3

E when Surrey Councillor
) Binnie’s proposal that sol-
® stationed on the lower
and be mobilized to allevi-_
he critical shortage of
' labor during the harvest
| was endorsed by both R. K.
(i, secretary of the Trades and
— Council, and E. E. Leary of
incouver Labor Council.
ler Labor Council president,
' Leary, E. R. Morton, CBRE,
* and Councillor Ben Shep-
attended a conference be-
‘officers of the Pacific com-
"and representatives of Surrey
» pality to discuss the plan.
| ire sent to B:C. members of
fF nent pointed out-the serious
» to the dairy industry if the
» OP is not properly harvested.
-if hay will mean that many
s will have to sell their
for beef in the fall and go
» business, the wire stated.
_ would urgently request that
|) what you can to bring about
‘ial order from national de-
headquarters which would
»: allocation of needed man-
' irom armed forces for
2ney service on Fraser Val-
‘mmHs until the critical period
ed.” the wire concluded, ex-
ig that military officials in
iver say that their orders
/ use of soldiers for such work
- when men are off duty.
' wites were forwarded to
‘Jan Mackenzie, Tom Reid,
/8e Cruickshank, Howard
', Angus MacInnis and Mrs.
Neilsen.

1e Union Holds
nee, Sports Day

NCETON, BC—A very suc-
I sports day, followed by a

in the evening, was held un-|

i€ auspices of Local 649, Al-
| Section of Copper Mountain
'sS’ Union, on July 5.

@s for the ehildren and
WY contests for the —adults
it were held. Three baseball
> Were played and a horse-
tolirnament carried on be-
-Copper Mountain, Princeton
M“ienby, with Princeton com-
ut in the lead.

€ ice cream and hot dogs
provided by the union com-
= for the children. Dancing
ued until three a.m.

mers of the Fraser Valley

from every local and sub-local
union on the coast.

Heading the list of proposals was
one calling for 100 percent organi-
zation of BG's 30,000 loggers and
Sawiill workers—‘“the major issue
facing this conference,’ in the
words of Council President Harold
J. Pritchett.

Three other major decisions in-
cluded (1) signed union agreements
in all operations; (2) calling of a
Wage scale conference to stabilize
wage rates as between the different
oprations, and (3) setting up
of union-government hiring halis
through which all union members
would hire out for employment,
with the perspective of doing
away with private hiring agencies.

Over 124 delegates were in at-
tendance to hear District Secretary
Melsness deliver the officers’ re-
port which set out in detail what
the IWA has done over the last six

assured the support of

months, and what it intends to ac-
complish in the next period.

Listed as the main achievements
were the passage of the revised
ICA Act, in which the IWA played
a big part; an imerease of 2,650
members since January 1, with
eight locals and 45 sub-locals es-
tablished; appointment of addition-
al international organizers; winning
of overtime pay for sawmill work
ers; Signing of an agreement with
Batco Development Company, first
in the BC lumber industry; grant-
ing of a hiring permit from selec-
five service; winning the arbitra-
tion award in the Queen Charlotte
Islands dispute; and an increase in
circulation of the “BC Dumber
Worker,” union organ, from 7,600
in December, 1942, to 14,500 in June
of this year.

“The policy of the IWA em-
bodies a full, all-out war program
and the development of the of-
fensive against fascism this year,”
Melsness declared.. “This neces-
Sitates the building of labor-man-
agement production ccmmittees
In every operation, and the im-
provement of labor relations in
the industry, building the union
and obtaining signed union
agreements, thus placing our

‘Win War’ Policy
Keynotes Parley

Organized loggers and millworkers, members of the Inter-
national Woodworkers of America in BC, were armed with a
victory program this week designed to strengthen the union
to meet wartime demands for improved labor relations and in-
creased production following the midsummer conference in
Nanaimo Sunday of BC District Council members and delegates

membership in the strongest po-
sition to make its maximum
contribution to victory over fas-
cism.”

Melness said that the employers’
continued refusal to recognize the
IWA would be detrimental to the
war effort and would have to be
answered by appropriate union ac-
tion. Such action, endorsed by
delegates, will include: (1) Certifi-
cation of the TWA within the con-
nes of the ICA Act in all camps
and mills where 51 percent of the
employees are members in good
standing; (2) a complete survey of
the industry as to production, fi-
nancial holdings and timber deple-
tion for future assistance in arbi-
tration, negotiation and presenta-
tion of government briefs: (3)
strengthennig of the TWA press and
publicity work; (4) reinstatement
of the BC District Council as an af
filiate of the Canadian Congress of
Labor; (5) affiliation of all locals
with the Workers’ Educational As-
sociation; and (6) sending of a full
delegation from BC to the union’s
international convention in Sacra-
mento, California.

Qn the latter point, Melsness
was Sharply criteal of the refusal
“by certain reactionary United
States immigration offcials” to al-
low elected officers of the BG Dis-
trict Council and union delegates

to cross the international boundary
in pursuit of their duties, and an-
nounced that the matter was being
faken up with UC officials in
Washington, DC.

One of the most important de-
cisions approved was for the call-
ing of a board conference of local
union delegates for the purpose of
overcoming “chaotic wage condi-
tions” and wage rate differentials
as between the different operations,
which made for considerable unrest
and moving from job to job by
workers, thus impeding production.
This question was introduced by
Youbou sub-local 1-80,-whose dele-
gates pointed out that the labor
Situation in the industry “may de-
velop into a national emergency”
unless straightened out through

drafting a standard scale of wages.

