Issues Involved In Lumber Dispute Discussed
Association's Views:
KdUor's Note: This is manage
merit's side of the current lumber
dispute as outlined by Lowry Wy
att, vice president of Weyerhaeus
er Company, and chairman of the
nesotiating committee of, the six
firms involved.
"I would like to e x p I a i n the
position of the six companies in
volved," Lowry Wyatt told a
group in Klamath Falls Friday;
afternoon.
"It is important that all com
munities involved know how this
situation developed, why it did.
&9d what is being done to get out
unions on their 1963 demands and
would be bound as a group to
v.hat the negotiations developed.
"The first day we met for two!
long discussions on what was the
association, what was its bargain
ing rights, who did it represent,
and what issues would we talk
about. Then the bargaining start
ed. Both sides bargained for a
settlement and we have been crit
icized for ottering up to 22 cents.
If we had been bargaining for a
strike we would have slopped at
10 cents, not 22.
"At the time negotiations fell
o, it. i am not nere to arguciapart, the six companies corn-
were ready to meet with theiciation UVYA! was for 40 cents an
tiio issues nor to ask you to be
judge or jury on the merits.
"Historically, in the past, the
pattern of labor negotiations by
lumber firms has always been an
individual approach. It was this
Way up until this group bound it
self to a common result, a typical
arrangement around the country.
"Back as far as two years ago,
these six companies t Weyerhaeus
er. International Paper. Rayon
ier, Crown-Zellerbach, St. Regis
Paper and U.S. Plywood', and
others discussed the need for
si:ch an organization because we
did not have a proper vehicle to
handle negotiations with two un
ions. Just as surely as the equip
ment and type of operations of 10
ears ago were not sufficient for
today, so was our former in
dividual approach.
"We were looking at the lung
range program, of costs, union
position, competition, trying to
plan for the future and remain as;
open minded as possible not
knowing what our competition
would do. '
"We realized we faced such
problems as automation, travel
time, mechanization and would
r.ot be able to solve these issues
!y the individual company ap
proach. We decided we needed a
totally bound organization.
"We discussed this type of as
sociation with both unions, p r e
senting an exposition ol such an
association and the desirable
reasons for it
"Both unions indicated then
that this was constructive. This
was not a patronizing conversa
tion with them, but one of arriv
ing at mutual acceptance of the
rrcanization
"The six companies decided to I
bined had offered $20 million in
increased wages over the nextl
three-year period. The unions con
sidered this insufficient and
struck two members of the group,
U.S. Plywood and St. Regis.
"We met after the union had
struck these members to decide
on a course of action. The dis
cussion had nothing to do with
retaliation or use of power, but
purely whether the group we had
formed was good, and whether it
still made sense. If it did, our
course of action was clear. Our
conclusions were that it was a
good association, we had not
changed our minds and the diffi
culties even highlighted more the
need (or such an association. Thel
next step was automatic. If we
were to preserve our association,
the decision to shut down was
automatic.
"The mills shut down, but not
in retaliation.
Tile other side of the coin was
that if an agreement was reached
in the negotiations, all six firms
were bound to it, if negotiations
fell apart and action was taken
rgainst one, we would all face1
the same action.
"I understand that the associ
atinn has been challenged legally
by the unions who may be doing
this to try to validate unemploy
ment claims, although 1 don't
know their strategy.
The major issues are two,
wages and economics.
"The original position of the
Lumber and Sawmill Workers
LSW) was for a 60-cent an hour
increase over the next three
years. Their position is still the!
same.
The original position of t h e
hour over the next three years
and they modified this to 34'
cents. The operators have offered
them 21.9 cents per hour over
the next three years, amounting
to a total of $20 million additional
increases for the six companies.
"We have no criticism of the
union's position. We are simply
viewing the situation through dif
ferent glasses. We probably have
not done as good a communication
job as we should have. There is
not that much diflerence in the
market place.
"The request by the association
was part of a long-range plan, as
stated before. We W'ere bargain
ing to remove some penalty
clauses, some restrictions in ex
change for base wages.
"We were asking that we be
relieved of the payment of over
time on Saturday and Sunday
work when and if the operations
required regularly scheduled seven-day
three-shift operations. This
has never been understood clear
ly. We are being charged with
turning back the clock.
