WOODWORKERS DEMANDS JUST

FIR offer is ‘not good enough’

This sign posted at the MacMillan-Bloedel White Pine Division in
Vancouver is being carried by IWA pickets at logging camps, sawmills
and forestry plants up and down the coast as 28,000 woodworkers
went on strike for better pay and working conditions.

—Carey Robson photo

Shipyard worker named
Communist candidate —
for Burnaby-Seymour

The Communist Party of
Canada has nominated Eric
Waugh in the constituency of
Burnaby-Seymour to contest the
coming federal elections.

Eric Waugh is a 49-year old
active trade unionist, presently a
member of the Marine Workers
& Boilermakers Union, working

in the shipyards. :
Waugh stated at _ his
nomination meeting that

“Canada must move ahead —
peace, jobs, independence and a
new constitution are the main
questions facing Canadians. The
old line parties have proven
themselves bankrupt and
incapable of providing a vibrant
and worthwhile future for young
Canadians. Their policies have
led to the domination of all
sectors of our economy, foreign
policy and life to a great extent
by American capital.
‘Thousands of young and old
people,’’ he said, ‘find
themselves without a job.
Rather than going to the roots of
the unemployment problem, the
Liberal government set up phony
employment programs in the
form of Opportunities for Youth
and Local Initiative Program.
‘‘Canadians must end their
position as the drawers of water
and the hewers of wood for the
industries of the United States,
Japan and western Europe;
unemployment can be solved by
the development of secondary

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JUNE 30, 1972—PAGE 12

industries to utilize our natural
resources. Specifically the
creation of a Crown Corporation
to run a Canadian merchant fleet
of ships built in Canada would
provide jobs for the large
number of unemployed
shipbuilders and a large number
of jobs associated with products
supplied to the shipyards.

“With the development of
those industries and _ the
extension of equitable trade with
the socialist world and the
developing nations is of prime
importance to Canadians.

“The withdrawal of Canada
from NORAD and NATO, the
ending of Canada’s complicity in
the war in Vietnam by the
stopping of all arms shipment to
the United States are the first
steps towards a peaceful foreign
policy and a_ prosperous
Canada,’ Waugh said.

James Beynon, a young trade
unionist, was named campaign
manager for Burnaby-Seymour.
The riding is now held by Ray
Perrault for the Liberals.

The nomination of Waugh
brings the number of federal
Communist candidates in B.C. to
five. Other Communist
candidates nominated are
Maurice Rush in Vancouver
East, William Turner in
Vancouver Kingsway, Rod
Doran in New Westminster and
Mark Mosher in Comox-Alberni.

Manufacturing plant pickets
contacted this week by a Pacific
Tribune representative insist
that the increase in wages
offered by Forest Industrial
Relations is insufficient to take
care of the increased cost of
living, and secondly, that fallers
problems must be settled to the
satisfaction of the fallers
themselves before any
settlement can be made. They
want major improvements in the
health and welfare and-pension
plan proposed by F.I.R. and are
determined that the dental plan
be included in the package.

Woodworkers are bitter about

* the fact that F.I.R.’s offer on

health, welfare and pension
plans are once again many steps
behind that workers in less
affluent industries have enjoyed
for years. Employees in many
industries rate sick leave and
sick leave pay. The lumber
barons: have refused to accept
this.

The companies will not pay
one hundred percent of health
and welfare costs until the very
end of the contract in June, 1974.
The companies offer to pay only
10 percent more of the costs
during 1972-73, with no reduction
during the first year.

Woodworkers are angry too
with the fact the companies
pension plan offer does not
become effective until June,
1973.

The benefits long overdue for
employees in the industry are
not in the package offered by
F.I.R., which, incidently, the
bosses call ‘‘generous,”’ and the
workers label not good enough by
half.

In the meantime Friday is the
deadline for strike action in the
Southern Interior unless a
settlement is made. Five
thousand woodworkers are
demanding parity with coast
wages and other benefits also
long overdue.

During the week two well-
‘attended meetings of fallers, one
in Vancouver and the other in
Parksville, reaffirmed their
position that a suitable pricing
formula be implemented or
there will be no stumps made.

