= sequin cima i | Productivity Outstrips , Real Wages a 220 4 4 Wages, Production and Productivity, 7 Z Le “| ~All Manufacturing, 1949 to 1968 on 7 a (Indexes, 1949 = 100) e ot ff. -200 uf 8 ae A A: ae OUTPUT PER MANHOUR, ANNUAL AVERAGE J, ° -180 z e : a a -170 er -160 = AVERAGE HOURLY EARNINGS IN 1949 DOLLARS. =f “°° SEASONALLY ADJUSTED ies -140 oS 7130 rd ta -120 ee 110 ‘ 100 WHO GAINS FROM GREATER PRODUCTIVITY? The above chart fro ulletin in the “Inflation-Why?” series, shows that purchasing power o tise in the average Canadian workers production (broken line) in _*°mebody is getting the benefits of increased productivity — an Sorporations. - 1954 1 19551 1956! 1957! 1958 ' 1559 '~ 1960 ! 1961 | 1962 ' 1963 | 1964 11965 | 1966 |! 1967 ' 1968 m the latest Vancouver Labor Council f workers (solid line) is far below the Canadian manufacturing industries. Productivity hoax exposed — t The Vancouver and District Labor Council's hird information bulletin is being distributed to “Mousands of people across B.C. _ It deals with the wage, profit and price squeeze, and Specifically is an answer to the lie that Workers are demanding wage increases in excess their productivity. Prepared by the Trade Union Research Bureau, € bulletin states that government figures show at output per man hour in the Canadian “conomy has increased by 118 percent since 1949. : “Who in the labor force has 118 percent more ®al purchasing power than he had in 1949?””. b Using MacMillan-Bloedel as an example, the ulletin reveals that 39 percent more workers Produced 70 percent more lumber, 78 percent More pulp and paper, 110 percent more logs, and ; Percent more corrugated containers between 961 and 1969. Who got the benefit of that increased Productivity? al wages of MacMillan-Bloede! workers ss €ased 14.8 percent. during those 8 years, but 25 €s increased by 12 percent per year in the Me period. by labor research bulletin On the other hand, J.V. Clyne, who is.Chairman of the Board of MacMillan-Bloedel, realized an increase on returns on personal shareholdings in’ the company of 73.8 percent. Three-quarters of the total was tax-free. His share of the proceeds of the increased productivity of the workers, including his salary and the value of his shares in the company, amounted to an increased of 28 percent, or twice as much as the workers. The brochure points out that Clyne’s 40,000 shares in MacMillan-Bloedel were worth $687,400 in 1961, but had increased in market value to the tune of $1,350,000 in 1969. A chart, published by the Federal Department of Labor and brought up to date, shows that all manufacturing employees have been robbed in the same way as MacMillan-Bloedel employees. The bulletin concludes, ‘Don’t he fooled by demands that we keep our wage demands in line with our increased productivity. The chart proves that we would all need an immediate 20 percent increase in wages just to match the rise in productivity that has already taken place.” 28.0 %. 14.8 % CLYNE’S PAY 33 TIMES WOODWORKER’S LV. C 196]. hahias Bar, Increased by 28 percent in the following elg Sas . imes ‘hi Gite Souk take: hiney pa ny Pe padi aula Mencia ** Percent. Clyne’s 1969 “take-home” pay is now 33 times higher the base rate fora lumber worker in umber worker increased by only gher than ‘pao a lumber worker's. d it’s not the workers. It’s the big . STRESS LABOR UNITY ~ CUPE convention hits anti-labor injunctions Unity with other sections of the labor movement was the key committment of 139 delegates who attended the B.C. Division - of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) convention in the Bayshore Inn last weekend. CUPE pledged full moral and financial support to all unions locked out or forced to take strike action; and condemned the use of injunctions in labor disputes. They also condemned the jailing of trade unionists. A. resolution of major importance was one which demanded that the provincial government place an education tax,. large enough to pay the full cost of education, upon iron ore, natural gas and oil, timber, pulpwood, and all other raw materials taken out of the ground or from its surface. The convention also demanded an end to the freeze on school construction imposed by the provincial government. President Harry Greene sharply condemned the six percent guidline imposed. by the federal government, saying it was going all-out to place this ceiling on 27,000 postal workers. All public employees in