THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER N TWO TO ONE VOTE | : LOCAL 1-405 DELEGATES FAVOUR END TO HANGING A resolution calling for the abolition of capital punishment was supported by a vote of nearly two to one at the Annual ’ Delegated Meeting of Local 1- 405 IWA, April 24-25, in Cran- brook. While the issue was hotly de- bated on all sides, there was little doubt that the delegates favoured the federal govern- ment’s proposal to abolish hanging and to institute stiffer parole laws. The meeting, which was one of the longest two-day con- ferences on record, saw the more than eighty delegates nominate officers for a new two-year term, elect delegates to the various forthcoming conventions and conferences, wade through 105 resolutions, approve the Officers’ and Fi- nancial Reports and hear from three guest speakers. President Wayne Nowlin and Warden Jack Walker were elected by acclamation during the nominations for officers. Others nominated and whose names will go out on a referen- dum ballot are: For ist Vice- President — John Paluck, Dick Shovar; For 2nd Vice-Presi- dent — Lyle Kristiansen, Klaus Offermann; For 3rd Vice-Pre- sident — Maurice Eggie, Harold Leslie; For Financial Secretary — Don Davidson, Jim Wuori. Nowlin was also elected the Local’s Regional Executive Board Member. Another resolution winning wide support from the meeting was one calling for the Kootenays to secede from British Columbia and join Sas- katchewan. While the resolu- tion appears facetious on the surface, the delegates backed the motion to show their dis- pleasure with the Social Credit government. The resolution listed a number of measures instituted by the Socreds that have severely hurt the people in the Kootenays and that have in their words “‘relegated them to second class citizen status.”’ The conference once again indicated its complete support for the New Democratic Party by voting to renew its affilia- tion to the Party on the basis of 51% of the membership of Local 1-405. - The federal government’s proposed new gun control law was bitterly criticized by dele- gates. They argued that the proposed law was badly de- signed and unworkable and the government should either scrap it altogether or devise a practical plan acceptable to everybody. The delegates were also critical of the lack of progress shown by the Industrial Demo- cracy Committee set up by the Regional Council. They indi- cated in no uncertain terms that they wanted a progress re- port plus the names of the members on the Committee no later than one month prior to the Regional Convention. Guest speakers were In- ternational 2nd Vice-President Fernie Viala, Regional Presi- dent Jack Munro and Local 1- 423 President Bill Schumaker. Both Viala and Munro con- centrated on reporting what was happening to the IWA members on strike at the Weyerhauser operations in the Southern United States. Because of Regional Council No. 1’s pledge of all out support for the strikers, the reports created-keen interest. Bill schumaker had the happy duty of presenting Art Damstram, the former Finan- cial Secretary of Local 1-405, with the present of a shot gun from the members of Local 1- 432, Kelowna. Art and his wife Nina, were also the guests of honour at the Banquet and dance sponsored by the Local on the Saturday evening, where the Local pre- sented them with a sliver tea set and a cheque for a $1,000. The Officers’ Report. in- dicated that the Local Union had gone through a frustrating year, due to the length of nego- tiations, large lay-offs, problems with the employers, and lack of finances. The Report did note with considerable pride that there have not been any fatalities in the Local in the past three years in the organized opera- tions. The Report also paid tribute to Art Damstrom’s many years of dedicated service to the Local Union and the entire or- ganization. Art was _ highly active in the field of safety during his years in office and provided invaluable assistance to new and older members by the manner in which he fought for safer working conditions on the job. JUNE-JULY, 1976 BOYCOTT SEAGRAMS The Canadian Labour Congress has called for a nation- wide boycott of Seagram’s and Son’s products, one of the largest distillers in the world. CLC president Joe Morris, in announcing this decision of the executive council, charged that the company has re- fused to put an end to an illegal lockout of its Vancouver em- ployees and resume operations, despite an order to do so by the B.C. Labour Relations Board and the province’s Supreme court. CANADA'S JOBLESS RATE HIGHEST IN 15 YEARS | The national unemployment rate jumped to 7.4 per cent in April, the highest unemploy- ment rate to face Canada in 15 years. In actual numbers, 769,000 people were jobless in April, 10,000 more than in the previous month. The sharp jump in the sea- sonally adjusted unemploy- ment rate was due less to the absolute increase in the number of jobless than to the fact that jobs which normally become available in April failed to materialize this year. The increase in unemploy- ment was centred in workers age 25 and up, a category which is usually more _in- “sulated against unemploy- ment. For men in this group, the unemployment rate rose to 4.4 per cent, compared to 3.8 © per cent in March. For women the rate increased to 7.1 per cent from 6.1 per cent. The unemployment rate for those under 25 years also in- creased, but this is considered just a prelude to the next few months when more than half a million students will enter the labour force seeking