> & KAMLOOPS THE WESTERN CANADJAN LUMBER WORKER LFEL.R.A.S OFFER REJECTED Negotiating committees for the I.W.A. and the Southern Interior Forest Industry were brought together on February 19, 1968 by the Provincial Government under Section 44 of the Labour Relations Act with Conciliation Officer Jack Sherlock acting as mediator. Talks broke off February 27 when the Southern Inferior |.W.A. negotiating Com- mittee rejected the Industry's offer of a three-year agreement with wage in- creases of 34c effective March 1, 1968; 12c effective March 1, 1969; 16c effec- tive March 1, 1970 and a contract expiry date of August 31, 1970. Officers of Locals 1-405, 1-417 and 1-423 of the l.W.A. immediately arranged for mass meetings of their striking mem- bership to discuss the full details of the Industry's offer. At all meetings the 1.W.A. members passed a motion of confidence in their Union Negotiating Committee and sent telegrams to Mr. Horace Simpson, spokes- man for the I.F.L.R.A. indicating their determination to stay out on strike until their just demand for “equal pay for equal work” will be met. In comparing the Industry's offer of February 18 with the Munroe report — which report had been rejected by over 90% of the Southern Interior 1.W.A. membership prior to the beginning of the strike back in October 1967 — it must be pointed out that while the Industry's latest offer adds 2c per hour for the next 18 months to Munroe’s recommendations, it also delays the implementation of cer- tain aspects of his report and does NOT contain the terms for a sawmill job evalu- ation plan, which terms had formerly been agreed to by the Southern Interior lumber operators and were part of the Northern Interior strike settlement. SALMON ARM PRINCETON ‘ae Shes CLEARWATER KELOWNA PENTICTON