THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

Strong protests from the Regional Council, Local 1-85 Port Alberni, and other con- cerned groups, have won a: six-

month extension of federal

subsidies to shipping com-

anies servicing remote ancouver Island com- munities.

The protest followed the Canadian Transport Com- mission’s announcement in November that the govern- ment would discontinue the

_ subsidies because a study

wed that the communities could be serviced by truck transport using a network of logging roads. ,

On December 8, Transport ©

Minister Jamieson admitted that the government had been misinformed and that the subsidies would continue for a six-month period to allow time to re-evaluate the situation.

Nineteen coastal areas with a total population of close to three thousand people, mainly loggers and fishermen, are involved. Their only means of contact with the outside world, other than by plane, are North-

land Navigation’s Skeena and Nootka Sound:

Prince, Services Ltd.’s Uchuck 111.

The two companies share a federal subsidy of around $400,000 for their vessels to visit the isolated communities weekly. Servicing the areas by plane has been ruled out as far too costly and it will likely be years before suitable freight truck roads are constructed.

The residents in the areas also rely on the vessels to transport ill or injured members of their community to hospital. While the majority of such cases are transported now by plane, this’ can be

‘impossible during the stormy

winter months.

Following is the telegram sent by the Regional Council to the Minister of Transport D. Jamieson:

“AS representatives of most of the working people along the West Coast of Vancouver Island, we must express to you our shock at hearing of Federal plans to discontinue subsidies of shipping services in that area.

“The vessels concerned provide an absolutely essen- tial service to the res- idents by moving people and personal property at costs which wage-earners can hope to afford. No discussion of alternative freight-moving plans is relevant to the crisis which will be faced by these people if the government’s present plans are adopted.

“We are dismayed at the reported remarks of an un- named official of the Canadian Transportation Commission, to the effect that the B.C. Provincial Government must carry the subsidy.

“We remind you as it ap- pears we must, that the human beings involved, threatened with the cancellation of the only link with the outside world that they can afford, will find

‘precious little comfort in

arguments about jurisdiction. We urge you in the strongest possible terms to join with the appropriate authorities in British Columbia and_ take whatever action is essential to the continued support of this vital service.”

M-B BLASTED BY THOMPSON

Local 1-217 President Syd Thompson has blasted the short-sighted policy of Mac- Millan Bloedel in buying natural gas from Hydro for the Company’s Vancouver Plywood Division on an “‘in- terruptable,”’ basis which has resulted in employees being laid off work just prior to Christmas.

Thompson stated that forty employees were laid off December 18, because of a cut- back in gas delivered to the Plant and if the cold weather continued, all of the 185 em- ployees would be out of work.

He called it a disgrace that a Company like MacMillan Bloedel would allow any of its plants to be serviced by Hydro on a basis where the gas could be shut-off on two hours notice.

He called on Premier Bennett to take up the matter with Hydro and have the natural gas restored to the Plant so as to allow full

Thompson stated:

“We fail to understand the short-sighted policies of your company that allows this situation to develop. Per- manent and regular employees should receive higher con- sideration than a contract for natural gas that can be ter- minated at two hours’ notice for the sake of saving a few

EVALUATION REPORT

The Plywood Evaluation Committee has completed the implementation of Professor Wilkinson’s report in the four operations within the jurisdic- tion of Local 1-424, Prince George.

Following is a summary of the results: &

(A) 51 categories or 41 percent received upward revisions as follows:

8 categories were revised upwards by 4c

22 categories were revised upwards by 5c

6 categories were revised upwards by 9c

10 categories were revised upwards by 10c 1 category was revised up- wards by 14c

1 category was revised upwards by 15c

3 categories were revised upwards by 20c (B) 72 categories or 58 percent did not move. (C) 1 category or 1 percent was ‘“‘Red Circled’’ by 4c.

The IWA was represented on this committee by Regional Evaluator Tony Vanderheide.

One of the most loathsome creatures in Canada has to be professional strike breaker Rick Grange of Toronto, who claims his strikebreaking business will make him a millionaire by the time he’s 28 next year.

Using a goon squad he calls his ‘‘dirty dozen,” and aided by four doberman pinschers, electronic gadgets photographers, Grange operates a highly successful business breaking strikes in Ontario.

