THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER Vol. XXXVI, No. 3 AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH. VANCOUVER, B.C. "MESSAGE" By JACK MOORE Regional President 1 files strike in the Southern Interior of British Co- lumbia is over after seven and one-half months of solidarity and determination by the IWA mem- bers which won admiration from the whole Ca- nadian labour movement. The strike will go down in the record books as the most militant industry- wide strike in the history of the IWA. The main reason for the struggle was the de- termination on the part of the workers to attain first class citizenship in this province and the equally adamant position of the employers that woodwork- ers in the Interior of this province should forever be relegated to lower wages and lower living stan- dards than their coastal counterparts. Although at this time it is impossible to know how the settlement will relate to wage parity, the fringe benefits in almost every instance were raised to the same level as coast fringes. The most significant aspect of this struggle, however, was that for the first time the Interior woodworkers graphically showed their employers that they will not tolerate second-class citizenship. The Weldwood Quesnel settlement, the Celgar settlement and now the Southern Interior settle- ment have guaranteed that the day of the under- paid lower living standard Interior woodworkers has come to an end. PRINCE GEORGE LOCAL RAISES INITIATION FEE 5c PER COPY eS>* - FOR INTERIOR WOODWORKERS STRIKE ENDS IN VICTORY The settlement of the seven-month-old Interior strike must be considered a signal victory for the 4,000 woodworkers who fought against almost impossible odds to close the wage gap between themselves and Coastal woodworkers. The 72 cents an hour in- crease won by the strikers over 26 months is the largest wage increase ever negotiated by the Union and brings their base rate up from $2.26 per hour to $2.98 an hour. The strikers in winning this settlement also exploded for- ever the myth that Interior woodworkers are second class citizens. : Their long. battle, which won the admiration of the en- tire labour movement, also gained for them additional benefits through the immedi- ate installation of the amend- ed plywood job evaluation manual which will result in numerous upward category rate revisions for male and female workers in the ply-_ wood section of the industry. Other provisions of settle- ment include: The elimination of the 13- cent hourly rate differential between male and female workers in the plywood in- dustry effective July 1, 1968, which will not only enhance the financial position of fe- male workers but will also bring an end to discrimina- tory category rates in the plywood plants. Companies with certified logging operations will meet with the Local Unions con- cerned within six months of the signing of the Agreement to discuss logging rates which will undoubtedly result in ad- ditional monetary gains for some loggers. The installation of a saw- mill job evaluation pro- gramme for sawmills will also likely result in monetary gains for sawmill workers. WORKER 1st Issue May, 1968 Major contract improve- ments in line with the Coast won by the strikers cover: © Shift differential. e Health and Welfare bene- fits. e Vacation and statutory holidays. © Firefighter agreement. ° First-aid attendants’ rates. © Technological change pro- vision. © Apprenticeship training programmes. An agreement was also worked out on travel time which, while still behind the Coast, now gives loggers See “Victory”—Page 2 COAST STRIKE VOTE The eight [TWA Coast Local Unions are now preparing to take a strike vote following government Conciliation Officer John Sherlock’s recommendation that no Con- ciliation Board be appointed. Regional President Jack Moore, spokesman for the » Union’s Negotiating Committee, reports that balloting will get underway May 21, and the tabulation of the | vote will be conducted June 1. The question to appear on the referendum ballot reads; “Failing a satisfactory settlement, do you authorize the Negotiating Committee to call a strike?” Following the vote count, Moore stated, the Union will be prepared to enter into direct negotiations with the employers’ representatives to explore all avenues of amicable settlement in the current dispute. 1-417 MEETING CALLS FOR STRIKE ASSESSMENT INCREASE = ~~ 2a eae ye =e ie Eau A resolution to increase the Loeal’s initiation fee from $10 to $25 was approved by the more than 150 delegates at- tending the Annual Delegated Meeting of Local 1-424 April 27-28, in the Simon Fraser Hotel, Prince George. During the two-day meet, the delegates dealt with 18 other resolutions, approved a 19-page Officers’ Report, Trustees’ Report, Financial Report, and heard from five guest speakers. The guest speakers were Regional President Jack Moore; International 2nd Vice - President Keith John- son; CLC Director of Educa- tion Dan Radford; Assistant Director of Organization Clayton Walls, and Oliver McMillan, International As- sistant Director of Education. Regional President Jack Moore reported on the South- ern Interior strike and on Coast negotiations. He stated that the Interior operators were whistling Dixie if they believed the Interior strikers were ready to cave in, See “Local 1-424”—Page 7 FOR A JOB WELL DONE. Local 1-417 President Bob Schlosser presenting Mrs. McInnes, former Kamloops & District Labour Council secretary, with a silver tea set for her selfless devotion to labour’s cause in the Southern Interior. The presentation was made during the Local’s Annual Meeting April 27, in Kamloops. Delegates to the Annual Meeting of Local 1-417 IWA, held in Kamloops, April 27, approved a resolution calling for an increase in the strike fund assessment from one dollar to five dollars per month. The seventy delegates dur- ing the one-day meet also dealt with twenty-two other resolutions, approved the Of. ficers’ Report, elected dele- gates to attend various con- ventions, and heard from two guest speakers. The guest speakers were International Secretary- Treasurer Bill Botkin and Ray McInnes, Secretary of the Kamloops & District La- bour Council. Botkin, in a short address, explained the financial struc- ture of the IWA and how the members’ money was spent. He then paid high tribute to the job Keith Johnson, the new International 2nd Vice- President, was doing. He stated that the Canadian IWA members should be proud of Keith for the contribution he was making to the organiza- tion. See “Local 1-417’—Page 3