“THE WESTERN CANADIAN

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VOL. XXX, No. 5

VANCOUVER, B.C.

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WORKER

AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH.

1st Issue
March, 1966

rn TOM BARNETT, NDP Member of Parliament for the riding
of Comox-Alberni, is presented with a miniature replica

ee of the plaque of the new building by Local 1-85 President
. Walter Allen as International President A. F. Hartung,
who was also given a similar presentation, looks on. The
“ presentations were made following the official dedication
of the building.

. NINETEEN OBSTACLES
- TO A COAST CONTRACT

ft The employers’ 19 proposals as tabled during the current
coast bargaining sessions were quickly summarized by. the
IWA negotiating committee as falling within the following
categories:

. Proposals to Cut or Freeze Wages

, © Deletion from the contract of provision for wage revision
during the term of the agreement.

© Travel time for loggers to be paid at the base rate, and

1 not to be paid at all for transportation delays due to weather.

» © Blimination of the “red circle” principle in plywood job

evaluation.

2 © Joint discussions to eliminate the “inequities” found in

‘ present levels of piece work earnings of fallers and buckers.

, © An increase of $1.50 a day in board and lodging deductions
for loggers.

© Limitation of retroactive pay for grievance settlements

ae where unreasonable delay may be attributed to grievor or

- union.

e Employees reclassified as casual workers to be disquali-
fied for statutory holiday pay.

e Employee electing for lower-paid job during layoff period
‘ to remain on such job until laid off in order to qualify for

Ma statutory holiday pay.

e Extension of present job evaluation program to all sectors
of the industry, in accordance with an employers’ plan.

., Proposals to Impair Working Conditions

e Provisions for a continuous seven-day operation. (No regu-
lar Saturday or Sunday weekends.)

. + @ Bobtail shifts to commence at midnight following statutory
“ holidays.
© Separate designation of Good Friday and Easter Monday for
oy maintenance and production employees.

Proposals to Lower Health and Welfare Benefits

e Employees working less than three days during the week
oh to be reclassified as casual workers, and thereby deprived

of new layoff coverage.
e Requirement that employees must return to work for a

minimum of one month following sick leave before recurring
: illmess can be classified as new illness for further weekly
sickness indemnity payments.

‘» Proposals to Weaken Union Enforcement of Contract

e Employees working less than three days during the week
to be reclassified as casual workers, and lose new period

of seniority retention.

* 1 © Deletion of the words “authority to hire or discharge” in

i defining those excluded from the bargaining unit.

' ® New contract clauses to require:

(a) that any job action by crews construed as impending

ie production schedules be banned by the IWA Regional
bee Council as illegal.

»»  (b) that the Local Union concerned agree to suppress all

oa such so-called illegal activity, as defined by the em-

and instructing members to refrain from such acts by
Posting notices in the operation.

that any alleged breach of these new requirements be
red to a board of arbitration to adjudicate on the
of liability for the alleged offenses.

ployers, by publicly declaring such activity to be illegal.

TALKS BREAK OFF

Regional President Jack Moore, spokesman for the IWA Negotiating Com-
mittee, announced March 25, that talks have broken off with the employers and
the Union has applied for the services of a government conciliation officer.

The move by the Union came after 10 days of bargaining, the minimum
period required by the labour law before conciliation can proceed.

By Staff Reporter

The 1966 Coast lumber industry negotiations are under way. On
March 16th, the 10-man IWA Coast Negotiating Committee presented. the
employers’ representatives with the 16 demands for contract improvements
as prepared by the Union’s Wages & Contract Conference.

Forest Industrial Relations Limited, acting for the employers, counter-
ed with 19 proposals aimed mainly at contract erosion. Daily bargaining ses-
sions were then scheduled to probe the wide gap which separates the
parties at the bargaining table.

One hundred per cent membership support of the IWA demands is

the only tactic to defeat the employers

committee.

4 4

pickpocket” intentions, said the

The 19 proposals introduced by the employers’ representatives widen-
ed the area of dispute into one that bristles with strike issues. They were
described by IWA spokesman Jack Moore as nothing but a series of obstacles
to a mutually satisfactory settlement.

The employers’ tactics set the stage for one of the toughest contract

battles on record.

The union’s demands were
publicly described by F.LR.
President, John Billings, as
absurdly unreasonable.

Most of the employers’ pro-
posals as tabled were known
by them to be highly provo-
cative of determined opposi-
tion on the part of the work-
ers in the industry.

See “PROPOSALS” — Page 2

1-405 WAGE
REVISIONS

Officers of Local 1-405 IWA,
Cranbrook, report that they
have successfully negotiated
substantial upward wage re-
visions for approximately
95% of the 240 employees at
the Kicking Horse Forest

Product’s Lumber Division,
Golden.

At the same time they se-
cured, with the aid of Re-
gional lst Vice-President

' Jack MacKenzie, a collective

agreement covering the em-
ployees in the Company’s new

Plywood Division, also of
Golden.

The negotiated Lumber
Division Memorandum of
Agreement was overwhelm-
ingly endorsed by the crew
and provides wage increases
of from 2 cents an hour to a
high of 33 cents an hour for
37 job categories.

The Union also got the
Company to agree that all
chain pullers, both green and
dry, would receive an addi-
tional 5 cents an hour above

See “1-405” — Page 3

NEW HEADQUARTERS
FOR LOCAL 1-85

One of the proudest mo-
ments in the history of Local
1-85 IWA, Port Alberni, was
realized March 12 when the
Local Union, after sixteen
years of dreaming and plan-
ning, officially opened its new
building located at 310 Mont-
rose, Port Alberni.

The new headquarters, one
of the most beautiful in the
country, was jointly dedi-
cated by IWA International
President A. F. Hartung and
T. S. Barnett, M.P., at a cere-
mony attended by members
of Local 1-85 and visitors from
sister Local Unions, the Re-
gional Council, and the Al-
berni and District Labour
Council.

During the ceremony, Har-
tung and Barnett unveiled a
plaque which expressed the
spirit of the occasion in the
following words:

“This woodworkers’ centre
is dedicated to those workers
of vision who saw the need
for and who developed a un-
ion in the forest products in-
dustry which was industrial

in concept and international
in scope.

“Tt is further dedicated to
those brothers who through-
out the years have maintained
a militant and democratic un-
ion, and to those who have

See “BUILDING” — Page 6

VIEW from the adjacent park of the beautiful new head-
quarters of Local 1-85 IWA, Port Alberni. The building
constructed at a cost of approximately $100,000, was offi.

cially opened March 12, and is one of the
of its kind in the Province. meth date