Vol. XLVIII No. 3

RETURN REQUESTED

THE LUMBER WORKER
2859 Commerciol DOr

VANCOUVER, B.C.

CBRT THANKS IWA

The President of Local 400 of the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway Transport
& General Workers Union, Tom McGrath, expressed in a telegram February 27,
his Union’s appreciation for the assistance given by the IWA in helping them
achieve a settlement with the Tow Boat Industry.

Regional President Jack Munro and Local 1-217 President Syd Thompson
attended a number of the negotiating meetings and their influence at these
sessions helped prevent a major shut down of the tow boat industry which would
have had disastrous affects for the forest industry.

In his telegram McGrath stated:

“On behalf of the members of Local 400 and the Brotherhood we wish to thank
you and your organization for your time and assistance given to us in our efforts to
achieve settlement in our dispute with the Tow Boat Industry. Please convey our

message to your coastal Locals.’’

Members of Local 1-207 IWA, employed at
the Edmonton and Slave Lake operations of
Zeidler Forest Industries Ltd., and members
employed at the North Canadian Forest
Industries Ltd. Grande Prairie Plywood
Division and Hines Creek Lumber Division,
have achieved a major break-through in
negotiating a new two-year agreement
which will give tradesmen wage parity with
tradesmen in B.C.’s Southern and Northern
Interior in the second year of the contract.
Production workers, whose base rate was
fifty cents below B.C. rates will have this
reduced to twenty-five cents per hour, over
the term of the agreement.
The agreement calls for the base rate to be
increased in four stages. The first increase
of ninety cents an hour was effective
November 1, 1979; a further increase of
ninety cents an hour is effective November
1, 1980; an additional increase of ten cents
an hour effective June 1, 1981 (covers Zeidler
operations only); and a final increase of
sixteen cents an hour October 1, 1981.
The companies have also agreed to imple-
ment the new wage curve for plywood and
sawmill job evaluation negotiated in B.C.’s

|B

PERMIT No. 2075
VANCOUVER, B.C. |

-, Vancouver, B.C.

1-207 MEMBERS MAKE GAINS

Southern and Northern Interior. This will
mean substantial rate increases for a
number of categories.

Other major gains include:

e One additional paid holiday.

e Pension Plan improvements which will
provide retiring employees pensions based
on $15 per month per year of service plus a
30% increase for members already on
retirement.

e An increase in the shift differential
from 18 cents to 22 cents (North Canadian
Forest employees will receive the increasein
the first year of the contract).

e Improvements to annual vcations giv-

ing employees in the second year of the
agreement three weeks holiday after two

years; four weeks after nine years; five
weeks after seventeen years; and six weeks
after twenty-four years.

e Vacation pay will also increase by steps
of 2% from 5% after two years service to 13%
after twenty-four years of service.

© Improvements to the Health & Welfare
Plan providing increases from $190 to $200
per week for fifty-two weeks for weekly
indemnity and a further increase of $10 in
the last year of the agreement.

e Group Life & A.D. & D. increased from
$18,000 to $21,000 effective January 1, 1980,
and to $23,000 effective November 1, 1980
for the Zeidler employees. Qualifying dates
for North Canadian employees are March 1,
1980, and March 1, 1981.

© Double time rates for all hours worked
in excess of 12 hours per day.

In addition the companies agreed to
provide free gloves, aprons and coveralls for
employees and tool insurance for trades-
man’s tools damaged by fire or flood, or lost
by theft.

Heading up negotiations for employees at
North Canadian Forest were regional Ist
Vice-President Bob Blanchard and Local
1-207 President Joe Pirker assisted by Plant
Committee Members Harold Young and
Larry McCann from Hinse Creek Division
and Don Dixon, Maurice Burgess and Ken
Kozik from the Plywood Division.

Negotiating for the Zeidler employees
were Regional Second Vice-President Neil
Menard and Local 1-207 Financial Secre-
tary Bob Deleeuw and assisted by Plant
Committee Members Stan Morton, Bruce

Whitney, Anna Sharaun, Inge Ilkew,
Richard Welwood.

ISSN 0049-7371

WINS SEAT

One of the more pleasant surprises
February 18, was the election of Lyle
Kristiansen, Financial Secretary of Local 1-
405 IWA, Cranbrook, as Member of
Parliament for Kootenay West.

Lyle worked for over ten years at the
Kootenay Forest Products plant in Nelson
before becoming Local Financial Secretary.
He has been active for years in both NDP
and labour affairs.

He is a past president of the Nelson, Trail
and District Labour Council; former
secretary and director of the Nelson District
Community Resources Board, and former
director of the Kootenay Pollution Control
Association (now SPEC).

He was for a period of time the Minority
Groups Relations Officer for the Regional
Council looking after the needs of the
minority groups in the woodworking
industry.

Lyle is known as an intelligent thinker
and able speaker and should prove to be a
tremendous asset to Ed Broadbent and his
colleagues in the House of Commons in the
years ahead.

TRADESMEN’S
CONFERENCE

The Regional Council is holding a
Tradesmen’s Conference March 24th
in the 500 Ballroom of the Sheraton-
Plaza 500, 500 West 12th Avenue,
Vancouver.

Representation from Local Unions to
the Conference will be a maximum of
seven two of which may be Local Union
officers.

All Regional Executive Board mem-
bers are automatic delegates.

The Conference is in response to the
tradesmen who requested such a
meeting last fall.

MARCH, 1980