THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 11 MB AVOIDS RESPONSIBILITY — IN FIGHTING FOREST FIRES Local 1-85 Port Alberni has accused MacMillan Bloedel of avoiding its responsibilities to- wards its forest firefighters. The Local has put out the following bulletin: “This Local Union has a Memorandum of Agreement with MB that provides for wages and conditions for fire- fighters with a base rate of $2.97 per hour. During the recent forest fire in the Tay- lor Arm area, MB chose to circumvent the intent of this Agreement and paid firefight- ers to fight fires on company timber the statutory forestry rate providing for a basic rate of $1.25 per hour. “Many of the firefighters burnt their caulk boots and clothing while fighting the fire and so far have not been com- pensated. Firefighters were conscripted to fight fires and taken away from full employ- ment while others who volun- teered were turned down. _ They resent the fact that they and they alone were con- _ scripted to protect private property. We have had no re- port of shareholders or vice- presidents manning the fire pumps. “There were also many complaints about the type of , food that was served to the firefighters on the fire lines while supervisory staff away from the fire were eating steaks. The loggers are also wondering what rates of pay the supervisory staff received during the firefighting period. Did they too receive the $1.25 per hour? It is no wonder that the loggers are bitter over the way that they were treated by the company during this particular fire. “This Local Union has taken this problem to the Regional Executive Board and the recent Regional conven- tion. The convention unani- mously passed a resolution in- structing the Regional officers and the Regional Executive Board to take those steps nec- essary to ensure that loggers engaged in firefighting in IWA certified operations be paid no less than the rates of pay out- lined in the firefighting Mem- orandum of Agreement.” During the debate at the convention, John Squire, busi- ness agent of Local 1-85, said the public has got to rid itself of the idea that the loggers are the only people responsi- ble for fighting forest fires. He said many loggers were taken off jobs paying $3 an hour and more to fight fire at $1.25 an hour. Said Squire: “It was just like the army. There is no MONOCREST STRIKE The IWA Regional Council has thrown its full weight be- hind a legal strike at Mono- crest Kitchens Ltd., in Rich- mond, by members of Local 1-217 Vancouver. It has appealed to all trade unionists and workers to re- spect the legal picket line established by the Local. The men went on strike on . Thursday, October 26, but members of the Carpenters Union walked through the picket line. The Local is seek- ing a 60-cents-an-hour across- the-board increase on wage rates of $1.50 to $2. Local 1-217 was recently certified as bargaining agent - and is attempting to negotiate its first contract at the plant. \or Regional president Jack Moore said: “The Union is also demand- ing the same working condi- tions as now enjoyed by the great majority of organized workers in the area. “The entire IWA Regional Council supports this strike as vitally necessary to elimi- nate all sub-standard wages and conditions in the cabinet- making industry.” Local 1-217 is also attempt- ing to negotiate a first con- tract at Crestwood Kitchens Ltd., of Richmond, and has served 48-hour strike notice on the company. The Union is seeking the same terms there as at Mono- crest. reason why a logger has to be called out of a job and paid $1.25 an hour to protect the private property of Mac- Millan Bloedel or anybody else.” He said a road construction crew was blamed for starting the big fire. But it should not have been in there because the woods had been closed in face of the fire hazard. He asked why the provincial Highways Department sent a crew in there when the woods had been closed. Local 1-85 president Walter Allen claimed MB picked the cream of the loggers to fight the fire and brought in some from as far away as 150 miles. The first 100 chosen were put on the company payroll and the next 300 were put on the forest service payroll at the lower $1.25 an hour. “It is time we said there are no situations in which our people will work for less than the agreement rates in the fu- ture,” said Allen. PICKET LINE at Noranda’s Upper Fraser Spruce Mill is maintained 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Shown holding down the fort are Local 1-424 members Vincent Law, Fred Beaudet, Don Davis. Ere \, \ @ NORTHGATE EDMONTON ' WESTMOUNT CALGARY ps a! “% : PARK ROYAL Sng ; < SW VANCOUVER ~ © OAKRIDGE ) SURREY 2S See ene hoe FP AUXILIARY of Local 1-71 won second prize for entered in the Terrace July Ist cele- they : @ was only recently submitted by the orker.