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HUTCHEON REPORT:

IWA local leaders urge rejection |

By JACK PHILLIPS

As this issue of the Tribune goes
to press, reports indicate that
executives of Vancouver Island
locals of the International
Woodworkers of America are
recommending rejection of the
Hutcheon report. According to
reliable sources, the executives of
a number of IWA locals on the
mainland are also recommending

rejection.

The 13,000 pulp and paper

workers have rejected the report

by an overwhelming 84% majority.

This year offered great
possibilities for the 37,000 mem-
bers of the IWA and the 13,000
members of the. CPU and the
PPWC. For the first time, the IWA
contracts on the coast and in the
Interior expired at approximately
_the same time as the contracts of
the other two unions. Although the
forest industry includes a number
of different products and types of
production, the major producers
are highly integrated entities who
have a collective bargaining
_relationship with all three unions.

Here was a- tremendous op-
portunity to unite all three unions
in one common front for
negotiations. This would have had
wide repercussions in the labor
movement, because ap-
proximately half the production in
the province .is generated by the
forest industries. But the
leadership of the three unions
failed to take full advantage of the
new possibilities.
_ Now, if the IWA accepts and the
CPU and the PPWC reject, many
IWA operations will remain closed
because there will be no more

* storage space for chips that nor-

mally go to the pulpmills.- There is
also the distinct possibility that
pulp and paper workers employed
by MacMillan Bloedel, Canadian
Forest Products, B.C. Forest
Products, Crown Zellerbach, ITT
Rayonier and other integrated

corporations will picket the lumber’

operations of their employers
where IWA members are em-
ployed.

Thus, there.could be a general
strike in the industry in spite of an
acceptance by the IWA mem-
bership. It would be a much better
situation if the advice of those IWA
executives urging a no vote was
accepted — ie., if the IWA
membership _rejected the Hut-
cheon report. ‘ :

_A leaflet put out by the Wood
Committee of the Communist
Party in February of this year
carried the following headline:
“We need unity of wood, pulp and
paper unions.”

A leaflet issued by the same
committee on July 23 contained the
following message: — :

“What we need is sound policy
and unity in action. We should not
place our reliance on the mediator

to deliver a favorable report. We

must be prepared for united,
coordinated action by the IWA and
pulp unions. There is, no room for
petty bickering amongst the three
unions,”’

This message from the members
of the Communist Party employed
in the forest industry proves, in
light of subsequent developments,
that Communists, in the industry
know what they are talking about
and advance sound policies in the
interests of the workers.

According to press reports, the
IWA negotiating committee voted 6
to 5 to recommend settlement,
after a deadlock lasting a week.
Jack Munro, regional president,
cast the deciding vote. The split
decision in favor of acceptance by

-

the IWA negotiating committee
was anticipated by Syd Thompson,
president of Vancouver Local 1-
217. In a front page article in The
Barker (published by Local<1-217)
that came out during. the

deliberations of the negotiating’

committee, he said this:

“By the time you read this the
IWA will have made up its mind on
whether to recommend acceptance
or rejection. It is not a good
agreement but we may well come
to the conclusion that there is no
more to be obtained no matter
what we do.”’

In the opinion of this writer,
Thompson declared himself in
advance. Further in the opinion of
this writer, if Thompson had called
for a “‘no’’ vote he would have
carried enough weight to produce a
solid majority for rejection.

The three largest IWA locals are
in Vancouver, New Westminster
and Port Alberni, with close to half
the total membership in the
province between them. The Port
Alberni local executive is
recommending rejection to its
5,600 members. In New West-
minster, reports have it that a
membership meeting held on
Sunday, *Aug. 17 showed an
overwhelming sentiment in favor
of rejection. ‘In the Vancouver
local, headed by Thompson, there
is a strong feeling for rejection in
many operations. There is no in-
dication at this time as to what the
local executive will recommend,
although it is likely they will be
urged to work for acceptance.

Both Munro and Thompson have
publicly stated on a number of
occasions that the proposed
agreement is not a good one.
Firstly, because there is not
enough money in it for the workers.
Secondly, because it would tear the
guts out of their cost-of-living
protection‘clause. Thirdly, because
it is a two-year deal with too little
in the second year.

@

The proposed terms of set-
tlement can be summarized as
follows: :

o Anincrease of 80 cents an hour
for the first year. The 24 cents an
hour cost-of-living bonus now being
enjoyed by the workers will be
folded in to make a total of $1.04
per hour on top of a base rate of
$5.10. However, the COLA clause
will not be operative for the first
year. Taking the 24 cents that was
folded in, and assuming that if

COLA had continued to operate for

the next 12 months it would have
produced another 48 cents (PPWC
calculation) ; this leaves a net gain
of 32 cents an hour for the first
year.

© In the second year, there will
be an increase of 75 cents an hour.

those now on pension. Those now
receiving $45 a month would go to
$60.75 under the new proposal.
Those receiving $50 a month would
go up to $67.50. Not much of a
boost!

A new employee joining the plan
now at age 40 would receive $250 a
month at age65, in place of the $125
a month under the current plan.

