x

_'s FEDERATION TO BATILE _
- SEW LABOR LEGISLATION

[i sition

“4

=
SoS

~ .mpaign

ISSN 0049-7371

JANUARY, 1979

a) Se

REGIONAL OFFICERS and International Executive Board Members taking the oath of office

ral i
eR

eee,

from International President Keith Johnson. Group left, Earl Foxcroft, Executive Board Member,
Doug Evans, Executive Board Member; Wyman Trineer, Secretary-Treasurer; Ernle Clarke, 3rd
Vice-President; Bill Schumaker, Executive Board Member; Bob Blanchard, ist Vice-President;
Jack Munro, President; Nell Menard, 2nd Vice-President; Kelth Johnson.

IWA WELCOMES M-B
TAKEOVER REFUSAL

News that shareholders of
MacMillan-Bloedel have re-
fused to agree to the proposed
takeover of their Company by
Canadian Pacific Investments
Ltd., has been welcomed by the
IWA.

Regional President Jack
Munro, in a recent TV inter-
view, warned that such a take-
over would be disastrous for
both the forest industry and the
province.

The people of B.C., he stated,
don’t need a Company like CPI
dominating its largest. indus-
try.

In giving his reasons for the
Union’s objection to the take-
over, he pointed out that CPI
was an investment corporation
whose only interest in ac-
quiring companies was to
make money by manipulating
the shares. :

He also pointed out that CPI
had a rotten corporate image
across Canada. He cited the
arrogant manner in which CPI

‘refused to obey the orders of

the Canadian Transport Com-
mission to keep operating the
E & N Railway on Vancouver
Island and. improve the ser-
vice.

CPI, he suggested, would
have no hesitation in doing the
same thing in the forest indus-
try if its profits were threaten-
ed.

He concluded by saying that
the provincial government
should follow the advice of
NDP Leader Dave Barrett and

’ bring in a permanent and well

defined public policy that
would prevent future losses of
B.C.’s control on its economy.

~ae

rganized labour is
-younting a full scale: battle
against the Socred’s proclama-
ion of Section 11 of the West
<ootenays Schools Disputes

_ et, which restricts the right of

ions in the public sector to

= rike.

Two hundred and fifty

sjionists, representing all -
filiates of the B.C. Federa-_

‘yn of Labour, met January
1, in Vancouver, to map out a

protesting the

sislation.

The campaign calls for the

© deration to spend $100,000

. ar the next six weeks on
_-rertisements, and holding
lies and meetings to inform

: * -- public of the dangers of the

Third Troisitme

class classe
PERMIT No. 2075
VANCOUVER, B.C.

Vancouver, B.C.

THE LUMBER WORKER
2859 Commercial Dr.,

Labour has every right to be
angered by the legislation. The
West Kootenays Schools Dis-
putes Act was introduced des-
pite the Union’s agreeing to re-
turn voluntarily to work, and in
violation of undertakings given
by both the Premier and Minis-

ter of Labour.

Worse, Section 11 of that Act
amended the old (1977) Essen-
tial Services Disputes Act to
include in the latter’s provi-
sions, schools, municipal and
university employees. °

Federation officials state
that these employees cannot
even by the wildest stretch of
the imagination be said to pro-
vide (in the ‘‘emergency”’
sense) essential services.

The suspicion is paramount
that the move was politically
motivated by the hawks in the
Socred cabinet anxious to an-

‘tagonize labour in the hope of

creating an election: issue.

ACT RULED
UNFAIR

The Human Rights Commis-
sion has charged that the new
family allowances discrimin-
ate against married women.

Human Rights Commission-
er Gordon .Fairweather cen-
tred his criticism on a measure
that provides a refundable tax
credit of up to $200 a child, with
the amount of tax credit de-
pending on the family income.

‘A married woman must re-
port both her and her hus-
band’s income. For a single
woman, even if she lives with a
man, only her own income is

reported.

IWA WAGE MEET

The IWA Regional Wages & Contract Conference which
sets the Union’s contract demands for presentation to the
B.C. forest industry, will be held March -8, 9, 10, in the
Sheraton-Landmark Hotel, Vancouver.

Approximately two hundred delegates from the Coast,
Northern and Southern Interior are expected to attend the
three day meet to formulate one overall major set of

demands.

|
|

LUMBER INSPECTORS
TO DISSOLVE LOCAL

ie

After thirty-four years,
eighteen of them in the IWA,
the lumber inspectors local:is
going to dissolve and the mem-
bers are going into other
locals. But after thirty-four
years of history it isn’t going to
happen overnight. The annual
meeting of the local has given
the officers the authorization to
begin a negotiated dissolution
of the local which should be
complete by 1980.

Ron Grant the Financial
Secretary of IWA Local 1-288
says that the dissolution is not
as easy as some may think and
that it will take considerable

negotiations to accomplish it.

“There are a number of
points in our collective agree-
ment which differ from the

- IWA Master Agreement” said

Grant, ‘‘and the protection of
our members jobs must be

“assured before dissolution

takes place.”’

The lumber inspectors em-
ployer has agreed to take over
the payment of benefits for the
lumber inspectors. These
benefits had been adminis-
tered and in some cases paid
for by the local union. In return
for this concession by the em-
ployer the local has agreed to
give the employer a temporary
license stamp. The local union

has held control of the license
stamp since its inception.

The local union membership
also hammered out eighteen
resolutions to go before the Re-
gional Wages and Contract
Conference in March as well as
a number of other important
resolutions. :

Regional 1st Vice President
Bob Blanchard addressed the
meeting and outlined condi-
tions within the IWA in terms
of the Contract talks. He also
outlined what had happened at
the B.C. Federation of Labour
Convention and what the re-
sults of the change in the Fed
administration would mean for
the labour movement as a

whole.

Blanchard pointed out that
the dissolution of the local
union will be a major passing
in the IWA and the B.C. Labour
Movement. ‘‘These members
have a long and colourful his-
tory and have contributed
greatly to the IWA and to all
working people. The local has
always been unique and a
source of pride to the IWA. Ata
time when we all cherish his-
tory a little more it is difficult
for many-to see the local dis-
solved, but at the same time we
all know that it is in the best
interest of the membership of

Local 1-288.”

Wines)”

Ernie Clarke, the incumbent
Regional 3rd _ Vice-President,
has been re-elected in the re-
cent referendum ballot by a
substantial majority.

He defeated his opponent
Nick Chernoff of Local 1-363
Courtenay, by a vote of 14,393

to 5,631.
The office of 3rd Vice-Presi-

dent was the only position con-
tested during the nomination of
officers.

NOTICE

Due to circumstances
beyond its control the Lumber

’ Worker’s Editorial Board was

forced to cancel publication of
the paper’s November and

December issues.
Regular publication resumes
with this issue.