_“PIRATICAL DOCTRINE” TO ‘‘FORECLOSE CANADA” Mat . Le ing NUTT lectricians in Vancouver emerged from the bargaining table this week holding a four- year agreement giving them a wage packet valued at $1,123¢ per hour, with a half an hour a day knocked off the work schedule be- ginning the Ist of April, 1967, The agreement provides 99¢ an hour ‘in’ wage increases for in- side wiremen, 6% vacation pay, an increase in staturaty. holiday pay to 4% of earnings, anda boost in the foreman’s and splicers rates, The main factor of the agree- ment, however, is the 373 hour week provided at the end of the third year which is the first breakthrough for shorter hours in the Canadian construction in- dustry since the 40 hour week, was won shortly after the last world war, It is anticipated that this agree- ment will bring about aconcerted effort in the construction and Art O'Keefe Electrical Workers Busi- ness Agent who this week called on other building trades contractors to introduce shorter work hours. President Lyndon Johnson has approved the building of a $700 million electric power system, the largest single such system ever built in the U.S, Its four extra high voltage lines will con- nect federal dams on the Colum- bia with southern California, It will link a total of 11 western states in a power grid and carry B.C, power to California, Below is the text of a state- ment on the proposed U,S, power grid issued by Bruce Yorke of Vancouver, member of the Col- umbia River for Canada Commit- tee, The recent action of President Johnson is the second major step aimed at draining out of Canada as much as possible of the water and power resources of the Rocky Mountain Trench, The first major step was ac- complished with the signing of the Columbia River Treaty, By this Treaty Canadian water storage will provide a 20% increase in power production in the State of Washington, Some of this power will be used in the US, Pacific Northwest and any surplus will be taken by the grid to California, But the grid proposal is de- signed not only for the maximum utilization of the Columbia in the United States, but also as part of the grand design totap another international river, the Yukon, General McNaughton, in March 1963 described what the Ameri- cans had in mind: “For now, —-U-S. GRID 10 DRAIN OUR POWER even before ratification of the draft Columbia River Treaty by Canada the “MANIFEST DEST- INY” proponents in the U,S.State Department are quoting this Treaty as precedent determing their jurisdietion over the waters of the Yukon which they propose to acquire by the construction of an immense dam at Rampart Canyon which will flood back to the Canadian boundary, Once this has been done they will again assert the PIRATICAL DOC- TRINE of ‘First in Time is First in Right’ and thus foreclose Can- ada from collecting Yukon waters in Atlin Lake and making use of them, through more than 2,000 feet of head down the Taku (in Canada)”, The relationship of the power grid to the Yukon was made very specific in the 1961 Report of the U.S, Department of the Int- erior Task Force set-up to in- vestigate the proposal. This re- port stated: “It may: be economically feas- ible to develop Alaska’s 19 mil- lion kilowatt hydro potential, in- cluding the gigantic Rampart Project. Power from the Rampart Project could be sent to the Pacific Northwest, a distance of approximately 1,800 miles, over direct current lines at a reasonable cost, and by displace- ment could be used in California,” What is so galling to Canadians is the fact that it is our re- Two years hence when many construction agreements cerned and after last ditch at- tempts to negotiate asatisfactory agreement failed they hit the expire, it is believed likely that many unions will put the hours question at the head of their de- mands, Details of the agreement call for an increase of 27¢ an hour retroactive to July 15, 17¢ April AS19655: 100. Octa 45-1965: 17¢ April 1, 1966; 10¢ Oct, 1, 1966; 18¢ April 1, 1967, This will bring the present rate upto$3,80 as of July 15 and $4,52 on April 1, 1967, On other sections of the B.C, labor front unions, continued to pound through for big gains, West coast seamen compelled Northland Navigation to back down after a three week strike, and inked in an agreement giving them $28 over 20 months, The Seaman’s strike was pre- cipitated when Northland signed what many seamen termed a sweetheart agreement with the Seamen’s International Union, - (SIU), which represents half of the Northland workers, it called for $24 