JUNE-JULY, 1976

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

CLC PLANS FOR GENERAL STRIKE

Organized work stoppages to
defeat the federal wage con-
trols program, stepped-up
political action aimed at
gaining influence and power
equal to business and govern-
ment, and increased effort to
elect NDP governments.

These were the broad lines of
the strategy mapped out at the
five-day biennial convention of
the Canadian Labour Con-
gress, the 11th “‘Parliament of
Labour” held since the Con-
gress was founded in 1956.

As expected, the federal
wage controls program, and
labour’s opposition to it, was
the central concern of the 2400
union delegates in attendance
representing 2.3 million
workers.

Not a single delegate ex-
pressed anything but complete
rejection of the federal pro-
gram, and the convention gave
the incumbent leadership an
almost unanimous show of sup-
port for their opposition to it by
re-electing every officer of the
Congress.

There was also basic -agree-

ment on calling a general -

strike to force the government
to withdraw the wage controls
leigslation, the main focus of
debate concerning whether

strike action was needed im-
mediately, and whether a
specific strike date should be
set.

The 30-member CLC execu-
tive council decided prior to
the opening of the convention
to endorse a strategy involving
work stoppages to defeat the
wage controls, but their “Plan
of Action” asked for authority
to call strike action ‘‘if- and
when necessary.”’

The plan of action, which
was finally adopted by a wide

margin, contained more than
the threat of a general strike
over wage controls. It also
called for ‘‘total commitment
from our affiliates’’ to mount
the campaign needed to gain

CANADIANS OPPOSE WAGE CONTROLS

A clear majority of Canadians think the federal wage control program is unfair, and
less than a third feel it will succeed, according to a Gallup Poll released in April.

Sixty-seven per cent of the people surveyed said they thought the program was unfair in
the way it affects prices, and 65 per cent said it was unfair in the way it controls wages.
Only 31 per cent said they thought the program would be successful.

the support of ‘“‘all Canadian
workers and the Canadian
public’’ for labour’s program,
as outlined in ‘“‘Labour Mani-
festo for Canada.”

The Manifesto, which was
also approved by a wide mar-
gin on the recommendation of
the executive council, commits

and dedicates the labour

movement to the goals of social
equity and justice, to national
economic and social planning,
and to winning an equal role
with business and government

THREE IWA PENSION PLANS
TO PROVIDE NEW PROTECTION

The three IWA negotiated
pensions plans have just been
modified to privide a measure
of protection to survivors of
members who die over age 60
but before they have retired.

Effective immediately, a
Plan Member who is eligible to
retire early may elect the
‘Soint-and-survivor” income
option to become effective any
time after his sixtieth birthday
even if he intends to continue
working. A member is eligible
to retire early if he has five or
more years of credited service
and is between 60 and 65 years
of age.

It is advantageous to the
member to elect the ‘‘joint-
and-survivor’ income option
before retirement, because it
will guarantee a life long survi-
vor benefit for the member’s
beneficiary (joint pensioner)
in the event the member dies
prior to his retirement date.

Previously, a Plan Member
was not given the opportunity
to elect the ‘“‘joint-and-survi-
vor” income option until the
earlier of his retirement date
or age 65.

The conditions governing the
election of the ‘‘joint-and-sur-
vivor’ (J & S) income option
by a member who is eligible to
retire early, are described

below:

When will the election of the
J & S income option become ef-
fective?

It will become effective 30
days after the date a Plan
Member completes an election
form supplied by the Plan Ad-
ministrator, but under no cir-
cumstances before the mem-
ber’s sixtieth birthday.

How much will a beneficiary
receive if a member dies be-
fore his retirement date?

If the J & S income option is
in effect on the date a plan
Member dies, his beneficiary

will receive a monthly survivor
benefit equal to two-thirds of

the pension that would have ~

otherwise been payable to the
member had he retired on his
date of death. If the J & S in-
come option is not in effect on
the member’s date of death,
his beneficiary will receive no-
thing from the Plan. This
means that if a Plan Member
dies during the 30 day waiting
period, his election will
become void and his bene-
ficiary will not receive a survi-
vor benefit.

How long will a beneficiary
receive a monthly survivor
benefit? © -

A beneficiary’s first monthly
survivor benefit will be pay-
able the month following the
month in which the Plan Mem-
ber dies. The final installment
shall be for the month in which
the beneficiary dies.

May a Plan Member who
elected the J & S income option
change his mind and elect
another option?

A Plan Member may. cancel
the J & S option at any time,
and when he retires choose the
normal form of pension or an
alternative option. The effec=
tive date of cancellation will be
the first day of the month fol-
lowing the month in which the
member completes an appro-

priate form supplied by the
Plan Administrator.

Will the election of the J &S
income option before retire-
ment mean a reduction to the
member’s pension when he re-
tires?

Yes, the Plan Member’s
pension will be reduced by ap-
proximately one-twelfth of one
percent for each month to age
65 that the option is in effect.
e.g. if the option is elected to
become effective at age 60 and
remains in force until the
member retires at age 65, the
reduction to his pension will be
approximately 5%.

