REPORT By BEN THOMPSON Ist Vice-President, Local 1-71 An intense organizational effort in the Terrace area was directed by Brother Walter Kozij, 2nd Vice President, Local 1-71, which resulted in the I.W.A. gaining certifica- tion for Sande Lumber Mills Limited last April. This com- pany employs between 70 and 80 men in their sawmill and woods operations. With the assistance of the Celgar Com- mittee and I.W.A. members Walt led and oversaw the night and day campaign of individually contacting the men involved, to ensure the required majority. Opposing Brother Kozij and the I.W.A. from the start of this cam- DELL WELDER Robert Schlosser has been elected the new President of Local 1-417 IWA, and Dell Welder, the Financial Secre- tary, in the recent referen- dum ballot conducted in the Local. Other officers elected are as follows: 1st Vice-President, John Kelly; 2nd Vice-President, Dave Pease; 3rd Vice-Presi- dent, Ted MacDonald; Re- cording Secretary, Larry Jen- the Advancement of Coloured People adopted a resolution urging its members to boycott all Crown-Zellerbach ies because of alleged discrimina- tion at the firm’s Bogalusa, La., plant. The federal Unemployment Insurance Fund was about $22 million In the black at the end of April, bringing a sigh of relief from Minister of Labor Allen MacEachen jas a earlier, had fore- t of around a mil- meg a The deficit at the end of April 1964 was over The improved position of is of course due to The National Association for near future. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER TERRACE paign was a company-type union in the area, plus the Christian Labour Association (nicknamed the “Clacks”) . Meetings followed between the Company, their lawyers and the Local Union in Ter- race and Vancouver. A final meeting with the Company in Terrace on June 22nd, at- tended by Brothers W. Kozij and EF. L. Freer, saw all points in dispute cleared up and the Coast Master Agreement signed. The Plant Chairman, Cecil Agnew, and Secretary, Finlay Ferguson, were elected in April by the membership at a well-attended meeting of this new Sub-Local. The signing of the Agreement was re- BOB SCHLOSSER 1-417 ELECTIONS sen; Warden, vacancy to be filled by appointment; Con- ductor, Bill Hobbs; 6-Year Trustee, Jack Stotz; 4-Year Trustee, Frank Wilson; 2- Year Trustee, Don Schon- wald. The officers report that the resolution calling for the Lo- cal office to be moved from Salmon Arm to Kamloops, was defeated in the referen- dum vote. N.A.A.C.P. BOYCOTT C-Z The company was accused of failing to employ. any Negro women, and of showing “massive indifference to the segregated conditions in its plant and to the atmosphere of terror that dominates the community.” [eo U.I.C. FUND IN BLACK had been substantially in the red for an extensive period and had borrowed from the federal treasury to meet its obligations, The deficit position was the subject of review by a special committee three years ago. The committee recommended important changes. The im- proved position of the fund probably means that no changes will be made in the PLANT CHAIRMAN CECIL AGNEW ported to the June member- ship meeting where the Local Officers were also able to give a brief outline of the history of the I.W.A. in the labour 2ND VICE-PRESIDENT WALTER KOZIJ movement, some of the bene- fits contained in the I.W.A. Agreement and provide an- swers to some specific en- quires on seniority, job train- PLANT SECRETARY FINDLAY FERGUSON ing etc., affecting this Sub- Local, Announced plans for educational classes in the Ter- race area received the voiced approval of the membership. OVERTIME PROBLEM SERIOUS HE nasty fight at the Shell Oil Refinery has brought to light the extremely serious problem of employers at- tempting to force employees to work overtime. Trade Unionists have been of the opinion that the battle for the 40 hour work week was won long ago, but it now seems that employers seem to think that if overtime is necessary the 40 hour work week does not exist and that they have the right to insist on employees working addi- tional hours. We are now running into- this problem head long in the eee ovleing industry. It has always been the policy in the IWA. that when in negotia- tions all unnecessary ove r- time be curtailed and by un- necessary overtime we mean that normal production should be maintained but not increased. In one of our operations, Pacific Coast Pipe Limited, our Vancouver Local Union has been in negotiations and the customary letter was sent to the membership there sug- gesting that no production overtime should take place until negotiations were con- cluded. The company, with business roaring as never before, put all sorts of pressure on its employees in an all out effort to get them to work an eight- hour overtime shift every Sat- urday for a two-month peri- od. An overtime permit was obtained from the Labour Re- lations Board over the protest of the Local Union. IWA members in the operation, about 65 in number, have resolutely refused to work overtime. The company laid charges against the Local Union be- fore the Labour Relations Board and on Tuesday, June 22, 1965, the whole day was spent in hearing the case. As was to be expected, the Board issued the following order: By SYD THOMPSON President; Local 1-217 “Pursuant to Section 7 of the Labour Relations Act the La- bour Relations Board directs SYD THOMPSON the International Woodwork- ers of America, Local 1-217 and/or any person acting on behalf of the union and/or employee shall cease and de- sist from supporting, encour- aging, condoning or engaging in any activity ‘that is in- tended to or does restrict or limit production or service of Pacific Coast Pipe Limited.” Even before the order was received by the Union and the Company, management was obviously aware that the order was forthcoming and is- sued a letter to all its. em- ployees which included the following paragraph: “The Board of Industrial Relations, by issuing an Over- time Permit, grant the right to the Company to schedule - overtime within the limit of the Permit. All employees are then required to work over- time if requested by the Com- pany subject to the same reasons one might obtain a leave of absence from normal working hours.” The Local Union, upon re- ceipt of this letter immediate- ly informed the company and our members that we disa- greed with the company’s in- terpretation and that all over- time is voluntary and the de- cision whether to work over- time or not must be left en- tirely up to the individual employee. This whole business is an extremely serious matter and must be treated as such, The Labour Movement, including the IWA, fought long and hard to establish the 40 hour work week and we must not allow this to be taken away whatever the circumstances. More and more, now with business booming and a short- age of skilled people, employ- ers are taking the attitude that working overtime is part of the collective agreement and has to be performed when requested. This approach cannot be ac- cepted by the Union and must be resisted in the most vigor- ous fashion possible. All of this should be a warning to IWA maintenance members who have allowed themselves — to get into a position of work- ing far -too much overtime. This sort of development will only add fuel to the fire and play into the employers’ hands. Now that summer is here, our maintenance members would be well advised to spend more time out on the beach or fishing and do a little less overtime work. Now that we know the employers’ in- tentions, we must act accord- ingly. Our members at Pacific Coast Pipe Limited deserve our gratitude for having re- sisted the employers’ pres- sure and this should pave the way for them obtaining the best. settlement ever. This should also be a lesson to our members elsewhere should they find themselves in similar situations. Solidarity on the job is the most effective answer to this attempt to undermine the 40 hour work week.