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BIG GAINS FORECAST

Many ‘B.C. trade unions

ready 1957 wage demands

By JACK PHILLIPS

Organized labor will make record wage demands in
1957 and will score record gains, according to all avail-

able reports.

The tally for 1956 proves that it was a year of
“general prosperity’’ and economic expansion. We can

expect the upward curve to
continue in 1957. This, and
the new feeling of strength
labor gained from last year’s
historic merger in the Cana-
dian Labor Congress, combine
to explain the big wage de-
mands set. by many unions in
the province. -

Looking back on 1956, a
good number of unions, par-
ticularly those which signed
for two years with only a
nominal increase for 1957, feel
that they have fallen behind
in the race to keep up with
soaring prices and profits.

The total value of all goods
and services produced last
year reached a peak of $29%
billion, up 11 percent over
1955. Allowing from 3 to 4
percent for inflated prices, the
gain in output was about tf
percent.

Industrial production. in-
creased by 7.5 percent over
1955, which in turn was 8.7
percent more than 1954,

The steady increase in labor
productivity is indicated by the
fact that production today is
two-thirds greater than 10
years ago. According to the
federal department of labor,

the increase in employment in
1956 was shared by almost all
non - agricultural industries,
with construction showing the
largest relative gain,

Profits. and dividends have
soared since 1949. Corporation
profits after tax reached the
record total of $1,399 million
in the first nine months of
1956, up 29 percent over the
same period for 1955. Divi-
dend payments rose to $703.3
million, up 12 percent over
1955.

~The trend towards increas-
ing labor productivity and
plowing more and more of the
profits into depreciation and
reinvestment, instead of pay-
ing high interest on the money
market, for expansion, is in-
creasing.

Organized labor, represent-
ing the basic producers of
wealth, is reacting vigorously
to this situation, particularly
in British Columbia with its
long tradition of miiitant trade
unionism.

The following table of wage
increases, prepared by the
Trade Union Research Bureau
of Vancouver, should indicate
the growing effectiveness of
the wage movement:

PORTION EFFECTIVE IN 1956 ONLY

Jan. 1-July.1

15 cents and over
10-14.9 cents
5-9.9 cents

Under 5 cents

“Average 1956 Instalment

July 1-Nov. 30

10 20

26 23.

36 30

16 4
8.4 cents

10.9 cents

PERCENTAGE INCREASES:

5 percent and over

3-4.9 percent

Under 3 percent
Average 1956 Instalment

Jan. 1-July 1 July 1-Nov. 30
16>, 4 “

14 Bs
3 OL,
. 4.3 percent 6.1 percent

(This table is based on official government reports, union
agreements and press reports.) ;

According to the Dec., 1956
issue of the Labor Gazette
published by the federal de-
partment of labor, wage in-
creases of 10.cents an hour. or
more, for all Canada, in the
year ending September. 30,
1956, increased four and a half
times. ‘The percentage of em-
ployers compelled to grant, in-
creases of 15 cents or more in-
creased six times. Only. one

third of the employers com-
pelled to grant wage increases
were able to hold the lid down
to five cents or less.

The labor scene in B.C. is
highlighted by wage demands
that would have seemed ex-
treme two years ago but which
now reflect the need to bring
wages up to increased living
costs, :

CONSTRUCTION

Laborers: 5,000. - laborers,
members of four locale of the
International Hod Carriers and
Common Laborers, will press

for wage boosts ranging from
43 to 87 cents an hour. Their
present basic rates run from
$1.41 to $1.68 per hr. The Hod
Carriers are also demanding
that the 32 members of the
Heavy Construction <Associa-
tion pay double time for all
overtime, and institute a health
and welfare plan.

Painters: 1,100 Vancouver
painters, members of Painters
Local 138, are seeking a basic
increase of 42 cents an hour,
to bring their basic rate to
$2.61, plus additional boosts
for spray painters and men
engaged in hazardous work.

Carpenters: 7,500 B.C. car-
penters, members of the Unit-
ed Brotherhood of Carpenters
and Joiners, will demand an
increase of 75 cents an hour
for carpenters in the greater
Vancouver area and. 72 cents
for those in the outlying areas,
to bring all rates up to $3 an
hour. Union officials have
indicated their membership
might be prepared to take part
of their wage boost in the
form of a prepaid health and
welfare plan.

Operating Engineers: They
are already in negotiations
with the Heavy Construction
Association, with no stated de-
mand, but all indications point
to a substantial increase for
this key group. :

The gains made in 1956 by
the inside. wiremen in winning
57 cents over two years to a
maximum of $2.99 an hour
next October, and the plumb-
ers.in winning 35 cents over
two years, will have a great
bearing on how far the other
building trades unions will be
prepared to go in order to
boost their wages this year.

WOODWORKERS

Woodworkers: The 7,000
IWA Local 1-217 (loggers’
local) will press’the B.C. con-
vention of their union, which
opens February 22, to adopt
a wage demand of 30 percent.
They also want three weeks’
paid vacation after five years,
overtime pay for Saturday and
Sunday work. and the full
union shop. The 5,000 New
Westminster Local 1-357, in
addition to the 30 percent de-
mand, will press for the 30-

hour week,

Since 1952, the IWA has
gained only 20 cents an hour
in four negotiations, while
many unions have gained as
much in one year.

FEBRUARY 1, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 3

CIVIC EMPLOYEES

Civic Employees: 5,000 Van-
couver civic employees have
filed demands ranging from
35 cents an hour to 20 per-

cent.

In Burnaby, city hall and
outside workers want 24 per-
cent over two years, while the
firemen have settled for 8.5
percent in a one-year agree-
ment. 3 :

In Victoria; Nanaimo, New
Westminster and North Van-
couver, civic employees who
signed for two years in 1956,
with only a nominal increase
this year, are pressing to re-
open their agreements, on the
basis of increased living costs
and the wage gains being won
by workers in private industry.

TEACHERS

Vancouver: 1200 public
school teachers and 800 high
school teachers, members of
the B.C. Teachers’ Federation,
have rejected a school board
offer of salary increases av-
eraging 10 percent. They had
no increase in 1956 and are
demanding 22 percent, plus
half payment of medical in-
surance premiums.

Burnaby: Teachers have
reached agreement with the
school board to’ bring mini-
mum, but not maximum, scales
into line with whatever in-
creased salaries are accepted
by Vancouver teachers.
‘North Vancouver: 250 ele-
mentary and 150 secondary
teachers (BCTF) have turn-
ed down an offer of five per-
cent. Feeling is running high
among these teachers, because
the local trustees offered them
six percent before the recent
municipal elections. North
Vancouver salaries are lower
than those prevailing in near-
by Vancouver and the “federa-
tion is aiming for parity.

In the meantime, the more
than 40 percent wage and
salary earners in the province
who are unorganized are mark-
ing time. There is no doubt
that in most cases their em-
ployers will eventually be
forced to grant some increases
because of the pressure creat-
ed by organized workers, But
obviously such increases would
come much sooner and would
be much larger if they were
organized into the trade union
movement.

A.l in all, the organized
workers of British Columbia
have every reason to be opti-
mistic about the prospects for
improved wages and fringe
benefits in 1957. This year
finds the labor movement
stronger and more united than
ever before, eager to fight for _
its rights and more confident
than ever of its own strength
and public support. :