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WYMAN TRINEER

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

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JACK MUNRO

BOB BLANCHARD

GREETINGS:

The Regional ‘Officers wish
to extend a warm though
belated welcome to the
Delegates to our 38th Annual
Regional Convention.

We sincerely apologize for
any inconveniences you may
have encountered as a result of
our reluctant but necessary
action to postpone.

GENERAL

The year 1975 was one of the
most difficult years ex-
perienced by the Union. The
Regional Council faced major’
negotiations in British Colum-
bia at a time when the
province’s economy was at its
lowest ebb and thousands of

work.

Thanks to the solidarity of
the membership and the hard
work of the Negotiating Com-
mittees, the Union achieved
the best contract settlements
in its history. This was accom-
plished in spite of the deliber-
ate stalling by the employers
and the shenanigans of the two
pulp unions attempting to off-
set the settlements.

The Union also achieved a
number of first rate settle-
ments on the Prairies of which
it is justly proud. It is antici-
pated that the ground work
already laid will result in a
number of additional settle-
ments in other Prairie opera-
tions in the near future.

MAJOR TRAGEDY

A major tragedy to the
labour movement and thinking
people was the defeat of Dave
Barrett’s New Democratic
Party government. The IWA
had an excellent working
relationship with the govern-
ment which proved invaluable
to the Union. It is highly
Unlikely that we will have such
a rapport with the new Socred
regime considering our
political differences.

Solid progress was made last
year in the field of organizing
with over one thousand new
members organized. A com-
plete report on this will be
made later by Frank Stich,
International Assistant
Director of Organization.

A report will also be made
later in this Report dealing
with the activities of the
Political Education Commit-
tee.

Two strikes are still out-
standing in the Regional
Council. They are Local 1-217’s
strike at two shingle operations
in Vancouver and Local 1-324’s
strike at Swan River,
Manitoba. The strikers are to
be commended for their trade
union spirit and determination
to hold the picket lines.

Since the last Regional Con-
vention, Regional President
Jack Munro visited Red China
at the invitation of former
Premier Dave Barrett to study
the feasibility of finding new
lumber markets and just lately
went to Mexico City as a CLC
representative at the ICFTU
Conference.

Regional ist Vice-President
Wyman Trineer attended the
ILO Conference in Geneva,
Switzerland, last summer as
one of the Canadian repre-
sentatives of this world body.

COAST NEGOTIATIONS

Shortly after the conclusion
of 1974 Coast Negotiations,
your Regional Officers met to
reflect on the course those
talks had taken. The general
consensus was one of
welcomed relief over the end of

- what was considered to be a
totally new and difficult trend
in collective bargaining. The
1974 talks, unfortunately, were
only to be a forerunner of
worse things to come.

Negotiations ’75 established,
very early, that the com-
plexion of all facets of bargain-
ing were to change drastically,

The initial formulations of
our programatic resolution

reflected our understanding

and growing concern that we .

were headed into industry
negotiations when economie
conditions in the forest in-
dustry were at their lowest
ebb.

Adding to the dilemma was
the reluctance on the part of
the Pulp Unions to meet the
IWA to discuss the merits of
joint bargaining as outlined in
a resolution passed at the 1974
Convention. However, after
considerable persistence the
two Pulp Unions agreed to a
“feeling out’’” meeting. As a
result of that meeting, agree-
ment was reached on estab-

lishing a liaison committee.
The committee’s function
being to co-ordinate strategy
and supply observers to each
other’s negotiating sessions.

It was apparent from the
first encounter that any chance
of co-operation was doomed to
failure. The long history of
raiding and. counter-raiding,
along with the vast difference
in union philosophies created
an aura of distrust and in some
instances, open hostility, on the
part of those representing the
organizations.

The Liaison Committee
worked for.a time, in spite of
itself, and a _ noticeable
relaxation of attitudes by some
Pulp members gave rise to
false hopes that our first at-
tempt at mutual discussions
might work.

The IWA had assumed the
chairmanship in the person of

Regional President J. Munro. °

After a few meetings, the
strong dissident element
centered mainly amiong PPWC
representatives began looking
for issues to harangue and they
questioned Munro’s right to the
chair. The IWA Chairman was
upheld as the CPU and some
members of the PPWC sup-
ported a motion endorsing the
position.

