August, 1967 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER FOR KELOWNA SETTLEMENT TERMS IBEW OFFICIALS’ TRADE UNION INTEGRITY QUESTIONED Kelowna trade unionists are dismayed and critical of the terms agreed to by Van- couver-based IBEW officials to settle the Union’s strike with the City of Kelowna. They bluntly question the trade union integrity of these officials for agreeing to a set- tlement which demanded the dismissal of the Union’s chief steward in Kelowna. (Kelowna City electrical workers [members of Local 213 IBEW] struck the City April 25, two weeks after IBEW members went on strike against the West Kootenay Power & Light Company in a number of In- terior cities. The Union was seeking wage parity with B.C. Hydro workers although the most contentious issue at stake was the shorter 374% hour work week granted Hydro workers in their last contract.) Officers of Local~ 1-423 IWA, who gave the IBEW free office space for a strike headquarters and other in- valuable help, are particular- ly incensed at the settlement terms, They state that the chief steward, Mike Scheer, had been the backbone of the strikers in Kelowna, and had given his Union complete loyalty during his 19 years as a member. They believe his dismissal from the job, which he has held for the past ten and one-half years, is bound to have a detrimental effect on unions organizing in the area. Local 1-423 president Bill Schumaker voiced the opin- ion that he would have seen the City officials in hell be- fore agreeing to the ouster of a man of Mike Scheer’s stat- | ure. He pointed out that Scheer, who is widely re- spected in the area as a Boy Scout Leader and for his serv- ices in other community af- fairs, will now be forced to leave the area if he wishes to stay in his occupation as a lineman. Scheer gained the enmity of Kelowna City officials dur- ing the strike when he and two other IBEW members at- tempted to prevent an im- ported scab from carrying out repair work on a utility pole. The City laid charges of assault against the three men and in addition laid a second charge against Scheer of as- sault with intent to commit an indictable offence. Arrest warrants were is- sued but before all the men could be picked up, Dell Welder, office manager of Lo- cal 1-423, personally raised the $2,000 bail money to keep them out of jail, when IBEW officials in Vancouver indi- cated it would take them a little time to make the neces- sary release arrangements. Shortly after this incident, IBEW officials Jack Ross, Jim Kinnard and John Leslie flew into Kelowna to negotiate the settlement with City officials. The proposed terms were then taken by Jim Kinnard to a meeting of the strikers in the IWA Kelowna office July 26. : IBEW informants state that Kinnard told them that the strike could be settled but one of the conditions was that Mike Scheer’s job was to be terminated. If this demand were not acceptable to the members, the City was pre- pared to throw the book at the three charged men and Scheer would likely go to jail. Kinnard pointed out, how- ever, that the City officials would reduce the charges to minor assault if the strikers ratified the agreement. The strikers, after a short discussion, agreed to the terms for fear of jeopardizing Scheer’s chances in court. The trial of the three men was held August 3, in Kelowna, where. they were found guilty of minor assault and given a one-year sus- pended sentence and ordered to post $500 bonds to keep the peace. Following the trial Scheer went to the City officials to have them say he had been fired. They told him his Un- ion had given them a letter saying he had terminated his job. To date neither the City nor the IBEW officials have shown him the letter. IWA STRIKES SASK. TIMBER BOARD. Approximately 200 mem- bers of Local 1-184 employ- ed by the Saskatchewan Tim- ber Board have set up picket lines at eight planing mills and one sawmill in a strike against the crown-owned company. The Union was seeking a 30-cent-an-hour increase for the members on a one-year agreement. The present base rate now is $1.88. During negotiations the Union offered to reduce the demands by ten cents an hour which’ would give the Timber Board employees the same base rate as paid by MacMillan Bloedel and Dom- tar companies in Saskatche- wan. The base rate paid by these companies is $2.09. The crown-owned company — now under the direction of Thatcher’s Liberal govern- ment — rejected this offer outright. SIMPSON TIMBER COMPANY employees at Hudson Bay, Sask., unloading the latest piece of modern equipment acquired by the company, a Pettibone Slasher. This machine picks up a log up to 90 feet long, deposits it on a sliding table which brings it to a circular saw that cuts the log into 100-inch pieces. The slasher cuts between 95 and 30 cords an hour and is one more example of mechanization in lumbering operations. Attend the FESTIVAL OF FORESTRY P.N.E. Grounds Aug. 12 - Sep. 4 A fleet of over 30 aircraft at your disposal on regular scheduled service. charter or air freight flights. FLY B.C. AIR LINES the largest airline operating entirely in B.C. STUDENTS TO VISIT B.C. Forestry students from 26 universities in 16 countries have been invited to B.C. for a first hand look at our forest industry. The Forestry Graduate Congress, August 12-23, is part of the Centennial Festi- val of Forestry program which runs from August 12 to September 4. The Congress will include seminars at UBC and Prince George and a detailed look at B.C.’s forest industry and its advanced technology. Federal Forestry Minister Maurice Sauve, will address the ‘students at the farewell dinner, August 23, at Frank Baker’s, 657 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Mr. Sauve’s department is meeting the $30,000 cost of bringing the students to B.C. More than 35 delegates representing uni- versities in Canada, USA, Central and South America, Australia, Burma, Japan, South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Argentina, and Co- lumbia will attend. Universi- ties in Mainland China, Rus- sia and North Korea have not replied to the invitations. The cost of the students while in B.C. is being met by the Festival of Forestry which is represented by all people of B.C.’s forest industry. After the opening seminar at UBC, the students travel to Vancouver Island for a study of logging and govern- ment experimental operations before visiting the Legislative ’ Buildings in Victoria and sur- rounding attractions in the capital. PORT ALBERNI THASIS GOLD RIVER CONTROL YOUR SPENDING WITH A CREDIT UNION CHEQUING ACCOUNT EARN 5'2% afin INTEREST CALCULATED AND PAID QUARTERLY CANCELLED CHEQUES AND STATEMENTS MAILED MONTHLY CHEQUES PERSONALIZED FREE DEPOSIT PERSONALLY, BY MAIL, OR BY PAYROLL DEDUCTION AT ALBERNI DISTRICT CREDIT UNION 6 OFFICES TO SERVE YOU ALBERNI UCLUELET TOFINO