s-month period.

*to go by the board and be
sseded by a more optimistic
ation as Hervey Murphy,
iiSW international representa-
told The People that in the
pseven-day period four new
' of the union had been organ-
pone of them covering the 600
)yees of Britannia Mines, one
be biggest copper properties
)8 province, and lone known
nie of the worst open shop,
finy town outfits in the coun-

@ lier in the week Mr. Murphy

"aken a quick “trip into the
i country and had signed up
Piajority of workers in the
f loth and Standard Lead and
‘Mines near Silverton. This
m= ed the setting up of two other
One at Pinchi Lake and the
f at the Red Rose property,
© 2wned by the Consolidated
m= and Smelting Company.

) union is meeting with an
fisiasm that is literally un-
fi leled in the history of the
etry,” Murphy told The Peo-
uring a brief visit to Van-
wir this week “There’s liter-
_& wave of organization
/iing the province, and right
| ye're close to having 75 per-

zess than two weeks ago officials of the International Union
e, Mill and Smelter Workers predicted that BG’s metal
~ industry, which had been 50 percent organized within

fully unionized within the next

cent of the industry organized in
the union.”

On Sunday the IUMMSW organ-
izer called meetings at Britannia
Mines and before leaving the same
day had signed up over 400 of the
600 workers in the operation, An
executive was elected, with Alec
Spady, president, and Wes Baird,
Secretary, and a charter will be
applied for immediately. Meetings
at which the charter will be in-
Stalled will be held July 11 at the
Tine and July 15 at the mill.
Murphy will attend the installa-
tien ceremonies,

Local 480, Trail and District
Smelter Workers Union, reported
this week receipt of a wire from
Labor Minister George S. Pear-
son declaring in effect that the
remnants of the Worlmen’s Go-
operative Committee, now known
as the “Independent Smelter
Workers Union,” has no legal
Standing under the ICA Act “nor
could any so-called independent
union receive the Tights granted
to unions under the Act.”

This was interpreted as defin-
itely establishing the illegal status
ef Blaylock’s company union and
placing the international union as
the only real bargaining agent for
the employees once certification is

Sranted under the three-month
clause in the act.”

| operations in addition to
© application for arbitration
other cases,

© to file for certification was
| 1357 on behalf of the 1500
fees of the giant Fraser Mills
a of Canadian Western Lum-
> ompany, largest sawmill in
§2 Fraser Mills is now close
1 per cent organized, and
d 7%, Unien members met to
® a negotiating committee

© will meet the management
the labor department has
On the certification. Those
ineluded Gouncil President
Pritchett, Secretary Bert
438, and Percy Smith, Ray
George Mitchell and Stuart
YY of Local 1-357.

~ plants where the TWA is
ag* for certification include

oe

0240 766 E. Hastings
stings Steam Baths

Vancouver, B.C.
YS Open — fxpert Masseurs
in Attendance

ito ll pm. ... 40ce and 50c
; a cod

‘ You'll Enjoy Our
IOME COOKING
at the

helly Coffee Shop
| 121 West Pender

VA Asks Certification
r Fraser Mills Local

|e International Woodworkers of America, BC District
il, went through one of the busiest periods in its history
‘eek as district council and local union officials made ap-
f on to the provincial department of labor for certification

| gaining agents in five dif-O—

the big Boundary Road shingle
mill of Bloedel, Stewart and Welch,
Mohawk Lumber Company, Ham-
mond Cedar, and the Iadysmith
logging operations of the Gomox
Logging and Railway Company.
The negotiating committee for
Boundary Road include Floyd
Hamilton, Ben-Orr, Bert Melsness
and H. J. Pritchett; for Comox
Logging at Ladysmith, Jack At
kinson, chairman of the sub-local,
William “Scotty” Sutherland, Prit-
chett, Nigel Morgan, and District
Vice-President Hjalmar Bergren.

In addition, the TWA will apply
immediately for an arbitration
board under the IGA Act to hear
union requests for collective bar-
Gaining agreement in all opera-
tions of Industria] Timber at You-
bou, covering some 700 men in
the company's camps and mills,
and for the operations of Lake
Logging Company at Cowichan
Lake. In both cases the union
conducted preliminary negotia-
tions which broke down over the
companies’ refusal to agree on
union recognition. Wegotiations
will also be opened with the Vic-
toria Lumbering and Manufactur-
ing Company, operating camps and
the big Chemainus mill.

Wext meeting with operators of
the three Queen Charlotte Island
companies who two weeks ago
were instructed by a federal ar-
bitration award to enter into a
contract with the IWA will take

Sas

Skirt Crusade Dropped

es

place on July 5, according to inter-
national board member Nigel
Morgan.

Pretty warm, huh?

