hewestern canadian

VOL. XL, No. 5

lumber worker

VANCOUVER, B.C.

eS”

AUGUST - SEPTEMBER, 1972

FOR N.1.L.A. —CANFOR— NORTHWOOD MEMBERS

NORTH WINS PARITY

UNION’S POLICY ON FALLERS
REVIEWED BY PRESIDENT MOORE

By JACK MOORE
Regional President

Ever since the IWA was
founded in 1937, the policy of
the Union was one of eliminat-
ing piece work in the industry.
Although the Union had
demanded a day rate for
fallers in negotiations during
the early fifties the employers
managed to hang on to the
bushel system. Failing to
establish a day rate the Union
eoncentrated on negotiating
pricing formulas to protect
fallers from being cheated by
their employers. The best
formula achieved was the
Franklin River formula
negotiated in 1955.

As the years rolled by for-
mulas were negotiated in

several operations, day rates .

developed in others but the
majority relied on direct
negotiations between faller
and bullbucker. The falling
situation became a complete
mess and wildcat strikes by
aggrieved fallers erupted in
camp after camp.

Prior to the 1970 negotiations
the Regional Council called a
meeting of fallers and Negoti-
ating Committee members
who drew up a proposed for-
mula considerably richer than
the Franklin River formula
and entered it into negotiations
to cover all fallers in all camps
on the Coast.

In his report on a proposed
settlement for 1970 negoti-
ations Judge Nemetz recom-
mended that formal pricing
agreements should be worked
out operation by operation.

During the following two years
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RETURN REQUESTED 235 duuween, on

the Union attempted to do this
but met with determined op-
position from the companies
who flatly stated that they
would negotiate formulas but

in no way would agree to any-
thing even approaching the
established Franklin River
pricing agreement.

As a result the 1972 Wages
and Contract Conference
passed a resolution that com-
mitted the Union to enter into
broad negotiations the stan-
dard pricing proposal which
was put before Justice Nemetz
if the fallers problem had not
been settled by June 15.

In the meantime a group of
fallers set themselves up as a
steering committee of the
fallers and organized the
fallers into a well disciplined
pressure group to attain their
ends. :

On April 18th, the steering
committee called the fallers
out of the woods and most re-

sponded.

The IWA Coast Negotiating
Committee on June ist, passed
by a unanimous vote the
following motion:

“That we put into negotiations
the 1970 Falling and Bucking
demands on a base rate of $1.10
per M including note No. 1 and
the items under R/W plus the
demands on trimming of tops
and limbing developed in the
Alberni negotiations and all
items agreed by M & B under
definitions known as phase 1.

This formula would have
greatly increased the earnings
of every faller on the Coast.
The fallers steering committee
then pulled the rug right out
from under the Coast Negoti-

- ating Committee by rejecting

out of hand this proposal as not
being good enough.

This rejection by the steering
committee of a standard
pricing agreement destroyed
any opportunity for the Coast
Negotiating Committee to
negotiate along the lines
authorized and approved by
the Wage Conference.

Faced with this impossible
position of the fallers steering
committee and recognizing
there were 28,000 other IWA
members awaiting a new
agreement the Coast Negoti-
ating Committee returned to
the well established policy of
eliminating piece work.

The final agreement which
was accepted by the majority
of the members gave the
fallers a minimum day rate of
$80.52 for a 6% hour day.

Union Negotiators have been
successful in winning _ coast
wage parity for the 1,000
members of Local 1-424 IWA
employed by the Northern
Interior Lumbermen’s Associ-
ation (1972) and for the 2,000
members employed by North-
wood Timber, Bulkley Valley
Forest. Industries, Canfor
operations, Takla Forest
Products, and Ft. St. James &

- Isle Pierrre Divisions.

Highlights of the two-year
agreements include an 87-cent

JACK MUNRO

across-the-board wage _ in-
crease, a 15-cent pension plan
financed by the companies’
payment of 15 cents per hour, a
fully paid health and welfare
plan, a variety of special wage
adjustments and other items.

The general wage increase of
87 cents per hour will be paid in
three stages over the duration
of the agreement. The N.I.L.A.
employees will receive 40 cents
effective September 1, 1972; 40
cents effective September 1,
1973; and 7 cents effective June
1, 1974.

Employees covered by the
other agreement which expires

a month later (with the excep-
tion of Northwood Timber) will
receive 40 cents effective
October 1, 1972; 40 cents effec-
tive October 1, 1973; and 7
cents effective June 1, 1974.

Regional 2nd Vice-president
Jack Munro headed up both
sets of negotiations ably
assisted by Local 1-424 Presi-
dent Jim Mitchell, 1st Vice-
President Ralph Bouvette, and
Financial Secretary Toby
Mogensen.

During the negotiations with

JIM MITCHELL

the Northwood-Canfor group,
the negotiators brought in one
Union representative from
each of the thirteen operations
to sit in at the meetings.

Other highlights of the
agreements which are almost
identical include: ;

@ Improved vacation pro-
visions.

@ Three day bereavement
leave.

@ Pay for Jury Duty,
Coroner’s Duty, Crown Wit-
ness or Coroner’s Witness.

@ Free hard hats and liners.

See “NORTH” page 3

sn

FOR IWA MEMBERS

U.I.C. DISQUALIFICATIONS LIFTED

The Unemployment Insur-
anee Commission, following a
series of meetings with officers
of the Regional Council and
Local Unions, has issued a
statement which lifts the UIC
disqualifications imposed on
IWA members.

Following is the text of the
statement:

“The Commission has
decided that there has been a
substantial resumption of
work. Accordingly, claims
arising from the coastal labour
dispute between the IWA and
the forest industry on which

_ disqualifications have been

imposed under Section 44 of the
Unemployment Insurance Act
are relieved of disqualification
under that Section, effective 3
September, 1972. :

“The Commission further
intends to review all the rele-
vant cases to determine
whether or not retroactivity is
applicable.”

A Committee from the IWA
comprised of Regional ist
Vice-President Wyman
Trineer; Local 1-71 First Vice-
President Ben Thompson;
Local 1-80 Financial Secretary
Ed. Linder; Local 1-85 Financ-
ial Secretary John Squire; and

Local 1-217 Recording Secre-
tary George Kowbel; has been
meeting over the past few
months with the Commission in
an attempt to have disqualified
IWA claims accepted.

On September 9, the Com-
mittee met with the UIC Chair-
man and Commissioners, and
after several hours of discus-
sion got them to agree to lifting
the disqualifications.

Local 1-71 First Vice-Presi-
dent Ben Thompson following
this meeting drafted for the
benefit of IWA members, an
explanation of the UIC state-
ment; and important changes

in policy promised by the UIC
Chairman:

“The first paragraph means
that persons laid off in the
Forest Industry from Sep-
tember 3rd on these
members will not be con-
sidered laid-off from a continu-
ing “labour dispute’. Their
claims will be given regular
processing for benefit.

“The second paragraph
means that the Commission
will be terminating the “labour
dispute’ at whatever earlier
date (between July 15th — Sep-

See ‘““UNION”’ page 2