| | | | } i 1 By ERNIE KNOTT Last week’s 41st annual con- _ vention of the International Woodworkers of America at the Vancouver Holiday Inn chalked up a new high in achievement for the union, expressing the determi- nation to strengthen the union organizationally and to achieve the Membership’s demands for im- Proved wages and working con- ditions. Undoubtedly the highlight of the convention was that section of the officer’s report which revealed that discussions between the IWA and the Canadian Paperworkers Union (CPU), under the aegis of the Canadian Labor Congress, had led to a nine point memorandum of “agreement for cooperation and eventual merger of the two unions. Local 1-118 IWA regional convention, “one of the Most progressive in years.” ERNIE KNOTT... IWA delegate terms r Coalition shits Uranium mine developments KELOWNA — The Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Respon- sibility, SPEC. and the B.C. Government Employees Union are sponsoring a public meeting here October 26 to protest the continued development of three uranium mine sites in the Kelowna area. In spite of recent statements by premier Bennett that no uranium mines will be allowed to go into operation without an inquiry and safeguards put into place, organizers note that test drilling for one possible mine and preparatory work for two others, including an open pit uranium mine, are continuing in the West Kettle Valley east of ’ Kelowna towards Beaverdell. Estimated value of the uranium deposits in the about a half billion dollars, a potential bonanza for mining companies which is creating pressure for the mines to get an early start. At present no legislation exists | which restricts uranium mining in “a mine to open is a permit,” The two unions that would | gain possible employment from _ the. mines, the United Steelworkers of America and the Canadian Association of ‘both come out against the proposed mines, citing oc- cupational safety and en- Vironmental “hazards as . reasons. - reforestation ‘policy. PROVINCIAL NOTES Okanagan valley are put at B.C. and all that is required for. Industrial Mechanical and . Allied Workers Union, have. IWA district conventio hears of possible merger This was a significant step towards one union in wood, from coast to coast. This enthusiasm was tempered, however, by reports that big organizational difficulties existed in the area of union certifications and organizing the unorganized because of increased and coor- dinated employers’ resistance, the operation of ‘right to work’ groups like D.A.R.E. in the interior, and because of the roadblocks thrown up by new amendments to the provincial labor code. Another big problem faced by the convention was the big job loss being created by the employer’s rationalization program and drive for technological change which could lead to a further reduction in the work force. Delegates ex- pressed the need for a union program for shorter hours, greater finishing of raw products in Canada, adequate retraining and severance pay, government in- tervention in plant closures and for restrictions on the export of capital for foreign investment so long as woodworkers are unemployed in Canada. 3 It was reported that an industry wide pension plan is now virtually in place and that together with the achievement of a common expiry date for existing agreements, a long step had been taken in the direction of the goal of one master agreement for the industry. Officers’ also reported that the hiring of a professional forester and increased participation in seminars and meetings on problems was helping the union, at long last, to develop a long range forestry One of the major. [1 oe me Pn Cee eae | ato Th RASS BOY resolutions before the convention, from Courtenay Local 363, had called for such a forestry policy. In the area of developing con- tacts and strengthening ties with the international labor movement, IWA delegations to the Soviet Union and to Bulgaria brought favorable reports back to the convention. As it turned out, the most con- “| tentious issue which dominated the meeting was the demand by the officers for an interim wage in- > crease. It was finally granted, but only after some hefty debate which saw the delegate body pretty evenly divided. The debate also produced a decision to work out a formula to take care of future wage adjustments. The desire for strengthening of the leadership and for progressive solutions to some of the most pressing immediate and long term problems of the membership found - expression in the nomination of veteran logger Nick Chernoff of Campbell River for the post of third vice president. Chernoff is contesting the position against incumbent Ernie Clarke who was recently appointed to fill the vacancy left by the death of Stan Parker. Parker had helped the IWA to make good progress over the years in the prairie provinces. Overall, the convention was one of the most progressive in years and the trend towards unity found added expression in the beginning of a history project which will present an objective history of the union and recognize the con- tribution of pioneer union builders like Harold Pritchett, who was a special guest at the union’s annual banquet: : About 50 members and supporters of the Service Office and Retail Workers Union (SORWUC) picketed the Muckamuck restaurant Saturday evening when the strikebound restaurant re-opened with a new format, and new, scab workers. Local police kept a vigilant eye on the proceedings. —Vision Works photo Oil port plans not dead Continued from pg. 1 in any event originally planned to move oil to the US. solely, Thomlinson pointed out, but changed its plans to also serve the Canadian market when it thought that such a move would enhance the projects chances of approval. It, will be a simple matter for the project to revert to its original concept, said Thomlinson. There is still great pressure for added oil terminals on the west coast as the tankers currently taking oil from Valdez Alaska, southern terminal of the Alaska pipeline, can’t keep up with the flow of the pipeline. Sohio, one of the major companies involved in the