Cracks started to develop in

the Liaison Committee when -

discussions centered around
the advisability of requesting
third party intervention. Bro.
Munro speaking on behalf of
the IWA informed the Pulp
Unions that the IWA was not
adverse to the idea. Continued
discussion, which included
unwarranted debasement,
indicated clearly that the Pulp
Unions were strongly opposed
to the concept of an industrial
inquiry: commission. The IWA
agreed to abide by majority
decision.

Conditions became even
more strained when the two
Pulp Unions unilaterally set a
strike deadline for July 16, 1975
and gave the IWA a “‘like it or
lump it” ultimatum. The IWA
members clearly signified
their dissatisfaction with the
manner in which the
“‘deadline’’ had been set but
reluctantly agreed for the sake
of keeping the liaison Commit-
tee operational.

Labour Minister Bill King

summoned spokesmen from:

the CPU, PPWC, and IWA to
Victoria for an informal, in-
camera meeting. Bros.

Gruntman and Fraser
represented the CPU, Bros.
Heslop, Tunstall and Ginn, the
PPWC, and Bros. Munro and
Blanchard, the IWA. The
Labour Minister along with his
deputy introduced the subject
and merits of a third party.
Bro. Munro informed the
Minister of the Liaison Com-
mittee’s official position which
opposed intervention. As the
meeting progressed, however,
attitudes changed and before
the meeting concluded, both
Ginn (PPWC) and Gruntman
(CPU) along with Munro

CONVENTI

FEB.-MARCH, 1

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_ (IWA) had agreed to support

the appointment of a special
mediator.

The Liaison Committee
ceased to function shortly after —
the impromptu. Victoria
meeting. Bros. Ginn and
Gruntman were unable to
“carry the mail’’ and failed to
get their revised position past
their wage delegates.

The IWA had given their
approval to a Minister of the
Crown and maintained that
position in Committee. For
this, we received both personal
and public abuse.

STRIKE DEADLINE

The Liaison Committee con-
vulsed. No further benefit was
seen in carrying out the
charade. Pulp was determined
to strike effective July 16th,
totally disregarding Labour
Minister King’s request that
they postpone strike action and
allow Mr. Justice Hutcheon to
function in his capacity as
Special Mediator without the
pressures of a major confron-
tation. The IWA was commit-
ted to giving the Mediator the
opportunity to function and
respected the Minister’s
wishes. The Liaison Commit-

tee died on or about July 21,
1975.

All the while the Liaison
Committee was doing their
thing, the employers were not.
Although there were three
sets of negotiations going on
simultaneously, attended by
observers from the three
Unions, nothing was being ac-
complished. -The Employers’
dogmatic refusal to shoulder
their responsibility was in
itself a contributing factor in
the Liaison Committee failure.

Mr. Justice Henry Hutcheon
and Professor Wm. Stanbury
were faced with the almost
impossible task of finding an
area for settlement between
two unyielding adversaries.

SHUTTLE SERVICE

Numerous meetings with the
Judge and the Professor
followed but at no time did we
sit down face to face with the
employers. Judge Hutcheon
and his aide began a shuttle
service; first with us, then the
employer, then us, then the
employer, etc., ete. These
types of negotiations are frus-
trating at best. Sparring with a
go-between makes it difficult
to score points. The Hutcheon
report clearly indicates the
inadequacies inherent in this
style of bargaining.

When the Hutcheon Award
was delivered and read, a
number of. closeted meetings
took place to fully study the
Report. Both the Coast and
Southern Interior Committees
jointly dealt with all aspects of
the proposal. Unlike the “‘out of
hand”’ rejection the Award was
given by the Pulp Unions, the
IWA discussed and debated the
Report thoroughly before
voting.

As has happened in the past,
each and-every member voted
according to his conscience.
The result was a six to five vote

in favour of acceptance by the
Coast Committee and
unanimous acceptance by the
Southern Interior Committee.
The vote on the Hutcheon
Report resulted in the Coast
membership rejecting the
proposal and the Southern
Interior accepting.

Again, as in 1974 negotia-
tions, the Coast Committee
was divided on the issue of
acceptance or rejection and
again, as in 1974, they quickly
united in a combined effort to
improve the Hutcheon Award.

During all this time, the Pulp
Unions were on a legal strike.
Pulp people picketed out a
good many of our operations.
Weyerhaeuser operations in
the Interior were completely
shut down. In all instances
where a pulp picket line had
been officially established, the
IWA respected those lines. —

Labour Minister King, faced

_ with an impending shutdown of

the entire forest industry and
realizing the magnitude of the
Situation, summoned all con-

See “OFFICERS” p. 11