The United Steelworkers calls him a vulture; Ontario NDP Leader Stephen Lewis says he’s a threat to civilized labour-management relations; and the province’s labour minister says he is disgusting and abhorrent in the way he advertises his business.

Such remarks don’t bother Grange who says if he can show Canadian industry how to

» aa

and >

beat international unions and help put management and workers back into partnership, then I think I will be able to say I have led a creative life.

However, the President of the Toronto Labour Council states Grange’s strikebreaking activities are tragic for both management and labour. He says that the labour disputes are lasting longer, are more bitter and costly, and only Grange is benefiting.

thers point out that the employment of goon squads will one day result in violence and death on the picket line and the government will have to outlaw people like Grange offering this type of service to management.

Fortunately, at the moment it is only the small companies who employ Grange. None of the large companies have shown any desire to do business with him.

A

Local 1-71 President Ernie Freer presents lost-time cheque of

ait

PS me Abate

$1,235.00.to Local 1-71 member Bill Johnstone.

ARBITRATION CASE | WON BY LOGGERS’ LOCAL

By JACK MacKENZIE Local 1-71 Business Agent

On August 10th of this year, Brother Bill Johnstone, Carrier Driver for Weldwood of Canada Ltd., Empire Lumber Division, Squamish, was discharged due to the irresponsible action of a chargehand, a Union member, whose opinion of himself had been so inflated by the Com- pany, it led him to believe that as a chargehand he could exercise disciplinary authority over his fellow Union members and led him to attempt, without provocation, not only to blame Brother Johnstone for the pile-up of the carrier loads at the green chain, but to at- tack him with abusive language as well (a point the chargehand denied during the hearing).

The grievance reached Arbitration before Mr. Hank Hutcheon, Q.C., on September 29, 1971. It became evident that because of two different versions of the numbers of carriers operating at the time of the incident (the Company claimed only one, the Union

_ claimed there were two), that

further witnesses had to be called. The Board again met on October 4, 1971: On September 29, the yard foreman at- tempted to bolster the Com- pany’s evidence by stating that only one carrier was operating. On the other hand, two carrier drivers, Auringer and Gerald Ethier, gave evidence on October 4 that two carriers were available at the time, sup- porting in almost every detail the evidence given by the grievor, Brother Bill John- stone, on September 29, 1971.

But lo and behold, along came another chargehand to champion the cause of the employer, by taking the wit- ness stand and giving what can only be called, in the kindest of possible terms, questionable evidence. Mr. Hutcheon, in his award said in part — “TI paid close attention to the demeanor of all witnesses, but par- ticularly that of the carrier drivers, Auringer and Ethier, and the chargehand, Gar-

Brothers Gordon ~

dener. I am satisfied none of them mantfactured his evidence. Gardener however, was clearly wrong when he said he was certain that No. 6 carrier was in the garage most of the day until late that af- ternoon and was not repaired until after carrier No. 7 had been repaired’.

Brother Ernie Freer, President of Local 1-71, who presented the case for the Union, when summing up said in part— “The chargehand system works to the benefit of both management and Union — when it is not abused. When it is abused, as it was in this case, the chargehand system

causes nothing except dissatisfaction and trouble for everyone.”’ When

management, and those who are and/or would become chargehands, accept the fact that chargehands are in the . bargaining unit and do not hire, fire or discipline in any manner whatsoever, that they only convey management instruction to the work force and that if, at any time, they attempt to go beyond those simple duties, the Union will take immediate action to stop them, failing which, the chargehand system will break down completely. We, the Union, do not wish to-see this happen. The success of the chargehand system rests in the hands of the employers. It’s up to them to make it work by stopping abuse.

Local President, Ernie Freer, had the pleasant duty of presenting a lost-time cheque of $1,235.00 net pay, toa very happy Brother Bill John- stone.

NOT WANTED

The old family doctor shook his head, ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he told the Interior logger’s wife, ‘“‘but I just can’t cure your husband of talking in his sleep.”

“Oh, I don’t want you to cure him,’ replied the logger’s wife, “I just want you to make him talk more distinctly!’