THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER LOCAL 1-423 IWA All the top officers of Local 1-423 IWA were returned to office when nominated with- out opposition during the elections conducted at the Local’s 22nd Annual Meeting April 1, in Kelowna. Officers automatically elect- ed were: president, Bill Schu- maker; Ist vice-president, Vic Fast: 2nd vice-president, Jack Welder; 3rd _ vice-president, Sonny Alexandre: financial secretary, S. A. “Bill” Muir; »recording secretary, Noel Gooding; conductor, Mike Wishlow; trustee, W. Oner. IWA ANNUAL MEETING The names of F, Colton and J. Spenst will go out on a membership referendum bal- lot for the position of warden. President Bill Schumaker was also elected by acclama- tion to the positions of re- gional executive board mem- ber and Local Union safety director. Approximately ninety mem- bers — the largest turnout in the Local’s history — attend- ed the one-day meeting held in the Kelowna Aquatic. Guest speakers were Interna- tional 2nd vice-president Ron INTERNATIONAL 2nd vice-president Ron Roley, one of the two guest speakers at Local 1-423’s Annual Meeting April 1, in Kelowna, outlined some of the major problems facing the International. He dealt extensively with the importance of one union authority bargaining for the industry from stump to the finished product. He also pointed out the necessity of organizing the unorganized to protect the present union members standard of living. Flanking Roley are Local financial secretary S. A. “Bill” Muir, left, and Noel Gooding, recording secretary. Roley, Regional president Jack Moore and International as- sistant director of organiza- tion J. Clayton Walls. The meeting also elected delegates to attend regional conferences and the Interior Wages and Contract Confer- ence. Regional conference dele- gates elected were: V. Fast, J. Welder, M. Bousfield, S. A. Muir, S. Alexandre. Wages & Contract confer- ence delegates elected were: W. Schumaker, J. Welder, V. Fast, S. Alexandre, N. Good- ing. Alternate delegates elect- ed were: M. Wishlow, J. Spenst, C. Sherman. Recording secretary Noel Gooding was elected to repre- sent the Local Union at the next Federal NDP Conven- tion in Toronto. R. MacLel- lan will represent the Local on the Regional Political Ac- tion Committee. The Officers’ Report, which was considered at length by the meeting, revealed that the Local Union was in a sound financial position and the af- fairs of the Local had been wisely administered. or gg j | REGIONAL PRESIDENT Jack Moore spoke briefly on the forthcoming Interior negotiations and pledged the Region’s all-out support to Interior members in their battle to win parity with coast woodworkers. Moore also conducted the election of Local officers during the meeting. LARGE TURNOUT of members study with approval the financial statement presented by the officers during the Annual Meeting of Local 1-423, which showed that the Local Union was in a sound financial position. The Report, after listing a number of administration problem, stated in part: “It is with great concern that we look at the continued disappearance of the inde- pendent operator. The last year has seen Northwood Mills, a subsidiary of Nor- anda Mining, take over an- other of our operations, name- ly Cooke Lumber Co. Ltd., Greenwood, B.C. Northwood was in discussions with Boun- dary Sawmills Ltd. until the untimely death of the late Gordon McMynn. It is our understanding that discus- sions have since been silent. An announcement of Nor- anda taking over the Boun- dary Sawmills—Grand Forks operations in the not too dis- tant future would neverthe- less not come as a complete surprise. “The Crown - Zellerbach takeover of the S. M. Simpson interests is now starting to show how concerned this Cor- poration is about the destiny and welfare of our members. The “seek, and we will find a way to eliminate a job” sur- vey is still going on in the Kelowna operations. The pos- sibility of the closure of Trautman - Garroway Opera- tion at Peachland looks real- istic. It would be interesting to know why a foreman with twenty-five years of seniority terminated his employment at S.M:S, “Your Officers have contin- uously tried to reopen the Wage Supplements for the long overdue revision of rates. It is very apparent that we will need a greater degree of active Union membership participation before we obtain any significant change in the current wage scales. THEY HAVE THE FULL SUPPORT OF THEIR LOCAL UNION. These officers of Local 1-423 IWA Kelowna, were automatically elected to office when they were nominated without opposition during the Local’s Annual Meeting April 1. They are from left: Vic Fast, Ist vice-president; Jack Welder, 2nd vice-president; S. A. “Bill” Muir, financial secretary; Mike Wishlow, conductor; Bill Schumaker, president; Sonny Alexandre, 3rd vice-president; Noel Gooding, recording secretary. “We would be remiss in our duties if we did not com- ment on the recent Union Management discussions that were held and the offer of 34 cents across the board for an extension of the present Agreement for one year. “Tt is a clear indication of what to expect in the forth- coming Industry negotiations, Your officers are of the opin- ion, that the Operators Assoc- iation is split down the mid- dle. How else can one assess the situation whereby the Chairman of the Industry Ne- gotiation Committee makes an offer only to have it re- voked by those he represents. Lets not make any mistake about the future. To the last Union member we must be prepared to fight for our de- mands and rights. “If we are going to seek parity with the Coast Agree- ment every member of our Union must rally to the cause. We cannot and must not wan- der away in various direc- tions. This luxury we cannot afford. The stakes are high and the determination is growing. Help us unite, our fellow workers and have every trade unionist telling the same story. We will attain parity if this pattern is fol- lowed. “Tt is the intention and de- sire of your Officers to rectify not only the obsolete wages but also to negotiate a re- spectable travel time clause in the new Agreement. To this end we will need the support of all our membership. If we are to obtain a suitable Travel] Time Clause the workers in the manufacturing operations must show their outright sup- port for the Woods workers. See “MEETING”’—Page 9 C 2a 4