With their union, Local 400, United Auto Workers, CIO,
trying to iron out their grievances — the right to wear
skirts instead of slacks — 50 office workers at the Highland
Park, Michigan, Ford plant are back on the job in slacks.
But these girls played safe, wearing both skirts and slacks.

All Shipyards Close
For July 5 Holiday

West Coast Shipyards, as a result of a strong campaign car-
ried on by Boilermakers Union, will call July 5 the Dominion
Day holiday in company with other members of BC Shipbuild-

ers Federation.
When the first indecision as to
what day should be Dominion Day

arose, shipyard unions and the
Shipbuilders Federation agreed to
take July 5 as the holiday. When
it was decided that the official
public holiday would fall on the
customary July i, the Shipbuilders
Federation asked unions to stick
by the original agreement. ‘The
unions and each member of the
Hederation agreed with the excep-
tion of West Coast, which insisted
on closing up on July 1,

The Boilermakers’ Union, how-

ever, appealed to union members
in West Coast to stick by the agree-
ment. One noon hour the union
sound truck was taken to West
Coast, and executive members
asked support of Boilermakers in
the open shop yard.

Shortly afterwards, the manager
of West Coast announced over the
company’s public address system
that because of strong demands
from Boilermakers, they would
give in, and with the rest of Van-
couver’s shipbuilding industry,
agree that in the yards at least
Dominion Day will fall on July 5.

Boeing Workers Ask
For Holidays With Pay

Reports in local newspapers last week regarding the signing
of an agreement between Boeing Aircraft of Canada and Aero-
nautical Mechanics Union, Lodge 756, were shown to be prema-
ture this week with publication of the union’s monthly journal
with the full story of the negotiations.

Contrary to the original press
report which stated that the union
had won holidays with pay and
the closed shop, the union paper,
the “756 Review” points out that
the only major point conceded by
the company in the proposed
agreement is that an increase in
the basic pay rate, plus a number
of other points such as labor-man-
agement committees, and safety
committees.

Regarding the closed shop and

holidays with pay, the company
refused to give a definite answer
and would not put its signature to
the joint application which was
to be forwarded to Hon. GC. D.
Howe for ratification.

It is expected, however, that the
request for revised wage schedules
and other points, to which the com-
pany has agreed, will receive fay-
orable consideration from Mr.

Strike Talk

False Say
Transit Men

The question of increased
basic. wage rates for junior
motormen will be discussed at
a general meeting of Street
Railwaymens Union next Mon-
day night, C. M. Stewart, union
business agent, declared after
a meeting with the BC Electric
Tuesday. No statement about the
meeting was made, except that the
discussion was “long and friend-
ly.”

“Threats of strike action are just
talk. The executive is in sympathy
with the stand taken by junior
men, but as officers of a responsible

trade union we must utilize the ma-
chniery that has been set up by.
the government to deal with such
a situation. If that procedure fails
our union as a whole must decide
what action to take,” said GC. Stew-
art after headlines in local papers
reported that 200 junior men em-
ployed on BC Hlectrie trams would
take strike action on-Tuesday.

The dispute arose because junior
employees felt that they should re-
ceive the basic wage rate of 69
cents an hour. The present union
agreement calls for a sliding scale
.of 59 cents for the first six months,

634% cents for the second six
months, 6642 cents for the third

six months, and 69 cents only after
18 months of service. At the pres-
ent time younger men point out
that some are not working full

of living, are not able to make a
living. They also estimate that 43
men have left the service since
May 15.

“Many of these men have fami-
lies,” said Stewart, “and find it in-
creasingly difficult to get along on
the wage they make. The Sliding
scale must be abolished.”

The union’s application for an in-
crease in the basic wage came be-
fore the Regional War Labor Board
last Tuesday and a decision is be-
ing awaited: The application asks
for an additional 10 cents per hour
Plus the 434 cents bonus for junior
men.

Chivalry
Is Not Dead

VANCOUVER, B.C.—A hard-
boiled shipyard manager, look-
ing out of his office window
upon the busy scene, suddenly
reeled back and fell weakly
into his chair.

“I don’t believe it!” he mut-
tered.

He had seen a journeyman
pipefitter, at his work, walking
along carrying a heavy steel
pipe. Behind him was his help-
er. Previously, for all his life
among workingmen, he had al-
ways seen journeymen pipefit-
ters walking along, untrammel-
led with anything, while the
helper tottered along with tools
and pipes on his back.

It is the prerogative—and a
jealously guarded one—of pipe-
fitters and plumbers that their
helpers do the heavy work. The
journeymen always did it before
he was a journeyman.

But in this case the helper
was 3 helperette. Chivalry is
conquering the shipyards.

Howe.

3

ine Union Makes New Gains

‘our Loeals Set
p Within Week

time, and in view of the high cost -

ae