vy thewestern Canadian
IUMDEr WOrkKer

MAY, 1974

[WorA}

VOL. XLII, NO. 4

IWA REGIONAL PRESIDENT Jack Munro, who is also Ist

VANCOUVER, B.C.

Vice-President of the B.C. Federation of Labour, is shown
addressing the Collective Bargaining Conference of the
Federation’s April 26, in the Hotel Vancouver. On the right
are Federation President George Johnson and Federation

Secretary-Treasurer Len Guy.

‘PROGRESS BEING MADE

REPORT ON
NEGOTIATIONS

It is impossible to report the
progress of any set of negoti-
ations in a newspaper like the
Lumber Worker because of the
time between issues. Negoti-
ations on the coast are moving
so fast and changing so
dramatically from day to day
even the daily newspapers and
radio stations find it hard to
provide adequate coverage, so
we will outline briefly and in
general terms what has trans-
pired at the bargaining table.

As of May 27th, there have
been twenty-six meetings
between the IWA and FIR. The
new look to the bargaining
committees is good tosee. Both
the IWA and FIR have this
“new look”. FIR has increased
the size of its committee from
four FIR representatives to
twenty-two representatives
from both FIR and all the
major forest companies.
Basically this means that the

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companies are getting a first
hand look at what the union is
demanding. A major part of
what happens at the bargain-
ing table is based on judgment,
on accurately assessing the
mood of the other side. Up to
now the industry has had to
depend on FIR to convey that
mood to them, hardly what the
union considered to be ac-
curate.

On our side of the table the
major change is not im-
mediately noticeable but if one
looks long enough it slowly
becomes evident. Our com-
mittee is completely united. A
solid block with no split, eleven
men speaking with one voice.
This is very important in any
negotiations and quite frankly
it has the FIR committee
somewhat concerned. They
have been prodding deep
looking for even a crack in the
union committee and have not

been able to find one.

Mediator Clark Gilmore has
been sitting in on the last few
meetings, primarily as an
observer and offering opinions
to both sides. Although at this
point there is very little he can
do and he seems satisfied to sit
back and let the parties reach
an agreement between them-
selves. However, should he be
needed, valuable time will not
be wasted in trying to bring
him up to date on what has

happened during the last

twenty-six meetings.

As negotiations come down
to the wire things seem to be
progressing as well as can be
expected. The first proposal
has hit the table and although it
is totally inadequate, it gives
the committee a place to start.

Taking the solidarity of our
committee combined with the
membership following the

- committees direction, it looks

like a good agreement for coast

_ woodworkers this years.

NATIONAL UNIONS’ ATTITUDE _
ANGERS INTERNATIONAL UNIONS

AT CONVENTION IN VANCOUVER |

The Canadian Labour Con-
gress Convention held May 13-
17, in Vancouver, proved to be
the largest — and because of
the size — the most dis-

organized CLC convention ever
held.

CONTEST

FOR IWA
MEMBERS

Some lucky IWA rank and
file member in good standing
within Regional Council No. 1,
will win two free return tickets
to anywhere in Air Canada’s
world plus $1,000 expense
money from the Regional
Council.

The contest is made possible
through the profit derived from
the new IWA Annual Year
Book published. by the
Regional Council.

Following are the rules-that
will be used to determine the
winner:

1— Each contestant must be
a rank and file member in good
standing within Regional
Council No. 1.

2— The trip must be used by
the actual winner and is not
transferrable.

SEE “CONTEST” Page 2

JOHNSON
SCORES
CONGRESS

International President
Keith W. Johnson has sent. a
sharply-worded protest to the
Canadian Labour Congress for
lack of action against con-
tinued unprincipled raids on
IWA jurisdiction by the United
Paper Workers.

Under provisions of the CLC
Constitution, sanctions were
placed on the UPIU several
years ago for raids of IWA
jurisdiction in British
Columbia.

Despite the sanctions, the
UPIU has continued business
as usual in the CLC, and Henry

Lorrain, executive vice
president and Canadian
director of the UPIU, has
remained on the CLC

Executive Council.

President Johnson sent the ~

following protest to Donald
MacDonald, president of the
CLC:

“On behalf of the In-
ternational Woodworkers of
America, we _ strenuously
object to the continued in-
trusion on our jurisdiction by

SEE “JOHNSON” Page 2

Congress officials, expecting
around eighteen hundred dele-
gates at the time the conven-
tion arrangements were made,
were swamped by a record
attendance of twenty-five
hundred. .

The extra seven hundred
delegates taxed the convention
facilities to the limit and the

_ resulting chaos of trying to

seat everybody and provide
convention material gave the
appearance of a three ring
circus more than the top labour
body of Canada meeting in
serious study to decide the
course of the organization.

In marked contrast, across
the way from where the con-
vention was being held,. the
Carling O’Keefe Company
gave a demonstration of how to
organize a difficult job.

Each day the Company
provided free lunch to the
twenty-five hundred delegates
consisting of either hot or cold
food, with coffee or beer. The
lunch was served with military
precision and the entire con-
vention was fed with a mini-
mum of waiting and a com-
plete lack of confusion.

The cost of the project is
estimated to have been well in
excess of $30,000 and the
Company. officials are to be
highly commended for their
generous action.

As expected, former IWA
Regional President Joe
Morris, was elected Congress
President succeeding Donald
MacDonald, who had an-
nounced his retirement earlier
in the year.

However, some candidates
on the official slate took a
beating due to a strong anti-
international campaign
generated by the national and
provincial unions.

Winning the endorsation of
this group were Donald Mont-
gomery who was elected to the
key job of secretary-treasurer ;
while Shirley Carr and Julien
Major, were elected to the two
executive vice-presidential
posts.

The. major battle in the
convention was caused by the
ultra-nationalists demanding
tougher CLC admittance
standards.

The Canadian Union of
Public Employees- also spear-

headed a group of national and .

provincial unions, known as
the “‘reform’’ group, in press-
ing for greater autonomy for
Canadian sections of inter-
national unions.

Their pious attitude caused
anger among a number of the
international unions, such as
the IWA, because the majority
of these international unions
affiliated to Congress have as
much or more autonomy than
those unions attacking them.

The program approved by
the convention adds two new
standards of self-government

to those adopted by the CLC’s

1970 convention.

One of these standards. will
require that where an inter-
national union is affiliated to
an international trade secre-
tariat, the Canadian section of
that union should be affiliated

SEE “CONVENTION” Page 2

ll ——K&z~—eE& —__________;_—_SSSeSe EES)

— 2

FORMER IWA Regional President Joe Morris, the newly
elected President of the Canadian Labour Congress, is shown
with former B.C. Federation of Labour President Bill Black
at the recent CLC Convention in Vancouver.

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