THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

MARCH, 1971

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THE WESTERN CANADIAN?

LUMBER

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38,000 copies printed in this Issue.

Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA

Western Canadian Regional Council No

Affiliated with AFL-CIO-CLC

2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261

Editor — Pat Kerr Business Manager — Fred Fieber

Forwarded to every member of the IWA

Advertising Representatives — Elizabeth Spencer Associates in Western Canada in aecordance with convention decisions. >?

Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year

HE IWA, like many other progres-

sive unions in Canada, is vitally in- terested in the training programmes sponsored by Canada Manpower. These programmes offer the unskilled or unemployed members almost unlimited opportunities to further their job knowledge.

Because of the complex nature of the programmes, honest co-operation is essential from all parties involved to make them successsful.

The IWA is concerned over what happened at Balco Forest Products sawmill at Kamloops, where the Com- pany used the Training Programme, without Manpower’s knowledge, to get weekend production work from the trainees.

At the moment. IWA officials are working closely with Manpower on a number of courses designed specifically

eee are disturbing signs that many people, including union mem- bers, are beginning to regard pol- lution as an exaggerated menace and to look at anti-pollution spokesmen as alarmists. “After all,” they say, “con- taminated air and water haven't killed us yet, so why worry?”

It seems to be a human failing that concern about a threat is not translated into action until each person is in- dividually affected by it. For instance, we don’t get upset about water pollution until our favourite swimming spot is closed, or about air pollution until it gets so bad that we can’t breathe com- fortably.

Unfortunately, we can’t afford to wait for pollution to reach such proportions. If we do, it will be too late to correct it, and the human race will be doomed. That is no exaggerated prediction. It is the well- founded belief of most ecologists and environmental experts. They warn us that we have at most another 10 to 15 years in which to take the necessary steps to clear up present pollution and prevent it in the future. If we do not heed these warnings, we will literally be committing collective suicide. The plunge toward extinction in our own waste products will be irreversible.

What does this gloomy outlook have to do with unions? Well, obviously it concerns us as human beings, since it imperils the future of our children and children’s children, and our own im- mediate well-beirig. But there is a much more direct involvement. Most of the pollution that new ‘threatens us is @eused by industries with® which the

_Mfions have collective agreements. It is

for workers in the forest industry. These courses will prove invaluable to the membership so its understandable that the Union is not prepared to have them jeopardized by an employee using the plan for his own personal benefit.

The simple answer, of course, is for Manpower to ensure that both union and management completely un-

derstand the programme prior to its

implementation. At the same time a memorandum of agreement could be drawn up ‘between the two parties by Manpower to prevent any possibility of management using the programme to circumvent the union’s collective agreement.

As an added safeguard, Manpower would be responsible for seeing that the

“terms of the memorandum were

properly carried out. If this was done it would eliminate the possibility of problems arising in the future.

clearly the union’s responsibility to make pollution a collective bargaining issue, since it will be pointless to continue concentrating exclusively on wages and working conditions if we aren’t going to be alive to enjoy them.

Unions are also in a position to apply direct pressure on employers to install filters, recycling systems and other anti- pollution devices. Companies that may be able to ignore public opinion and to evade government crackdowns can be pinned down at the bargaining table. But this will only happen if unions realize the gravity of the pollution problem and give it the priority it deserves. After all, what is more important than human survival?

Giving pollution priority in negotiations means putting it ahead of wage increases, and refusing to trade off pollution in return for management concessions in other areas. It means

-making pollution a strike issue if that is

what it takes to compel management to adopt the required corrective measures.

The Canadian Labour Congress made pollution its ‘Citizenship Month” theme

for February. Let-us hope that the,

speeches made and the literature distributed in the last few weeks have convinced unionists to take pollution more seriously. The test will come with the next round of major negotiations. If most unions’ demands do not have pollution control high on their lists, then

the labour movement will be just as —

guilty as the companies that are polluting our environment; for by their indifference they will be asquiescing in the slow strangulation of man and his “civilization.” —Canadian Transport

Go

SUKI- SAKI

Sure they sent instructions . whole shebangs in Japanese!

. . But unfortunately th’

WRITER WANTS TRUDEAU TO ACT ON UNEMPLOYMENT

The Editor,

Now that Prime Minister Trudeau has made national and international headlines in his recent marriage, and I wish

‘him and his bride well, I’d like

to see him make a few more news stoppers for the benefit of the people of Canada.

I’d like to wake up some morning to big headlines showing him earnestly in- volved in doing something about the almost record unemployment that is plaguing this country that he is leading. Instead of being shown in front page pictures on the ski slopes, I’d like to see him surrounded by his Cabinet, as well as Members of the Opposition, labour leaders, top economists, business leaders, as well as other experts in Canada, all intent on putting our unem- ployed back to work.

_ To be quite frank, I’d be ashamed to be a Prime Minister of Canada at a time when so many young and old are not able to find jobs, when there is so much that needs to

be done for the betterment of us all in this fine country.

~ We seem quick to knock our

younger generation, but how can we justify that they come out of school and face the bleak future of welfare? Also, how can we condone the fact that many who have reached middle age do so with the knowledge that they have many years of unemployment to face before they reach pensionable age?

Trudeau and his wife should be allowed a honeymoon, but I think this period is long past for the government he leads, and first and foremost they should get down to solving the problem of providing jobs for everyone, which should be a basic right for all of us in this nation. ;

We should all raise hell until everyone who wants to work in Canada have jobs, as there is no excuse for this disgraceful state of affairs that is forcing one thousands upon the

ole.

Carl Erickson

DRUG PURCHASING AGENCY

The Manitoba NDP govern- ment has set up a 12-member advisory committee to recommend policies and practices to be followed by a central drug agency.

The newly-formed advisory committee is composed of six pharmacists, five doctors and one economist.

Premier Ed Schreyer said that a central drug purchasing and distribution agency will be brought into being as a result of a previous study by two departments of government.

The government study did

SLATED FOR MANITOBA

not favour a crown company to manufacture drugs.

The government’s pur- chasing agency will start with about 20 classes of drugs which comprise about 80 percent of ae vane of sales.

e drugs would be r hospitals, health coed Stitutions, government agencies and i pecuhe retail drug

The health and i development department pre spends over $3 million a e on drugs for its menta] health, public health and social « n vices programs. Eh