oe as This poster suggested that the owners’ opportunity to accumulate millions out of Canadian resources should encourage them to treat their Canadian employees decently. \ The Regional Council, sup- ported by Local 1-424 IWA, moved this week to request * an investigation by the Min- ister of Lands, Forests and . Water Resources, Hon. R. Williston, into the industrial relations policy of the com- * pany before granting further tree licences in Northern - British Columbia. A telegram addressed to _« the Minister stated: Hon. Ray Williston, « Minister of Lands, Forests : and Water Resources, Victoria, B.C. This Union requests you to . IWA Strikes -. Auto Firm Local 1-417, IWA, struck the Columbia Auto Customs Ltd., Salmon Arm, March 23, reports Cliff Michael, Local Financial Secretary. The strike was called after an eleventh-hour meeting ar- by the Regional Coun- Michael stated the Union had lowered their wage de- mands down to the point where the Company could no argue cost. It then ) ii ha fers CANADIAN FOREST PRODUCTS LD. _ pacific veneer and plywood diviszax IN SUPPORT of their IWA Brothers walking the picke at Grande Prairie these three members of the IWA Plant Committee at Canadian Forest Products’ Pacific Veneer Plant in New Westminster display posters in front of the Company’s plant sign which state, “Canadians treated the owners of Cana- } dian Forest Products decently when they escaped to Canada. r These owners should now treat Canadians decently who work for them at their Grande Prairie planer mill.” Committee members are: left, Jim McLauchlan, Local 1-357, ¥ Stan Rogerson, Local 1-357 Executive Board Me | Van Derhiede, Plant Chairman. | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 "Grande Prairie” 5 “ar investigate the industrial re- lations policy of Canadian Forest Products Ltd. before further extensive tree farm licences are granted this com- pany in Northern British Columbia. This corporation’s expan- sion into newly - developed forest areas has already im- posed extremely low wages on the resident workers. We direct attention to the fact that the company’s planer mill employees in Grande Prairie, Alberta, were obliged to strike against a base rate of $1.40 an hour and poor contract conditions. After seven months the company refuses to discuss a fair settle- ment of the dispute, and de- fends the differential with wage rates paid in its B.C. operations now over $2.08 an hour. The wage levels insist- ed upon by the Company in Northern areas are related to the wages paid in the Lesser Slave Lake district, where a recent official investigation disclosed a high incidence of tuberculosis among poverty- stricken Metis Indians em- ployed in the industry. If al- lowed, this company intends to pay the lowest wages in the American lumber indus- try in the North. This Union insists that a British Columbia firm, ex- tracting huge wealth from our province’s forest re- sources, should not promote low-wage production in Nor- thern Canada which offers unfair competition to B.C. lumber production and the wage standards established for this province. JACK MOORE, Regional President Western Canadian Regional Council #1 International Wood- workers of America AFL-CIO-CLC. t lines Conductor; mber; Tony THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER B.C. Douglas Fir Plywood (1000) (1000) 300 300 ANNUAL PRODUCTION 290 | PER EMPLOYEE 290 (thousand sq. ft. %” thickness) 280 : 280 270 270 260 260 250 250 240 240 230 230 220 220 210 210 200 200 190 190 180 180 170 170 160 160 6050 TOTAL WAGE EARNERS 13,500 6000 13,000 5750 12,500 5500 12,000 5250 11,500 5000 11,000 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1957 Source: D.B.S. B.C. Coast Lumber ANNUAL PRODUCTION PER EMPLOYEE (thousand bd. ft.) TOTAL WAGE EARNERS 1960 1958 1959 1961 One of the most important reasons contributing to the high profits of B.C.’s forest in- dustry is the increase in productivity. shows the trends that are taking place. ‘ In the plywood sector, the number of wage earners increased from 5,457 in 1957 to 5,538 in 1961 — an increase of only 1%. Couple this with the increasing plywood produc- tion, and it means that each employee’s annual production jumped from 199,000 sq. ft. 14” thickness in 1957 to 273,000 sq. ft. %4” thickness in 1961 — a 37% increase in the 5 years under review. The five year period set out in the graph above In the Coast sawmill sector, the number of wage earners decreased from 13,342 in 1957 to 11,716 in 1961, a drop of 12%. The annual production per employee increased from 176M bd. ft. in 1957. to 252M bd. ft. in 1961 — an increase of 43% in the five years. : This productivity increase graphically proves that the total wage cost per unit of pro- duction, be it plywood or lumber, has been decreasing despite hourly wage increases. In other words, the total amount paid in wages in 1961 was less than in 1957. At Blairmore, Alberta Injunction Prevents Strikers From Information Picketing BLAIRMORE, Alta. An injunction issued in the Alberta courts has forced the strikers at Blairmore Saw- mills Ltd. to withdraw an in- formation picket line at the company’s North Fork Mill. With the main mill closed down by the strike, the com- pany attempted to divert a large share of its production to the subsidiary plant. When the TWA appeal against the injunction was heard in court, it was held that the Alberta Labour Relations Act prohibited the attempted extension of the picketing. Prospects of a satisfactory strike settlement appeared possible, when management consented to reopen discus- sions during the first week of April. Regional ist Vice- President Jack MacKenzie was scheduled to act as spokesman for the strike committee. In his report to the Region- al Council, Vice - President MacKenzie stated that the main woods and mill opera- tions of the company are closed down. A strong trade union tradition which pre- vails in the area has made the recruitment of scabs by the company impossible. The Local Union is de- manding a wage increase of 25 cents an hour over a base rate of $1.32% an hour.