According to the Hutcheon
report, pension benefits for future
service will be based on $10 a
month per year of service, with a
lower figure for past service
benefits. A sound pension scheme
ties benefits to a percentage of
earnings, using a peak earnings
period as the basis of calculation,

say~~the best five years. The ~

proposed formula will shrink in
value (as a percentage of peak
earnings) aS wages continue to
PISCE: <5.
One of the selling points for those
who will work for a yes vote in the
IWA is the fact that the employers
dropped their demand for a con-
tinuous, seven-day operation.
This is no gain, because the

The Barker

workers were not on continuous
operation to begin with. The fact
remains that the mediator’s report
comes out in favor of the seven-day
operation. “The time has been
reached when the IWA must
abandon its unyielding
position....’’ He made no
recommendation however,
because he knew it ‘‘would be
unacceptable to the members of
the IWA.”’

A seven-day, continuous opera-
tion under present conditions
would mean a further concentra-
tion of production in favor of the
larger corporations, more automa-

_tion and more layoffs.

However, unless a way is found
to unite the workers in this in-
dustry, unless a strong stand is
taken by the IWA membership in
this vote, the employers will be
encouraged to press harder for
continuous operation next. time
-around. -

The settlement proposed for pulp
and paper workers is basically the
same as for the IWA. While the

_FEINGLASS SPE,
CHILE RALLY SEPT. 7
september" bya mass poet lly te Unaian Char aa

Oak, at 8 p.m. and will feature Abe Feinglass, vice-president of the
_ Amalgamated Meatcutters Union as the main speaker. Feinglass

In addition, there will be a COLA © deme

payment by the amount that COLA
exceeds 16 cents in the first
quarter. From the first to the
fourth inclusive, COLA payments
will be in the amount that COLA
exceeds 64 cents. In short, a 16-cent
trigger in each quarter. Thompson
in his article referred to earlier
said this: ‘‘What is left of the COLA
clause will be meaningless for the
term of the agreement unless the
cost of living goes hog wild next
year.” : : ;

o The employers’ contribution
toward the industry pension plan
will go up from 15 to 25 cents an
hour as of January 1, 1976.

o Free work gloves will be
supplied next year and allowance
for caulk boots will go up from $30
to $50 as of the same date.

Many members were hopeful
that any changes in the pension
plan would bring substantial aid to

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 22, 1975—Page 8

SPEAKS AT

-Jeaders of the two pulp unions gave | :

_ mending rejection, some of their a

better leadership, at least in the |
opinion of this writer, in recom —

tactics reflected inexperienced |
and/or a certain competitiveness. |
in relation to IWA leaders. For |
example, when the Hutcheon |
report was released they rushed t0 |
the news media to condemn it, |
instead of publicly calling for 2 |
joint meeting with the IWA |
leadership to work out a joint
position. 4
But that is water under the
bridge. The key question now 18
where do we go from here?

_If the IWA membership accept5 —
after the pulp unions reject, there
will be serious division. If the pulp
unions extend their picketing |
IWA operations for a complete
shutdown, the big bosses will exert
pressure on the government 1
legislate an end to the strike. This
in turn could trigger a first-rate
political crisis which reaction
would.take advantage of, either 1 |
compel the provincial government 7
to capitulate or to lay the basis for
enhancing the position of
Socreds in the next election — oF
both. oS

The government is already |
deeply involved, as the owner of |
B.C. Cellulose and Ocean Falls |
Corporation. It is also involved by
virtue of Premier Barrett’s ple@ |
for acceptance of the report. The
labor policy of the NDP goverl:
ment is, unfortunately, showing 4
tendency to retreat under pressure |
of monopoly capital. A vote of 4
acceptance by the IWA mem |
‘bership will accentuate this trend. |
A solid vote for rejection, on the |
other hand, by all three unions, |
would exert great pressure on the |
government to intervene in favor |
of a better settlement. 4

Acceptance by the IWA would
not only lay the basis for disunity
and recrimination between the
three unions. It would also tend 10
undermine the fight-back against
the plans of big business and the |
federal government to hold wage |
increases down to the level of the |
increase in the cost of living, while |
productivity, prices and_ profits
continue to rise. A defeat for the
wood, pulp and paper workers WE |
be a signal for the Employers |
Council of British Columbia to ste? |
up their offensive against the liviné
standards of all workers in B.C.

An overwhelming rejection of
the Hutcheon report would be
the best interests of the wo00
workers. Such a rejection wo
lay the basis for consolidating U*
union and establishing #
meaningful common front with the
two pulp unions. Such a commol
front would result in a_bettel
agreement and could unite thé
wood, pulp and paper workers fof
many years to come.

pee

CP booth at PNE

The Communist Party’s booth at
this year’s PNE has attracted #
wide and warm response fro
thousands of the exhibitio®
visitors. The attractive boot
featuring the theme: ‘Monop?
prices are robbing you — fight t
ripoff,” is located in the southwe>
section of the Showmart buildin

There are: numerous pieces
literature available, exposing
fraudulent claims of the {0
monopolies, as well as explainilt
the Communist alternative.
booth is open from 10:30 on and 4
Tribune readers areinvited to dre
by for a chat with the booth sta