2nd Issue
March, 1966

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

wa) A JOB WELL DONE"

One of the early pioneers

of Local 1-417 IWA, Chris
Radmacher, who with Re-
gional Organizer Mike Sekora
and a small group of others
formed the Clearwater Sub-
local in 1945, has retired after
twenty-one years on the job.

Chris, who is now 70 years
of age, was an active trade
unionist in his native Austria
where he worked as a wheel-
wright. In 1924, he decided to
emigrate to Canada and try
his fortune at farming in
Saskatchewan. He stayed on
farming through the depres-
sion-ridden years, managing
to feed and clothe his family
until friends convinced him
in 1936 to homestead in the
Clearwater Valley on the
North Thompson River.

DEPRESSION —

f

For the next nine years he
cleared and farmed his land.
His main crop was straw-
berries which grow excep-
tionally well in the area. Un-
fortunately, the depression
was still on and there was
little market for his products.
This forced Chris to seek
work elsewhere and leave the
farming to his wife and three
sons.

About this time, the Swan-
son Lumber Company of Al-
berta decided to log the
Clearwater Valley and build
a mill in what is now the
town of Clearwater. The com-
pany employed local help in
construction of the mill and
Chris, who was well-known

as a top notch carpenter, was
immediately hired.

SHACK

Because the distance pre-
vented him commuting be-
tween his farm and the job

7 are

ir J

except for weekends, Chris
built a small shack on proper-
ty located a couple of miles
from the mill where his pres-
ent home stands today. This
shack was the only building
in the area, not Company
owned, and proved invaluable
to the Union when the IWA
moved in to organize the op-
eration in 1945,

REGIONAL Organizer Mike Se-
kora who played a large part in
organizing the Swanson Lumber
Company in Clearwater.

When the mill was ready
for production, Chris and
nineteen others were hired as
steady employees. Frank
Capostinsky was made man-
ager of the mill and was in-
structed by the Company to
keep the mill clear of unions.

This didn’t sit too well with
Chris because of his past
trade union association and it
was not too long before Re-
gional Organizer Mike Sekora
visited the area and held
meetings with the crew.

After a number of meet-
ings, Mike and Chris with a
few other militants, were able
to convince the rest of the
crew to join the IWA. The
Local Union was granted
certification for the operation
shortly afterwards. Elections
were held to pick a Sub-local
committee and Chris was

RIS AND BOB ROSS, Financial Secretary of Local

in front of the log cabin used

photogr:
y the Clearwater Sub-local for Union meetings. The
in Re built in 1930 and is owned by the Women’s

elected Chairman, a position
he held- for ten years,

When an attempt was made
to secure a collective agree-
ment with the Company,
Frank Capostinsky, following
orders from the head office,
refused to negotiate with the
Union, The crew struck the
operation and the Company
retaliated by closing up the
cook house.

HUNT

As there were no Stores or
hotels within miles, the crew
was forced to hunt through
the country side for wild
game and rely on the kind-
ness of farmers in the area
for vegetables and fruit.

The strike lasted six weeks
before the Company capitu-
lated and during this time
Mike Sekora stayed with
Chris in the shack, using it
as his strike headquarters.

For the next few years the
Company openly attempted to
have the Union decertified
and but for the militancy of
Chris and a few others, would
have succeeded. The Com-
pany then tried to embarrass
the Local financially by re-
fusing to collect the dues
check-off.

FOILED MOVE

Chris foiled this move by
collecting the dues himself
and submitting them to the
Local Union office. All this
gave added work for Chris
as the operation was growing
by leaps and bounds, but he
never complained.

By this time the town of
Clearwater was springing in-

CHRIS WITH HIS WIFE, who during the years Chris

fought the Company, was left with the difficult task of
looking after the farm and raising three boys.

i a
ay ia : fam ;
( if
apart

THE FIRST MODERN HOUSE in Clearwater. Chris Rad-
macher poses-in front of his comfortable home he built

during the ’50’s.

His faith in the future of Clearwater

induced others to follow suit and the area now is a pros-

perous little community.

to being. What had been vir-
gin bush such a short time
before was now a growing
community and again Chris
had been the pace setter. His
faith in the ability of his fel-
low workers, his Union and
himself to win a decent stand-
ard of living from the Com-
pany had prompted him to
build the first modern home
in the township.

Others soon followed his -

example and today the town
has a population of between
500 and 700 people. Because

of the growing community
and the Union wages paid in
the operation, the Company
has no problem maintaining
a stable work force.

This is conceded by the
Company which in the last
few years has made no effort
to carry on its earlier resist-
ance to the Union.

The officers of Local 1-417
and the Regional Council
wish Chris a long and happy
retirement and thank him for
a job well done.

‘PART OF THE PRESENT CREW at Clearwater Timber meeting March 17 to elect
delegates to attend the Annual Delegated Meeting of Local 1-417 IWA, April 23-24.

Group seated left, Wilf Radmacher, Job Steward; Lou Grefford, Sub-local Chairman;
Chris Radmacher; Bert Sedor, Sub-local Secretary.