"Specifically, we arc saying we
don't want to change any provi
sions ol any contract in any
respect unless the operation is
ready to run seven days, 24 hours
continually. Then we would
have to hire about 30 per cent
more men. Nobody works over
five davs and everybody gets two
days off. We would still pay over-i
time if any man works over eight
hours a day or over 40 hours
per week. However, if a man
Views Of The IWA:
AUSTRALIA'S VISITORS Australia, becoming the first rul-iof Carry Moore, CBS Television
ing monarchs to do so. according Network star, was a play written
to the Britannica Book of the in collaboration with F. Scott
Year. Fitzgerald.
In 12, King Bhumbol and
Queen Sirkit, of Thailand, toured
HERALD AND NEWS, Klamath Falls, Oregon
Sunday. June 16, 1961 PACE 3 A
Editor's Note: The following is work days beginning on Monday
a statement released by Otto E. and ending on Friday, which
Hall, business agent for the IWA, means that all work over eight
Local 3-12 regarding the un- hours per day and 40 hours per
ion's viewpoint in the current week as well as all work per-
and Sunday of the year, he would' P'05 campaign put on by
get two other days off.
join together and announced we International Woodworkers Asso-
U.S. Space Funds Slash
May Depend On Russians
WASHINGTON (UPH-The U.S.
space budget may be in for a
$300 million cut in Congress un
less the current Soviet flight shows
the Russians are racing for the
moon.
House space committees al
ready have voted to trim about
half a billion. In the Senate Space
Committee, w hich opened hearings
on the So.7 billion request this
week, there are also rumblings o!
a SM0 million cut.
Both Sens. Margaret Chase
Smith. It-Maine, and Howard W.
Cannon. D-Nev.. asked the Na
tional Aeronautics and Space Ad
The scientists, while divided on
whether the moon trip should be
made at all, generally agreed that
It would have little direct military
value and would be a very costly
project for the amount of scientific
information it turns up. The main
thing, they said, would be the
prestige of reaching the moon
first.
The bucet trimming, if there
is any, is likely to be in the $12
billion which NASA wants authori
sed next year for the Apollo moon
light. This would represent more
of a delay than a cutback
A truly spectacular Russian
lumber controversy.
By OTTO E. HALL
Business Agent IWA - Local 3-12
Facts and issues leading up to
the lockout imposed by the "Big
Six" lumber operators on Fri
day, June 7, 1963:
In order to fully understand
the IWA's position on this mat
ter let us go back to the year of
1961 at which time the IWA
opened their contracts with the
lumber operators for wage in
creases and certain fringe bene
fits. At this time, after months of
negotiations and listening to the
companies' claims of inabiUty to
grant any wage increases, the
contracts were signed with the
companies granting a one per
cent wage increase.
In 1962 tile union again opened
their contracts with the employers
for a wage increase and other
revisions of the contract. Again
the story was the same witU the
exception that the employers used
the issue of Canadian lumber
imports as their reason for not
being able to grant a wage in
crease. The companies did a
marvelous job of brainwashing
the public into believing that they
were on the verge of financial
ruin due to the imports of Cana
dian lumber. The IWA at that
time, being the responsible union
that it is. and realizing that the
'No one seriously believes we
can run the woods any different
ly than we are running them,
but we should be able to do it on a
continuous basis without penalty.
Some plants are already doing
this. All pulp mills in Washington
and Oregon are working on this
basis.
An operator needs more in
centive to put $12 million into
plywood plant today. He needs a
uniform approach and that goes
to the heart of our association.
"We are ready to meet any
time, any place. We have talked
to the conciliation service and
told them this. They have asked.
Do you think it will do any
good?' and we have answered.
'no. we would meet right now
if we thought it would do any
good
"It seems like standing around
while Rome burns, but if we
called a meeting and only ex
tended discussions it would not
help the dispute. It appears to
be a matter of judgment. The
conciliation service has not called
a meeting so apparently the un
ions also feel it is not the time
either."
In reply to questions, Wyatt
commented that the question ol
travel pay for woods employes
was not a big issue. "In my
judgment." he said, "we have
come up with a solution to settle
that issue which I think is work
able and which could be accepted
by the unions. They have not
agreed to it. but have explored
it and I think would find it work
able."
I the lumber operators had been an
effective one upon the general
public, closed out their contracts
without any wage increase and
extended them until June 1, 1963.
In March, 1963, in accordance
with the contract language, the
IWA again opened their con
tracts with the lumber operators
on the matter of wages and other
contract revisions. The IWA on
the matter of wages was asking
for a 40 cents per hour wage
increase over a three-year period
in addition to a revision of the
pension plan at Weyerhaeuser and
St. Regis Paper Company. The
union also sought some sort of
travel pay for loggers who arc
required to travel long distances
on their own time from the log
ging camps in order to reach
their work areas.