A number of speakers pointed
out that the proposed daily rate
would mean a wage cut for the
majority and would eventually
lead to sub-contracting with
subsequent weakening of the
union, as well as lead to
deteriorating safety and working
conditions.

In an interview with the
Tribune, faller’s committee
chairman Chuck Evans related
how the day rate for fallers had
affected the situation in the
western. states of Washington
and Oregon, and why Canadian
fallers are determined they will
not be caught in that bind.

He said there was a. mere
handful of fallers left in the IWA
in the western states for they
had been caught up in a day rate
‘“‘package”’ deal which
eventually resulted in them
becoming ‘‘owner-operators”’
who have to buy their own
equipment, pay for their own
transportation, and left with

them no union.
When enough of them welé
forced into the ‘‘ownel |
operator” contract falling, ie 9
undercutting and back-stabbilé
began. Today they work for ha) |
of what they used to make # |
employees, but more than We J
day-rate which forced them inl |
individualist contract falling

Evans stressed too that if >
fallers accepted the day bi :
gimmick more than 300 scaley
would be without work. bs
fallers do not believe i
industry would absorb t ;
scalers unless they forced ollié

t of employment. ay
workers out of emp. ye

Labor rights attacked_|

Cont'd from pg. 1

with that: whether workers shall
allow their unions to be turned
into adjuncts of the government,
to be used as instruments of
oppressive legislation to compel

‘them to knuckle down to forced

labor.

“The charges made under the
Mediation Commission Act (Bill
33) against the four unions is set
out in the charge that they failed
to notify their memberships to
return to work. The ‘crime’ of
the unions is thus made one of
failing to act as an agency for the
government to . impose
oppressive actions against the
members who make up the
unions involved.

“It it easy to see from this why
the B.C. Federation of Labor and
indeed all labor in B.C. have
denounced Bill 33 and repeatedly
made it clear that labor cannot
live with the Bill.

“The Communist Party
believes that B.C. has reached a
crucial point in the fight for
labor’s rights and democracy.
Now is the time for the widest
unity of organized labor — to
stand together as one in defence
of any union under attack. At a
time like this the labor
movement cannot afford the
luxury of division because of
affiliation or craft. It must speak
with one united voice.

‘Together with organized
labor, the Communist Party
fully supports the stand of the six
unions under attack under Bill 33
who reject compulsion. We
demand they have the right to a
fully negotiated settlement.

Collective bargaining is their _

right and should be restored.

What is urgently needed today a3
broad united solidarity action : I
all unions in support of © | -
unions under attack. ne
“At the same time it 18 3%,
Party’s opinion that the time
here to launch a massive pu» ai
campaign to demand the © ;
of Bill 33 and the dissolution
the discredited Medial
Commission set up under ©
Act. the fe
“Labor should take UP fal
fight now for the adoption *
Charter of Labors Rights io
would restore democracy i) |
labor relations and guaray =
ireedom of association: all
collective bargaining fF
workers; the right to strike 7
picket; abolition of cone a

arbitration; and give 14 :
voice in technological change"). |

“The present crisis dé
that the New Democrati¢ ’ pave S
and its provincial leader nll |
Barrett speak out more ene
in solidarity with labor’s BE’ y |
defend its rights and aligt? st}
with all progressive fore |
defend democracy in B.C. BC t

“The Communist Party % Tit
pledges its full solidarity “jy
the trade unions am ig |
democratic-minded citizet nis |
the fight to restore labor'S May |
and democracy in B.C. oa
work not only for the repr po!
Bill 33 and other antl) a ie
legislation adopted at t £ pul
session of the Legislatut® iad E

we will leave no stone UAW’ gl
to oust the Socred gover onal!
which spawned this reac’ jig)

legislation in the next prov wrist
election,” says the Com
Party statement.

BUILDING TRADES: UNION HQs |

BUILDING —
| TRapES ae

: ; : 9
NEWS ITEM: Attorney General Leslie Peterson said last week that RCMP raids on 52 union offices thro

the province was “normal procedure, legally carried out.”’

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