Nf

WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

“No Contract, No

Work'—Strike

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14

to a settlement which gained
a wage increase of 20 cents an
hour, establishing the Interior
base rate at $1.30 an hour.
The cost-of-living bonus was
also included in the contract.
Two weeks vacation with pay
was won together with sub-
stantial category revisions and

night shift differentials.
The Fifteenth Annual

1952 District Convention,
1952, set the stage for a strike
which closed down the Coast
lumber industry for 45 days
during 1952. Several years
earlier, the membership had
approved a $2.00 assessment
for a strike fund.

The demands formulated by
the Wages and Contract Con-
ference were: A wage in-
crease of 35 cents an hour,
which added to the cost of
living bonus would bring the
base rate to $1.78%4; a health
and welfare plan; travel time
for loggers; Union shop condi-
tions; improved seniority
clause; revision of the hours
of work clause; improved va-
cations with pay; guaranteed
annual term of employment;
and guaranteed daily rate of
pay for piece rate workers.
The operators proposed wage
cuts which angered the
Union’s members.

By convention decision, it
was determined that unless a
satisfactory contract was in
force, the members would

cease work on June 15, Ne-
gotiations continued until mid.
night June 14 but the oper-
ators refused to budge. On
June 15th the entire Coast in-
dustry was closed down. Im-
mediately the question arose
as to the legality of the strike.

The strike came to an end
with dramatic suddenness on
July 29, through the media-
tion of Chief Justice Sloan.
The terms of settlement were:
5% cents an hour across the
board with continuation of
the cost-of-living bonus, rais-
ing the base rate to $1. '35 an
hour; three paid statutory
holidays, Cinieanas Day, Do-
minion Day and Labour Day;
provision for re-opening the
contract on wages, upon ap-

plication from either party,
with Chief Justice Sloan as
mediator; all court proceed-
ings to be dropped, with no
discrimination against strik-
ers.

As an outcome of the strike,
Tony Poje, president of Local
1-80 was sentenced to three
months in Oakalla and fined
$3000 for contempt of court.
He defied an order of Mr. Jus-
tice Clyne, with respect to
picket lines in the Nanaimo
area. Ironically, His Lordship
later became the head of Mac-
Millan, Bloedel and Powell
River Ltd.

The final chapter of a six
months’ dispute with the In-
terior operators was written

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45 days

when the Union-agreed to re-
tain the terms of the 1951-52
agreement for the balance of
the year. Repeated attempts
by the operators to decertify
the IWA in a number of op-
erations was beaten back by
the employees’ vote of confi-

dence in the IWA.
Joe Morris was elect-

1953 ed District president
in 1953, and was re-elected
in successive terms for nine
years, when he resigned to

accept the post of Executive
Vice-President of the Ca-

+ nadian Labour Congress.

As District president, and
later as president and Regi-
onal director, he initiated and
carried forward important de-
velopments in Union policy.

During his term of office, in-
creased stress was placed on
trade union education to
strengthen membership par-
ticipation in Union activities
and develop leadership in the
ranks. His participation in
the work of the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labour and the Ca-
nadian Congress of Labour
and the Canadian Labour
Congress enabled the Union
to exert a high degree of in-
fluence with regard to legis-
lative activities, and finally
the foundation of a new po-
litical party. His emphasis on
the need for safety assisted in
establishing widespread rec-
ognition of the Union’s safety
program.

Under his direction, the
B.C. District was expanded
into Region I which now em.
braces all the Western prov-
inces. The organization grew
to approximately 35,000, with
complete organziation of the
lumber industry in British
Columbia. It was during his
term of office that the Union
withstood its heaviest attacks
on the part of the organized
employers.

JOE MORRIS

Congratuations
I.W.A. on Your
Silver Anniversary

BOB BELL

Co-Owner of

1700 MOTORS

1700 KINGSWAY
VANCOUVER, B.C.

Remember: If it's on wheels,
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| an ex-I.W.A. man you can trust
| to tell the truth acet ears!

ALASKA PINE

The demands stated by the
Wages and Contract Confer-

ence in 1953 included 11
points. Finally after winning
a unanimous award from a
Conciliation Board, the Con-
solidation of a 9 cent cost-of-
living bonus in the wage rate
and an increase of 5 cents an
hour, bringing the base rate
to $1.49; rates of from $1.64 to
32.10% for power house em-
ployees; and other fringe ben-
efits including the provision
of seniority lists.

1954 The settlement in

"1954, achieved
through a Conciliation Officer,
resulted in: Three additional
paid statutory holidays, Em-

15

pire Day, Armistice Day, and
Good Friday or Easter Mon-
day; seniority retention; a
basic minimum rate for fallers
and buckers; compulsory
check-off for all new employ-
ees; portability of MSA cov-
erage; board rates fixed at
$2.50 a day, and other benifits.

All production was brought
to a standstill in the Northern
Interior on September 28 by
an IWA strike which involved
4,000 lumberworkers. It was
a hard-fought battle, in which
Fred Fieber and Jack Holst
played a notable part. The
Southern Interior Locals en-
tered the fight on October 23.

Continued on Page 16

“ have never had
BETTER PERFORMANCE”

We like to get letters like this. It’s the final proof that all the things
that we planned and expected of the Canadien 270 Chain Saw have

worked out.

This letter, from Don Barnes on the southern tip of Australia, is
just one of the many that we have on file from people all over the
arte who recognise a good saw when they see one.

From away up in Kelso, Washington, in the big timber country of
the Pacific Northwest of the United States, we got the same story
from Dick Groat. He says, *‘I take good care of my tools and expect
an honest day’s work from them. No power saw has given me the
same satisfaction as the Canadien 270.”

The Canadien 270 was developed in the woods of British Columbia,
right along with the men who cut trees for a

living. We took advantage of all their experi-
ence to make a saw Hee would stand up in
the gumwoods of the Antipodes, the pulp-
pines of Norway, the
Douglas fir of the west ory And it does work!

aeee of Quebec, the

How about putting
a Canadien 270 to
work for you?

POWER MACHINERY

a division of BRISTOL AERO-INDUSTRIES LIMITED

Vancouver Airport — Vancouver, British Columbia, Phone 278-5111