Interlock is moving into its second year of operation in this province with contracts to _ develop and operate Employee Assistance Programs in five organizations. An Employee Assistance Program is a service for employees and their families who have personal problems that may ‘affect their work. These problems show up in absenteeism, high turn-over, accidents, and behaviour changes. Whatever these personal problems are — emotional stress, marriage or family dif- ficulties, alcohol or drug abuse, legal or financial worries — there is a service in the community that can help. Interlock’s purpose is to get people to the right services and to ensure successful treatment and-follow-up. White Spot Ltd. and the Canadian Food and Associated Services Union is the most developed of the five new pro- grams. This program became operational in February, and since that time more than 30. individuals have received assistance with their problems. The interviews and on-going counselling are com- pletely confidential. In every organization In- terlock works with a joint union/ management commit- tee to write up policy and pro- cedures for the Employee Assistance Program. Then Interlock offers training to supervisors and shop stewards on how to make referrals to the program. At that point Inter- lock provides a diagnostic and referral service to interview the people with problems and ensure that they reach the right treatment service. In- dividual contact and follow-up with the employees and their families is also an important part of Interlock’s role. The other Interlock con- tracts are with the Township of Richmond, which includes two Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Locals and the Firefighters Associa- tion; Medical: Services As- ‘sociation and CUPE Local 1816; the Pacific National Exhibition and CUPE Local 1004; and Douglas College with THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER the Faculty Association and B.C. government Employees Union. Interlock is the only organization in Canada of- fering non-profit services to labour and management. It is governed by the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Society of British Columbia, with initial funding from the Alcohol and Drug Commission of the Pro- vincial Ministry of Health. Its goal -is to become self- supporting and fees for service are based on the number of employees .covered by an Employee Assistance Program. : The Board of Directors is made up of representatives of major trade unions, employer groups, occupational health coordinators, and others in the field. Bob Blanchard, Regional ist vice-president, is one of the directors. For more information, call Interlock, 736-6771 or write to JoAn Lynch, Director, 103 - 1037 West Broadway, Van- couver, B.C. V6H 1E3. UNION GROWTH REPORT PROVING EMBARRASSING TO GOV'T By ROY LABERGE ’ “CPA Correspondent OTTAWA (CPA) —A modest 47-page report, entitled Union Growth and Public Policy in Canada, is proving to be a source of embarrassment to the Trudeau government. It was prepared by a British industrial relations specialist, George Sayers Bain, at the re- quest of the employment rela- tions branch of the federal labour department. It was intended, according to the foreward to the report, to “stimulate discussion about public policy alternatives with respect to the protection of the interests of unorganized Canadian workers.” And it surely should stimulate discussion, for its main conclusion is that the interests of unorganized workers are best protected by public policies promoting union organization. No wonder it contains this disclaimer: ‘‘The opinions expressed in this book do not necessarily reflect the views or the policies of the Canada de- partment of labour.”’ Bain fingers employer op- ition is possibly the greatest rriers to union organization § in Canada. This, he says, explains why level ofindustrial conflict in inada (and in the U.S.) has istently been among the ighest in the world. ie adds: ‘‘The fact that ons in Canada ‘perceive elves as being under initiatives to improve in- dustrial relations.” He said unions would respond more positively if they were given “‘legitimacy”’ and . “{nstitutional security.” And he recommends these changes in public policy to bring this about: e Include in labour codes a statement of the value of trade unionism and collective bar- gaining and “‘the desirability of encouraging the growth of these institutions by means of public policy.” e Amend labour codes so that they cover all employees without any exceptions what- ever. e Give unions. greater access to employees and make it easier for them to com- municate with them. e Change the procedures for representational votes so that unions can win them more easily. e Make the agency shop automatic when a union wins certification. e Design bargaining units in such a way that the unions will have a better chance of organizing them. e Certify a union that is “most representative” of the employees in a bargaining unit regardless of whether it repre- sents a majority of them. e Provide newly certified unions with access to com- pulsory arbitration for up to five years if they have not been able to reach a first collective agreement with their em- ployer. e Ensure that decision of Jabour relations boards are not subject to judicial review, “‘or at least that they be imple- mented and enforced pending the outcome of a review.” Bain says the implementa- tion of those measures would not only benefit workers but would be ‘‘more generally” beneficial. Unions would respond positively to them, and in turn, would respond more positively to both government and em- ployer because they would feel they had been’ granted “greater legitimacy and insti- tutional security.” Bains is not optimistic about the growth of unions in Canada under present policies. Not more than four out of ten employees now are union- members, he observes. Most of the union growth that occurred since the mid-1960s is’ ac- counted for ‘“‘by the meta- morphisis of government em- ployee associations into col- lective bargaining agents.” As for the future, he notes: “Employment is expanding much more rapidly in the poorly organized sectors of the economy than in the well organized sectors.” As a result, union member- ship, in relation to the total work force, is likely to decline “unless there is a significant advance in organizing the un- organized.” Bain, who is director of in- dustrial relations research at the University of Warwick in Coventry, England, described the Canadian industrial rela- tions scene as he saw it — a much more realistic view than that held by many naive Canadian academics. His recommendations are unlikely to be pleasing to the Trudeau government, which imposed wage controls on all unions and now is aiming at strangling public service bargaining through its average comparabiility of total com- pensation formula, TOP PHOTO shows L. “Choker” Belanger topping and limbing ninety-foot maple tree. Bottom shows other members of Local 1-| 367 who helped to bring down tree. Group left, Belanger, Dell , Riggins, Ed Riggins and Ivan McConachie. \ By ELEANOR GORDON Editor, Local 1-367 / The special skills of four loggers from IWA Local, 1-367 were called upon over the holiday season to help a needy family. A ninety-foot maple tree in the backyard of a Fort Langley home had been dead for some ‘time and posed a severe Safety hazard. The cost of removal was prohibitive for the family whose wage earner was handicapped. The IWA was called on for assistance. L. “Choker” Belanger, Ivan Mc- Conachie and Dell and Ed Riggins, all of Mission, B.C. answered the call and volun- teered their time and skills to top, limb and fell the tree situated dangerously close to the house. “Choker” Belanger came equipped with the tools of his trade — spurs, safety belt, hard hat, several-sized chain saws and the keen eye and sharp judgement needed to guage the fall of limbs and branches so as not to damage the house, fence or patio fix- . tures. Block and tackle eased down the limbs closest to the house. Photos by Eleanor Gordon \ i ys Ree Ca ae aes ; brit peyye Pv ty yd the resounding Others fell freely hitting ground with crashes, narrowly missing the fence, the wooden arbor and even the plaster frog guarding the empty cement goldfish pond. The commotion, the noise and the flying woodchips became intolerable for the two white pidgeons who made a hasty retreat from their perch under the gable. The trunk having been pieced down to the last forty feet was felled after a loud, . cracking retort warned of dry wood and the danger of split- ting. The largest chain saws were sharpened and then revved up for sawing the trunk into firewood lengths. The tree took an hour and a half to section down. The hard work in the bitterly cold weather was eased by refresh- ments suited for the occasion. With that part of the job requiring a high level of exper- tise now completed by Haney Local 1-367, the chopping, deep appreciation for the to them.