1st Issue May, 1967

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

FROM PAGE 1

“WELDERS AGREEMENT"

These certificates should be presented to the personnel of- fice in the operation for the application of the 21c per hour.

Certificates that read:

“Electrical work — Arma-

ture winder”

“Electrical work — Motor

winding”

“Electrical work — Inside

wireman” are to be acceptable if the

applicant has any industrial background. If controversy develops over validity of a certificate it is to be referred

to the Joint Examining Board for a decision.

Retroactivity in all cases where electricians either have an accepted certificate or pass their TQ examination shall

be to December 15, 1966. For the purposes of retroactivity

applications must have been made before March 15, 1967.

The machinists’ TQ exam is nearing completion and we expect a date to be set soon for the start of examinations.

Retroactive pay will be as stated in the Memorandum of Agreement printed on this page. Machinists presently holding certificates will be handled basically the same as the electricians.

MEMORANDUM

FOREST INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LIMITED on behalf of its client companies, and REGIONAL COUNCIL NO. 1, INTER- NATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMER- ICA, on behalf of LOCALS 1-71, 1-80, 1-85, 1-118, 1-217, 1-357, 1-363, and 1-367 in the B.C. Coastal region, hereby agree:

1. THAT persons employed as Welders and who are certified as such in accordance with the requirements set out herein, shall receive a premium of 21c/hour inclusive of any existing premium for holding a ticket,

Manufacturing Plants

D.P.W. No. 1 or No. 2 certificates Logging Operations

D.P.W. No. 1, No. 2, or No. 3 certifi- cates.

2. THAT present Welders in logging who qualify herein and now receive $3.39% shall receive the 21c premium to bring the rate to $3.6042, the said rate to apply as long as they are performing the welding duties to which $3.3942/hour was applicable and in the par- ticular operation. The standard rate for Weld- ers qualified herein, however, shall be

$3.544%/hour, the said rate to be incorporated in all wage supplements.

3. THAT Welders shall be entitled to on-the-job training at their regular rate of pay when such is necessary to qualify for the said certificate.

If vocational school training is required, such training shall be considered as part of the employee’s regular work schedule and for which he shall be paid his normal rate.

4. THAT it shall be the responsibility of the Welder to maintain a certificate in good standing as required by this agreement. How- ever, if a certificate should lapse and the indi- vidual has not had reasonable opportunity to renew the certificate, he will not lose the 21c premium until reasonable opportunity to qualify has been afforded to him.

5. THAT fares, lost time, school expenses and the cost of taking the test shall be paid for by the employer.

6. THAT the required tests shall be taken either at the place of employment or a voca-

tional school, whichever is most convenient. Signed and executed this 28th day of

April, 1967.

A new test is to be drawn up for steamfitter - pipefitter, and the examining Board is just starting to draft ques- tions. Although there has been a TQ examination for this category in existence for some time it did not suit the need of the tradesmen in this industry, and we had to start from scratch and design a new test,

Progress on this examina- tion will depend to a large de- gree on the Department and how long a wait there is at the Queen’s Printer once the ex- amination is drafted.

Retroactivity features will be as outlined in the Memor- andum of Agreement.

The Heavy Duty Mechan- ie’s examination is nearing completion, and examinations should start within the next few weeks. We understand there is a large backlog of applicants for this exam and there may be delay in some areas. This test is not con- fined to the Forest Industry and applicants will come from the construction industry and

others. Retroactivity will be in the Memoran-

initial testing how vacational schooling will

be handled when it is neces- sary.

Meetings with the Depart- ment of Public Works and the Apprenticeship Branch will be held immediately to clear up these problems and fur- ther reports will be ‘made.

After much discussion it was agreed that the present Department TQ examination for automotive mechanics would be acceptable. How- ever, an Examining Board will be set with IWA repre- sentation to conduct the ex- amination. There is every in- dication that testing of this category can be underway as soon as we request. However, reference material and time to study it will be made avail- able to the tradesmen before proceeding. Retroactivity will be as per the Memorandum of Agreement.

A test for construction mill- wrights has still to be drawn up. At this time the Examin- ing Board has been set up but have not held meetings. There will undoubtedly be delays on this exam, but our member on the Examining Board and Re- gional Officers will do every- thing possible to get this test going. Again, retroactivity will be as per the Memoran- dum of Agreement.

