 dollar in 1970 BUYING POWER OF ABOVE EXAMPLE “A” REVISED Weekly take home pay in 1967 Net increase in dollars over 3 years Consumer price index in January 1967 Consumer price index in January 1970... 128.2 —Canadian Postal Worker Posties takehome pay less than 3 years ago Last week the postal union charged Prime Minister Trudeau with lying when he said the average postal worker's wage is $3.30 an hour. — mum of $3.24, the average being much lower. The following column from the Canadian Postal Worker shows how Vancouver posties have less take home pay than When Postal Workers complain that they are taking hom ago they are telling the truth, especially when we take into consideration the 13.5 per cent increase in the cost of living since 1967. The table below illustrates the plight of the worker who is desperately trying The two examples here represent the take home pay of two members (clerks) of the Vancouver C.U.P.W. who were on top pay in 1967, and whose status for deductions has remained un- months prior to August en a total of 39 cents an hour increase in pay since then they are still about $4.00 a week worse off than they were in 1967 in terms of buying power. The latest offer of the Treasury Board is 46 cents (for clerks) over three and a half years which leayes us wondering how much further in the hole they will be by 1973, taking into account that the cost of living has been increasing at an average rate of 4.5 In order to get a true reading we pro-rated the 1967 salary with the present 26 pay periods. Both members had deductions for Canada Savings Bonds, but for our purpose these were included in the take It should be noted that after April 1st of this year they will be paying an extra 62% cents a week for Superannuation, so their take home pay will be reduced that much more. . Weekly take home pay in 1967... : an fot eS $84.84 pals = es since 1967 13.5 per cent 88.1 cents PAY CHEQUES Weekly take home pay in 1970 7 power of 1967 dollars Adjustment of 1970 take home pay to buying Net loss in weekly buying power EXAMPLE “B” REVISED Weekly take home pay in 1967 since 1967... $ 4.43 Weekly take home pay in 1970 power of 1967 dollars Adjustment of 1970 take home pay to buying Net loss in weekly buying power The above scale shows that we ar groceries. since 1967_............ $ 3.56 e losing about $200.00 a year in buying power over 1967, and that would buy a lot of PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JULY 3, 1970—Page 12 Woodworkers heading tye for record strike vote Woodworkers on the coast are taking a strike vote which will be finalized by the end of the week. Results indicate the vote for strike in all major operations is running as high as 80 to 96 percent in favor. The proposal made by FIR to drop demands last weekend may lead to an even higher strike vote. Early results in Vancouver Local 1-217’s major operations up to press time show members at MacMillan-Bloedel’s Red Band mill voted 95 percent to strike. White Pine, 83 percent; Silver Pine Tree, 85 percent; Eburne-Canadian Forest Products, 93 percent; Weldwood- Kent, 97 percent; Vancouver Plywood, (MB), 86 percent; Malof Lumber, 94 percent; Birch Lumber, 94 percent; Rayonier Marpole, 89 percent; Weldwood Ash, 93 percent, and smaller mills in the city are voting up to 100 percent for strike. The Left Caucus in Wood this week put out a special ‘‘On The Beam” leaflet. Urging wood- workers to take the offensive, the bulletin says, ‘“‘Led By Employers’ Council of B.C., FIR has taken the offensive in nego tiations. ‘‘Meanwhile, many wood- workers have been laid off, or haven’t been able to work because of the strike forced on the Merchant Service Guild by the same arrogant attitude. “Such is the setting in which the IWA’s contract terminated on June 15. The fact that there have been very few membership meetings held during this period and that the Lumberworker and the Barker have not published, has not helped matters. ‘‘The membership feels uninformed and uninvolved.” The Left Caucus makes concrete suggestions to change the trend. They say: (1) We must counter the employers’ barrage of .propa- Cont'd from pg. 1 appointed a compulsory mediator which prevents the union from striking during the period of his appointment. BOSSES’ TACTICS A survey of the basic industries of the province in contract negotiations shows that in each case the employers are refusing to bargain in good faith or come forward with any realistic proposals. It’s obvious that the united front of the big monopolies, led by the Employers Council, has adopted the strategy of creating major crisis to force compulsory arbi- tration on B.C.’s major unions. An example of the arrogant attitude of the big employers came from John Billings, presi- dent of Forest Industrial Relations (FIR), which nego- tiates for the forest industry on the coast. After months of refusing to negotiate with the IWA, and a few weeks of talks with a mediator involved, FIR proposed that the