ys Trends kk Politics A stepped-up organizational drive was seen as imperative for the trade union movement staff members and Local officers attending the Annual CLC Staff Seminar and Winter School which opened in Parksville February 5 for a week’s probe of urgent trade union problems. Questions of organization re- quirements, together with politi- cal action and collective bar- gaining trends were aired by a strong team of provincial and national officials, which in- cluded: Political Education Di- rector, George Home, CLC; Education Director, Max Swerd- low, CLC; Joe Morris, IWA; Bob Smeal and Pat O’Neal, B.C. Federation of Labour; Organi- zation Director, Joe MacKenzie, CLC; Eamon Park, Bert Gar- grave and Gower Markle, United Steelworkers; Bill Lowe, OEIU; and Roy Brookbank, BCE Sociologist. Revolutionary Changes A review of present-day re- quirements disclosed that trade union organization has not been keeping pace with the growth of the labour force. Adaptations have not been made to radical changes in this growth. The structure of the labour force now indicates a marked shift from “blue collar workers” to “white collar workers”. In 1950, “blue collar” workers formed 34.5% of the labour force; in 1960, 32.2%. In 1950, “white collar” work- ers formed 40.8% of the labour force; in 1960 44.6%. Growth of Labour Force From 1950 to 1960, more than 1,250,000 people were added to the working popula- tion. In the last five years, more than 800,000 were added. Immigration contributed 1,500,000. The rate of immigra- tion ran as high as 282,000 in 1957, and declined to 104,000 in 1960. Approximately 600- 000 emigrated, mainly to the United States. Immigration, in balance, thus accounted for al- most half the increase in the labour force. The influx of women into the labour force accounted for al- most one quarter of the increase. See “SEMINAR” page 2 H ia tn gg A ly i | a HN Incorporating Fhe @.G. Lamberworker Official Publication of the Jeterwatlonal Weodemorkers of emextea Regional Council No. 1 VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY 1st Issue February, 1962 OFFICE DINING ROOM it DELEGATES AND INSTRUCTORS pose for their picture during the Canadian Labour Congress’ Winter School and Union Staff Conference at the Island Hall Hotel, Parksville, Vancouver Island, February 5-9. Complete Portability Established For Health And Welfare Benefits In Coast Forest Products /ndustry All IWA members are reminded that there are two Health and Welfare Plans in the Coast Forest Products Industry, negotiated by IWA Regional Council I. Forest Industry Health And Welfare Plan I! This covers all employees in operations represented by Forest Industrial Relations Ltd. Forest Industry Health And Welfare Plan 2 This covers all employees of operators who bargain indepen- dently with Local Unions. Employees of contractors in the Coast In- dustry may be covered under this plan. The benefits of both plans are identical. Complete portability exists now between operations in either plan or between both plans. Fred Fieber Joe Miyazawa Union Member Trustees. UNION AIDS HILLCREST LOGGERS The loggers affected by the strike are receiving aid from ‘an emergency fund according to family status, This is “just enough to exist” it was ex- plained, ; In reply to statements made by the . local merchants, the Local Union’s officials said: — “The Union appreciates the con- — _cern of the merchants. However, the solution is so simple and obvious. A : kb The merchants would be serving the community better by urging the com- pany to restore the bus service to the employees concerned which defin- itely should not have been taken away in the first place.” IWA Local Unions are making a generous response to the appeal made for the emergency fund estab- lished on behalf of the stranded loggers. B.C. Federation of Labour affiliates took a long careful look at the economic facts of in- dustrial life in the province dur- ing their Wage Policy Confer- ence, Feb. 3-4 and determined that new problems demanded new methods of attack. Agree- ment was reached on a broad program of objectives during approaching negotiations with greater unified support. More than two hundred dele- gates from all parts of the prov- ince spent one entire day listen- ing to and questioning econo- mists tell the naked truth about trends in the economy. The Federation’s Research Directors John Drew and George Grundig assembled the facts about the problems of the labour force, and the existing economic indicators for the fu- ture. George Bishop, Assistant Director, Bureau of Economics and Statistics, outlined his fore- cast of business activity for 1962. Professor Stuart Jamie- son, Department of Economics, UBC, analyzed the trends affect- ing labour’s wages. Conclusions Obvious The facts made certain con- clusions obvious when they were related to negotiating policies in closed session on the following day. Unemployment has _ idled skilled workers in a number of industries to an alarming extent. Goods-producing and basic industries are declining, while the service industries are ex- panding. Corporation. profits continue to rise. Industrial production is ris- ing, with little prospect of any substantial increase in employ- ment. Labour income has shown only a negligible increase. La- bour is getting less and less as its share of increased produc- tivity. A steady improvement in business activity for 1962 is seen, based mainly on the up- turn in the United States. No boom is in sight unless trade expansion results from better relations with the Euro- pean Common Market. The fac- tors which caused past booms will not recur./The B.C. econ- omy is notoriously unstable, and is affected mainly by external - factors. Professor Jamieson expressed the opinion that there is little room for wage adjustment, to gain labour’s fair share of the See “CONFERENCE” page 2 Fed. Jobless March Set An estimated 600 members of the B.C. Federation of Unem- ployed are scheduled to stage a mass march to the Legislative Buildings, Victoria, February 21. They will be joined in Vic- toria by another estimated 700 from Vancouver Island. Briefs on the subject of unemployment, and the urgent need for action to provide full employment will be presented to the members of the three political parties in the Legislature.