THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

British Columbia Coast Lumber

Orders on Hand (Million Beard Feet?)

» 297.5

— Source: DBS

1961 1962 1963

Orders on hand in B.C.’s Coast lumber industry are at an all-time high. The latest re- port, December 1963, indicates 593.6 million board feet of orders on hand. This represents an increase of 51% over the monthly average orders on hand in 1962, and a 64% increase over the monthly average orders on hand in 1961.

Reports from the various trade journals advise that B.C. Coast cargo shippers are in a June-July shipment position to the U.S. Atlantic coast. The order files have never been in such a healthy state. With the increased economic activity in the United States, aided fur- ther by the recent cuts in income tax; and with the high rate of economic growth in the United Kingdom, it can be anticipated that the B.C. order file will remain high.

THE PERFECT TEAM

IF TARZAN HAD COME ACROSS EITHER OF THESE, HE'D HAVE SPENT LESS TIME FOOLING AROUND WITH MONKEYS!

Easy Starts Superb Idling Vibration-Free

276 GEAR DRIVE

STRAIGHT MONEY-BACK GUARANTEE, BACKED BY POWER MACHINERY .. .

B.C.‘S ONLY CHAIN SAW MANUFACTURER AL © \

canaoien

P.M. CANADIEN saws are the ONLY saws designed and built right here in British Columbia. They’re UNION-MADE by men hs really know the business, at POWER MACHINERY, a Division of Bristol ies lustre. Limited, Vancouver Airport, Vancouver, B.C.

2 Ebb BROS. SALES LTD.

VANCOUVER 4, B.C MUtual 4-7758

Contact Our Vancouver Headquarters for Saw Sales, Bars, Chain, Parts, Repairs and Rentals

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

‘Statement’

tween the Board of Directors of M.S.A. and the B.C. Divi- sion of the Canadian Medical Association. It is my opinion that Local Unions affiliated to the B.C. Federation of La- bour should be acquainted. with the progress made by M.S.A. in this regard, as an important step was made to-

ward bringing about proper negotiations on this vital matter.

FRED FIEBER Secretary-Treasurer

“Tt should be remembered that even in Saskatchewan when the medicare plan was introduced the doctors did, at no time, negotiate on a Fee Schedule Agreement.

It should also be remem- bered that no prepaid plan in British Columbia or even the Workmen’s Compensation Board has ever negotiated a Fee Schedule Agreement with the B.C. Division.

“The: Board of Directors, two years ago, signed a pro- cedural agreement for nego- tiating fee schedules which essentially consisted of the following:

A. The doctors were to sub- mit to the Board of Di- rectors itemized changes to any Fee Schedule Agreement, which would be subject to negotia- tions.

B. If negotiations did not bring about a settlement, the matter could be re- ferred to a mediator for a recommended settle- ment.

“One of the first problems we ran into was that the doc- tors in their various groups argued among themselves for months; or, it would be cor- rect to say, negotiated among themselves to settle any in-

crease in the fee schedule. When we commenced bar- gaining with the doctors, there was a strong reluctance to go back to their groups for any changes.

“Out “of all the meetings, discussions and arguments, we did establish that the over- all impact or cost of a Fee Schedule Agreement was a subject matter for negotia- tions between M.S.A. and the doctors.

“With this understanding, the following points were agreed upon:

1. A three-year agreement instead of the original two-year proposal by the ‘medical profession.

2. A joint committee, con-

sisting of at least two representatives from M.S.A. and two from the B.C. Medical Association, be set up to deal with the problem of over-ser- vicing and over-utiliza- tion. (It should be remem- bered that this is the first time the doctors publicly admit that over- servicing does exist. The emphasis, for years, has been on over-utilization by the patients).

3. The increase estimated at 5.7% was agreed upon.

“The Board of Directors had a decision to make as to whether they would run into a head-on clash with the med- ical profession on the fee schedule or whether they should consolidate their posi- tion on the above-mentioned basis, which will establish more clearly the right of pre- paid medical plans to nego- tiate with the doctors on the overall cost of a Fee Schedule Agreement.

“The principle of negoti- ating Fee Schedule Agree- ments with the medical pro- fession in Canada is equally as important as a medicare plan. Unless the principle of negotiations is established, even with a national medicare plan, the doctors would be in a position to gouge the gen- eral public at will if they were to remain in a position of arbitrarily setting a Fee Schedule Agreement, and compelling prepaid plans of any kind to accept their Agreement.

“I would appreciate your distributing this information to your affiliated Local Un- ions because of its importance.

i

TTT

: A factory worker refused to sign up for a group in- : = surance plan despite the fact that no policy could be is- & = sued unless all employees signed. The foreman asked

the lone holdout to sign

, but he refused. The superinten-

dent and the general manager asked him. Still he refused,

Finally the owner of the factory

took him aside and

said: “Look, you stubborn idiot. Unless you sign up, Pl fire you. Your fellow-workers would like to see you fired Reeaine of this. So sign up now, or your pay stops and

your family will go hungry.”

The man signed. “Why didn’t you sign

this before?” the owner asked him. “Because, ” the man replied, “nobody ever explain- = ed it as clearly as you did.”

—from Les Finnegan’s “Short Circuits” ©