“BLIND AVARICE" HUMAN Relations Committee to review labour- management problems continuously during the life of the IWA master agreement has sometimes been suggested as an alternative to “crisis” or “countdown” bargaining such as is now in progress. The suggestion now appears amusing, when the employers’ concept of human relations is-seen in the 19 proposals introduced during the current coast nego- tiations. It appears that the employers have completely for- gotten that employees are human beings with aspira- tions to live decently and work in dignity and security. That which is income and protection to the worker is to them nothing more than a cost item to be whittled down without regard for the human factors involved. Never is anything proposed to benefit the employees. Blind avarice ignores the value of employee morale and health. The “pickpocket” proposals come with poor grace from employers who have been enjoying unprece- dented profits extracted, with consent of the public, from the forest resources of the province. Their enormous profits have so excited the envy of industrialists elsewhere in Canada that the Financial Post claimed “The Way Money is Pouring in from B.C., You'd Think the Trees were made of Gold.” It is this hard-nosed concept of human relations that has accounted for widespread unrest, occasionally ex- pressed in open protest. It is at its worst when they now Propose coercion to stifle protest. The legal strait- jacket proposal devised for the union assumes that the employer is always right and the worker is always wrong. The proposed 7-day week continuous production, eliminating the Saturday to Sunday weekends, shows a callous disregard for family living. In the employers’ book, it is better economics to keep the new expensive machinery operating continuously than to safeguard the health and morale of the employees. Instead of alleviation of the outrageous conditions imposed upon the loggers due to the growing inaccessi- bility of timber, they now propose to impose still harsher conditions upon the logger's life. ; The employers have no ground for complaint, if this year lumber workers show exceptionally militant deter- mination to right their wrongs. It is the employers who have created the situation where, faced with ruthless greed, the lumber workers must in self-preservation call for a showdown on long- deferred and necessary contract improvements. QUOTE One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries—A. A. Milne, quoted in Think. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Published twice monthly as the official publication of the af ps? INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA, Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1. Affiliated with AFL-CIO-CLC 2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261 pone Se ae ess eR enn dena sient ateeine peep seecinisweeseesnrevers~ Tre eber Advertising Representative 0000000 GAL Spencer Forwarded to ever. accordance with conven esa dd beter ees Stl, Poet Gfice De re) uthorized as a8 . m ce ‘partment, Ottawa, j wi tor payment of postage in cash, 27,500 copies printed in this issue. member of the IWA in Western Canada in decisions, Subscription rate for non-members IWA Editor’s note: The following is a copy of a letter sent to Forest Industrial Relations Lid. by Howard Vaux, a member of Local 1-80 IWA, after receiving in the mail the Forest Industries? Newsletter of March 16, 1966. Howard, who has eleven years experience in the logging in- dustry, resides in Duncan with his wife and children and is presently employed as a truck driver at MacMillan, Bloedel & Powell River’s Cop- per Canyon operation. “Dear Sirs: “Thank you for your News- letter of March 16, 1966 in which you justify the changes you are proposing to our agreement. “YT find myself unable to agree with any of your pro- posals, however, I believe that you are entitled to your own opinions. “One section that I took particular exception to is the one under the heading “Bene- fits Bring Responsibility”. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER You complain of too many illegal work stoppages “re- sulting in production losses and bad feelings.” You carry on to say that in the long run these pressure plays do not benefit Union members and then, on behalf of the com- panies that you represent, you have the sheer audacity to claim — quote “we live up to the contract”. I am only one Union member but, in my limited scope, hardly a day goes by when I don’t see de- liberate breaches of our agreement, I would like to add that I have been the re- cipient of some of these breaches of the comvany by whom I am employed. “T am not highly educated like yourselves; however I can read and understand Eng- lish very well and, while I feel that the whole newsletter is pure poppycock, that one section makes my blood boil! Has it ever occurred to you that perhaps the only reason that we have to, from time to time, bring in a “pressure SSS a a ET THE LIGHTER SIDE SENIORITY “Golly!” exclaimed one small boy to another. “My hands are a lot dirtier than yours!” “Why shouldn’t they be?” asked the other in a bored tone. “You’re a year older than I.” * * * PRESCRIPTION After checking over the pa- tient, the physician inquired, “Have you been living a nor- mal life?” “Yes, doctor.” “Well, you’ll have to cut it out.” * * * TOO MANY QUESTIONS A small boy, sitting on his grandfather’s knee, noticed that he had a red mark on each side of his nose. After due study of this, he asked, “What gave you those red meen by your nose, grand- pa? “Glasses,” replied the old gentleman. The little boy reflected for a moment, then asked, “Glasses of what?” * * * ‘ DOMESTIC DIVERSION A baby sitter is a teen-ager who comes in to act like an adult while the adults go out and act like teen-agers. * Ketek DIFFERENCE A luxury is something we willingly pay twice as much for as we grudgingly pay for a necessity. * * * “I have brought you a Red Cross nurse,” the doctor an- nounced. “Well, take her back,” said the irritable patient, “and bring me a blonde, cheerful one.” 1st Issue March, 1966 HE ENJOYS FICTION play” is that we are not get- ting the fair and just treat- ment that we are entitled to both in conditions and in wages. I was not amazed to find that your proposals did not contain one single item ‘ S t ~ € that will benefit me or my-¢, fellow workers. How come? “Please do not take this let- ter as a request to take me off your mailing list as I thor- Sh a = oughly enjoy reading fiction!” Sincerely, HOWARD VAUX.” NO DIGEST FAN “The Editor: Your article in the Febru- ary issue of the Lumber Worker re the Readers Digest is in my opinion most timely. Constructive cricitism of this type benefits all of us. I hope you will be able to continue this type of revelation. O. D. BERRY, Local 1-85, Port Alberni, B.C. Nr PITT AS A CANDIDATE YOUVE BEEN BEATEN 3 TIMES, HARRY..ONE DEFEAT AND YOU'LL BE BLE FOR THE SENATE” ”» fF eo) at