ONE INDUSTRY, ONE PLAN Welfare plans to merge By FRED FIEBER Regional Secretary-Treasurer As a result of Coast Industry Negotia- tions in 1961 we were able to establish the Forest Industry Health and Welfare Plan to cover all employees of employers represent- ed by Forest Industrial Relations Limited. This brought about uniform benefits pro- viding group life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment insurance, and weekly indemnity payments for em- ployees of employers repre- sented in the coast negotia- tions. Subsequent to this, be- cause we have a master agreement in the coastal area, we were able to set up another plan to cover em- ployees in independent op- erations which likewise pro- vided identical benefits and coverage. The trustees of these health and welfare plans representing the union were also able to make provision for uniform eligibility, portability, and layoff coverage to apply be- tween operations: represented by F.I.R. and the plan covering our membership in opera- tions in which an agreement was signed with independent employers. The constant effort of the Regional Council through the Union trustees of the Plan, has finally progressed to a point where we are now able to merge the two plans, and have one Health and Welfare Plan for all woodworkers covered by IWA agreements on the coast of British Columbia. This is a big step forward from the day when the employers implemented plans within their operations by agreement be- tween individual employers and insurance companies, and the employers and the in- surance companies worked out benefits and premiums at will, without the union having any say in the application of the plan or the benefits to be provided. The merged Health and Welfare Plan will be administered by two persons repre- senting the membership of the union and two persons representing the employers. The Trustees of the Health and Welfare Plans are meeting to work out the applica- tion of the decision of the Regional Executive Board to provide for the Coast Membership “ONE HEALTH AND WELFARE PLAN FOR THE COAST LUMBER INDUSTRY.” - LABOUR IN POLITICS: Grasp the opportunity! By JACK MacKENZIE Regional 1st Vice-President We are bound to agree with the words of our old friend Joe Morris, when as Ex- ecutive Vice-President of the Canadian La- bour Congress he recently ppggssseseng presented the charter to the | ‘ Port Alberni and District Labour Council. After reviewing the ac- complishments of the organ- ized labour movement in - Canada, he clearly stated the. reasons why the Congress supports the New Democratic Party. He said, in part: tl think we have to quit kidding our- selves that we can achieve the kind of legis- lation that we need by simply petitioning governments. We must recognize the fact that legislation can only be made by gov- ernments, and if we are sincere in our desire to create a better way of life for our people, then we must recognize the fact that to do this we must become involved in the polit- ical life of the nation. t . , . Surely, we have learned by bitter experience that we cannot obtain all our objectives and satisfy all the needs and as- pirations of our people through the collect- ive bargaining process alone. Surely we have learned what can happen when those who determine our country’s policies are people who have no understanding and often no sympathy for the workers. Surely, this has taught us the importance of having parliamentary representation that truly re- flects the thinking of the people.” The trade union movement at large, as represented by the Congress and its affiliates, has now provided the opportunity for the organized workers to take direct political action on their own behalf. The immediate and most practical step to take is active participation in the affairs of the New Democratic Party as provided in the Constitution of that party and the terms of affiliation for Local Unions. We can maintain that affiliation without inviting the penalties for political action attempted in Social Credit provincial legislation. THE PRESENT OPPORTUNITY We built this opportunity for ourselves and should take advantage of it as trade unionists and citizens. This opportunity never had greater importance. An early election is now inevitable as all observers agree. Both Liberal and Con- servative parties are in a sorry plight and have, in a large degree, forfeited the confid- ence of the voting public. The New Demo- cratic Party is the only one that has con- sistently fought for the legislation that the workers need. With the support of the work- ers, it has a golden opportunity to strike an effective blow on our behalf. Consider what is at stake for us in fed- eral medicare legislation—a portable Canada Pension Plan, a federal labour code and now the proposals of the Economic Council of Canada. The report of the Economic Council of Canada proves what we have been saying in the labour movement. The policies of the older parties are not good enough to provide jobs for workers now jobless or who are about to be made jobless by auto- mation. If our affairs are not now planned to provide an additional one and a half million jobs we will be asked to endure even greater unemployment than we have ever known. In the next few months, the constituency organizations of the New Democratic Party will be selecting the candidates for 22 fed- eral seats in British Columbia. These candi- dates will be named at membership nomin- ating conventions. Local Unions in good standing with their affiliation fees can send their quotas of delegates. I suggest that Local Union participation in these nominations is a first and most logical step to take in mak- ing Parliament work for us. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER FROM PAGE 1 Seminar. problems confronting the trade unions in Canada. A guest speaker was Dr. Mc- Taggart- Cowan of Simon Fraser University, who out- lined the purpose of the col- lege now in course of con- struction in Burnaby. CLC Assistant Director of Research, Russ Bell, outlined the work of the Economic Council of Canada and stress- ed the importance for trade unions of economic planning on a nation-wide scale. Director of Organization, Joe MacKenzie, led the dis- cussion on “Organizing the Unorganized,” with particular emphasis on the need for or- ganizing white collar workers. Quebec’s “quiet revolution” and its effect on Canadian unity was a subject which had two spokesmen with two different points of view—Pro- fessor C. Bourne, UBC, and Professor A. Breton, Univer- sity of Montreal. The science and art of good government was explored un- der the leadership of David Lewis, Q.C., labour lawyer from Toronto, aided by Bert Gargrave and Pat O’Neal. Various aspects of collec- tive bargaining were ex- pounded by CLC Education Director Max Swerdlow and Bert Hepworth, CLC. Joe Miyazawa, IWA_ Research Director, and Auditor Gibby Robinson, CLC, dealt with union administration. Harry Jacks, Director of Education CBRT, held the field on the subjects of parliamentary pro- cedure and effective speak- ing. The instructors, staff and students lived together, play- ed together and worked to- gether in the Island Hall Inn which provided excellent and improved facilities for a week’s educational co-opera- tive project. This led to a lively and profitable exchange of ideas. The word is that all stu- dents were re-invigorated to promote the projection of knowledge gained into the educational programs of their respective Local Unions with — the realization that education — holds the answer to many trade union problems. FROM PAGE |} “Alberni” It is a sad commentary on the wisdom and ingenuity of our people to have relative prosperity on the one hand and a persistent unemploy- ment problem on the other, Unemployment is a social problem which will not re- solve itself. The legislative needs of our people can only be solved in the political arena. If we are truly dedicated to devel- oping a better way of life for our fellows, then we must rec- ognize the inescapable fact that we can do this only through the use of our politi- cal strength as well as our economic strength.” “We're saving so much money on defence it will barely cost us more than last year.”—Barry Mather, M.P., in Toronto Telegram. OLYMPIA TAILORS WE ARE PROUD TO OFFER YOU SHIFFER HILLMAN QUALITY TAILORED CLOTHES A Large Selection of Imported Materials Tuxedo Rentals for All Occasions 2425 East Hastings St. (Nanaimo & Hastings Sts.) Vancouver 6, B.C. AL. 3-1310 MEMBERS OF LOCAL 1-357 1.W.A. MEMBERS RESIDING IN THE NEW WESTMINSTER AREA The I.W.A. (New Westminster) Credit Union 764 Columbia St., New Westminster, B.C. Have funds available for low cost insured loans. OPEN SIX DAYS PER WEEK elas ‘FLY B.C. AIR LINES’