summer employment. By province, only Manitoba and New Brunswick had lower unemployment in April, while unemployment increased in all other provinces. : The release of the ‘April un- employment estimates led to an attack on the government’s economic policies in the House of Commons. The PC’s argued that unem- ployment insurance and gov- ernment spending should be tightened and money given to business to stimulate job crea- tion. The NDP called for more unemployment insurance and social assistance payments to directly stimulate consumer demand, leading to the crea- tion of new jobs. The government refused to respond to Opposition charges of bungling the economy. ‘“‘A more sensitive analysis of the economic situation, both as to the unemployment rate and in- flation, should be reserved for the Budget statement’? was Finance Minister Donald Mac- donald’s. reply to the opposi- tion. IN PRINCE ALBERT, SASK. LOCAL 1-184 MEET DONATES $300 TO U.S. STRIKE Over three hundred dollars was donated to the Southern U.S. Weyerhaeuser strikers by the seventy delegates attend- ing the 17th Annual Delegated Meeting of Local 1-184 IWA, May 15, in Prince Albert, Sask- atchewan. The money was contributed after the delegates heard George Mizell, a rank-and-file member of Region 5, describe how this corporate giant was attempting at all cost to keep its employees at the bottom of the economic ladder. Mizell and another rank-and- file member of Region 5, Wallace Ford, were brought into Regional Council No. 1, to inform members at first hand on the strike. NEW CERTIFICATION Certification for Canvas Industries Ltd. was received from the Alberta Board of Industrial Relations on April 28, 1976. The company is a manufacturer of leisure trailers located in Edmonton, and employed 21 employees at time of apply- ing for certification. FOOD PRICES MONITORED An experimental program of monitoring food prices and publishing the results in news- papers has successfully re- duced prices at food stores in the Regina and Saskatoon areas, according to Saskat- chewan Consumer Affairs Minister Ned Shillington. From November to March the government monitored food prices in these areas and published comparative results showing consumers the price spread between various stores. The overall result was that food prices in Saskatoon de- clined 2.1 per cent over the period of the test, while Regina registered a 3.65 per cent de- cline. During this period, food prices declined nationally by only 1.8 per cent. During the one-day meet, the delegates considered a number of resolutions, approved a number of reports, elected delegates to the various forth- coming conventions and con- ferences and heard from guest speakers. Highlighting the resolutions were motions to: e Bitterly oppose Bill C-73. e Urge the membership to fight the new proposed gun control regulations. © Demand the reinstate- ment of the death penalty for persons convicted of premedi- tated murder. e Press for legislation which would permit employees to refuse to cross legitimate picket lines. © Demand legislation which would force all employees in the bargaining unit to become members of the Union. Delegates to the conventions and conferences are as follows: Elected to attend the Re- gional Convention were: Bud Massey, Ted Becker, Florence Edwards, Ray Ricard, Bob Cross, Bob Carter - First Alternate, Al Edwards - Second Alternate. Elected to attend the Saskat- chewan Federation of Labour Convention: Bud Massey, Ted Becker, Bob Carter, Florence Ed- wards, Carol Blair, Norma Holmes, Bob Cross, Ray Ricard - First Alternate, Al Edwards - Second Alternate, Don Middlemiss - Third Al- ternate, Jim Kitely - Fourth Alternate. : Elected to attend the Regional Safety Conference were: Florence Edwards, Ruth Primeau, Bob Cross - Alter- nate. : Elected to attend the NDP Convention were: : Bud Massey, Harold Doig, Bob Carter, John Craig, Bob Cross, Neil Menard, Al Ed- wards, Ted Becker, Vernon Schnell, Walter Bueckert, Don Erhardt, Carol Blair - First Al- ternate, Robert Field - Second Alternate, Ethel Hood - Third Alternate, Brian Campbell - Fourth Alternate, Ray Ricard - Fifth Alternate. Guest speakers included Regional 2nd Vice-President Stan Parker, who reported on the negotiations presently underway in the Local Union, Bill Benson, the President of Local 1-324, Manitoba, who brought fraternal greetings; Pat Gallagher, Assistant Sec- retary of the Saskatchewan — Federation of Labour, who gave a detailed report on the Federation’s activities; and John Welden, Vice-President of the Prince Albert Labour Council, who reported on the Council’s activities. The rheeting approved reso- lutions to raise the President’s salary to $410.00 per week, the Financial Secretary to $400.00 per week and Business Agents to $390.00 per week, and to increase the out of town per diam from $15.00 to $17.00. The reports dealt with in- cluded the Safety Report sub- mitted by William Murewich, Safety Director, which showed - there had been two fatal ac- cidents during the year. The Safety Director was very critical of the Simpson Timber Company in the Report. He stated that the place was one hell of a mess with unguarded chains, catwalks badly bent and broken floors which have been in that condition for the past three years. The other reports dealt with the International and Regional Conventions and organizing in the Local, which because of the poor economic climate in the industry, had been very slow. Following the meeting, the Local sponsored its annual Banquet and dance where a good time was had by all.