| [WoorA.) 38,000 copies

printed in this issue

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

© ww thewestern canadian

lumber worker

Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA

Western Canadian Regional Council No. 3

Affiliated with AFL-CiO-CLC

2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261

r—PatKerr Business Manager—Fred Fieber

Advertising Representatives—Elizabeth Spencer Associates

Forwarded to every member of the 1WA in Western Canada inaccordance with convention decisions.

Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year.

GROADWAY PRINTERS LTO,

DEMAND A “MUST”

|

ga members at the coast and in
the Southern and Northern In-
terior will be placing strong emphasis on
winning their demand for a cost-of-living
escalator clause in this year’s
negotiations.

The Union's research department
informed delegates attending the three
Wages & Contract Conferences that the
present rate of inflation would make
almost valueless any wage. increase
unless it was tied to a c-o-1 escalator
clause.

The Canadian Labour Congress in its

annual submission to the federal
government also supported this view.
The CLC stated that while Canada is
experiencing an economic boom and

‘corporate profits had record-breaking

increases, the average worker's real
purchasing power has been steadily
decreasing and all real gains made
since 1970 have been wiped out by

_ rapidly escalating prices in 1973.

Just how badly this affected
Canadian workers is shown by
examining last year’s fourth quarter
indexes used to measure inflation. These
showed the average worker's real
earnings were $5.50 a week less than at
the end of 1972, and 1973 was the worst
year since the end of the second World
War in terms of lost real earnings.

The Financial Times reports that
officials of Statistics Canada see no early
end to rising prices. They predict higher
prices for a wide range of consumer
goods and services.

The Organization for Economic Co-
operation and Development (OECD) in
Paris sees more gloom on inflation and
doesn't hesitate to state that the
present world inflation is going to get
worse.

The IWA armed with these facts has
no choice but to fight to secure set-
tlements in all areas which will take into
account the rising cost of living.

RED

ba . Red Fs .

= POE Fas an ae

CROSS MONTH

How is a 260-lb bulldozer driver

like a 109-Ib college co-ed? If you
expect the answer to be a joke, it isn’t.
It’s a miracle.

Both can be blood donors, and each
donation is of equal value. Size, strength
or sex doesn’t matter. Neither does race,
creed or colour. Every blood donation is
of equal value. Each can save a life.

So the next time you think about the
state of the world, and despair that one
person can change anything, remember
the equality of blood donations. One
donation does matter. Every donation
matters. There is something you can do
to make the world a better place in
which to live. You don't have to be
wealthy; you do have to be healthy. You
don't have to be as strong as Tarzan;
you do have to be between 18 and 65

years of age (17 if you're a boy and have
your parents’ permission). You don't
have to be as beautiful as Helen of Troy:
you do need a nice hemoglobin count.
You don’t need hours and hours of spare
time; you do need one-half hour each
three months.

The Red Cross has been operating
the blood transfusion service for 26
years and they haven't lost a donor yet!
Being a blood donor isn't difficult or
painful or costly (it’s not fattening
either!) You get a nap on a bed, a free
cup of coffee, cookies, and the thanks of
all the clinic workers. But you get
something else too.

There’s no way to beat that warm
inner glow you get from doing a job you
know matters. During March, Red Cross

month, be a part of the action. Support
your local Red Cross.

DOGS BETTER FED THAN CHILDREN

___ The average

dog in Canada gets better fed than children in the world’s poor

tries. This is the opinion of the head of the nutrition de

ley J. Slinger. He told a meeting

gested that the $100 million spent

}
i

ne an vs a
MARCH, 1974

Certainly the’ image of th’ loggers changed ..... when
me old man went out wit a doll they used to belly-up to
the’ bar.

LOCAL 1-405 THANKS
LOCALS FOR SUPPORT

The Editor,

Re: Strike at Canadian
Cellulose Castlegar

Now that the accounts have
been finalised and submitted to
the regional office, the Officers
and Members of this Local
would like to thank all the

ALBERTA FEDERATION
SCORES WORK PACT

The Alberta Federation of
Labour has criticized the
provincial Board of Industrial
Relations for permitting
exemptions to minimum wage
and hours of work standards.

Locals who generously donated
money towards the above-
mentioned strike in response to
the appeal from The Regional
Council.

Fraternally yours,

Art Damstrom,

Financial Secretary.

way and railway construction,
logging and sawmill and
pipeline construction’ to work
up to 10 or 12 hours a day and
up to 191 hours a month without
overtime.

“We believe that once
minimum standards are
established, no exemptions
from these standards should be
allowed,’’ the Federation
states. Current Alberta
legislation allows an eight-hour
day and a 44-hour week.

It has issued a statement
strongly objecting ‘‘to the
Board passing orders which
are approved by the govern-
ment that allow employees in
such. industries as oil well
drilling, brush clearing, high-

PREPAID GROUP DENTAL PLANS

There is no substitute for experience
when it comes to planning

prepaid group dental programs.’

Make sure your plan works effectively,
provides optimum coverage,

and is realistically rated.

Consult the experts —

MEDICAL SERVICES ASSOCIATION
2025 West Broadway, Vancouver B.C. V6) 1Z5

733-8141