Previously, a working 65
year old Plan Member could
elect the J & S income option
without it causing any further
reduction to his pension. Is this
still true?

The reduction relates only to
those months the option is in
force before age 65. Therefore,
if a 65 year old Plan Member
elects the J & S income option,
he will not experience a further
reduction to his pension when
he retires. The election, if
made by a Plan Member who is
age 65 or older cannot be can-
celled.

Further information about
this new option is available
from the Plan’s Administrator
or from Jack Washburn at the
Regional Office. :

FEWER JOBS AVAILABLE

Mr. Stan Purdy, regional
manager of Canada Man-
power, says that about 5,000
young people are expected to
apply for jobs this summer, but
there are only about 1,400 jobs
available. ‘“‘We are trying to
remain optimistic but we are
facing a fairly grim summer,
worse than last year,” he said.

Last year, there were 2,000
jobs provided for 4,000 appli-

cants. In Victoria, tourism is
the key industry in the summer
months, and many employers
are holding back because of
uncertainties. These include
the fate of the ferry Mar-
guerite, and higher ferry rates
expected in the near future,
and whether tourists who com-
plained about high prices in
Victoria last summer, will
come back this year.

that the

in all public policy making. .

The document is unequivocal
in rejecting the present wage
control program, but suggests
that labour would co-operate
eventually in an incomes

policy which is fair and equit-
able, providing that labour
becomes a full partner in tri-
partite — labour, business and

decision-

government
making.

It states that the Canadian
labour movement will have no-
thing to do with any form of tri-
partism which would ‘‘mean
institutions of or-
ganized labour would function
to ensure the acquiesance of
workers to decisions taken by
new institutions in which their
representatives have no real
power.”

“Nevertheless, this is not to
say that tri-partism or the
equal sharing of all powers

between labour, business and -

government should not be an
objective of labour since the
wresting of power away from
business and its’ governments
in the interests of labour is our
legitimate goal.”’

“This is the price industry
and government must pay” for
labour co-operation after the
controls are withdrawn, the
document stated.

At the close of the convention
the CLC Executive Council au-
thorized the sending of the fol-
lowing telegram to all affili-
ates of the Congress:

“Delegates to the 11th An-
nual Convention of the Cana-
dian Labour Congress en-
dorsed document entitled
“Labour Manifesto For
Canada’’ which commits the

. Congress to an active program

of social equality that calls for
a national economic and social
planning and expression of
labours opposition to the con-
trol program. This program of
action in support of the prin-
ciples set forth in the manifesto
gives the executive council of
the congress a mandate to or-
ganize and conduct a general
work stoppage or stoppages if
and when necessary.

“The Congress calls upon
you to alert and ready your
membership to insure their
immediate and whole hearted
support and participation in
this action program.

An executive committee
member of the congress will be
contacting you shortly to dis-
cuss the action program. De-
tails of the program will be
mailed to you.”’

CANADA’‘S GROCERY BILL
$600 MILLION TOO HIGH

Canada’s grocery bill was at
least $600 million too high in
1975, and the four national
chains — Safeway, Dominion,
Loblaw-Weston, and Stein-
berg’s — are the reason, ac-
cording toa preliminary report
of the now-defunct Food Prices
Review Board.

Past reports of the Board
have generally found the food
industry blameless for the high
cost of food, but this preli-
minary report, released after

the Board dissolved, concludes:

that economic concentration in
the retail food industry is paid
for at the cash register.

The report, written by an
economist, and released with-
out modification or editing by
the Board, shows that at least
4.8 percent of our $12 billion an-
nual food bill last year went to
excess profits and excess
capacity, the direct results of
high concentration in the retail
food industry.

It examines the 32 major
urban market areas across the
country and found that the four
major chains controlled 66 per-
cent of the total market in 1964,
68 percent in 1968, 72 percent in
1972, and, according to the re-
port, ‘‘these levels are rapidly
growing.”’

Most highly concentrated
are the four western provinces,
where Safeway is dominant.
Next come Ontario, Quebec,
and the Maritime provinces.

The report finds that, as-
sociated with high levels of
concentration, are high profits,
high prices, more stores than
are needed, decreased service

and decreased product avail-
ability. :

It estimates that .58 percent
of every food dollar in these
urban areas goes to pay for
profits in excess of the normal
and ‘reasonable’ levels pre-
vailing elsewhere in the
economy. -

An additional 3.7 percent
covers the cost of inefficient
excess capacity, the direct re-
sult of the major chains
operating more stores than are
needed but which permit them
to expan their share of the
available market.

According to the report, the
key method which the food re-
tailing giants use to maintain
and expand their high levels of
concentration is by controlling
shopping centre sites.

The corporate chains are
preferred tenants for new
shopping centres, the fastest
growing retail facilities,
because of their solid credit
ratings and their ability to at-
tract customers to a shopping
centre. ;

SERVICES

The Red Cross Services for
Seniors programme helps to
relieve the loneliness and bore-
dom so common among older
people, and assists them in re-
taining their independence in
the community as long as
possible. The fun and Fitness
programme gets_ seniors
moving again, encouraging
them todoas much as they can
physically. ;