Can- ada-federal, provincial and municipal — will be in a much weaker bargaining position should the government be successful in this case, he said. He called for total support to the postal workers. Government-imposed wage guidelines were solidly opposed by the delegates who also voted to use ‘‘every possible means”’ to pressure the provincial govern- ment to have Bill 22, an amendment to the Labor Relations Act, repealed. The convention condemned the _ “eallous decision of the govern- ment of B.C.”’ in meeting only 70 percent of the recently negotiated wage increases to hospital employees. A substantial increase in old age pensions, and the exemption of old age pensions from income tax was also urged by CUPE delegates. They condemned the extension of the war in south-east Asia; called for self-determination for ~ the Vietnamese people and demanded a stop to the shipment of Canadian arms and strategic materials to Vietnam. Other resolutions included one which called upon all govern- ments to take immediate action against polluters, with heavy penalties; another which voted to raise personal income tax exemptions from $1,000 to $2,000 for each man and woman and other dependents, and $750 for each child. WOMEN SPEAK OUT CUPE Local 608 in Penticton is on strike, and one of them, Mrs. Agabob, a clerk-typist em- ployed by city hall, told the convention that the female strikers are getting stronger every day. “It is not only low wages we are fighting against; we are learning that we don’t have to take harrassment from manage ment.” The convention voted © full support for the striking Local: Secretary of the National _ Union Grace Hartman told the convention. that ‘there are so > many young people coming into our union, and into every union, _and having attended the CLC convention we felt that the majority of the leadership in the trade union movement are not listening to the young people. They are not listening so they are not going to find out what the kids want to say to us, what they think we should be doing. . .”’ She said that a series of con- ferences should be organized across the country to achieve some “‘expression of opinion of what young people are looking for within this organization’’. Dealing with the question of women within the union, Grace Hartman said, ‘‘There have been’ resolutions and_ resolutions passed by this group — but we haven’t done a great deal about it ... the great demand from the women in our organization for some support in the struggle for equal pay legislation, for improved job oppportunities . . . I think if the pressures were greater we _ would better legislation from provincial governments.”’ She noted there were over 40,000 women in the ranks of CUPE. She warned ‘If we are not going to have equal pay for jobs then an employer is going to hire women instead of men if he can get them for less money.” LABOR SITUATION The convention heard addresses from Paddy Neale, secretary of the Vancouver Labor Council, who gave a comprehensive report on the labor-management situation in B.C. this summer. Neale said that the employers are no longer satisfied with ‘‘an economic battle between us and them; they are now using the legislation that the Social Credit Party so conveniently put there for them, and are now using the Courts — much more than they did in the past.”’ He said the labor movement was really united in B.C. at the present time, and ‘‘we have to play it cool. We have to look at the situation from day to day and make our decisions on the basis of what transpires. We must remain united in the battle imposed upon us by Big Business.” The convention was also ad- dressed by Chief P.C. Paul of the Tsartlip Band, and Ray Haynes of the B.C. Federation of Labor. OBITUARY a a a It is with regret that we pause to honor the death of Mrs. Maria Benger who passed away recently at the age of 82. A member of the North Burnaby club of the Communist Party with her husband Edmund. who predeceased her a year ago, she came to Canada settling in Toronto from her native Austria in 1925. Moving to Burnaby 20 years ago, Maria and her husband always had unbounded faith in the cause of the working people. and. as Communists worked tirelessly as loval and devoted members for Socialism. A staunch: supporter of. the Pacific Tribune over the years. Maria Benger leaves a sister Ida and a wide circle of friends and neighbors to mourn her passing. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 1970—Page 3