IWA forego any wage increase for 1970. Warning that pay increases ganda which is designed to drive a wedge between’ the member- ship and the leadership of the union, by giving the members the facts — the truth about nego- tiations. We need more member- ship, camp and plant meetings— more bulletins and union papers to keep the members informed and to help us keep the public informed. (2) Next to seeing that the membership are fully informed on where negotiations stand, give us a chance to express our feelings on the endless delays and stalling. And, if it is the intention of the regional leader- ship to wait for the pulp and paper contracts to expire, then the membership should be told. We want to know where we stand and what we should be prepared for. (3) Immediate steps need to be taken to ready the organi- zation for battle — strike com- mittees, finance, legal aid, debt moratorium committees, etc. need to be established and the membership involved and prepared for any eventuality. (4) The utmost unity is impera- tive. Division, opportunism and empire building must be stopp*™ in the interests of a satis |— factory contract for the workels | in camp and mill, and in pulp and paper. The Canadian pulp uniom should be taken into the conft dence of the other unions preparation for a real unile front, and if it becomes neces sary shut down of the entire | wood industry. a (5) Preparations should be made now so that if any union gets into legal difficulties, the problem will become part of HE demands of ALL unions with n° contract being consumated 10! | work resumed until 2 injunctions and/or financial penalties have been lifted. Let® not have another Guild situatio? where, after conclusion of of @ workable agreement, the IW: CP and P, or IP and S$ could bé undermined and its future threatened by injunctions, fines and damages.”’ $ “Don’t be misled! Demand reports and action! Let’s 8 prepared to do battle! Invol¥é the membership and inform) — public!”’ the bulletin demands. — ey CP wire hits Gov't policy — Nigel Morgan, B.C. leader, Communist Party, sent the followile wire to Premier W.A.C. Bennett on the weekend: : “Government intervention on side Employer’s Councl compulsory features Mediation Act to force ——— ) via unsatisfactol) | settlement on unions by interfering with negotiations and workel i right to strike if necessary is pushing British Columbia dangerous crisis. “We are shocked to learn of affiliation government Hydr? agency to Employer’s Council conspiracy and demand imm withdrawal. ‘“As we have consistently maintained, repressive edia Jabor legislation breeds labor unrest. Forced labor policies constitu invitation to unmanageable industrial strife. Compulsion A oppression leads to downfall of those who resort to them. ity | “Continued repression can only throw oil on the fire sam demands be doused. Public welfare requires government stop 4! eis and abetting the Employer’s Council war on labor and clear the W* r return to free collective bargaining. fo 5 now would lead to shutting down of many mills, the spokesman for the forest monopolies, painted as black a picture as he could, claiming that profits and markets have fallen off. However, profits of the forest industry during the life of the present contract have broken all records. For example, the combined net profits of Mac- Millan Bloedel alone for 1968 and 1969 were $81.4 million! Nor is the market situation as black as the forest monopolies claim. A press story carried in the Vancouver Sun, June 20, points out that a report released in Washington, D.C. by President Richard Nixon says that ‘‘it sees a considerable increase in lumber and plywood exports from British Columbia to the United States.’’ Further, ‘“‘the report indicates a con- tinuing high level of demand for B.C. lumber in the United States.” The Washington report indicates that ‘‘the U-S. is aiming for three million more housing units a year by 1974. To achieve this the country will consume an additional 11 billion board feet of lumber by 1974.” said. Reaction among woodwol*” to the FIR “no-wage-increase™% | 70’ proposal has been swift sharp. An IWA District offic told the PT at press time ie 1 indignation is running high - said many camps and a voted as high as 95 percent © strike before the FIR no-war statement was made. If the Me was taken now it woul 5 almost unanimous for strikes | Compulsory arbitration threat s The IWA contract expire June 15 and a mediator He appointed whose time eXP! July 3. ; a At press time indications a that the big employers am ing Socred government are push towards a confrontation | the major unions in the prov!” i | hoping that through ee 7 economic and political pow oo plus the threat of anti-labor Be | lation and the use of the cone they can enforce low set ments on the workers. But this big business stf@ 05 is running up against the grow ae | unity of the workers, WhO 1g | determined to win much-Der is J wage and contract demé now. atep) f