tempt to resolve the dispute without government interven- tion. Farmers Erectors A major breakthrough was achieved by Local 1-324, IWA, Manitoba, in the signing of a new two-year agreement with the Farmers Erectors Ltd. at The Pas, which provided an across - the - board wage in- crease of $1.02 an hour. The contract, which runs from the 20th of March 1970 to the 19th of March, 1972, contains the provision long sought by the IWA in British Columbia that it is not a vio- lation of the contract for the crew to respect picket lines es- tablished by bona fide trade unions. The Regional Council, aided by Local business agent Art Friske and plant chairman W. J. Benson, achieved a number of other significant gains in the agreement. Included in these were: —WNine statutory holidays. —four weeks’ holiday after ten years of service at 8% of total earnings. —Health and Welfare cov- erage in the IWA plan with the Company paying on behalf of each employee eight cents per hour. The Company also agreed to pay an additional four cents per hour on behalf of each employee into the Manitoba Medical Plan. —Loss of pay for jury duty will be paid by the Company. —Free gloves will be pro- vided at the start for Green Chain, Dry Chain employees, lumber pilers, and welders. From then on free gloves will be provided once a month with the exception of welders who will receive them once every three months. —50% of the cost of safety toed boots will be paid by the Company the first year, and 25% of the cost each year thereafter. —Overtime in excess of eight hours will be paid at time and one-half; double time rates will be paid after twelve. hours. —All hours worked on Sun- day by production workers will be paid at double time rate. —An employee working in excess of two hours overtime in his shift will be provided with a meal or in lieu of a meal receive $1.75. —Swing shift receives ten cents an hour and the grave- yard shift fiffeen cents an hour. —Other provisions of the agreement covering job secur- ity, seniority, job posting, be- reavement leave, grievance procedure, and leave of ab- sence, are the same as those contained in the IWA Coast Master Agreement. A base rate of $2.94 was established. In March of 1971 the base rate will be $3.37. Political Education The most significant politi- eal development since our last convention was the resound- ing victory that the British Columbia ] a b o ur movement won over Bill 33. That piece of iniquitous leg- islation that threatened to de- prive us of the right to bargain eg AapAAVE me &- THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER collectively and to impose con- trols upon us which are not imposed upon any other seg- ment of society, is now greatly weakened. But in weakening it we did not just move against a par- ticularly unjust piece of legis- lation. Much more important, we demonstrated to ourselves what the labour movement can do politically when it musters its full unity and determina- tion. (The same thing in a less dramatic way is happening on the Federal scene, where the Canadian ]abour movement has successfully resisted a gov- ernment-sponsored move to limit total percentage increas- es to 6%.) What we must now ask our- selves is, “Suppose we turn this same unity and determin- ation to the problems of pollu- tion, unemployment, housing, taxation, and so on?” “Suppose we marshal our- selves in a similar way behind the many disadvantaged groups in our society; the poor, the elderly, the Native Indian, and so on?” Your Officers believe that there is a new and heightened political consciousness in the labour movement. We believe that the leadership will have ° to provide new initiatives and new programs to answer the need that that new conscious- ness creates. P The delegates will be con- sidering a resolution that calls for the setting up of pollution control committees in each operation. We believe that is an important example of the kind of thing that the la- bour movement will be doing. A man’s right to clean air and water (and more to the point, our children’s right to clean air and water and to life itself) is, after all, a crucial matter, and the trade union movement must assert itself on it. Your Officers believe that the IWA has a particular re- sponsibility in the area of housing. We believe that the Federal Government’s prac- tice of using the housing in- dustry as a device for the im- plementation of its question- able economic policies must end. Your Officers believe that the trade union movement as a whole must assume a much more active role on behalf of our unemployed. Last year, the Prime Minister announced blithely that he would tolerate a 6% unemployment rate. We believe that this movement cannot tolerate a Prime Min- ister that can tolerate 6% un- employment. These are a few examples of the many areas in which your SEPTEMBER, 1970 MEMBERS OF THE IWA LADIES’ AUXILIARIES take time out from their busy schedule at the Convention to pose for their picture. Officers believe the labour movement is becoming more active, and must become much more active. The IWA must and will con- tinue to play a leading role in that new and heightened ac- tivity. : Research and Education The Department of Re- search and Education has had a particularly busy year. Its major task was, together with Bro. Oliver McMillan of the International Dep@rtment of Research and Education, the preparation of the economic reports for the three Wages, and Contract Conferences and for the Nemetz Industrial In- quiry Commission. The Department assisted Locals 1-71, 1-85, 1-357 and 1-424 in staging seminars. A new subject for these semi- nars (Collective Bargaining in the Forest Industry) is being developed jointly by the Re- . gional and International De- partments of Research and Education. The Department is especial- ly grateful to Locals 1-85 and 1-357 for agreeing to partici- pate in the experimental phase of this course. The course is now more fully developed and the Department hopes that other Locals will consider sponsoring it. The Department is also working with Dr. Robin Har- gar, President of SPEC and an ecologist, on the possibility of presenting seminars on pol- lution control. The Department visited a number of schools with films Cooper Tool and Die Co. Ltd. 1750 East Kent Vancouver 15, B.C. Phone: 327-4629 @ EXPERT CHAIN SAW BAR REPAIR SERVICE @ FLAME HARDENING © STELLITE ENDS @ GENERAL REPAIRS FAST SERVICE — SATURDAYS INCLUDED and other material. We believe that these are inexpensive but valuable public relations de- vices, and hope that Local Unions will sponsor more of them. The Department provided the usual assistance in the pre- paration of press releases and bulletins. Brother Pat Kerr assisted the Department great- ly in that connection. Ladies’ Auxiliary The Regional Officers again- wish to record appreciation for the services rendered by the members of the’ Ladies Auxiliaries. We have noted with satisfaction their contin-, ved efforts to play their im- portant role in our organiza- tion. Our organization will never be completely successful until there is an extension of the function of the Ladies Auxil- iary to a point where there is a better understanding and co- ordination between the mem- bership working in the indus- try and their wives, especially since the advent of political action has become an import- ant factor in our affairs. A Most Important Document We hope that in the future the annual meeting of the La- dies Auxiliary will expand its functions to promote to an even greater extent the estab- lishing of auxiliaries and fur- ther than that, that an effort be made to make the trip to the Annual Regional Conven- tion a more enjoyable one. Conclusion We urge the delegates to this Convention to devote their efforts in this Conven- tion to full consideration of the membership’s problems. We hope the deliberations will bring about an even more effective organization to co- ordinate the efforts of all Lo- cal Unions in the Regional Council. Respectfully submitted by - the Regional Officers. J. A. MOORE, President J. MacKENZIE, 1st Vice-President T. WYMAN TRINEER, 2nd Vice-President J. J. MUNRO, 3rd Vice-President FRED FIEBER, Secretary-Treasurer YOUR WILL is your only way fo: Appoint executor(s) for your estate; Appoint guardian(s) for infant Children; Distribute your life accumulated assets according td your desires. FOR ASSISTANCE SEE YOUR TRUST OFFICER AT: CO-OPERATIVE TRUST 16 East Broadway COMPANY OF CANADA Telephone 872-7; Van Owned and Controlled by Credit Unions and Co-operative so De dS S$ In Western Canada + x a2