The lumber operators, including
Weyerhaeuser, opened the con
tract to revise the hours of labor
clause, the payment of overtime
and the grievance procedure. At
the present time the contract pro
vides for a work week begin
ning on Monday and ending on
Sunday. The normal work sched
ule consists of five eight - hour
formed by an employe on the
sixth and seventh days in his
work week shall be paid for at
time and one-half. We have had
this provision in our contract
since 1M2. It is the desire of the
company to amend this provision
so that they can split the work
week up and work the employes
Saturday and Sunday for
straight time, taking away any
increase they have offered.
It is also the desire of the
company to amend the grievance
procedure which is the very heart
of any labor contract, to work
in exactly the reverse manner
than it has been working in for
the past 20 years or more.
These ale tile issues which led
to the breakdown in negotiations.
The last proposal of the union to
the lumber operators called for
15 cents per hour wage increase
for 1963 seven and one-half
cents per hour in 1964 and three
and one-half per cent wage in
crease in 1965 plus 2 per cent
wage increase for certain job
classifications where gross ine
quities are known to exist. In
making this proposal the Union
scaled down tlieir demands from
40 cents to 35 cents over the
three-year period.
On May 31 the "Big Six" lum
ber operators olfered the union
a package deal amounting to 20
cents per hour spread over the
three-year period with the provi
sion that the union accept the
changes in the hours of labor
clause as the company had pro
posed. They offered nothing for
travel time pay for loggers. On
Tuesday, May 4, the union mcti
with the lumber operators in Port-1
land in a final effort to reach
an agreement with the "Big Six"
association. At this meeting the
"Big Six" spokesman stated that
they had no proposal to make to
the union and negotiation!: were
discontinued. At midnight Tues
day, June 4. which was the dead
line set for the completion of ne
gotiations, tlie Lumber and Saw
mill Workers and the Internation-
al Woodworkers of America set
up picket lines at United States
Plywood and St. Regis Paper ;
Company, both members of the1
"Big Six" lumbermen's associa
tion. On Thursday, June 6. IWA Lo
cal 3-12 received a letter from
J. B. Bishop, branch manager ol
the Klamath Falls' Weyerhaeuser
plant, informing the union that
the company w as closing their op
erations at the end of the day
shift on Friday, June 7.
The local union had no pickets
out and had no intention of put
ting any out, as it was decided
at the meeting in Portland by
the IWA Executive Board that
they would not strike Weyerhaeus
er. This amounts to only one
thing, a layoff of the employes by
Weyerhaeuser Company and the
"Big Six" Association.
The employes of the IWA at
Weyerhaeuser arc ready and will
ing to return to work anytime the
company is ready to end the
layoff.
As to the claims by these lum
ber operators that they arc un-
IContinurd on Page S-A)
FIRST FEDERAL
ministration NASA to find some , achievement could have the effect rommcnted ,hal hc
areas where cutting can be done
So far, NASA has not supplied
the requested information.
While the Senate committee is
examining several aspects of the
budget, the key question is wheth
er the Russians are trying to beat
the U.S. goal of putting a man
on the moon by 1970.
Several scientists told the com
mittee that the resources required
. .v. i-c . k .j! profit factor in this phase of the
er cuts in the U.S. space budget .' . , ' ; . .
., . ... v iindustrv actua y comes from the
that appear to be in the works. , , , ,,,
lactor." lie said, "is the gain on
the value of timber from when
we bought it until its value today.
The prolit is not from our ply
wood or softwood operations.
These, in themselves, are n t
HORSE SIGHT
A horse can see forward, side
ward and even a little way back
ward. Pupil of the equine's eye
is oval-shaped, cutting down the
scope a horse can see when it is paying propositions.
t. . mnnt i,.nr fliohi a .n'KwKing siraiem aneaa. ine am- ne rannimra. u is i o
,. ,k ,;.. ma hv mal cannot see above the level picture nor a happy one."
v.,t ...,..,o 1
cided to concentrate instead on!" 113
other areas of space and tech-1
n)Iot;y . J0" Provist began acting at the
The space program will cost the i age of three, made 10 motion pic
United Stales about $35 billion dur-1 lures before he joined the CBS
ing the next 10 years, space chief Telev ision Network's "Lassie" at
James Webb said. ace seven.
a! DDtklC
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