tern canadian VOL. XLIV, No. 4 lumber worker VANCOUVER, B.C. ~ ISSN 0049-7371 AUGUST-SEPTEMBER, 1976 Via. AW . —— ~ LOCAL 1-184 IWA MEMBERS picket the Woodlands Enterprizes Ltd., (logging operation for Prince Albert Pulp Mill) near Prince Albert. The Local struck the operation last May and has yet to negotiate a new agreement. Group from left, Gerry Paulhus, Art Pelchat, Don Erhardt, Local Bsiness Agent, John Watrin, Urgel Bilodeau, Paul Tremblay, Pierre Bilodeau, Ben Loftstrom. : LOCAL 4-423 SIGNS top | AGREEMENT > One of the finest agreements ever negotiated in the pre-fab- ricated homes industry was suceessfullY concluded by Local 1-423 IWA, with the Chateau Homes Limited, Kelowna. The two-year agreement was negotiated in a_ highly amicable atmosphere and provides for: e Folding in of the COLA increases from the previous contract which amounted to 49 eents an hour July 1, 1976. e Anacross the board wage increase of 61 cents an hour effective July. 1, 1976. e A further wage increase . See “AGREEMENT” Page 2 ae - Zw, nombre | Uv! re | PERMIT No. 2075 ANCOUVE 32 REET LR GIGI Dr, Vancouver. BC. “acca instead of unemployment; any society — | EDITORIAL major confrontation between organized | labour and the federal government is | now almost a certainty. The government's | refusal to scrap its wage control legislation, | has forced the Canadian Labour Congress to || go a head with its plans for a nation-wide general strike. The IWA completely supports the Congress decision. If it takes a major confrontation to convince the government that its wage con- trols are stupid and unworkable, so be it. Congress warned the government from the Start that its wage control policy was not the answer to curbing inflation. The Congress also pointed out that the legislation was punitive to workers and restricted labour’s historical rights. The Congress proposed that a_ better solution to fighting inflation was for govern- ment, management and labour, to collectively tackle the problem. Unfortunately, the government is not prepared to allow labour any say. It obviously prefers to flounder around in the sea of its own mistakes while inflation rises and un- employment increases. The government's attitude would perhaps be understandable, if the Congress had no concrete ideas to offer. But this is not the case. The CLC’s Labour’s Manifesto for Canada, very clearly defines the goals and the action needed to make Canada a better country for all to live in. The Manifesto states in part: “The need for change is clear. Any society which can find the finance capital for ex- travagant hotels or Olympic sites but not homes for people and jobs in the regions; any society which attacks unemployment insur- Ree Brie aoe Page 2 j AT FED. CONFERENCE GENERAL STRIKE WINS SUPPORT OF B.C. LABOUR CLC President Joe Morris told delegates to the special one-day conference of the B.C. Federation of Labour July 20, in Vancouver, that he had a date in mind when he wanted to eall a nation-wide general strike. He stated, however, that his target date hinged on the CLC’s assessment of the present situation and the affil- iates willingness to respond to the call. _ The conference held in the Bayshore Inn and attended by approximately 250 delegates, was called to marshall support for a general strike to defeat the federal government’s wage control bill and deal with a number of resolutions scoring the anti-labour legislation of the B.C. government. Following an opening ad- dress by George Johnson, Fed- eration President, Morris explained in detail why the CLC believed a general strike was the only effective way to defeat wage controls. » From the tenor of the meet- ing it was obvious that the vast majority of the delegates fully supported the Congress’ decision. The only disagree- ment appeared to be on the strike timing. Speaker after speaker pushed for an imme- diate calling of a strike which forced Morris to caution them that any hasty or ill advised move could be disastrous for the labour movement. The Executive Officers of the Congress, he said, were meeting in a few days and at that time a decision on the date would likely be made. The balance of the confer-~ ence was given over to debat- See ‘““LABOUR”’ Page 2 MENARD VICE-PRESI NEIL MENARD Regional President Jack Munro has appointed Neil Menard, President of Local 1- 184 IWA, Saskatchewan, to the position ‘of Regional 3rd Vice- President. Menard has been president APPOINTED. DENT of Local 1-184 for the past four years, and is also President of the Prince Albert Labour Council, and an officer of the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour. Menard fills the vacancy created when Regional 1st Vice-President Wyman Trineer, was appointed the Regional Secretary-Treasurer, following the resignation of Robert Schlosser. Regional 2nd Vice-President Stan Parker has moved up to the post of 1st Vice-President and Bob Blanchard, 3rd Vice- President, has moved up to 2nd Vice-President. Munro in announcing the appointment stated: ‘‘Neil has demonstrated his ability in developing and expanding the Saskatchewan Local, and I am sure his addition to the Region will benefit all IWA members in Western Canada.”’ SS SS TT] MEADOW LAKE AGREEMENT NEGOTIATED Local 1-184 IWA, Saskat- chewan, has negotiated a new one year agreement with the Meadow Lake Sawmills, which provides for a 45-cent-an-hour across the board wage in- crease plus a number of con- tract improvements. Highlighting the agreement is a reopener clause which will allow the Union to negotiate for more money around November Ist of this year. Included in the fringe benefits were: © A 100% employer paid dental plan. Me e An additional ten cents paid into the Pension Plan by the employer. © Numerous changes to the agreement to improve the contract language. Negotiating the agreement for the Union were: Local President Neil Menard, and Committee Members Lorry Barager, Coleman Baty Robert Graham.