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MARINE WORKERS CHARGE:

‘WCB wants blood to splatter’

before okaying accident claims:

‘By BERT WHYTE

It’s easier to find the proverbial needle in the haystack than to discover a trade unic : ist in B.C. who has a kind word to say for the present Workmen’s Compensation Board sa Labor’s position — “Fire the WCB” — was recently presented to the provincial cabi by an eight-man delegation of leading officials from Vancouver and District. Labor Cone: 2

B.C. Federation of Labor and the Brotherhood o

Premier W. A. C. Bennett asked the delegation to supply him with a list of claims that have been rejected by the WCB in recent years. - (Pre- sent chairman of the board, Vancouver lawyer J. E. Eades, was appointed on May 1, 1955.) . This week I dropped into Pender Auditorium to have a talk with Jack Lawson, busi- ness agent of Marine Workers Union, about unsettled claims affecting his union’s members.

“Tf you’re looking for drama, you won’t find it here,” said Lawson. “Fighting compensa- tion “cases is a slow, painful job. We have been battling away on some cases for years, doggedly and persistently. The thing is never to give up, even though you get runaround after runaround, legalistic argument after legalistic argument, year after year.

‘Right now our union is fighting 17 rejection cases. Eight of them deal with spat- tered glasses (the issue of eye glasses that have to be replac- ed, owing to the amount of spatter that has accumulated on the lenses) and another seven cases deal with back injuries.”

“What kind of back in- juries?” I asked.

“Not the kind where a man falls or is crushed, and the blood. splatters,” said Lawson. “The WCB isn’t so hard to deal with if they can see lots of blood around. They get tough in eases where a worker strains his back lifting a heavy weight. Then chairman Eades acts like the lawyer he is — and de- mands proof that an accident has occurred. The WCB has a form letter used in such cases

JACK LAWSON Runaround after runaround

— -here’s one, take a look at its?

I picked up the letter he tossed across the desk and read:

“It is noted that you were lifting and carrying a part of a tank, following which you felt a pain in your back. How- ever, as it has not been proven that you met with an accident

while engaged in this work .-

your claim would not appear to be one to which the Work- men’s Compensation Act ap- plies. Therefore we are un- able to assume responsibility for payment of time loss com- pensation or medical aid ex- pense.”

“T guess you're right; they want to see blood,” I said.

“The Workmen’s Compensa-

tion Act needs some revisions, but lit isn’t so bad in itself,” said Lawson. “But the way it is applied is totally unsuit-

Irwin says hell work

for end to H- tests

“So far as nuclear weapons tests are concerned I am very sincerely and definitely, against their continuance,” Tom Irwin, MP (SC, Burnaby-Richmond) declared this week in a letter to Carl Efickson, chairman of the B.C. Peace Council.

Members “and supporters of the B.C. Peace Council are

interviewing MPs before they leave for Ottawa to attend the coming session of parliament, urging them to speak in the House against the continued testing of nuclear weapons.

“T want you to understand,” continued Irwin in his reply to a letter from Erickson, “that I am not against the test- ing of nuclear power for com- mercial use. The continuance of tests designed to perfect methods of destruction, how- ever, must be curbed, and it is to be hoped that the nations will eventually come to this thinking.

“It is essential that negotia- tions to the above end sffall continue unremittingly and so far as I am concerned I will

do all that I can to see that ©

negotiations never flag.” Erickson said that people wishing to join a B.C. Peace Council delegatiori to visit their MPs could secure information

‘by phoning MArine 9958 be-

tween 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

“Tf you cannot see your MP in person, write him a letter giving him your opinions against the testing of nuclear weapons,” he - said.

f Railway Trainmen.

able to labor. Since Eades became chairman the WCB has steadily veered towards a position that places legalistic interpretation of the act be- fore the welfare of the work- ers).

“How-about a review of one of your rejected claims?” | suggested.

“All right,” said Laws “Take the case of Gasnse March, a burner, now working at Burrard Drydock, and suf- fering considerable distress from an old back injury.

“In this case, the union is still fighting — we never give up on claims — to win March full time loss compensation from August 12, 1955 to Oc- tober 17, 1955.” z

‘It seems that March injured his back in a fall while work- ink as a burner on a construc- tion unit of a naval destroyer escort vessel. That was away back on February 23, 1953. He had to undergo operations in 1953, 1954 and 1955. His pen- sion, arising out of the original accident, is $26.65 a month.

While working on a punch_ press at Western Bridge on August 12, 1955, he had to leave his employment because of his back condition. He visit- ed his doctor, was told that another operation was neceg- sary. No hospital bed was available at the time. He had to wait, but he was unable to continue working and because of his “‘voluntary separation” from his job, he was unable to obtain Unemployment In- surance. He couldn’t live on his WCB monthly pension of $26.65 and-had to apply to.the Social Welfare for assistance,

Welfare asked for a medical certificate and Dr. P. M. Mc- Lean signed one, stating that March was unemployable be- cause of a “non-fusion of spinal fusion L.4-L.5 level,” and it would be necessary to perform an operation for spinal re- fusion before he would be em- ployable.

Marine Workers asked the WCB to put March on full time loss compensation for the period he had to wait for a vacancy in the hospital—from August 12 to October 17. After his operation on October 17 the board placed him on time loss compensation, but rejected the claim for compensation for the interim period.

“That’s the story,” said Law- son. “We're still fighting the case. ~ We'll continue fighting it until we win. And we’ll con- tinue battling the WCB until its members make the Act function in the interests of the workers in the manner in which it was originally intend- ed.” fice.

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