7

Around the
Slipways

_ By Charles Saunders

| end of the year is the time when union-olticials find
: out in very definite terms how the membership views
heir accomplishments of the past year. In most unions
fficers are elected annually and by secret ballot. The growth
#i the unions during the last year and the responsibility of
irecting union affairs in wartime has placed added burdens
(pon those called upon to give leadership to their workmates.
Too many union members think that their responsibility
inds with the payment of dues and take very little part in
ae active work of the union. Policy is formed at union meet-
ags and it is more necessary than ever now, when the duties
nd demands made upon organized labor are so much greater,
Hat members attend their meetings.
The majority of shipyard workers still rely on second-
and information or gossip around the yards for their in-
ormation on important issues affecting them. Such vital
muestions as the continuous production plan, piecework, and
rage negotiations can only be carried through successfully
mhen the officials of the union conducting the negotiations are
Issured of the confidence of the membership. This can only
'e attained when every member is in possession of the facts.
‘he place to learn the facts is at the meeting.
That is why locals hold regular meetings. Those who at-
fend the membership meetings regularly are also best able
© evaluate the work of the officials, to re-elect those they
.old to have earned their approval, and to replace those
@ bey consider unsuited for a position.
©

ie Boilermakers’ Union covers close to 12,000 shipyard
workers, and seldom draws more than 300 members to
general meeting, while the meetings over which I have the
.oner to preside are usually attended by not more than 150
put of the 3,000 members. This, I believe, holds true of most
egular meetings called by shipyard unions.

An instance of the confusion resulting from poor at-
endance at union meetings is revealed by the many different
1otiens existing- resarding the conditions finally arrived at
n the discussions with Justice S. E. Richards and submitted
fo the membership of the unions involved for ratification or
‘ejection. One mistaken notion which I find to be most pre-
ralent is that those not working the six full shifts will lose all
*heir bonus time, including the overtime payment for the
ast half of the sixth shift. The clause covering this in the pro-
josed agreement states: “Premiums included in the foregoing
xt one hour for the first shitt, two hours for the second shift
ind two hours for the third shift are only payable on working
tix full consecutive shifts.”

® These decisions are of vital importance to every union
nember and he owes it to himself and his workmates to be-
jome thoroughly familiar with them. This is one reason why
prefer decisions made at a regular business meeting to
} eferendums, for too often the worker who does not attend
411s meetings has to rely on rumors and yard gossip for his
4 nfiormation and is not in the best position to give a con-
@sidered opinion.

That is why regular meetings are held so that the member-
{ship may be fully informed, thoroughly discuss a question,
and arrive at a decision calculated to advance the interest
af the whole membership.

e

Wee machinery of the National War Labor Board is not
satisfactory when dealing with disputes in major war
Sindusiries which call for speedy settlement. Cases where
Amanagement and labor haye come to an amicable agreement
still linger before that body while production suffers because
of the delay. The current dispute involving the reamers and
passer boys, who are a part of the rivetting teams, should
have been disposed of long ago.
: These men are directly involyed in piecework and are a
part of the gang. They are asking to be paid on a piecework
basis and the opinion is that their request should be granted.
Surely it should be possible, cither through the Regional
War Labor Board or by granting more power to provincial
representatives of the labor department to provide at least
for a temporary disposition of such cases, pending decision
by the board at Ottawa. These authorities on the spot are
best able to appraise the local situation and in this way minor
disputes could be checked before they assume serious pro-
portions.

Berry Growers’ Brief )

Presented To Gov’t

Delegates to Vancouver Labor Council, at the last meeting, endorsed the demand of the
Berry Growers’ Protective Society for a federal subsidy of three cents a pound for berries as
contained in a brief submitted by Secretary J. K. Richardson. The brief, which has already
been endorsed by Vancouver City Council and a number of organizations, was presented to
Hon. K. C. MacDonald, provincial minister of agriculture, in Victoria this week.

Following is the text:

We berry growers, confronted
with the possible loss of a large
portion of our next crop through
our inability to procure a fair price
and adequate labor, appeal to or-
ganized labor to assist and sup-
port our attempt to secure a sub-
sidy of three cents per pound
which, mm our opinion, should be
retroactive to May 1, 1942, to in-
clude berries harvested this sum-
mer.

As you perhaps are already aware
the berry growing industry up to
last spring was dominated by Jap-
anese growers, since they prew
about 70 percent of the total. Be-
cause of this, when Japanese were
evacuated, it became apparent that
drastic measures must be taken to
Save the berry erowing industry,
which up to, but not including, this

lyear was worth $1,500,000 annually

-harvesting,
,approximate gross value. None of

to the Fraser Valley.