There are a variety of other trades for which no appren- ticeship program will be nego- tiated. These include black- smith, painter, boat builder, shipwright, bricklayer and caulker. The Apprenticeship Branch of the Department of

Labour has agreed to test these categories. No date has been set as yet. However, there are only approximately 100 people involved in these categories all told and the Union will continue to press for an early start on these tests.

IWA representation on De- partment of Labour Appren- ticeship Branch Examining Boards is as follows:

1. Electricians — Paul Ross, Local 1-80.

2. Machinists — Len Catling, Local 1-217.

3. Steamfitter - Pipefitter — Merv Williams, Local 1-357.

4. Automotive — C. W. Har- vey, Local 1-217.

5. Construction Millwright — Jim Addams, Local 1-217.

6. Heavy Duty Mechanic —

(to be appointed).

There have been many meetings held representative of all the different trades and many members have helped determine our policy and as- sist in our negotiations. The IWA generally and the trades- men in particular owe a vote of thanks to our members on the Examining Boards and all the tradesmen who have help- ed formulate our programs and policy.

Undoubtedly questions will arise at the plant level and tradesmen and plant and camp committees should con- tact their Local Union office for further clarification.

DATES FOR PAYMENT

FOREST INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS LIMITED on behalf of its client companies, and REGIONAL COUN- CIL NO. 1, INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA, on behalf of LOCALS 1-71, 1-80, 1-85, 1-118, 1-217, 1-357, 1-363, and 1-367 in the B.C. Coastal region,

hereby agree:

1. THAT the effective dates for payment of the 21c premium to qualified tradesmen in apprenticeship pro- grams in manufacturing and logging operations shall be

as follows:

(a) If the program is actively underway by June 15, 1967, it shall be February 1, 1967.

If the program is not actively underway by the said June 15th, the effective date shall be four and one- half months prior to the 15th day of the month fol- lowing the time the program becomes actively

underway.

Applications for Tradesmen’s Qualification examina- tion must be made within 30 days of the date that the program became actively underway in order to qualify for the retroactive pay specified in the Agree-

ment,

2. THAT the meaning of the term “actively under- way” as used herein shall be the commencement of the series of examinations required by the program.

3. "THAT in the event of an employee acquiring a qualifying ticket in more than one trade, he shall be entitled to the 21c premium for only one of the said trades.

Signed and executed this 3rd day of May, 1967.

COLEMAN FIRM ON UNFAIR LIST

Members of Local 24514 of the Canadian Labour Con- gress employed at Canadian Coleman Company, Toronto, are requesting organized la- bour and the general public

to put Coleman. products on their unfair list.

The employees of the Com- pany have been on strike against the firm since Octo- ber 17, 1966, to win union

security and to improve the wages and fringe benefits.

The following is a list of the products.produced by the Company:

Coleman furnaces — elec- tric, oil, and gas. Heaters — gas and oil. Water heaters — gas and electric. Coleman camping equipment — camp stoves, lanterns, coolers, pic- nic jugs, catalectic heaters, gas irons.

PES IRI SLOL IS OF RELIST?

CONSUMER ACTION BRINGS PRICES DOWN

Action by consumers’ groups across Canada in pro- test against high mark-ups at supermarkets have had their effect.

In March of this year the food component of the con- sumer price index was down to 143.3, a drop of 3.2 from the peak in August 1966 when

- the food index was 148.1.

Food prices had risen 9.1 points between October 1965 and August 1966, but have drifted downward since, The drop has reduced the index to its point in March 1966.

Much of the credit for the efforts in consumer groups must be attributed to women, most of them housewives. A number of consumer groups have been started up across the country in the last year or so, but the body well estab- lished and making the most impact has been the Consum- ers’ Association of Canada.

Apart from its substantial submission to the parliamen- tary committee on consumer credit (prices), it has spoken for a number of groups in- cluding farm, labor and re- tail merchants’ organizations in protesting the abuse of. trading stamps and other gim- micks in merchandising.

A number of big chains are quickly reversing their stand on the trading stamp issue, notably Steinberg’s which, after strongly defend- ing the use of stamps a year ago, eliminated them in March along with great fanfare about price reductions.

That real food price reduc- tions have taken place is evi- dent from the recent profit statements of the food chains.

QUOTE

... “I may hold my nose at times,” Professor Frank Underhill told the University Liberal Federation last month, “but I still go to the polling booth and vote Lib- eral on 2.

... “What a political party needs to keep it healthy,” comments the Toronto Daily Star, in an editorial, “is enough supporters who can be relied on to leave it as soon as they have to start holding their noses,”