THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

1st Issue
August, 1966

‘THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER

WORKER

27,500 copies
printed in this issue.

Published twice monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA

Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1

Affiliated with AFL-CIO-CLC

2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261

Editor — Pat ‘Kerr

Business Manager — Fred Fieber

Advertising Representative — G. A. Spencer

Forwarded to every member of the IWA in Western Canada in accordance with convention decisions.
Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year.

Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, and for payment of postage in cash. eG?

GUEST EDITORIAL

WOLVES HOWL FOR UNION BLOOD

ames! without fail, when organized
labor is forced to strike a rich com-
pany or group of employers for a decent
contract, the political and _ editorial

wolves begin howling for the blood of
the union man.

A few months ago, the victims of
politicians and editorial writers were the
transit and newspaper union members
in New York City.

Today, the targets of the outraged

- editorial experts and politicians — in-

cluding some who have counted heavily
on labor's support at the polls — are the
Machinists Union members who struck
five major airlines on July 8.

The 35,000 strikers include mechan-
ics, whose skills keep the huge jets plow-
ing the skies with a fine safety record,
and all the other ground personnel neces-
sary to carry out fueling, baggage, ramp
and cargo work.

The top pay rate for mechanics is
$3.52 per hour, while the pay is much
lower for less skilled classifications,
which make up the majority of strikers.
In the airline local union in Portland,
Ore., for example, only 35 of the 250
members are mechanics.

Politicians and editorial writers loudly
declare the airline machinists are con-
ducting a “strike against the public” and
a “gun-at-the-head” shutdown of airline
service.

These self-styled experts on collective
bargaining never get around to mention-

$3,000,000 BACK PAY

ing the $200,000,000 net profits banked
iby the five airlines last year. Nor do they

point out that profits in 1966 for the

carriers are running well ahead of last
year.

The Machinist contracts with the air-
lines expired last December, but ma-
chinery of the federal law kept the union
members at work until three weeks ago.
This included study of the dispute by a
three-man Presidential Emergency Board,
which recomended wage increases of
48 cents for mechanics and 34 cents for
other workers over a 42-month period.

These
acceptable to the airline employees, who
in past years were asked to forego many
economic benefts enjoyed by workers in
other industries because the airlines were
either in the red or in marginal opera-
tions. ;

The union's, position is simple and
justifiable: Now that the airlines have
solved their economic problems, their
employees are entitled to a fair share
of the profits and to live as well as work-
ers in other industries.

‘Collective bargaining can settle this
dispute—with no interference from poli-
ticians—when the airlines sit down and
bargain in good faith from their position
of economic abundance. But the com-
panies apparently are relying on the poli-
ticians to choke an infericr settlement

down the throats of the workers.
—International Woodworker

recommendations were un-

The United Auto Workers’
dispute with the Kohler Com-
pany has ended with the Com-
pany agreeing to pay $3,000,-
C00 to cover the loss of wages
suffered by the 1,000 mem-

bers of the Union who struck
the operation April 5, 1954.
‘ The firm stated that it was
willing to pay about 14 mil-
lion dollars into the pension
fund of UAW Local 833, so
that the pension entitlement
of the reinstated former strik-
_ ers could be fully met.
‘The agreement also pro-
vides for considerable im-
_ provements in wages and so-
benefits for Kohler em-
s, including an increase

cent for all workers |

vacation are guaranteed un-
der the new agreement. The
company has also taken over
the payment of premiums for
health and accident insur-
ance, and the insurance pay-
ments have been raised from
50 to 62 dollars per week for
a period of 52 weeks.

The strike, which began on
April 5, 1954, lasted for six
years, After work had been
resumed, the Labour Rela-
tions’ Board decided that the
Kohler Company had _ pro-
longed the strike action by its
unfair practices, In particular,
it had not negotiated in good
faith. After further negotia-
tions, the Board decided to
compel the company, which
had indulged in unfair prac-
tices throughout the duration
of the strike, to re-engage the
workers who had gone on

come

Box 917, Postal Station “A”

ELMER ATWOOD

A

DOUG EVANS

FRED IBIS

THREE IWA representatives who
recently graduated from the two-
month Labour College held at
McGill University in Montreal.
The three are Elmer Atwood, Fin-
ancial Secretary of Local 1-405,
IWA, Cranbrook; Fred Ibis, Busi-
ness Agent of Local 1-424, IWA
Prince George; and Doug Evans,
Financial Secretary of Local 1-217,
IWA, Vancouver.

CLC CONFERENCE

OTTAWA — The Canadian
Congress announced it is
calling a national conference
here September 27-28 on in-
junctions and the threat of
compulsory arbitration.

President Claude Jodoin
said the decision was made
BY the CLC’s executive coun-
cil,

The announcement came on
the heels of a succession of
protests on the injunctions
issue. Union men have been
incensed by the jail term
handed out to 25 workers in
Peterborough, Ont., and 10 in
Vancouver for alleged defi-
ance of injunctions.

Jodoin said the conference
will. focus attention on the

inexpensive funeral

THE

Has much fo offer you

“legal hurdles” being thrown
in the way of collective bar-
gaining.

Labor men contend that
the injunctions are a weapon
in the hands of management
to curb strike activity..

Provincial labor federa-
tions and all unions affiliated
with the CLC will be invited
to send two-man delegations
to the Ottawa conference.
About 250 delegates are ex-
pected.

Jodoin said that besides in-
junctions the talks will deal
with compulsory arbitration,
national certification and
residual rights of manage-
ment. ..

If you are interested in a simple, dignified yet

MEMORIAL SOCIETY

OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

(A non-profit, non-sectarian Society registered under the Societies Act)

Write for free leaflet outlining the co-operative benefits
already enjoyed by over 11,000 members to:

Vancouver 1, B.C,