THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER ‘OF FIRST COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT YR AGREEMENTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA November, 1974 Consumer Price Index 174.1 points . August, 1974 Consumer Price Index - 169.6 points ; 4.5 points — 12.85¢ — 12.9¢ : per hour ATES OF COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENTS REEMENTS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, 1974-75 ‘First Adjustment | January 1, 1975 April 1, 1975 through through - March 31, 1975 June 14, 1975 January 15, 1975 April 16, 1975 ‘through through April 15, 1975. - June 30, 1975 March 15, 1975 June 15, 1975 through " through June 14, 1975 August 31, 1975 ‘April 15, 1975 July 15, 1975 through a through July 14, 1975 September 30, 1975 ‘March 15, 1975 June 15, 1975 h through e 14, 1975 August 31, 1975 j > based on the difference between the Consumer Price Index 974. All second adjustments will be based.on the difference nd the November, 1974 Index. $0 be paid for the hours worked during the last 22 scheduled to the effective date of the first adjustment. i io ICH WILL INCLUDE C.0.L.A. f AGREEMENT (1974-75) Second Adjustment Doug Smyth qualifies for the statutory holiday on New Year’s Day and receives 8 hours’ pay at straight-time rates. 8 hours x $5.23 — $41.84 The current Agreement provides that an employee who works a “holiday shift” during a statutory holiday shall receive rate and one-half for any hours worked in addition to his holiday pay at straight-time rates. The calculation of an employee’s total statutory holiday pay, including C.O.L.A. rollup, is as follows: The same employee now works on New Year’s Day and is paid at rate and one-half for his ‘‘holiday shift.” Holiday pay 8 hours x $5.23 — $41.84 Holiday premium ) 8hours x $5.23 — $41.84 (at rate and one-half) ) *» 4hours x $5.10— $20.40 Total hours paid for working 8 hours of holiday shift 20 hours x $5.23 — $104.08 (Holiday pay if no C.O.L.A. in effect 20 hours x $5.10 — $102.00 Difference $ 2.08 * See Number 11, Overtime pay. 10. Annual vacation payments. The rollup section also provides that the amount of Cost of Living Allowance in effect at the time shall be included in the calculation of annual vacation payments. 11. Overtime pay The Cost of Living clause specifically excludes the inclusion of C.O.L.A. rollup in computing overtime premium. Some I.W.A. members may be under the impression that C.O.L.A. is therefore excluded from all overtime hours. However, the wording clearly means that the C.0.L.A. shall not be used in computing the premium portion of overtime pay, but that it shall be used in computing the straight-time portion of overtime pay. When you examine your pay statement you should have received C.0.L.A. at straight-time rates for each hour of overtime you worked. Example: An employee has a wage rate of $5.10 an hour and the C.O.L.A. is $.13 an hour. His total pay for straight-time hours worked, including C.0.L.A., is therefore $5.23 an hour. He works 40 straight-time hours in one week and 8 hours of overtime at rate and one-half. His pay for the week is as follows: Straight-time hours 40 hours x $5.23 — $209.20 Straight-time portion of overtime 8 hours x $5.23 —$ 41.84 Premium portion of overtime - 4hours x $5.10 —$ 20.40 $271.44 C.0.L.A. rollup will be included in overtime hours worked at crummy driving in logging, by sawyers who change saws on overtime hours and by equipment operators who oil and maintain their machines on overtime hours. 12. Lump sum retroactive payment of C.O.L.A. The Coast Agreement provides that the hourly Cost of Living Adjustment beginning January 1, 1975 will also be paid for the hours worked during the last 22 scheduled shifts at each operation. Under the other major Agreements it will be the last 22. scheduled shifts before the effective date of the first adjustment. For an employee who works only straight-time hours and qualifies for the full 22 days of C.0.L.A. the lump sum payment would equal $22.88. For individual employees, however, C.0O.L.A. should also be paid for the straight-time portion of any overtime hours worked and for Accident Prevention Committee payments, call time payments and stand-by time performed within the scheduled shift. The I.W.A. made a significant breakthrough in 1974 when it negotiated a C.0.L.A. clause in a one-year agreement. This C.O.L.A. is an excellent first clause which has already generated 18c an hour based on the first 4 months of measurement. The first adjustment under all Agreements is 13c an hour, based on the C.P.I. changes between August and November, 1974. The December, 1974 C.P.I. change has produced another 5c an hour which will be included with the second quarter’s adjustment on April 1, 1975 at the Coast. Inflation promises to continue at a rate of 9% a year during 1975. It is therefore important that the C.0.L.A. be maintained and strengthened during the 1975 negotiations so that the pur- chasing power of your wages will be fully protected. 4} $14,892,000.00. PHARMACARE PAYMENTS $14,943,415.00 The Honourable Norman Levi announced the results of - expenditures for the first full year of Pharmacare in British Columbia (January ist to Dec- ember 31st, 1974). Total amounts paid to B.C. pharma- cists for prescriptions supplied under the government plan were $14,943,415.00. This compared favorably with the original estimates of Pharmacare administers ’ three separate drug programs for residents of the province, and the total administrative cost is $342,000.00 (2.5%). The best known program — for the elderly — offers full payment of prescription drugs for all ‘individuals aged 65 years or over. This plan covers nearly 230,000 elderly citizens and the cost during 1974 totalled $11,660,000.00. _ Full payment is also offered to families receiving medical care assistance through the Department of Human Re- sources. . Approximately 100,000 individuals were eligible, and 1974 expenditures totalled $2,963,000.00. Partial payment of prescrip- tion costs was available to those families and individuals with no taxable income. 211,000 individuals received prescrip- tion price subsidies of $320,000.00 in the previous twelve months. WORKING MOTHERS PROTECTED A Riverdale Hospital in Toronto has been ordered to pay over $4,659 to a woman worker fired because she had a problem of obtaining a baby sitter. An arbitration board had ruled earlier that the hospital was wrong in dismissing the employee and said that a leave of absence for a reasonable amount of time should have been granted to permit arrangements for child care. The monetary award follows refusal of the hospital to pay the employee anything. The board in its ruling directed that the hospital must pay the employee from the time she resolved the problem of care of her child and was available for work. Howard Brown, chairman, and Murray Tate, union nominee, concurred in awarding the grievor $5,410, From this was deducted $451 and $300 as the sums she would have had to pay for baby- sitting during a 12-week period. The ruling is an important precedent that should put pressure on the authorities to extend child care services for working mothers — a demand of the Anti-Poverty Association, trade unions and women’s organizations.