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THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

A CASE WON

The Honorable Justice
John D. Kerney, Umpire of
the Unemployment Insurance
Commission has rendered a
favorable decision concerning
the appeal by Local 1-85, Port
Alberni in respect to a dis-
puted claim for unemploy-
ment insurance benefit cover-
ing the disqualification of 92
employees of the Gold River
ga of the Tahsis Co.

td.

WALTER ALLEN

W. F. Allen, Local Presi-
dent, reports that 92 employ-
ees at Gold River filed claims
for Unemployment Insurance

Benefits in December, 1964.
The decision of the Claims
Officer based on the report
of the ‘Reason for Separation’
submitted by the Company
resulted in the claims being
denied. Officers of the Port
Alberni Local appealed the
decision of the Claims Officer
to the Board of Referees and
the Hearing was held in Vic-
toria in March of 1965. The
Board of Referees, by major-
ity decision, upheld the
Claims Officer.

The Union launched the ap-
peal to the Umpire of the
Unemployment Insurance
Commission in April of 1965
and the Umpire brought
down his decision on July

12th, 1965.

Original disqualification
was based on the fact that
the 92 claimants had received
annual vacation pay subse-
quent to the camp closing
down because of weather. The
company’s Confirmation of
Separation was not clear and
a notice had been posted in
the operation notifying the
employees that there would
be a seasonal shut down.

The Union argued before

the board of Referees and in™

its appeal to the Umpire that
the closure in December,
1964, was not for purposes of
vacation and that employees

OFFICERS of Local 1-85 IWA, Port Alberni, report the construction firm of Danzo &
Franco Limited has been given the contract to build the Local’s new headquarters
(depicted in the architect’s drawing above) at Montrose and 4th Avenue, in Port Alberni.
The firm submitted a bid of $102.000 for the job. Work will start immediately on the
project and the building is expected to be ready for occupancy by the end of the year.

had in fact taken holidays in
July of 1964.

The Honorable Judge
Kerney in his ruling made
the significant statement:
“There is nothing in the Un-

employment Insurance Act to '

say that a claimant cannot
have more than one holiday
per year, nor is it required
by the Act that he take his

holiday pay at the time he
takes his holiday”.

The Port Alberni Local has
been informed by the Unem-
ployment Insurance Commis-

sion in Port Alberni that
cheques are in the mail for all

claimants employed in the
Gold River Division who
were disqualified from receiv-
ing Unemployment Insurance
Benefits by the ruling of the
Claims Officer. All such
claimants who have not yet
received their adjustment
cheques should contact the
Unemployment Insurance
Commission office where they
filed for benefits or the IWA
Office at 103 — 4th Avenue
South, Port Alberni, B.C.

The Officers of the Local
Union accept the original de-

cision of the Claims Officer as
an honest error; the failure of
the chairman of the Board of
Referees and the employer
nominee on the Board to
understand the detailed argu-
ment contained in the presen-
tation to the Board does not
so qualify however. Biased
decisions of this nature cause
hardship and inconvenience
to claimants for benefits
awaiting an appeal to and de-
cision of the Umpire.

- AND WE WORK FOR A LIVING

The Financial Post in a re-
cent report on MacMillan,
Bloedel & Powell River Ltd.,
stated the company’s profits
for the first six months of 1965
were $21.1 million. This was
a slight decrease from the
$21.3 million profit made in
the same period in 1964.

But the Post points out, the
company has embarked on an
expansion programme with
expenditures well in excess of
$150 million for new opera-
tions and modernization of
older plants, which would re-
flect on the profit picture.

To illustrate how well the
company has profited over the

years, the Post stated, “A
$1,000 investment in MacMil-
lan, Bloedel (then H. R. Mac-
Millan Export) in 1947 would
be worth $12,958 today and in-
come from all dividends
would total $4,160 for a total
18-year investment perform-
ance of $17,118.”

HOLDS
HONOUR

It has been brought to our
attention that the story in the
last issue of the Lumber
Worker which stated the
financial secretary of the Dun-
can Local, Ed Linder, had the
longest continuous service in
an elected position, was in
error.

Local 1-357 IWA, New
Westminster, reports that Rae
Eddie, MLA and recording
secretary of the Local holds
this signal honour. Rae was
first elected to office in 1943,
defeated in 1944, elected in
1945, and has been continu-
ously elected ever since.

This gives Rae an edge of
three years over Ed Linder,

who still holds the record for
service as a financial secre-

tary.

NEW 1-80
APPOINTMENT

Port Renfrew camp: com-
mittee chairman Bill Hanna
has been appointed the new
3rd vice president and busi-
ness agent of Local 1-80 IWA,
Duncan.

Bill was employed as a
steel spar hooktender in the.
Renfrew Division of B.C.F.P.
and has been a member of
Local 1-80 since 1958. He was
very active on the grievance
and safety committees and
and was camp committee

chairman there for the past
two years,

The vacancies in the Local
were caused by Del Pratt,
the former 3rd vice-president
and business agent, being ele-
vated to the post of 2nd vice

president of the Regional
Council.

BILL HANNA