Prices
The cost of living in Canada climbed by 1% between September
and October reaching a figure of 129.4 (1949 prices equal 100)
compared with 128.4 the previous month. The indices for food,
shelter, household operation and other commodities and services
all showed increases which more than offset the drop in the cloth-

ing index.

Fringe Benefits

A management-oriented company has estimated that fringe
benefits and required payments under law, such as unemployment
insurance, workmen’s compensation etc., cost Canadian employers
an average of $1,036 per employee, or 22% of their payrolls. In-
dustrial Relations Counselors Service Inc., in a survey covering
nearly 491,000 employees in 100 companies, sets the cost of fringes
normally subject to negotiation at $761 per employee. Average
outlays on fringes range from 16.5% of payrolls in the textile
industry to 26.6% in food, beverage and tobacco. The Company’s
definition of fringes is wide, including, as it does, coffee breaks,
rest periods and similiar items.

Contracting Out

An arbitration ruling by Harold Lande QC of Montreal has
ruled that a company may ‘contract out’ work and thus destroy
the effects of a collective agreement unless the agreement specific-
ally forbids the practice. British Overseas Airways dismissed its
whole 18-man engineering and stores section (members of the
United Auto Workers) at Dorval, P.Q. six months before the
expiry of its contract with the UAW. Bristol Aviation Industries
now operates this section of BOAC’s work. The union claimed
that the collective agreement had been rendered inoperative and
terminated unilaterally by the company’s action. The agreement
did not provide for such action, the UAW said.

Jurisdiction

Mr. Justice J. L. McLennan of the Ontario Supreme Court
has ruled that the provisions of the Ontario Labour Relations
Act do not apply to a trucking company that conducts 94% of
its business in the province. Tank Truck Transport Ltd. sought
an order prohibiting magistrate’s court from proceeding with a
charge laid against the company by a former employee. The em-
ployee charged that an arbitration award directing the company
to re-employ him at certain wages had not been complied with by
Tank Truck Transport Ltd. The decision upheld the Company’s
contention that it was involved in interprovincial operations and
therefore not subject to provincial labour laws.

Labatts

the one Pilsener

beer worth asking

for by name!

High Wages

The Canadian Labour Con-
gress has sharply defended its
call for higher wages and
shorter hours in the face of
rising unemployment.

In a section of its brief to the
recent government conference on
unemployment, the CLC said
that higher wages are “an im-
portant, indeed an essential part,
of any realistic full employment

policy.”
“Possible”
First of all, Mr. Jodoin told
the conference, the critics have

overlooked the word “possible.”

The CLC has urged its affiliates
to apply “the strongest possible

pressure” for greater take-home
pay and shorter hours. “The
Congress is not exhorting its
affiliates to force employers to
shorten hours and raise wages
beyond their ability to pay ...
The Congress is simply saying
to its affiliates, “When the money
is there, go after your share.”
When they are possible, de-
clared the CLC president, shorter
hours with the same take-home
pay. means of course, more em-
ployment and a higher total wage

bill.
Too Small
To suggestions that “we should
all tighten our belts,” the CLC
reacted with verbal vigor:
“Vightening our belts is the

worst thing we can do. Effective
demand for goods and services

is already too small. We need to

get it up. The last thing we want

to do is to keep it down.”
Consumer demand is an im-

portant part of total demand, the
CLC pointed out. “The resilience

of consumer demand was one of
the main things that pulled us out
of the recession,” Mr. Jodoin
said. And consumer demand de-
pends primarily on consumer in-
come. “If we want to increase

consumer demand, we must in-
crease consumer inconie.”

On The Contrary

The CLC reminded the con-
ference and the government that
in the last two recessions voices
warned against any wage in-
creases. But “labour refused to
be frightened. It went on asking
for increases and getting them
. . . Result: ruin? destruction of

the economy? No. On the con-
trary, in 1955 (and in 1959) the

WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

AICLC Defends
iCall For

et

ACTING IWA Regional Secretary-Treasurer, Fred Fieber, left, Regional

President, Joe Morris, centre, and

International Representative of the

Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill Workers Union, Stan Green, during the
Unity Meeting held between the Pulp and Paper Council, Paper Makers
and IWA October 29, in Woodworkers’ House, Vancouver.

Credit Unions Claim

Loan Companies Bilk Parents
lnm New Education Plan

As the cost of a university
education mounts, the market
is being flooded with plans to
“finance your son’s education
—the easy way.”

Take a good look at these plans
before you buy: they may cost
more than you think, according to
credit union sources.

Many education loan plans are
available, and some offered
through hanks are reasonable in
cost, states a release by Credit
Union National Association.
“However, parents in the market
for such a loan would do well to
investigate the charges and terms
of the loan carefully. The true
interest rate is hard to figure on
these loans because the money
borrowed is usually disbursed as
the student needs it, and not in
one lump sum.”

Not Law
The instalment lending industry

economy began expanding again.”

“In the light of this record the
Congress and its unions still re-
fuse to be frightened out of asking
for all the wage increases they
can get. On the contrary, they
believe it is essential to do so,
in order to maintain and increase
consumer purchasing power. This
is labour’s ‘hold-the-line’ policy:
hold the labor income line, hold
the consumer purchasing power
line; and advance both as far and
as fast as you can.”

Quebec Credit Unions
Show Greatest Assets

_ The 1960 Credit Union Yearbook published by CUNA shows
caisses populaires and credit unions of Quebec with assets of almost
$700 millions. The only part of North America anywhere near

Quebec is California, with total

assets approaching $500 millions.

is going into the education loan
field and the true cost of these
loans is not low. For instance,
Household Finance Corporation
has set up a subsidiary Education
Funds, Inc. which will lend
amounts from $700 to $2,500 a
year for periods of one to four
years, up to a total of $10,000.
Payment can be spread-out as far
as six years. The Household plan
operates on a 5% discount basis
(actually close to 10% per annum
simple interest) plus a $1 month-
ly service charge, plus $2.27
monthly charge for credit life in-
surance.

“Before signing up for any edu-
cation loan plan, get the full con-
tract and statement of all charges,
and take it to your credit union,”
the release advises. The credit

union will show how the costs
stack up compared with a credit
union loan, and, of course, will
recommend that you take the best
deal.

“The idea that automation is displacing
any American workers is ridiculous . .
is‘ ridiculous’. . . is ridiculous . .. .”

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