Seamen Ask

Increase

In Basic Wage Rate

Applications to the National War Labor Board for an in-

| crease in the basic wage rates Paid to merchant seamen on

Park Steamships may bring action on the part of the Board,
according to a letter received by J. M. (Digger) Smith, secretary

of Inland Boatmen’s Union, from
R. H. Neilson, chief executive offi-
cer of the Board.

“The National War Labor Board
contemplates considering the basic
rates paid crew members of ves-
sels of the Park Steamship Com-
pany, and if and when a finding in
regard to this matter is made by
the Board, I shall advise you fur-
ther,” the letter states.

The union has been for some
months endeavoring to have
Wages raised on these boats in
conformity with the Pacific
scale of wages, approximately
forty percent higher than exist-
ing rates. Rates prevailing on
steamships of the Park Line are

very little higher than those
Paid on British vessels, and less
wages paid in the manning pool,
while sailors are waiting to be
taken on vessels.

Union rates on the Pacific Coast
are closer to rates paid on US
vessels, but the so-called “Cana-
dian rate” has been “never defi-
nitely established,” according to J.
E. Michaud in the House of Com-
mons.

Howard Green’s protest against
“tying the rates paid to Canadian
seamen to rates paid British sea-
men” were branded “agitation” by
Hon. C. D. Howe, in a discussion
on merchant seamen’s wages in the
commons recently.

WA Adopts Victory Program

lotte Island logging camps be

2- That the BC District

wood, shingle mills.

tution barring members of

in the organization.
do. That the initiation fee
take effect January 1, 1944.

equal pay for equal work;

Westminster.

Conference. Demands
Mitchell’s Dismissal

A demand for the immediate dismissal of Labor Min-
ister Huntphrey Mitchell for his consistent anti-labor stand
and disruptive attitude toward the war effort was one of
the major resolutions receiving unanimous endorsation of
delegates to the IWA conference in Nanaimo on Sunday.

Other resolutions included:

1. That negotiations between the BC District Council
and Local 1-71 officers and the operators of Queen Char-

unexplored in an attempt to bring about a peacetul settle-
ment. Faiilng this, the government will be asked to take
a strike vote among the 1000 men involved.

to have the overtime pay principle applied to other sec-
tions of the industry not yet covered, such as logging, ply-

3. That food rations, in particular meat and butter,
be inereased for logging camps so as to guard against the
loss of manpower in the industry at a time when every.
effort is needed for successful prosecution of the war.

4. UDeletion of the section in the international consti-

membership, since such a clause acts as a bar to unity

Three resolutions presented by New Westminster local
1-357, and endorsed by delegates, included a demand for

all plants to investigate individually all cases of absentee-
ism; and holding of the next district convention in New

continued, leaying no avenue

Council continue its efforts

the Communist Party from

be increased from $1 to $5, to

formation of committees in

Unity On
Shown By

tion.”

of the BE District Council, Interna-

tional Woodworkers of America.
A feature of the gathering, which

numbered 124 delegates from all

sections of the industry, was the or-
Ganization of the agenda and the
complete unity displayed on all
matters of major policy and im-
portance. All principal resolutions
passed the floor of the conference
without a division of votes.

Noticeable, too, was the strong
representation from sawmills, a
development that had its begin-
nings less than a year ago. Some
sawmill delegates, notably from
Fraser Mills, made valuable
contribution to the discussion on
labor - management committees.
Another new feature, to logger
delegates at least, was the pres-
ence of women members from
sawmills and plywood plants—
Alice and Yvonne Montpellier
and Frances Romas, executive
members of Hammond Local
1-367, and Alice Pack and Doreen
MacCorkindale from BC Ply-
woods, Local 1-217.

Tom Bernard, president of the
BC command, Canadian Legion,
provided another conference high-
light in a brief 15-minute speech
to delegates in which he reminded
them that 18 months ago he had
addressed an IWA district conyen-
tion and presented for the union’s

support the Canadian MLegion’s
pledge for total war.
“The TWA has honored that

Conference Highlights

Program
Delegates

“One of the best conferences in the history of the organiza-

That was the summary of opinion expressed by delegates
and union officers on the results of Sunday’s meeting in Nanaimo

a magnificent job of producing:
vital war materials, in Particular
the production of Sitka Spruce for
the ‘Mosquito’ bombers.

“Eighteen months ago the war
was at a critical stage, and don’t
let us kid ourselves, it still is,”
the Legion president said. “We
haven’t yet reached the stage of
total war. Many Canadians are
still living in the atmosphere of
Munich, and until they learn to
‘un-appease’ ourselves, and de-
clare for the absolute, uncondi-
tional defeat of fascism, we stand
a good chance of falling victims
to Hitler’s line of negotiated
peace, which means nothing more
than complete defeat for our side.
“One thing we must remember—
that fascism is a living organism.
It will continue to exist after the
War unless we take good care to
stamp it out both at home and
abroad.”

Nigel Morgan, international board
member, told delegates that al-
though the TWA had done much to
promote a win-the-war program, the
next few months must see an in-
tensification of its efforts.

Referring to the BC District
Council’s suspension from the
Canadian Congress of Labor, Mor-
gan expressed doubts that the sus-
pension would be lifted before the
CCL convention in September. He
announced, however, that Pat Gon-
roy, CCL secretary, had consented
to come to Vancouver during July
to discuss with IWA officers the

pledge,’ he said. “You have done

question of the suspension.

Me