THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER

AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH.

WORKER

Vol. XXXVI, No. 10

VANCOUVER, B.C.

5c PER COPY

2nd Issue
May, 1967

we

THESE SIX LOCKED OUT employees of the Monocrest

Kitchens Ltd., Richmond, were given a thunderous ova-
tion when they appeared at the special delegated con-

ference May

19 at Woodworkers’ House. Approximately

fifty employees of the cabinet-making plant were locked
out by the Company for joining Local 1-217 IWA. After
a week’s shutdown, the Company notified the crew to
return to work. On May 29, the Company again locked the
crew out claiming the jurisdiction dispute at the plant

forced this action.

PRESIDENT ERNIE FREER of Local 1-71 is shown ad-
dressing the Local’s 17th Annual Delegated Conference
May 20, in Vancouver. See report of the Conference page 4.

INTER

IOR MEMBERS |

SEEK COAST PARITY

“Parity not charity” was
the battle cry of the fifty
IWA delegates attending the
Interior Wages and Contract
Conference May 12-13, in
Kelowna, as they made it
abundantly clear that this
was the year Interior wood-
workers were prepared to
fight for a decent contract.

By unanimous decision the
conference delegates repre-
senting the four Interior Lo-
cal Unions adopted a four
point programmatic resolu-
tion, the first point of which
demanded that the Northern
and Southern Interior agree-
ments be replaced by the
1966-1967 Coast Master
Agreement, including all sup-
plements.

Acceptance by the employ-
ers of this demand would pro-
vide an across - the - board
wage increase of fifty cents
an hour to the Interior mem-
bers plus all the contract pro-
visions recommended by Mr.
Justice Nemetz in the last
Coast settlement.

The Interior woodworkers’
present base rate of $2.26 an
hour is thirty cents an hour
behind the coast base rate of
$2.56. On June 15 Coast mem-
bers will receive an additional
twenty cents an hour putting
Interior members fifty cents
an hour behind before the
August 31 expiration date of
their agreement.

Interior members are de-
termined to end this disparity
which they state has existed
far too long in the~Interior.
They are equally determined
to gain the contract provi-
sions recommended by Mr.
Justice Nemetz which in-
clude:

e Six months advance no-
tice of technological changes
likely to cause displacement
of workers with an opportun-
ity for the Union and man-
agement to accomplish man-
power adjustment with the
payment of severance pay for
those displaced, not to ex-
ceed 26 weeks pay.

e An improved job evalua-
tion program in the plywood

section of the industry with
elimination of female rates
and increases for certain cate-
gories ranging from four to
ten cents an hour.

e An increase of the rates
for afternoon and graveyard
shifts to ten cents an hour.

© Improved - contract con-
ditions regarding statutory
holidays, leave of absence,
seniority and travel time for
loggers.

e Provisions for consulta-
tive and remedial measures
designed to protect employees
effected by contracting-out.

The: other three points of
the programmatic resolution
demanded that:

e Employers initiate a job
evaluation program for all
categories in the manufactur-
ing section of the industry
not now included in the job
evaluation program adopted
for the plywood section.

e All training principles
and apprenticeship programs

See “PARITY” Page 2

SPECIAL CONFERENCE BACKS
PRESIDENT MOORE, LOCAL 1-85

A move to censor Regional
president Jack Moore and Lo-
cal 1-85 Port Alberni over the
Gold River situation was
soundly defeated at a special
regional-wide conference May
19 in Vancouver.

The move was initiated by
Locals 1-80, 1-118, 1-217 and
1-288 following the joint ap-
plication made by Local 1-85
and the International Broth-
erhood of Pulp, Sulphite and
Paper Mill Workers for certi-
fication of all Tahsis employ-
ees at Gold River.

The four Local Unions spe-
cifically charged 1-85 with re-
neging on a policy plan for
Gold River adopted at the
March 29 Regional executive
board meeting. They also
questioned the constitutional
right of the Local to seek a

joint certification at Tahsis
with the International Pulp
Union.

At the same time they ac-
cused Regional president
Moore of abetting the certi-
fication move by failing to
carry out directives of the
Regional executive board.

The censor move failed,
however, when after a bitter
day-long debate the vast ma-
jority of the 150 delegates sol-
idly supported Moore and en-
dorsed the actions of Local
1-85.

The accusation against
Moore was quickly dealt with
when the conference passed
a motion ruling the charge in
error and that in fact he had
carried out all directives of
the board.

The charges against 1-85
proved equally groundless

when spokesmen for the Lo-
cal pointed out that informa-
tion had been received by
them indicating that the Lo-
cal’s application for varying
its Gold River certification
would be rejected by the La-
bour Relations Board. ;

(Local 1-85 presently holds
a blanket certification cover-
ing all Tahsis employees in or _
incidental to logging and saw-
milling. The certification was
granted by the Labour Rela-
tions Board in 1963 under
present legislation.)

Faced with the threat of
being squeezed out of the pic-
ture altogether, the Local, to
protect the interests of its 800
Tahsis employees and the Re-
gional Council, worked out an
agreement with the Interna-
tional Pulp Union whereby

See “GOLD RIVER” Page 3