_ AUGUST — SEPTEMBER, 1978 LOCAL OFFICERS left, Mike Campbell, ard Vice- President; ecaidon iaygont Ist es , President; Joe Fowler, President; Erik Wood, Financial Secrelany | : SCHOLARSHIP winner Colleen McCormick, h TWENTY-FIVE year members receiving tale certificates and pins icon Erik Wood. Members are Herman Guenther, Harold Charnely, Ernest Diewert, Norm Harris. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER pro a7 OFFiCERE ae ; REPORT MEMBERATE UP Otis of the ‘latest member- ship turnouts attended the An- nual Meeting of Local 1-367 IWA, September 16, in Haney, to hear guest speaker Syd Thompson, President of Local 1-217 Vancouver, call for one IWA collective agreement in British Columbia and press for major improvements to the IWA-Forest Industry Pension Plan. One hundred and forty- -three members and seven guests were in attendance. Business of the meeting in- cluded presentation of three Local Union scholarships, awarding of 25-year certifi- cates and pins, approving the Officers’ Report, electing dele- gates to various conferences, electing the Local Safety Director and _ conducting nominations for officers. The positions of President and Conductor are being con- tested. Incumbent President Joe Fowler is being opposed by the former Conductor, Everett Godfrey. Monte Cordoni and Garry Boyko are contesting the position of Conductor. These names will go out on a referendum ballot to the mem- bership. Elected by acclamation were Gordon Claypool, ist Vice- President; Ron Chequis, 2nd Vice-President; Mike Camp- bell, 3rd Vice-President: Erik Wood, Financial Secretary; Phil Hertslet, Recording Secretary; Gerhard Winter, Warden; Jack Hagerty, Six- Year Trustee. Gordon Claypool was elected Local Union Safety Commit- tee. Education Committee mem- bers elected were Dennis Huber, Fred Berry, Keith Hertslet, Ray Deschambault, Ted Freylinger. Presented with 25-year certi- ficates and pins were Herman Guenther, Harold Charnley, Ernest Diewert, Norm Harris. Scholarship winners were Colleen McCormick and Richard Kramer (academic) and Dale Monahan (voca- tional). Thompson in his address to the meeting concentrated the majority of his remarks on the IWA Pension Plan. He sug- gested to the younger mem- Kramer. SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS Dale Monahan ion Richard bers that they should consider fighting to win the type of pen- sion plan the United Auto Workers have in the U.S. Their plan, he stated, al- lowed the workers to retire on full pensions after thirty years on the job regardless of age. He admitted the IWA Pension Plan had been improved but the Union should still press to make it the best plan possible. He concluded with a few re- marks on the need for working people to get involved in poli- tical action. He stated that it was beyond his understanding how workers constantly sup- port the Liberals, Conserva- tives and Social Credit parties and ignore the NDP, the only party working for the labode movement. He was given a tremendous standing ovation from the members, a highly unusual occurance in the Local Union. The impressive Officers’ Re- port noted a good increase in the membership for the past year and a healthy increase in the Local’s finances. The Report stated that it was difficult in the past year to make-any major headway in organizing the unorganized woodworkers but some small operations were organized and . a few owner-operators signed up in the Union. Once again the Local re- ported that there had been no fatalities in any of the or- ganized operations, however, there had been two. loggers killed in the unorganized camps. The Local is still taking an active interest in political ac-' tion. The officers are providing the membership with informa- tion on the danger of right to work laws and pointing out that the Social Credit Party is pushing strongly to have such laws enacted. The officers stated that the next provincial election will likely be the most important for B.C. workers, and IWA members will be required to participate as never before. The officers also stated that the Local will give full support to all NDP federal candidates in the Local’s jurisdiction when a federal election is called.