New white growers were induced
to take over these farms on a basis
of a cash payment for the standing
erops, at that time almost ready for
of 20 percent of the

these growers, taking over farms,
had much capital, but what little
they did have was invested in these
farms, mostly for labor, since the
money for the purchase of the crop
was put up and loaned to these
new growers by the different organ-
izations handling berries.
e ° °

Unfortunately, and through no
fault of our own, these splendid
crop prospects did not materialize,
first because of heavy rains and
second because there was a short
age of pickers. The labor shortage
was seriously aggravated by the
refusal of the railways to concede
a harvesters’ rate of one cent per
mile, to enable 3,000 pickers to be
brought out from the prairies and
returned at the end of the season.

The best we could do, although
the railways were asked by the Un-
employment Insurance Commission
to grant the one cent per mile rate,
was to obtain a special rate of 24%
cents per mile each way. This was
altogether too~high for the type
of people that wanted to come out,
mostly women from 16 to 40 years
old, and the scheme fell through.

The result was that only one-
third of the strawberry crop was
harvested and two-thirds of the
raspberry crop. When the season
was over the growers found them-
selves completely without funds to
carry on, not only those growers
who took over Japanese farms but
all berry growers, with the excep-
tion of a few on Lulu Island who
were able to get sufficient pickers
from Vancouver and New Westmin-
ster.

In consequence thousands of
acres of planted berries are now
being neglected and will not be
worked until next season because
the berry growers, in order to
maintain their families, have had
to look for work in industry.
Their leaving the farms will ac-
centuate the shortage, not only of
berries, but of the other veget-
ables and fruits they produce.

e e e

We have appealed to Ottawa,
through the Hon. Minister of Ag-
riculture, and have recently re-
ceived a wire from the Department
of Food Administration and also
from the Special Products Board
stating that no subsidy will be paid
sinee, in their opinion apparently,
fruit is not an essential food.

This opinion is contradicted by

advices we have received from
Britain, where thousands of tons
of Fraser Valley berries have been
shipped during the past year, and
by declarations made by food ex-
perts in Britain and United States
that jams and canned foods are es-
sential foods during wartime, both
for the army and the civilian popu-
lation, especially for children. It is
also contradicted by the stress laid
by the federal government itself
on home-canning of fruits.

Organized labor should be con-
cerned over these conditions, since
if they are not immediately reme-
died through assistance from Ot-
tawa, two-thirds of the strawberry
acreage and about 40 percent of
the raspberry acreage will
complete destruction before anoth-
er season comes around. If we can
get aid, much of this acreage could
still be saved.

The total amount of the three
cent per 1b. subsidy asked for would
be about $175,000 a year, and the
federal government has itself al-
ready established the precedent by
granting British Columbia poultry-
men a subsidy of three cents a
dozen on eggs.

It is perhaps hardly necessary
for us to point out that if this
destruction of berry acreage is
permitted, prices for fruit will rise
so that the added cost to con-
sumers will be more than $175,-
000 necessary to pay this subsidy
to the growers.

Finally, to relieve the labor short-
age, which will persist even with
granting of the subsidy, we believe
the provincial government should
immediately investigate the possi-
bilities of establishing a farm serv-
ice force similar to that organized
in Ontario.

face’

Continued

Lake Log

per day per Man is down 400 feet

about one-third in comparison
with last year, although in other
logging operations where labor-
management production relations

or

are poor, production is down 40
per cent. and more.
The labor shortage has been

partly responsible for this drop in
production. Another contributing

factor at Lake Log was the fire
which last July forced a two-week
shutdown and destroyed equipment
and timber already felled and
bucked.

It was after they had been given
these hard facts on production that
the men voted to accept the com
pany’s offer to donate the victory
bond. if the winner is not in camp
when the bond is drawn for on Jan-
uary 5, then it will be drawn for
again and it will go to the man
who is in camp.

This, however, is only one in-
stance of what the production com-
mittee is doing. Knowing that the
men appreciate the frank way in
which production problems are
placed before them, the committee
is having a chart posted on which
production progress will be shown.

The men are also being encour-
aged to make their own sugges-
tions for increasing production,
with the company offering a $20
cash prize each month for the best
suggestion.

Saybe FEluira’a singing is getting better, but company
never used to drop in like this until we converted to

coal

Drawn for Office of War Information ,

D7B/Vs

\