Vol. XLV, No. 2 -VANCOUVER, B.C. hewestern. canadian lunaber worker <>’ ISSN 0049-7371 APRIL-- MAY, 1977 4 CONTRACT DEMANDS SET t — Be AB? eee f Lika 2. } | | IWA REGIONAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE comprised of officers from the fakCoast the Southern and Northern Interior. Seated from left, Syd Thompson, President Local 1-217; Jack Munro, Regional President; Bob Blanchard, Regional 2nd Vice-President; Stan Parker, Regional 1st Vice-President. Standing left, Roger Lewis, President Local 1-118; Neil Menard, Regional 3rd Vice-President; Joe Fowler, President Local 1-367; Lorne Scott, President Local 1-363; Ben Thompson, President Local 1-71; Earl Foxcroft, President Local 1-85; Gerry Stoney, President Local 1-357; Roger Stanyer, President Local 1-80; Don Muir- head, President Local 1-424; Ron Grant, Financial Secretary Local 1-288; Wayne Nowlin, President Local 1-405; Bill Hobbs, President Local 1-417. Missing from photo is Bill Schu- maker, President Local 1-423. DEMANDS ACTION MUNRO CONDEMNS GOVERNMENTS OVER LOST RAIL CAR CONTRACTS IWA President Jack Munro March 7, joined Norm Farley, Business Manager for Local 170, Shopmens’ Division and -Carmens’ Local in condemning “both the Provincial and Federal Government over the latter’s Swneine < of rail car EEDA TEDILE LOER Pomes Tenate Carats & = Vencouver, B.C. CO ae LO THE LUMBER WORKER Saw 2859 Commercial! Dr.. = [@) eee 5 og - fo & contracts to three eastern companies when Railwest at Squamish is facing major layoffs because of lack of work. “This whole business is one of the most outrageous things I’ve ever heard of,’ Munro said. ““‘We have a brand new rolling stock manufacturing plant that has the capacity and capability to build rail cars and they are talking about laying off workers because of lack of contracts. During the past number of years we have had thousands of IWA mem- bers laid off because manu- facturers cannot get rail cars to ship cut lumber to market . . and God knows the last thing this province needs is more un- emplSyment no matter what industry it happens to be in.” Munro said that the handling of the contract for two thousand grain cars was ridiculous. ‘‘On one hand they say that we must use Canadian steel which has to be shipped from eastern Canada, then they say the bid Railwest sub- mitted is too high. What do they (the Federal Govern- ment) expect when they allow the CPR and CNR to charge outrageous shipping costs to make sure the two National Railways make a bundle. If we could buy the steel from Japan we could do the job as cheaply as eastern rail car manufac- turers,”’ said Munro. The IWA President contends that the whole bidding system used by the Federal Govern- ment was a joke anyway. JT. suggest the Provincial Government get busy and start talking to the Federal Govern- ment about B.C. getting a share of that contract. If Bill Bennett has time to go skating on the Rideau Canal then he’s got time to talk to Trudeau about being a little more equitable when the Liberals are handing out the contracts. “Tf our people in the interior suffer one day’s layoff next summer because our em- ployers cannot get rail cars to ship the chips and lumber to market I am going to be very angry, especially if the Provin- cial Government stands idly by and allows Railwest to layoff its employees and close down,” said Munro. ‘‘We have the ability to manufacture rolling stock and we should be doing it,”’ he added. 42-POINT PACKAGE FORMULATED AT WAGE MEET The 170 delegates attending the Union’s two-day Wages & Contract Conference February 24-25, at Woodworkers’ House in Vancouver, dealt with over 370 resolutions before formu- lating a 42-point contract package for presentation to the forest industry. For the first time the Union is insisting on one master set of negotiations to include the Coast, Northern and Southern Interior. The Union has already warned the industry negotiators that if they refuse to meet under such circum- stances, the matter could be a strike issue. The Union is demanding a one dollar an hour wage in- crease in a one year agreement to keep pace with the high cost of living and present inflation which has already eroded away the Premiberstanl s last across-the-board wage in- crease. The Union is also insisting on retention of the present COLA clause with an improved formula. Angry over the industry’s indifference to the health of its workers, the Union is demand- ing a controlled safety and health research fund based on one cent per hour for all hours worked to be paid by the employer. It is estimated that the plan would generate approximately $500,000 annually which could be used to pay independent medical research people to check out all suspected hazards related to the work place. . The Union will also concen- trate on fighting to win im- provements to its Pension Plan. There are a number of areas where this could be done but it is likely a strong push will be made in the direction of having more money put into the plan; recognition of all past service; and reduction in the number of hours _ presently used to qualify each year. The Union believes the present Health & Welfare section of the agreement should be upgraded to meet the higher cost of living. A number of improvements will be presented on this subject. A great number of. the demands are non-cost items and reflect the membership’s general dissatisfaction with the inequities currently -existing between the various areas of the Union. The Union’s Negotiating Committee will likely present - the IWA demands to the in- dustry’s bargaining authority, Forest Industrial Relations Ltd., later in the month or early in April. ‘NEW CERTIFICATION | _WON BY LOCAL 1-207. ‘Local 1-207 was successful i in obtaining certification for the approximately 100 employees at Swanson Lumber Co. Ltd. located at High Level, Alberta. Certification was granted by the Alberta Board of Industrial Relations on February 24, 1977 without a hearing. This is very unusual in Alberta as a hearing into every application for cer- tification is generally Held prior to certifying a union. A new sawmill is now under construction on the presentsite which will replace the old existing mill when completed some time early this year. This undoubtedly will increase the work force as well as produc- tion. Organizers John Smithies and Gil Johnson were involved in this campaign. LOCAL 1:71... 8 WINS COURT CASE © “Walter Koziij, 1st Vice- President of Local 1-71 (Loggers’ Local) reports that the Local Union has been suc- cessful in its court action against two Hazelton based contractors. The two contractors, Miko & Sons Logging Ltd. and Stege Logging Ltd., tried unsuccess- Loe fully to sue the ‘Local Union and its 3rd Vice-President Walder- mar Penner because of an alleged loss of production last October 14th. When the Local Union in- structed its legal consul to take - court action the contractors settled the matter out of court.