May_5-6, Kelowna LOCAL 1-423's ~ SIXTH ANNUAL DELEGATED MEETING Delegates attending the 6th Annual Delegated Meeting of Local 1-423 IWA, May 5-6th, in Kelowna, voted unanimously to support an officers’ recommendation calling for the Local to contribute 25 cents per member per month for organizing woodworkers in the Southern United States. peer The officers pointed out that the Southern U.S. was becoming the new frontier for runaway industry taking advantage of ‘“‘right-to-work”’ legislation, low wages, and poor working conditions. The only way to help their brothers in the South, the officers stated, was to contribute financial support. In ‘doing this 1-423 members would not only give the South much needed aid but at the same time the contribution would protect woodworkers’ living standards in British Columbia. - The first contribution will be made in June and will continue for one year at which time the programme will be reviewed. Over ninety delegates and visitors attended the two-day meeting where a vast amount of business was conducted. Included in the business were a number of resolutions, an extensive Officers’ Report and officers’ recom- mendations. A number of guest speakers were heard and included - International 1st Vice-President Fernie Viala; Regional 2nd Vice-President Bob Blanchard; Regional 3rd Vice- President Neil Menard; Local 1-217 President Syd Thompson; Local 1-417 President Bill Hobbs; Local 1-405 Financial Secretary Don Davidson; Regional Safety. Council Recording Secretary Verna Ledger and NDP Federal candidates John Powell and Darwin Sigurgeirson. Syd Thompson, who is attending as many of the annual meetings as possible before his retirement from office, received another standing ovation from the delegates. He was accorded a similar ovation at the Prince George Annual Meeting April 22-23. Once again his topic was one collective agreement for the IWA in British Columbia and the importance of im- proving the Union’s Pension Plan. He suggested to the younger members that they might be interested in fighting for a pension plan, such as the auto workers have, where a worker can retire with a full pension after thirty years of service, regardless of age. He also took a run at the provincial and federal govern- ments whose policies, he stated, were not designed to help working people. He suggested that the only party in- terested in improving the workers lot was the New Democratic Party. Blanchard devoted his address to the subject of “‘right- to-work’’ legislation. He warned the meeting of the very ‘real danger of such legislation being enacted in B.C. if the Socred back-benchers and other reactionary groups were to convince the government that such laws were needed. Viala gave a strong pitch on the need for Canadian IWA members to support their brothers in the Southern U.S. He also praised the B.C. local unions for their genourosity in backing the International’s present campaign in the south. Verna Ledger gave a brief report on the recent safety seminar held in Seattle, Washington. She also discussed the Regional Council’s safety programme and the progress that was being made in reducing the number of accidents and fatalities in the woodworking industry. The Officers’ Report indicated that the Local Union had accomplished a great deal in the past year for the mem- bership. The officers were confident that the Local could look forward to another good year in 1978. The Safety Director’s Report, however, was not so op- timistic. The Director noted that while the Local had been free of fatalities for the past three years, the number of near accidents had increased alarmingly. He stated that these incidents were not the fault of new employees but rather workers who have been employed for years. He strongly suggested that perhaps too much attention has been spent in over protecting the work force with needless guards and too much protective equipment to the point that the employees were becoming too complacent. As usual the Local Union sponsored its annual banquet and dance for the delegates and visitors which was again a successful affair. Local officers left, Dell Welder, Financial Secretary ; Jack Welder, Ist Vice-President ; Bill j Schumaker, President; Bill Oner, Recording Secretary. , 3 Local Board Members left, Angus Manson, Stan Anton, George — Neil Menard. . Duley. i pre - et iP 3 Regional 2nd Vice-President Visitors left, Jack Kerssens, Ist Vice-President of Local 1-417; Bill Bob Blanchard. Hobbs, President of Local 1-417; Frank Stich, International ? Assistant Director of Organization. Ba Tae" BW A en | i { Regional Safety Council Re- International Ist Vice-Presi- ‘Local 1-217 President Syd __ dent Fernia Viala. Thompson. cording Secretary Verna Led- ger. = : ne SE ‘ { ‘ , ‘shee i : beece € if Sea es r ji ‘ ¥ : Eos ae 1 Okanagan North NDP Federal Okanagan Similkameen NDP Local 1-405 Financial Secre- candidate John Powell. Federal candidate Darwin tary Don Davidson. Sigurgeirson. ‘