UNIO De liwsA} panne OV ORKER Published Bi-Weekly by the B.C. Coast District Council, LW.of A. N BULLETIN VOL. I. No. 11. —_ VANCOUVER, B.C., SEPTEMBER 19, 1939 oS No. 217 - WAR AND ITS EFFECTS ON | THE LUMBERING INDUSTRY | EDITORIAL It was General Grant who remarked that “war was hell.” The General was only partly right. War is hell on the soldier in the front lines but it's also hard on the civilian population, and none Imow it so well as the working man, who sees the cost of living soar upwards while ‘wages remain stationary, In this respect Canada has been no exception during the past three weeks. Apparently acting on the assumption that the people are too engrossed in the war headlines to pay much attention to do- mestic problems, certain “patriots” are already profiting by the sacrifice of others through boosting commodity prices, The cost of many staple food articles has almost doubled and still the inereases continue, In addition, the recent move by the Federal government to increase the excise tax on so-called “juxury” articles has added another burden on the wage earner. ‘Added up, the sum total of this boost in the cost of living is estimated at around 20 cent cent—in other words, a direct wage cut. Of course, the government was quick to point out that the burden of the war will be borne equally by rich and poor alike, referring to the Excess Profits ‘Tax, But if this business tax is examined, it can be immediately seen that the tax is collectable only if the business pays over 15 per cent profit on its capital, Then the government steps in and levies a 20 per cent tax on the remainder. So again, the “equal burden of carrying on the war falls most unequally on the shoulders of the wage earner, The question is—what are we going to do about it? It’s true, of course, that for the past few weeks the majority of us have been thinking only of the eritical _ situation in Europe, and we can be ex- cused for having paid more attention to the headlines on the front pages of the newspapers than to the price of eggs printed on the financial pages. But the war is into its third week now and we can’t eat headlines! It's just over a week since the B.C. District Council of the LW.A. met in special session and issued its statement on the war situation in relation to the lumbering industry, We warned of the inerease in prices, demanded restrictions ‘on profiteering, And we showed that if there was to be any equality in sacrifice during the prosecution of the war, a strengthening of labor organization was the principal answer. Hyents during the past week have strengthened our summary of the situa- tion, made even plainer the necessity for some immediate action to curb the ef- fects of food profiteering, And that ac- tion must take the direction of building _ the union in the lumbering industry and ing immediately for a general in- “erease in wages to meet the increase in the cost of living. This is the first time in several years the loggers and milworkers of B.C. faced such a direct attack on their wndard of living, thanks to the efforts the LW.A, in maintaining organiza- ‘in at least part of the industry, Now face to face with a direct and far- ing wage cut, against which every i industry must be prepared The International Woodworkers is pledged to put all its into that fight, but we need War Tax Means 20% Wage.Cut Camp Deaths Mount In Spite Of Layoffs A belated report reaching this office brought news of the death of Secol Whitehouse, Vancouver logger em- ployed at the Mosher A2 and Craig Logging Workers have Camp, bringing the death toll in B.C. been killed in logging acel- woods up to forty- two since the first dents in B.C. | of the year. Union since January cece officials state the toll is unusually high in spite of a very short season so far, due to the late spring start and this summer’s many disruptions of operations, According to the report Whitehouse was fatally in- Jured at the camp on Redonda Island, about twenty-five miles north of Powell River and died in Powell River Hos- pital the following day. membership embracing the majority of camps and mills on the Coast. How about giving us your support? . in the way of a united union 1800 More Men Benefit By New I.W.A. Contract SEATTLE, Wash., Sept. 16—(TW)- and recognizing the International Woodworkers of America as the sole collective bargaining agency for 1800 men, were signed in recent weeks according to a statement issued by Northern Washington District Council. The contracts signed by the I.W.A. and by the companies in this area, recognize the I.W.A. as the bargaining agency for all employees except Contracts covering 16 operations gsupervisors and office employees, and provide for the elght-hour day, 40-hour week, time-and-a-half for overtime, pref- erential hiring, seniority and a basic minimum wage. In case of a dispute the agreement provides for a committee to be freely and democratically elected by the employees themselves to arbitrate and thus reach a peaceful settlement. ‘The contracts mark a major step in the steady consistent drive the I.W.A. has made during recent months to or- ganize the unorganized, and sign con- tracts to better wages, hours and work- ing conditions of lumber workers, The contract which has been signed by both company officials and union officials is also seen as a major step in efforts of the I.W.A. to stabilize industry and guar- antee job-security. British Columbia export sawmills scored another all-time record in August with waterborne shipments totalling 156,298,246 board feet, nearly as much as the entire Pacific Northwest shipped in July, 1.W.A. FIGHTS FOR WORKERS’ RIGHTS VANCOUVER, B.C.— Gloomy fears that the war would immedi- ately paralyze the lumbering in- dustry in British Columbia were dispelled this week when the fol- lowing official statement was is- sued to all woodworkers by the B.C. District Council, Interna- tional Woodworkers of America, after a representative executive board meeting at Lake Cowichan on September 10. The preamble to the statement, which includes five major points, follows: Canada is at war, with all the in- evitable consequences of war. Big changes in the Canadian scene are taking place. The nation’s manpower may be conscripted for service over- seas. Canadian’ industry faces a period of adjustment to meet the de- mands of wartime production. Or- ganized labor, with a new responsi- bility on its shoulders, must also be ready to meet, without confusion, the tasks of the present and the future. 1. DEFENSE OF CANADA. In view of the fact that the pres- ent conflict appears to be a war against aggression and Nazism, the I.W.A. District Council pledges its full support in the defense of Canada and the production of ma- terials needed by our country’s al-° lies in the conduct of the war. In this connection, however, we must point out that the LW.A. has for some time advocated collective ac- tion in restraint of aggression, and note with regret that failure of the democratic powers to achieve a peace bloc against further fascist in- roads allowed the fascist nations to attack Austria, Czechoslovakia, Spain and China and paved the way for the present major war. Even now, Canada has failed to apply an embargo on war materials to other aggressor nations, despite the fact that the democracies may need all possible supplies that Canada can provide in order to bring a speedy victory in the war against Nazism. 2. PRESERVATION OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. No interference with the political and economic rights of organized labor and full adherence to the re- cently-enacted amendment to the Criminal Code of Canada granting workers the right to organize. Free- dom of speech, press and assembly, which will guarantee a successful fight against fascism. (Continued on Page 3)