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Auto Workers and Caterpillar Tractor
Company:
“If a dispute arises:

“(1) Regarding the addition of machines to
an operation which have been added after the
date of this agreement and which do not con-
form to past practices for the classification in-
volved, or

“(2) Regarding increased production stan-
dards which have been increased after the date
of this agreement, the complaint shall be re-
ferred to the grievance procedure, beginning
with the first step thereof, but such dispute
shall not be subject to arbitration.

“After negotiations on said dispute have
been continued for at least five days at the
fourth step of the grievance procedure with-
out settlement of the dispute, the provisions of
Section 11:8 (No Strike) shall be inoperative
insofar as it refers to strikes, insofar as, but
only insofar as, such negotiations are concerned
for sixty days commencing with the last day of
the above referred to five days and upon the
expiration of such 60 days all provisions of 11:8
shall be automatically effective if no such strike
action has as yet been taken.”

Clothing Workers and Clothing Manufac-
turers’ Association:

“The union has long cooperated with em-
ployers in the introduction of new machinery,
changes in manufacturing techniques, and
technological improvements in clothing plants.
This policy has been established by mutual
agreement, generally on market level, between
the employer and the union. Underlying such
agreement has been the recognition of these
basic conditions: grades as provided in Article
5(c) of the agreement, wages of the affected
workers were not to be reduced, and workers
were not to be thrown out of employment.
Such policy is reaffirmed and shall continue
to be dependent, preferably by mutual agree-
ment on a market level, except that should a
particular change have substantial repercus-
sions in the clothing industry generally, the
assent of the general executive board shall be
required.

“Subject to the foregoing conditions, the
scope of the general arbitration clause shall
remain in full force and effect and applicable
to all covered by this agreement.”

TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESS

Bakery Workers and Hershey Chocolate
Corporation:

“The parties recognize and acknowledge
that the increases in wages and other benefits
herein granted to the employees depend to a
great extent, upon technological progress, bet-
ter tools, methods, process and equipment and
cooperative attitude on the part of the employ-
er and the union. The union agrees that it will
encourage, rather than resist, such progress,
and that it will not assert any demand for in-
creased wages for a particular job by reason
of changes in the job, unless such changes re-
sult in a substantial, material and significant
increase in the skill or labour required for

the job.

‘Where such is the result, or where the in-
stallation of new machinery or the inaugura-
tion of new processes results in the creation
of a new job, a qualified representative of the
plant manager, accompanied by an authorized
representative of the union, shall study the
job and assemble data for presentation to the
conference committee, which shall then fix a
rate for such job in proper relationship to the
other jobs in the existing wage structure of
the employer. The determination of the rate
shall be preceded by a minimum experience
of thirty work days on the job.”

IBEW and Union Electric Company:

“Tf an employee accepts a promotion or
transfer to a job classification having a single
rate of pay he shall, when necessary, be given
a reasonable training period, the length of
which is to be agreed to between the company
and the local union steward, such training
to cover all the duties of the job so as to

_ establish his fitness for the new job. During

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

BARGAINING & AUTOMATION

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One man seated at master console can control all operations of this copper-concentrating plant of the
Anaconda Company at Butte, Montana — from cru.hing copper ore to storage of the final concentrate

before it is shipped to a smelter.

this training period he shall receive his old
rate of pay and on establishment of his fitness
he shall receive the rate of the new job.”

Electrical Workers, IUE, and the Interna-
tional Resistance Company:

“A qualified machinist may apply for up-
grading to the job of die-maker. When the up-
grading request has been recognized, the ap-
plicant shall serve a training period of 2,000
hours of work; however, the first 90 work days
shall be a probationary period for the deter-
mination of his aptitude for die-making. There-
after, his training shall be discontinued only
if his performance is not satisfactory, or if he
is affected by a reduction in the work force.”

Communication Equipment Workers and
Western Electric Company:

“An employee selected as surplus or an
employee who becomes surplus by displace-
ment shall be considered for placement ... on
job vacancies in his same grade for which he
is qualified through previous experience to
perform efficiently within a reasonable train-

ing period.”

Meat Cutters and General Foods Corpora-
tion:

“Any curtailment within a department or
reduction of personnel withia a specific job
will be handled on a bargaining unit seniority
basis with specific regard to the various levels
of the rate structure, provided the downgraded
individuals meet the job qualifications. By
qualifications, it is meant that the individual
must meet the requirements as listed in the
job description through previously having
qualified for the job or a job similar in nature.
A brief training period may be utilized to re-
acquaint the individual with the aspects of the
job.

Machinists and Sperry-Rand Corporation:

“After layoff, no new employee shall be
hired in any classification until all employees
laid off in that classification have been given
an opportunity to return to work.”

IWA AGREEMENT

IWA and Masonite Corporation:

“The employer will post notices at least four
weeks before a new unit, or units, is scheduled
to go into operation. Employees desiring trans-
fer to such new unit or units will make ap-
plication to the manager of Industrial Rela-
tions for transfer within one week after notices
are posted. Applications will be honoured ac-
cording to the seniority provisions in the agree-
ment. The remaining three weeks of the four
mentioned above will be used by the Employer
to train employees, if such is necessary, for
oe job that will be vacated because of trans-

ers.
A labour economist has said that there is “no

performance is heavily dependent upon past
practices.

Seniority is usually the basis for layoffs and.
re-hiring but is not the sole factor governing
promotions. Unions regard recognition of length
of service as a very important form of employ-
ment security, for it means that it will be con-
sidered in layoffs, re-hiring, promotions, and
other employee benefits.

Two major problems are now evident in at-
tempts made to rephrase seniority clauses when
facing technological change. One problem is the
extent to which seniority will be considered as
compared to the weight given to other factors.
This causes difficulties when there: is occasion
to change job classifications or wage rates or
reduce the normal work force as the result of
technological change.

SENIORITY UNIT

Another problem concerns the size of the
seniority unit. As specialization increases, the
seniority unit usually becomes smaller and
smaller. Automation results in highly special-
ized mechanical and electrical skills, thus narrow-
ing the scope of the seniority unit.

As the scope of the seniority unit is narrowed,
those with the lowest seniority are usually the
first victims of displacement. Many reason that
it is a widening of the seniority unit, rather than
a narrowing, which offers protection to displaced
employees. In this study we simply present the
written word in a number of agreements. —

United Auto Workers and American Brass
Co: ;

“In the event that an employee is involun-
tarily transferred from one department to an-
other, for reasons of lack of work or overation-
al shutdown or for any other reason, he shall
not lose departmental senioritv. In the case
of permanent transfer, his seniority status in
the new department shall be dated in accor-
dance with his previous record in the old de-
partment.”

The above clause is considered to be a reason-
able approach to handling problems in a narrow-
ed seniority unit although length of service is
confined to an employvee’s department. If he
should be involuntarily transferred, his full sen-
jority credits are portable to any other depart-
ment.

United Textile Workers of America and
American Enka Corporation:

“When a department or operation is dis-
continued by reason of technological change,
and employees are displaced thereby, the cor-
poration shall endeavour to find work for
which they are qualified and that they are able
to do, in their own or in another department
consistent with existing arrangements con.
cerning seniority and rotating work.”

The above clause is merely a statement of
policy.

field where the gap between the words of the
agreement and the performance under the agree-
ment is wider than seniority.”

An examination of seniority clauses in a wide
range of contracts indicates that such clauses
have sharply differing backgrounds and that the

Glass Bottle Blowers Association and the
Glass Container Manufacturers’ Institute:

: “An employee with one year or more senior-
ity who is terminated because of a permanent
reduction in the working force shall, within