IWA NN e—eeEEEEeEEEEEEEeEeEeEeEeEEeEeEeEaaEeEeEeeEeee THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER FEDERATION DEMANDS CHANGES SAFETY PAGE TO WORKMEN'S COMPENSATION ACT Over the years, since the British Columbia Workmen’s Compensation Act took effect on January Ist, 1917, many changes have been made in the Act to keep up with the essential needs of workers and changes in the province’s eco- nomy. Improvements have re- sulted because of a deep con- cern by society in general and labour organizations in par- ticular and the demand that B.C.’s Workmen’s Compensa- tion law be equitable in effect when dealing with the prob- lems arising from industrial accidents. At its inception approxi- mately 75,000 workmen em- ployed by 6,000 firms were covered by the Act. Benefits at that time were as follows: Widows — $20 per month; ._ Remarriage allowance — $480; Children under 16 years — $5 per month; Children under 16 years, no widow — $10 per month; Funeral for an accident vic- tim — $75; Injured Workman — com- pensation for temporary total disability, 55% of average earnings up to $2,000 per year, waiting period 3 days in all cases. Minimum compensation, $5 per week unless wages were lower. Six industrial diseases covered. When ~ taking smart, well-fifitting SANDS OF FOOT-HAPPY VANCOUVER CUSTOMERS COULD TELL YOU WHY. Benefits now in effect as a result of the past amendments to the Act are: Widows — immediate pay- ment of $250 lump sum, pen- ~sion of $122.04 per month; re- marriage allowance of $2,500; Children’s Allowance, age 18 to 21, at school — $53.06 per month; Other children, aged 16 to 18 — $47.75 per month; Children under 16 — $42.45 per month; Funeral Allowance — $265 plus $85 for burial plot or cremation; Injured Workman — tem- porary total and permanent total disability, 75% of aver- age earnings up to $6,600 per year. Maximum pension $412.50 per month. Waiting period 3 working days, pay- able from date of disability if disability more than three working days. Minimum com- pensation $31.84 per week un- less wages were lower. Industrial Diseases — Orig- inally the Act provided for coverage of six diseases; there are now 68 industrial diseases “compensated for on the same scale as for accidents. The formula introduced ef- fective January 1, 1966, pro- vides for an annual increase in most pensions and payment of minimum compensation when the consumer price in- Your Feet Give ale You Plain ae 2 WS ah and that can easily be avoided — AND AT NO EXTRA COST — by yourself and the whole family PARIS, where PROFESSIONALLY-TRAINED SHOE FITTERS make sure you are given a perfect fit, and all that goes with it in terms of comfort and that indefin- able sense of well-being that comes from shoes. NO OTHER SHOE STORE EVEN TRIES TO MATCH OUR SERVICE. THOU- downtown to PIERRE in hundred’s of styles and Vancouver's widest range of widths and fittings. Pierre Paris & Sons British Columbia’s UNIQUE Family Shoe Store at 51 W. Hastings in the Heart of Downtown Vancouver (Right next to Woodward's) IT’S PROBABLY BECAUSE YOUR SHOES DON’T FIT... dex has risen 2% or more in the previous year.: A comparison of figures of 1917 and now shows the tre- mendous improvement that has been made in the Com- pensation Act. However, like all good things, there is still room for improvement and the recommendations submit- ted by the Compensation and Safety Committee of the B.C. Federation of Labour, adopted at their recent convention, are worthy of support by all peo- ple who are interested in the welfare of the working people. The committee recommends the following: 1. That the B.C. Federation of Labour must press again during the next legislative session for improvements in the Workmen’s Compensation Act. The Federation’s brief should include the following principles: (a) Workmen to be given the benefit of the doubt. (b) Workment to be in- formed of all the information given to the Board, should their claim be rejected. (c) The Board to give full reasons for rejection of claims. (d) An appeal system that is divorced from the commis- sioners and available through- out: the province. (e) The time limits on ex- posure and filing of claims in MEN’S DRESS SHOES NEW IWA REGIONAL 2nd Vice-President Wyman Trineer made a strong attack at the Federation Convention on the Workmen’s Compensation Act which he called “nothing but a protection act for the benefit of the employers.” industrial diseases be elimin- ated. (f) The recognition of in- dustrial deafness and payment based on loss of hearing, not lost earnings. (g) Questions of law to be ‘decided by the court. (h) Pensions for permanent total disability to be upgraded to reflect increased wage set- tlements by occupations. (i) Widow’s pensions to be related to previous earnings. (j) All workers in the prov- ince to be protected by the Act. (k) The abolition of all time limits and waiting periods. (1) The abolition of the pre- existing disability of condition limitations. (m) The inclusion of a sec- tion on continuous research into industrial diseases, their prevention and compensation. (n) That the Board be made responsible for educat- ing all workers in the prov- ince of their rights for com- pensation and the basis of compensation awards. (o) That the legislation and its administration be subject to continuous review. 2. We request a full hearing into the question of widow’s allowance of deceased silicosis pensioners. We have facts to disclose that even the most bureaucratic and medically moribund administration could hardly ignore. 3. The Federation should work in conjunction with the Canadian Labour Congress and labour councils in seeing that educational schools and seminars include courses on compensation wherever pos- sible. WORKERS EXPOSED TO INDUSTRIAL DEAFNESS Many British Columbia workers are being unneces- sarily exposed to industrial deafness, delegates to the British Columbia Federation of Labour’s annual conven- tion were told. “The refusal of the Workmen’s Compensation Board to recognize this and to enforce preventative measures in these industries makes us wonder who is calling the shot on safety and compensation in this province,” said a re- port of the Federation’s compensation and safety com- mittee. “We demand that all workers in B.C. be covered not just by compensation, but also by our safety regulations and that these be enforced on all companies operating in B.C. The committee also objected to the number of legal people employed by the Board. “The whole purpose of the Workmen’s Compensation Act was to eliminate lawyers and courts from adjudicat- ing claims and, instead, to judge on the merits of the case,” the report said. “The continued use by the board of lawyers completely negates this principle.” REAL SMALL STAKES The woman at the zoo com- plained to the keeper. “The monkeys are gambling with cards. Don’t you think you should stop them?” “What's the harm, lady,” said the keeper, “They’re only playing for peanuts!”