THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH. Vol. XXXVI, No. 4 VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY 2nd Issue February, 1968 COAST LOCALS’ DEMANDS JUSTIFIED BY INDUSTRY’S SOARING PRICES-PROFITS A wage increase of fifty cents an hour in a one-year agreement were two of the 17 contract proposals hammered out by the 125 delegates attending the IWA Coast Wages and Contract Conference February 23-24, in Vancouver. The wage demand was decided upon after consideration of the statistical information provided by Walter Simcich, IWA International research director, which showed that production, shipments, orders on hand, stocks, prices, profits, labour productivity and market pros- pects would easily enable the ee to meet the modest increase sought by the Union. Added to this is the fact that the consumer price index has risen 8.1% since the last Coast negotiations which has wiped out the monetary gains made at that time. Other proposals demanded in the contract “package” included: SHINGLE MILL STAND-BY TIME An amendment to Article VIII, Sections 3 and 4 to provide that all contract workers in the shake and shingle industry be covered by stand-by time and that guaranteed daily earnings be based on hours actually worked. FIRE_FIGHTING RATES OF PAY That the present Fire Fighting Memorandum of Agreement be amended to provide that all of our members engaged in fire fighting be paid the rates of pay as set out in the Fire Fighting Memorandum of Agreement and that the Fire Fighting Memorandum of Agreement become part of the Coast Master Agreement. At present the rates stated in the memorandum: of agreement are not paid during all forest fires requiring the services of logging crews. SAFETY EQUIPMENT An Article providing that the companies supply free of cost all protective clothing and safety equipment. At present workers in the industry are compelled to furnish a wide range of safety equipment at their own expense. It is held that the employers should accept full responsibility for this phase of accident prevention. COOKHOUSE AND BUNKHOUSE EMPLOYEES An amendment to Article V, Section 3, Cookhouse and Bunkhouse Em- ployees to provide for a 5-day work week, Monday to Friday, with overtime rates to apply on all hours worked on Saturday and/or Sunday. In the existing contract cookhouse and bunkhouse employees are outside the regular contract provision for hours of work and overtime. DOUBLE PAY FOR OVERTIME An amendment to Article V, Hours of Work and Article X, Statutory Holi- days, to provide double rate of pay wherever rate and one-half now applies. This demand is designed to spread the available employment by penalizing excessive overtime. PAID STATUTORY HOLIDAYS An amendment to Article X, Statutory Holidays, to provide for an addi- tional statutory holiday with pay in logging camps, namely Boxing Day, and to provide for an additional statutory holiday in the manufacturing plants by including Good Friday and Easter Monday. By the inclusion of Boxing Day, not now listed for loggers, and an additional Easter holiday j in the manufacturing section, the holiday schedule will comply with community holiday observances. SATURDAY STATUTORY HOLIDAY That Article X, Section 4, Statutory Holidays, be amended to provide that when a statutory holiday falls on a Saturday it shall be observed the following Monday. This demand is intended to eliminate the confusion caused during last year because of uncertainty regarding holidays falling on Saturday and not uniformly observed the following Monday. See “DEMANDS JUSTIFIED’ — Page 3 IWA DELEGATES CONDEMN NEW LABOUR LEGISLATION IWA delegates attending the Union’s Wages & Con- tract Conference bitterly con- demned the Social Credit government’s new labour Bill 33 now before the Legisla- ture. The conference charged that the Bill would complete- ly restrict the freedom of col- lective bargaining by substi- tuting indirect government compulsion for democratic bargaining procedures. Regional president Jack Bilin werner igted confer unrestricted He accused the government of bowing to pressure of the big business interests who have worked for years to have this type of legislation en- forced. He singled out as an example MacMillan Bloedel head J. V. Clyne who is on record as favouring compul- sory arbitration. In castigating the restric- tive features of the Bill, Moore pointed out that mem- bers of the proposed media- tion commission will hold of- fice at the pleasure of the cabinet. By edict and threat of punitive action the govern- ment can use the commission to halt any dispute or threat- ened dispute pt stiaseatbe and impose a binding settlement. This, he said, is bound to coming Coast negotiations by allowing the government to assume power in an indirect and disguised fashion to dic- tate the wages and conditions for IWA members. He went on to say the Bill makes a travesty of the prin- SPECIAL CONFERENCE Following a staff meeting of the B.C. Federation of Labour held on Monday, February 26, in the auditorium of the IWA Regional Council office, it was unanimously decided to calla special conference of all un- ions affiliated to the B.C. Fed- eration of Labour for Tues- day, March 5th, at 10:00 am. in the Royal Towers Hotel in New Westminster. All affiliated unions are re- CS ee : nae A a a ae TP ins gh quested to send their full time staff representatives, plus two officers from the Local Union or Labour Council. The purpose of the confer- ence is to discuss the urgent problem of Bill 33, presently before the Legislative Assem- bly in Victoria, and to chart the course to be taken by La- bour to fight financially or otherwise compulsory arbitra- tion in the Province of British Columbia. ciples recommended by Mr. Justice Nemetz and throws open the door to the chaos and conflict which preceded the general adoption on this con- tinent of free collective bar- baining. He concluded by warning that the use of force, whether with bayonets, police dogs or injunctions will not build in- dustrial harmony and no logi- cal person or government can expect the labour movement to submit meekly while its democratic rights are stripped away. The following are excerpts from Bill 33 which has aroused labour’s dismay and anger: 28. (1) There is hereby estublished a commission to See “LABOUR” baa Ta Page 3