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THE WESTERN CANADIAN df E
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Incorporating The z.Z. Lumberworker Official Publication of the Internattonal Wosdwuorkers of pémeréea Regional Council No. 1

VOL. XXVIII, No. 6

a

VANCOUVER, B.C.

sc PER COPY

2nd Issue
March, 1961

Conciliation Procedures

Attacked In Revised Act

VICTORIA—Six sections in the amended Labour Relations Act
alter conciliation procedures, and provide that a Conciliation
Officer dealing with a dispute may recommend only that no Con-
ciliation Board be appointed. Upon approval of the Minister, this
ends conciliation. No definite provision is made for continued
conciliation, and at that point the employer is permitted to change

the rates and conditions.

These sections were under concert-
ed attack by all CCF members as
the Bill passed through committee
stage. “The parties to a dispute are
being asked to fight it out with the
use of strike or logk-out weapons and
with all the advantages on the side of
the employers”, said Alex Macdonald
(CCF-Vancouver East).

Rae Eddie (CCF-New Westmins-
ter) declared the amendment to be
most damaging to trade unigns en-
gaged in collective bargaining, “It is
most unfortunate”, he said, “that con-
troversy over the check-off prohibi-
tions should have over-shadowed this
threat to satisfactory negotiations.

The Government should be concern-
ed with more and better concilation
inStead of creating chaos in industrial
relations. The employers are turned
loose on the organized workers be-
fore they have a chance to conclude
a settlement”.
Questions Asked

The New Westminster member
pressed the Minister for an answer to
is questions—“What do the union’s
members vote on in a strike vote
taken under the circumstances?”;
“What does the Union do that is pre-
pared to mediate the dispute?”

See “PROCEDURES” Page 2

Government Orders Unions

To Obey New Labour Act

By 1WA Legislative Reporter

VICTORIA—The Social Credit Government has now ordered the trade unions in British Col-
umbia to obey a revised Labour Relations Act, which contains new and dangerous pitfalls with need-
less restrictions on free collective bargaining. The 40-clause Bill 42 has become the Labour Rela-
tions Act Amendment Act, 1961. Its passage was marked by memorable all-night debates in which
trade union protests were overridden by solid Social Credit majorities. It was the-only Act on a long
list of important Acts affecting various organizations on which consultation was denied the organi-
zation concerned. It was described as an act of political vengeance, and as a pay-off for employing
interests who gave financial support to the Social Credit Party. :

Trade union members of the Legis-
lature “went. the limit” to acquaint
the House with the trade union posi-
tion. Repeatedly, they stressed the
point that the new legislation infring-
ed upon the established rights of
trade unions, and offered unwarranted
interference with trade union democ-
racy. The Premier, who is empowered
to direct the timing of debate, called

ER
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*“,.. Goodnight, Mr. Speaker . . . don’t forget to put out the clock and wind up

Mr. Strachan . . .”

—Barron, ‘Victoria Daily Times

Jack
SCOTT

So much attention has been focused of late on the passing of the
bill to prohibit the use of union dues for political purposes that
we're apt to forget that the problem of raising money to cover
campaign expenses is common to all parties.

I chanced this week to spend some
time in Victoria with a gent who
knows a great deal of the workings ,
of this traditionally furtive financing.
He tells me that since Mr. Bennett’s
ascendaney to the throne there have
been many new techniques evolved.

For one thing it appears that the
senior corporate brass who once
wrote their large cheques for the per-
petuation of their way of life with a

WHAT'S
INSIDE

Editorial ........ 4
oe
ies

strong sense of paternalism are no
longer quite so easy in their minds.

Liberal and Conservative leaders
in the past have always been “the
right sort,” the kind of fellows who,
if they weren’t in politics, would be
quite comfortable in the board room
of any large concern. More often than
not they were on a first name basis
with the tycoons.

Everybody, in short, knew where
everybody else stood. A substantial
donation to the Liberals or the Con-
servatives (the size of the donation
being determined with reptilian cold-
blood on their chances of victory)
was considered a reliable, straight-
forward investment. Everybody
scratched the other fellow’s back. Life
was sweet. —

Mr. __ Bennett’s
changed all this.
See “SCOTT” Page 2

emergence

for consideration of the Bill. during
night sittings, evidently with the hope
that debate would thus be limited by
fatigue. On one occasion, discussion
on the Bill was called at 2 a.m.

Minister Coached

The newly-appointed Minister of
Labour, Hon. Leslie Peterson, was
coached throughout the Committee
stage by Deputy Minister Sands. The
majority of the Social Credit mem-
bers presented the appearance of
complete indifference, except when
the division bell rung. Ministers were
seen reclining in their chairs sound
asleep.

