¢ Vol. XXXVII, No. 13 Fn Wists: CANADIAN LUMBER VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY WORKER NOVEMBER, 1969 FRANKLIN RIVER DIVISION fallers fired by the Mac- Millan Bloedel Company for allegedly taking an extended lunch break are shown protesting their dismissal by picket- ing the Company’s head office November 24, in Vancouver. Fallers are Cec. Hamilton, Jack Farrel, Tom Farkas, Wayne Dievert. PORT ALBERNI FALLERS PICKET M.B. HEAD OFFICE Four of the seven fallers fired at the Franklin River Division of MacMillan Bloe- del, protested their dismissal November 24 by picketing the Company’s head office in Van- couver. The men, members of Local 1-85 IWA Port Alberni, were fired November 13 for alleged- ly taking an extended lunch break, The rest of the crew walked off the job in a one day protest. The Company immediately applied for an injunction to prevent further job action by the crew but its request was turned down by the courts. Union officers state that the lunch break for fallers, who work on a contract basis, var- fies in the operation and charge the Company with be- ing hasty and vindictive in dismissing the men. JOHNSON ELECTED INTERNATIONAL FIRST V.P. Former president of Local 1-207 IWA Alberta, and IWA International 2nd Wide Pres: CANADA POSTAGE - POSTES VANCOUVER, B.C. BULK 4 PERMIT No. 2075 THE LUMBER WORKER RETURN REQUESTED 33 Commercial Dr., Vancouver. B.C ident for the past two years, Keith Johnson, has been elected International 1st Vice- President in the recent refer- endum ballot. KEITH JOHNSON He defeated his American opponent Les Miller of Long- view, Washington, by a vote of 21 367 to 13,405. His election now puts two Canadians in top offices in the International Union. The other Canadian, H. Landon Ladd, President of Regional Council No. 2, Ontario, was elected 2nd Vice-President by acclamation at the Interna- tional convention. It is expected that Johnson, who headed up the Organiza- tion Department, will remain in charge of this highly im- portant office in order to fur- ther develop and expand the organizational program. JOINT COMMITTEE TO STUDY TEAMSTERS' RAID ON LOCAL 1-423 Talks have been scheduled between the IWA and the Provincial Building Trades ouncil in an attempt to re- solve the jurisdictional dispute caused by the Teamsters’ Un- ion raiding IWA members in Local 1-423 Kelowna. Local 1-423 President, Bill Schumaker’ brought the prob- lem to the attention of the IWA Regional Convention when he charged that. the Teamsters were openly raid- ing his members with the backing of the Building Trades Council. He stated that his members ep eued by the Valley Ready- Ltd. (a cement operation), were forced to take out membership in the Teamsters’ Union last Aug- ust 14, before their trucks would be allowed on a new construction site. Their employer was just starting delivery that day of cement for a three-month pouring job on Crown Zel- lerbach’s new paper plant. Schumaker pointed out that the Valley Ready-Mix firm would have undoubtedly lost the contract, if a labour dis- pute had erupted. He went on to say that the Company had been certified to the IWA since September 23, 1963. Previous to that it had been certified to the Team- sters, who had only collected the initiation fees and never met with the crew. The IWA, Schumaker stat- ed, never sought out these members to join the Union. They came to the IWA of their own accord. after waiting years for the Teamsters to do something for them. Now, he said, we have the situation where affiliates of the B.C. Federation of Labour are helping non-affiliates black- jack another Federation affil- iate. (The Building Trades Coun- cil is an affiliate of the B.C. Fed. along with the IWA, and the Teamsters, while not affili- ated to the Federation are af- filiated to the Council). A clause in the Building Trades Council agreement gives members the right to refuse to work with non- union workers or workers whose union is not affiliated to the Council.) Following Schumaker’s charges the convention dele- gates adopted a resolution for submission to the B.C. Feder- ation of Labour Convention calling on all affiliates of that body to “respect and support the right of affiliates to work in their given fields and to in no way condone or support invasion into the jurisdiction of an affiliate by a non-affil- iate.” When the resolution hit the convention floor of the Fed- eration it was referred to a joint committee of the IWA and Building Trades Council for study and action. The - IWA tes lees success- ful in winning certification for the Farmer’s Erectors Limited sawmill at The Pas, Manitoba, after a bitter battle with the Labourer’s International Un- ion and the former Manitoba government. Local 1-324 IWA had ap- plied for certification of the operation at the time the Con- servative government was in office. The Manitoba Labour Board purposely stalled the application and allowed the Labourer’s Union, to sign a collective agreement with the ompany. The agreement was put in force without ratification by the crew or certification being issued by the Board. The IWA protested the obvious collu- sion between the Board, La- bourer’s and Company to no avail. However, when the NDP was elected in Manitoba, the Labour Board quickly revers- ed its previous position and granted the IWA certification of the mill. [WA WINS CERTIFICATION OVER LABOURERS’ INTERNATIONAL UNIO} WAGE MEETS CALLED IWA delegates will formu- late their contract demands for presentation to the em- ployers at two conferences to be held in 1970. The coast will hold its Wage & Contract Conference Jan- uary 29-31, at Woodworkers’ House, Vancouver, The Inter- ior will hold its Wage & Con- tract meet February 14-15, in Kelowna. * “Tn grantiig’ the = aieneae the Board ruled that the cer- tification would not affect any valid collective agreement presently in. effect between any other Union and the Com- pany. This forced the IWA into the position of having to live with the agreement signed by the Labourers until its ex- piration March 19, 1970. After discussions among the Regional officers it was decid- ed that 3rd Vice-President Jack Munro, in company with Local 1-184 President Alex Smith and Art Friske, Busi- ness Agent, would meet with the Company to revise some necessary points in the agree- ment. The Company, while not agreeing to a revision on wages, did sign a wage scale on the present rates of pay being paid which are in excess of those. listed in the Labour- er’s agreement. The present base rate is $2.33 an hour and the top rate is $3.25 for steam engineers. Saw filers and millwrights re- ceive $3.15. Other points improved over the arin: agreement in- clu © ie “better probationary clause. © Over all plant seniority. © Provision for retaining se- niority in event of layoff. e An increase of five Job Stewards in the plant. © Leave of absence for one year for educational pur- poses. e Job posting for vacancies. See “CERTIFICATION” P. 3 PLANT COMMITTEE MEMBERS of the Farmers Erec- tors sawmill at The Pas, Manitoba, are pictured with Regional 3rd Vice-President Jack Munr Art Friske, nro, Local 1-184 Business Agent, and Ron McBryde, NDP-MLA. Group, back row, left, McBryde, Wm. George Lathlin Jr., Bill Bensen, Local 1-324 President; Ken Marshall, Local 1-324 Financial Secretary; Munro; front row, left, Alfred Holmes and Friske.