ll parva THE WESTERN CANADIAN 4&4 Lol UM f : Vi Incorporating Fhe @.G, Lumberworker Official Publication of the Jaternatlonal pe iitiinhens of, 7¢mertca Regional Council No. 1 VOL XXIX, No. 12 5 VANCOUVER, B.C. Se PER COPY 1st Issue 6254 = July, 1962 NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY directors and active workers in the Buraed constituency pose for their picture aati the social held at Woodworkers’ House, June 29, to celebrate Tom Berger's election to the House of Commons. Loggers’ Local Checks Accident Policy Sales The Loggers’ Local, 1-71 IWA, has issued a warning to its members with regard to the salesmanship of high-cost insur- ance policies offering sickness and accident weekly indemnity payments. The Local Union’s circular suggests that the ‘ ‘small print” under the heading “en- dorsements and riders” Arosa be closely examined and com- pared with the agent's represen- tations before premiums are paid. The complaint made by a logger employed at the Englewood Camp brought to light the fact that a number of such policies have been sold under circumstances that border on misrepresentation. This IWA member purchased a policy from a well-known insurance company to provide $2500 life insurance and $200 per month weekly indemnity. He was informed by the agent that the weekly indemnity payments would commence on the first day after an accident and thirty days after disablement resulting from ill- ness. He paid the insurance agent $42.10 as an initial premium and undertook to pay $37.10 quarterly thereafter. Subsequently, the logger con- cerned suffered an accident which disabled him temporarily. He then discovered that the policy varied from the assurance made by the agent with respect to disablement following an injury. Under the head- ing of “endorsements or riders” no payment could be made either for iliness or accident until after a thirty - day waiting period. He ——— nee WHAT'S INSIDE dropped the policy as valueless in the circumstances, and decided to charge the payment of $42.10 to ex- perience and to sound a warning for his fellow-members. Attention was drawn by the Local Union to the Forest Industry Health and Welfare Plan. This provides for a weekly indemnity of $35 a week for a maximum of 26 weeks, $5000 life insurance, and an additional $5000 for death or dismemberment. The cost is $2.45 per member per month for those employed by com- pany members of Forest Industrial Relations Ltd., and $2.70 per mem- ber per month for those employed by independent companies. The Local Union states, “This letter should not be construed as indicating the opposition of this Local Union to any Insurance Com- pany or any bona fide insurance plan, but rather to point out that high premium costs do not necessarily mean good coverage. All members would be well advised to consider all aspects of any supplementary in- surance which duplicates or sup- plements the benefits already avail- able to us at extremely low cost under the Forest Industry Health and Welfare Plan”. Conciliation Officers Named Mr. Peter Fisher has been named Conciliation Officer to deal with the dispute between the IWA and the Northern Interior Tumber operators. Discussions between the parties, held under his auspices, commenced on July 4, At press time, the appointment of John Sherlock as the Concilia- tion Officer for the Southern In- Woodworker Gets New Editor PORTLAND, Ore.—Appointment of Wayne A. Scott, Portland news- man, as editor of the International Woodworker was announced Friday, June 8, by IWA International Presi- dent A. F. Hartung. Scott succeeds Phil Frost as editor of the semi-monthly official publica- tion of the IWA. Scott, 40, had been on the Port- land Reporter staff since February, 1960, when the newspaper was es- tablished as a strike weapon in the bitter labour dispute with the Ore- gonian and Oregon Journal. He was employed at the Journal before the strike began, with pre- vious newspaper experience on dail- ies at Ellensburg and Walla Walla, Wash. NDP Gains Praised By Jodoin OTTAWA—tThe .impressive elec- tion gains of the New Democratic Party in its first test at the polls will stand as a foundation for further in- creases in strength. That's how the top spokesman for the Canadian workers saw the June 18th election outcome, which raised NDP strength in the Commons to 19 MPs from eight in the last parlia- ment, Claude Jodoin, president of the 1,070,000-member Canadian Labour Congress, called the NDP election gains “highly encouraging and signi- ficant.” Fine Basis “A fine basis has been established on which to build further strength.” He said it is important that Can- ada has a strong democratic party to the left of centre. “It is to be hoped that the bitter- ness that prevailed during the cam- paign will not prevent all parties from working for the good of the country,” Mr. Jodoin added. Coast Agreement Signed On Basis Of Perry Report The coast master agreement has been signed. A memorandum of agreement initialled by the [WA Negotiating Committee spokesman, Regional President Jack Moore, and Forest Industrial Relations Ltd., June 28, was ratified by the IWA Policy Committee July 9. Contrary :to fears expressed, the contract language does not forfeit a rest period for short graveyard shifts. Significantly the settlement anticipated by only a few days the federal austerity program and further economic slowdown. The contract language expresses the intent of the Perry formula in respect of a sixteen