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‘THE WESTERN CANADIAN ©

WORKER

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

Vol. XXXVI, No. 17 VANCOUVER, B.C.

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1st Issue
September, 1968

LABOUR

By JACK MOORE
Regional President

| ABOUR DAY was instituted as a nation-

al holiday to remind the public of
labour’s worth in building the nation’s
economic strength.

Within labour circles it is customary to
review trade union progress and forecast
the foreseeable future.

As Labour Day this year immediately
precedes the IWA Regional Convention,
the Union’s accomplishments during the
past year furnish the background for con-
vention decisions charting the Union’s
course for the year ahead.

IWA membership strength in Western
Canada has continued to climb. It now
exceeds 38,000. On our 25th anniversary,
1962, this figure was 32,000. This growth
indicates that our Union has aggressively
continued to organize the unorganized in
B.C. as well as in the prairie provinces
despite active employer opposition in the

small operations, which remained unor-
ganized.

Equally impressive is the increase in
IWA base rates on which our wage struc-
ture rests. The recent Coast settlement
establishes a base rate of $3.12 on June
15, 1969. In 1962 our base rate was $1.92.
We have increased earnings by $1.20 an
nour in six years.

_ Over and above this rate increase
across the board, rate revisions have in-
_ creased category rates over a wide range

as high as an additional 30 cents an hour
fin some instances.

We have secured progressive in-
‘creases in tradesmen’s rates until today

_ the top rates approximate $4.25 an hour.

¥

THEY MARCHED TO VICTORY—See Page 3

As we list all the benefits affecting
working conditions added to the contract
during this period, we may well claim that
the Coast Master Agreement excels any
woodworkers’ contract in the world.

The Interior base rate, which was 50
cents an hour below the Coast rate, has
now been raised to $2.98 an hour January
1, 1970, 14 cents an hour below the coast

rate and with contract expiration date in
June.

JACK MOORE

Likewise, hourly wage rates in the Al-
berta and Saskatchewan notoriously low-
wage areas, have been brought into a
healthier relation to the B.C. rates.

Wage increases secured in six years,
1962-68, surpass the wage increases for

the 13-year period 1949 to 1962 by 36
cents an hour.

The growing strength and solidarity of
the Union reflected in negotiating pres-
sures has set a record of which the West-

ern Canadian Regional Council may well
be proud.

As we look to the future, the preserva-
tion of IWA unity assumes paramount im-
portance that we may take full advantage
of the accelerated momentum of the last

six years to move forward into still greater
accomplishments.

As the composition of our member-
ship is constantly undergoing change
with many new members not associated
with past struggles, greater pains will be
necessary to involve them more closely
in the Union’s future negotiations.

As our demands originate with the
membership and our recommended set-
tlements must always find majority ap-
proval, we must more thoroughly weld the
membership into a cohesive whole.

The great majority of IWA members
have stamped their approval on the gains
that stand to the credit of a union that

traditionally has functioned by the rule of
the majority.

Our Union can only maintain its vitality

as it makes adequate preparation to up-
hold majority rule.