12/Lumber Worker/June-July, 1980 ES SOE SE TREY OEE Ee cay ak en Ee ees eae KRISTIANSEN SEEKS LUMBER SALES IN MEXICO NDP forestry critic Lyle Kristiansen, member of Local 1-405 IWA, Cranbrook, stated in the House of Commons that the Canadian government should be doing more to sell Canadian forestry products in Mexico. The Kootenay West Member of Parlia- ment asked the Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce “to consider sending a Canadian trade delegation to Mexico in the near future in order to seek open and expanded markets for Canadian lumber and plywood, in combination with a pro- gram to build demonstration homes in Mexico.” Kristiansen said “that in view of the current high levels of unemployment in the forestry industry and considering that Mexico will be the recipient of massive inflows of capital due to large increases in the sale of oil, it is indeed important for Canada to diversify and expand its markets abroad.” The minister in his reply stated “that he will encourage the sending of a delegation to Mexico to pursue these types of initiatives.” He also pointed out that the matter will be discussed with his colleagues in the Depart- ment of Environment and the Ministry of State for Trade and will seek to actively pursue the matter with the Mexican delega- tion while they are in Ottawa. Kristiansen stated “that the employment of Canadian construction crews can also be used in order to encourage interest and develop experience in frame construction and in Canadian lumber and plywood by another country.” NEW AGREEMENT ACCEPTED BY REGION THREE IWA members in Regional Council No. 3 have voted by a narrow margin to accept a new three-year agreement offered by the Western Wood Products Employers Associ- ation. The Association employs approximately 33,000 IWA and Lumber Production and Industrial Workers members in the Pacific Northwest. Both unions conducted region- wide ballotting, but in separate voting. The results of the LPIW have not been reported as yet. Yearly wage increases in the proposed pact are 80 cents an hour June 1, 1980; 75 cents an hour June 1, 1981; and 70 cents an hour June 1, 1982. A “skill adjustment pool” is also included in the package. Job classifications to be adjusted and the amount of money to go to those classifications to be determined by an eight-member committee — two members each from the IWA and LPIW and four members from the industry. Other benefits include shift differential increases; travel time in the woods; call time provision; an additional “floater” holiday; an increase in the Health & Welfare Plan; and an increase to the Pension Plan. PIRKER-DELEEUW RE-ELECTED BY ACCLAMATION Three positions are being contested following the nomination of officers held at the Annual Delegated Meeting of Local 1- 207 IWA, June 6, in Edmonton, Alberta. Officers elected by acclamation were — Joe Pirker, president; Larry Featherstone, third vice-president; Bob DeLeeuw, finan- cial secretary; Bill Sommerfeld, recording secretary; Stan Morton, conductor. Contesting the other offices and whose names will go out on the referendum ballot are — Ed. Henry and Noel Lapierre for first vice-president; Mike Pisak and Maurice Burgess for second vice-president; George Yawney and Roger Moreau for warden. Other business of the meeting included dealing with a number of resolutions, electing delegates to the various conven- tions and conferences, approving the Officers’ Report and hearing from anumber of guest speakers. International president Keith Johnson, a former president of Local 1-207, discussed the economic slump in the U.S. and its affect on the Canadian economy. IWA membersin the U.S., he stated, were being harder hit than Canadian members due to the fact that a number of IWA operations had their agreements running out and the employers were locking the employees out rather than negotiate with them. He was optimistic that the employers would return to the bargaining table in the near future but at the moment, he said, these IWA members were facing a difficult period. He then went on to talk about the American political scene and the impor- tance for labour of electing Senator Kennedy. He stated, “Regardless of what the critics of Kennedy say about him, his record in the Senate was far and away the most progressive of any of the presidential candidates.” Regional first vice-president Bob Blanchard spoke on the Troubled Em- ployees’ Programme that the Union is working on with the cooperation of the employers. He stressed that the importance of sucha programme could not be exaggerated. Too many employees in the forest industry, he stated, needed help not only for alcohol and © drug abuse but for a variety of other reasons and it was the hope of both the Union and the employers that the programme would provide the help. He also touched on the need for a programme funded by the employers to investigate the various chemicals used at the job site. The Regional Council. had attempted during the B.C. Coast Negotia- tions to have such a programme set up but was unsuccessful. The Officers’ Report noted that the Local had been successful in organizing a number of operations but that the recent economic VOVNVO ALSSVS “That's got it finished safely. Now let’s bury the crane and we'll have people wondering for ages.“ setbacks had severely affected the total number of members. The Report stated that prudent financial policies had again rewarded the Local Union with a sound balance sheet, however, major expenditures could be expected in the coming year due to increased costs in servicing grievances and negotiations. IWA STRIKERS HOLD FIRM The 500 employees of Amoco Fabrics in Hawkesbury, Ontario, members of Local 2- 600 IWA, have completed the seventh week of strike against the Chicago based multi- national (Standard Oil of Indiana). The end of this seventh week has been punctuated by an injunction issued by the Ontario Supreme Court. A meeting convened in Ottawa on June 24th by Provincial Mediator, Mr. John Berger, failed to bring about a settlement. The strikers are more determined than ever to continue their struggle against one of the most powerful corporations in the world. The strike began on May 12, 1980, after months of negotiations followed by concilia- tion and mediation hearings. The main issues are wages and a cost of living clause (COLA). The Union is asking for a one year agreement with a wage increase of $1.00 per hour as of December 31, 1979 and a COLA clause which will protecta wage increase that would otherwise be eroded by inflation which in the estimation of even the most conservative economists will be over nine per cent in 1980. The demands of the Unions are that more justifiable if one considers that Amoco employees in Brantford, whose agreements expires in September 1980, and are engaged in the same production, have a wage structure which on the average is approxi- mately $1.00 more per hour than in Hawkesbury, where the base rate is at the sub-standard level of $4.83 per hour. The last offer which was made by the Company at the Mediation hearing of June 24th in Ottawa was: a three year agreement with an increase of 55¢ in the first year, 50¢ in the second year and 45¢ in the third year with no COLA and no retroactivity whatso- ever.