cent an hour wage increase, an additional week’s vacation for all with more than twenty years’ service, more compre- hensive medical coverage, and im- proved seniority provisions. By mutual agreement, the Perry recommendation regarding rest periods was dropped as not being applicable to conditions in the indus- try. It was considered that Com- missioner Perry had misunderstood prevailing shift arrangements. The proposed negotiations for an additional day’s vacation for those with more than fifteen years up to nineteen years service was shelved in view of other and more important gains made during the discussions. Continuing negotiations on this point offered little prospect of results. The revised contract will be pub- lished immediately for the informa- tion of all IWA members. The sig- nificant changes are indicated below, by placing them in bold type in the more important revised contract ar- ticles. Article 11]—Union Security Section 6: (in part) Check-Off: This assignment in the case of Employees already members of the Union shall be effective immediate- ly. and for those Employees not previously members of the Union, it shall become effective thirty (30) calendar days from the date of. exe- cution. The Local Union shall notify the Company by letter of the amount of back dues owed by new Em- ployees and copies of such letter shall be furnished to the Employee and the Committee. The Committee shall remit the dues deducted pursuant to such assignment (until and unless said assignment is revoked by the Em- ployee) -to the Local Union named therein not less often than once each month, with a written state- ment of names of the Employees for whom the deductions were made and the amount of each deduction. Article VII—Wages Section 1: Rates: (a) The Parties hereby agree that wages shall be increased by eight (8) cents per hour to all Employees covered by this Agreement, effective the 15th day of June, 1962, and by a further eight (8) cents per hour effective the 15th day of June, 1963. (b) Employees who are paid on a piece-work basis shall receive the said increases of eight (8) cents per hour to be added to the existing daily rates on June 15th, 1962, and June 15th, 1963. (c) The minimum rate for com- mon labour (men) shall be $2.00 per hour effective June 15th, 1962, and $2.08 per hour effective June 15th, 1963, except for those cate- gories listed in the wage supplement attached hereto, — Section 3: Stand-By Time: (a) Shingle Sawyers and packers shall be paid at a rate of $2.75 per hour and $2.21 and 1% per hour re- spectively effective June 15th, 1962 for stand-by time where such time -accumulates to a total of one-half hour or more in any one day. Effec- tive June 15th, 1963, stand-by time rates for shingle sawyers and packers shall be $2.83 per hour and $2.29 and ¥% per hour respectively. (b) Shingle grooving machine operators and packers shall be paid at the rate of $2.48 per hour effec- tive June 15th, 1962, for stand-by time where such time accumulates to a total of one-half hour or more in any one day. Effective June 15th, 1963, the stand-by time rate shall be $2.56 per hour. Section 4: Engineers and Firemen: Engineers and Firemen actually working in a job requiring the ticket herein specified, shall be paid in accordance with the following rates: See “COAST” Page 3 Edmonton Strikers Vote Approval Of Settlement IWA members on strike in the Edmonton plant of Western Ply- wood (Alta.) Ltd. voted June 29 by a two to one majority to accept a settlement of strike issues proposed by the Alberta Deputy Minis- ter of Labour. All strikers have been re-instated without loss of seniority rights. Mediation by the Deputy Minister had been secured by Regional 3rd Vice-President Jack Holst who had investigated highly provocative strike-breaking tactics by management. The report of the Deputy Minister followed upon extended conferences with both parties in the dispute. The vote on the proposed settlement was confined to those actually engaged in strike action. More than one hundred employees were involved in the strike which commenced on March 15th. It re- ceived generous support from the Regional Council and all Local Unions. The Company had rejected an unanimous award of a Concilia- tion Board with respect to the hours of work. In a report to the Regional Execu- tive Board, Jack Holst paid high tribute-to the firm determination manifested by the strikers against heavy odds. Seldom has the Union witnessed such unscrupulous pres- sure to break a strike, he stated. Not only were strikebreakers freely em- ployed by the company, but on the slightest pretext a display of police force was made to protect the strike- breaking tactics. The fight made by the Edmonton strikers for better conditions will not be forgotten by the IWA, he said. Anti-Sabotage Bill Now Law South Africa’s controversial anti- sabotage bill became law with its publication in the government gazette. The government has broadened the definition of sabotage to include strikes and other activities not usually regarded as sabotage. Justice Minister Balthazer Vorster has said the act is aimed against saboteurs and Communists. The act has been strongly opposed by churches, students, writers, trade unions, lawyers and other South Af- rican organizations. (In Geneva, Switzerland, the In- ternational Commission of Jurists said the act reduces the liberty of the citizen to a degree not surpassed by the most extreme dictatorship of the left or the right.)