Alyeska and Kitimat projects, has stated that as many as three pipelines are needed to move the oil ‘south. ; . Yet another project on the hori- zon is the proposal of Foothills — Pipe Lines Ltd., the company at the centre of the Alcan pipeline deal, to build a major tanker facility at Haines and Skagway, Alaska, on the Alaskan Panhandle, with a pipeline to be built east across British Columbia to Ed- monton and then south to the U.S. “They’re (Foothills) are going - ahead quite arrogantly assuming it will be approved,” Thomlinson said, even though the plan was rejected by the National Energy Board during its supply and demand hearings. Even without an oil port on B.C.’s coast, Thomlinson warned, the province could be faced with oil ports at either end of its coast and greatly increased supertanker - traffic through.Canadian waters. The October 26 meeting will be asked to endorse the call of the Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Responsibility for a one year moratorium on uranium mining development and the establishment of a public judicial inquiry into all aspects of uranium mining. The position was backed by the Okanagan and District Labor Council when it met in Kelowna October 4. OK labor council secretary seeks aldermanic seat VERNON — Okanagan Labor . -Council secretary Bert Nilsson filed nomination papers this week for alderman in the up- coming Vernon municipal election. Nilsson, a carpenter, will be running for one of three aldermanic positions up for election November 18. The only progressive candidate in the ‘race, Nilsson was endorsed by the Okanagan Labor Council in September. In neighboring Kelowna, another labor council delegate, British Columbia Government Employees Union represen- : ‘tative Bill Boyd, has also _ declared himself an aldermanic candidate. Employment and taxation. will be priority issues for Nilsson’s campaign which will call for a city led housing program to create jobs, and for the elimination of school taxes from homes and family farms. One of the issues on which Nilsson is expected to score all— heavily on the present council is civic democracy as Vernon city council has had a preference for going behind closed doors to debate controversial issues. The current council has also - been attempting to get large parcels of land out of the agricultural land freeze and- turning it over to developers. A local citizens committee has formed to oppose the release of about 205 acres of farmland near Vernon city limits for development. A further 98 acres ’ of farmland just north of the city is also being proposed as a site for an industrial park. There is plenty of room for industrial and other develop-' ments in the Vernon area without threatening farmland, Nilsson maintains. Environmentalists oppose logging of Tsitika area VICTORIA — The Tsitika Moratorium Committee, a coalition of labor and en- vironmental groups on Van- couver Island opposed to the logging of the Tsitika watershed on northern Vancouver Island, adopted four resolutions here September 27 setting out policy on forest management. The first resolution rejected the ‘‘integrated resource plan” of the Tsitika Planning Com- mittee which would allow for large scale “‘clearcuts”’ of up to 600 acres in size throughout the virgin forest. “The logging plans for the Tsitika reflect the companies’ position, supported by the forestry service, of forest management for the primary production of timber. This is not integrated resource use as we understand the concept,” the committee stated in its resolution. The resolution called for the continuation of the moratorium on logging in the Tsitika Valley as the only remaining unlogged watershed on Vancouver Island and important for the preseration of wildlife in the area. A second policy statement criticized the ‘‘integrated resource plan’ proposed for Tsitika and elsewhere in B.C._ forests, as it ‘“‘means_ that fisheries, wildlife, en- vironmental and recreational interests are reduced to pleading for concessions from the logging companies in order _to defend their respective jurisdictions.” A third resolution opposed the “large scale clearcut methods of logging utilized in the forest industry and endorsed by the forestry service.”’ The resolution questioned the logic of company and forestry ser- vice arguments that clearcut logging, or the logging of all trees from a given area, was the most, environmentally sound. The committee called for a public debate on logging methods and listed several hazards associated with the clearcut logging methods. A final resolution argued that three farm licenses do not grant private ownership over forestry resources to logging companies: and that companies are not entitled to any compensation if sections of timber are removed _ workers’ are supplied clean,- _painted cabins and hot meals ’ provided. - week it threatened to tear down ~ from licensed logging areas for wildlife or park purposes. Human Rights charges brought _ against cannery PRINCE RUPERT — United Fishermen and Allied Workers’ Union northern representative Mike Darnell has warned the Cassiar Packing Company that he will apply for a court in- junction to stop a company threat to tear down Native housing at the northern cannery 25 miles east of Prince Rupert. The company has now been served with charges under the B.C. Human Rights Act, brought two weeks ago by Darnell and human rights in- vestigator Alan Anderson. The charges cite discrimination by the company with regard to tenancy and employment. - Workers at the cannery are charged for living § ac- comodation, but non-Native for their money, while Native workers live in appalling, sub- standard housing without meals When the company received warrants from human rights director Kathleen Ruff last the 60 year old cabins that house the Native cannery workers. That would be tantamount to disposing of evidence during an investigation, Darnell says, and the company won’t be allowed to get away with it. It would also create undue hardship for Native workers. J PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 13, 1978—Page 3 i on . Loria ee? | a Sedrininnatenst eters