The debate was occasionally punc-
tuated by bursts of anger on the part

of the Premier. David Barrett, Leo.

Nimsick and John Squire were
singled out for a scolding. Nimsick
dropped a hint that the Premier’s
undue haste to end debate was be-
cause of his vacation reservations in
Hawaii. This brought the threat of
the closure, which he had formerly
boasted he would not apply. This
would have enabled him to use the
Social Credit majority to carry the
motion to adjourn debate (the equi-

valent of putting the previous ques-
tion). In this tactic he was out-
manoeuvred by the Opposition, who
proved that the Premier was out of
order. When he cooled down, he was
forced on Saturday to call the House
for the following Monday. The Op-
position members continued to make
their points about Bill 42.

Labour Vindicated
Labour’s fears expressed about the
Bill were found to be correct, when
the- debate drew from the Minister
his interpretations of various sec-
tions. At times he evaded direct
answers.

Elsewhere in this issue, the
WESTERN CANADIAN
LUMBER WORKER reports
on the new prohibitions in the
light of the Minister’s expressed
opinions. It was obvious that he
was handicapped by inexperience
with the administration of the
Act. It was indicated that he had

een persuaded that a legal
“club” must be held over the trade
unions, and that he must protect
the employers’ interests.

Bill 42
Now
Law

In a last-ditch fight to defeat
Bill 42, the CCF Opposition group
moved the “hoist” on third read-
ing, March 27, 11.20 am, The
motion proposed that the Bill be
not now read a third time but that
it be read six months hence, The
motion was defeated 29-16, some
members being absent, and others
paired.

“A division was called on third
reading, and the Bill was made
law, subject only to vice-regal
assent, by a favourable vote 29-16.
Members .of the Liberal group
voted with the CCF in opposing
third reading, although some of
them had supported second read-
ing.

Bill 42 is now an Act to Amend

the Labour Relations Act.

Check-Off Prohibitions

Unjust Discrimination

By IWA Legislative Reporter

VICTORIA — Trade unions
must not be allowed to spend
their own money as they may
choose. This belief of the Social
Credit Government underlies the
prohibitions placed upon the use
of membership dues by Bill 42.
An amendment offered by the
CCF Opposition extended exact-
ly the same protection for indi-
vidual members as professed by
the Government .The official in-
tention to deal with all trade
union funds was then revealed.

The Government majority persisted
in its plan to make the unions sub-
ject to action in the courts, and sub-
mit to humiliating conditions to be
imposed by the employers. This
clause has been construed as an
attack on all check-off provisions. in
union security clauses.

The clause was opposed by the
CCF Opposition on the ground that
it constituted an invasion of civil
liberties. It was shown to be dis-
criminatory in that it singled out
the trade unions and left business con-
cerns and other organizations free
to make large and secret campaign
contributions to the Social Credit
Party.

BCER Escapes

The illustration was used of the
BCER, which has made such con-
tributions without reference to the
shareholders, or the consumers who
pay a share of such contributions.

It was stated that spokesmen for
the Medical Association had cam-
paigned for the Social Credit Party
against Health Insurance with the
use of Association funds,

Despite the arguments used to
claim that the comparisons were un-

|| fair, the principle involved is the

same, said the Opposition. The de-
bate on this feature of Bill 42 has
directed public attention to the need
for law which will require full pub-
lic accounting of campaign contribu-
tions from all sources.

The amendment introduced by the
CCF Opposition placed the group on
record as favoring protection of the
individual trade union member against
any form of compulsion or discrimina-
tion. It conformed to the policy laid
down through the Canadian Labour
Congress. c

This amendment was accepted by
the Government in a sub-amendment
which placed the proposed provision
in the Act but retained all the other
prohibitions originally proposed. “A
political trick” was the cry raised by
the Opposition. Their amendment

See “PROHIBITIONS” Page 3
Employers
Using

Spies

VICTORIA — Employers are
using labour spies once more to
defeat trade union solidarity
charged Opposition Leader Bob
Strachan in the Legislature as Bill.
42 was under debate.

He said that detectives had been
employed to embarrass the Hos-
pital Employees’ Association and
-by companies having labour dis- -—
putes on the Port Mann bridge.

He said that there was good
reason to believe that the practice
is more common than realized by
the unions, and that the door is
opened wider for such sabotage of
the unions by Bill 42.

LISTEN TO

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Thursday 6

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Ist and Last Thursday
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