over two years in four $6 increments, : The same proposition was re- commended to Local 400 of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway & Transport Workers, (CBRT), Seamen’s Local by the majority report of the Federal Concilia- tion Board, The conciliation re- port was unanimously rejected by the 30 odd employees con- bricks for their original demand of $40 a month increase, The strike was fully supported by the B,C. Federation of Labor and hopes of the company to split the labor movement or ring in the Federal trustees failed, It was in these conditions that the Company returned to the bargain- ing table and the final agreement was worked out, Behind the settlement was a threat by the CBRT to spread the strike to other Northland operations, This could have tied up the entire waterfront, It is believed likely that the terms of the settlement will be passed on to the S.I,U, members working for the same company, Another major struggle, this time between the giant pulp in- dustry and the newly formed Ca- nada pulp Workers Local No, 2; Crofton, is now in thenews, Main issue in dispute is wages with the-Company offering, 11¢ an hour and the 450 employees demanding a 40¢ hoist. Also is contention is the union request for a com- pany paid insurance and health policy, The Company wants the employees to pay the full shot, The Prince Rupert Local of the Canadian Pulp Workers Union is also currently conducting a strike vote at Columbia Cellulose against a conciliation award, B.C. labor scoresbig gains Northern Interior Woodworkers wrapped up their negotiations accepting a conciliation officers proposal for a 37¢ an hour wage increase phased over three years, It will bump the present interior basic wage from $1,89 to $2,26, This will leave interior woodworkers 9¢ short of the basic wage for coast woodwork- ers whose basic rate willbe $2.35 at the end of their current two year agreement, Interior carpenters achieved parity with their Vancouver bro- thers after successful strikes in the Okanagan and Kootenay areas, This brings the carpenters rate to $3.49 throughout B,C,, at the end of the two year agreement, Dr, Neil Perry has been ap - pointed totry to resolve the strike between the United Steelworkers and Vulcan Containers NorthSur- rey, The Vulcan plant was struck on June 10 after the Steel union. turned down an offer of 45¢ over three years, Their demand is a basic rate of $2 anhour, Present basic rate is $1.16 an hour, The American Newspaper Guild and Pacific Press signed a contract last Thursday provid-. ing a guarantee of employment to all employees on the payroll up to July 1, 1964, sources that are being tapped to feed the power appetite of American industry, If. the U.S. can put forward legislation to build a long distance power grid why can’t the same thing be done — in Canada? Instead of vast quall~ tities of Canadian power going wouth it could go east to the Prairies and to Ontario, MB & PR profits zoom by 24% MacMillan, Bloedel & Powell River net income for the first six months of this year is UP 24 percent. Profits for the first half of 1964 were $21.2 million, — compared to $17.5 million for the corresponding period last yea! “It is gratifying,” said company chairman J.V. Clyne, *to note that there has been a substantial : increase in sales and net income in spite of a senseless strike a Alberni which closed down opera- tions at that point for almost eight weeks.” The strike referred to was that of 49 office employees, led PY the Office Employees Union. s was supported by 3000 othe? workers at the plant’s huge OP” erations at Alberni, who refused to cross picket lines. The mal? issue in the strike was unio? security which was won by thé union despite the stubborn Te sistance of J.V. Clyne and M.B: & P.R. % 0 : The agreement, designed © meet the threat of automatiO™ : on an stipulates that during the life the three year agreement will be no layoffs for econo _ reasons or if apublication is® August 7, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PO9® there or discontinued, The agreement calls for a 10,43 per cent wage increase spre over three years with improv ments in fringe benefits, A six man committee made i of equal numbers from union management will compos’, standing committee to study. effects of automation in the i dustry and make recomme?™ tions for reallocation and i training of employees effecté new processes, The Compr” will finance such retraining. a . sie Drawing by pred Tih 4 “No, this is NOT ‘that on a red-head receptions?