Lumber Profits BC Lexceal Worker is Your Bot <8|UNION BULLETIN |: Published Bi-Weekly by the B.C. District Council, LW.of A. VOL. 9, No. 4 VANCOUVER, B.C., MARCH 6, 1940 7 o> No. 226 ONTARIO LOGGERS WIN PAY INCREASES PORT ARTHUR, Ont. — Follow-| ing four days of negotiations between. timber operators and representatives of Lumber and Sawmill Workers’ Union, Local 2786, an agreement has been reached under which all em- ployees in lumber camps in the ‘Thunder Bay district will receive a 10 per cent general wage increase as from April 1, 1940. The conference was presided over by Louis Fine, chief conciliation of- ficer of Ontario labor department. Bruce Magnuson, president of Local 2786, acted as spokesman for the union committee. The schedule agreed upon is subject to approval by the minister of labor under the provisions of the Industrial Stan- dards Act, WASH. I.W.A. MOVES FOR NEW CONTRACT The Northern Washington District Council of the I-W.A. this week moved forward on an organizational program directed toward securing an industry- wide agreement to replace preesent contracts when they expire April 1. The organizational campaign for industry- wide negotiations points out that “the lumbering industry would be in much better condition if the wages were stab- ilized and working conditions were the same thioughout the Pacific North- west.” Besides a uniform wage in- crease in line with increased log and lumber prices, and rising living costs— improved working conditions—the abo- lition of bushelling will be an important demand of the union in both the States of Washington and Oregon, I.W.A. President Harold Pritchett commend- ed the work of the Washington Dis- trict Council and strongly urged all other Districts to immediately launch similar campaigns. How much longer will B.C. woodworkers be before they, too, will organize and move forward with our American brothers to better wages and better working conditions? Several operations have already shown the way, particularly in the Lake Cow- ichan area, and when the others follow and support this upward trend, in- dustry-wide negotiations can also be a fact in British Columbia. VIGILANTES ACTIVE IN WASH. LUMBER Hitherto unpublished data showing the extent of antiJabor violence was released this week by the Grays Har- bour Civil Rights Committee. Amongst others, prominence is given an editorial written by ©, C. Crow, editor, “Pacific Coast Lumber Digest,” official house- organ of the lumber barons, Crow's magazine will be remembered as the one which is being sued by Harold Pritchett, ILW.A. president, whom it termed a “Canadian communist” and a “foreign-born radical.” Pioneer Miners Fighting For Union Bargaining Rights A successful conclusion of the now five-months old Pioneer Miners strike appeared near last week as some.60 to 70 miners, mainly married men with families, went down into the under- ground workings ot Pioneer for the first mine “Sit-down” in Canada. The men intended to remain there until the com- pany agreed to negotiate a peaceful and just settlement. The step had been forced by the stubborn and uncompro- mising stand of the management, who have refused to even allow government arbitration of the strike, or make any effort at negotiation. The move was taken mainly to prevent violence and disorder at Pioneer, which was rapidly approaching due to the Company’s de- mand for wholesale discrimination against some 20 to 30 strikers. Premier Pattullo, who acts more and more like a pocket edition of Fascist Mussolini, ordered his cossacks into ac- tion immediately to crush the strike and make way for more scab-herding—tac- ties which would only be employed by a hireling of the “industrial overlords” and mining barons. This action electri- fied the feelings of the labor movement and led to the formation of a Pioneer Defence Committee in Vancouver to co- ordinate support for the Miners in B.C. Telegrams and letters were immediately dispatched to Premier Pattullo, Attor- ney-General Wismer, and Labor Minister Pearson, demanding police violence and provocation be withheld, The next act of the committee was to arrange a Pub- lic Mass Rally in the Burrard Hall for Monday night, and to send a caravan of trade union representatives to Pioneer Mine to investigate recent developments and report back to the meeting. Besides these plans the committee considered the actions of Col. Victor Spencer, as President and one of the large share- holders of Pioneer Gold Mine and de cided that if violence is used to break the Pjoneer Union or if an attempt is not made within the next week to settle the dispute, all David Spencer stores and products should be placed on the “WE DO NOT PATRONIZE” list. If such action is found necessary, all I. W. A. locals and affiliates, as well as labor and progressive organizations, will be cireu- larized to take like action, and a similar program launched against other large shareholders who own additional busi- ness concerns, (Continued on Page 3) (Continued on Page 3) SEVENTEEN KILLED ALREADY THIS YEAR The death toll in B.C.’s great Iumber- ing industry rose to the tragic total of 17 this week, which averages up to nearly two per week. ,This alarming figure is more than four times the number killed at this time last year. ‘The terrific accident and fatality toll in the forests and mills of this province remains one of the greatest problems to be solved by B.C. woodworkers. Unionization of the industry in other districts has brought with it a remark- able decrease in accidents, and I.W.A. members believe a similar effect will be shown in this province as this 26,000-man industry realizes its power and importance, and marches forward under the banner of the L.W.A. to im- prove working conditions and increase wages. Deaths reported since our last issue include: John Calko, 40-year-old tail sawyer, who was killed by a piece of slab at the Westminster Shook Mill on February 21st. The slab of wood was 17 thrown from one of the machines and Workers have been ldlled in, | Struck the right side logging acel- | of his stomach. dents in B.C. | The second wood- since January Ast, 1940. worker killed was Howard Butcher, 25- year-old logger, em- ployed at Spicers Camp at Port Hardy. The third to meet death was Ralph Brown, Squamish logger, who died on his way to Fisherman’s Cove for med- ical attention. He was badly crushed when logs from a cold deck pile where he was working fell on him. Let us repeat again that only when accident prevention is made a COI- LECTIVE instead of an INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY can this unneces- sary toll be reduced, The elimination Lake Log Crew Demands Raise Just before the temporary shutdown last week the crew at Lake Log voted to request arbitration of their demand for a pay boost to offset increased living costs—a demand which can easily be met with the higher lumber profits resulting from war-order stimulation of the mar- ket, The arbitration will be conducted under the provisions of the agreement which employees of this company en- joy, which calls for the election of a rep- resentative of the company to meet with a representative of the crew, under a mutually-agreed-upon chairman, Nigel Morgan, International Representative for B.C., has been elected to present the case for the crew. This action was the culmination of negotiations which have been conducted by the employees’ camp committee and Manager H. Hunter, but which had failed to find a solution to employee demands. Statements are being circulated in cer- tain camps with particularly vicious anti- union management and ownership, that the Lake Log crew are out on strike. These statements were definitely denied by LW.A, officials this week, who cited employer-employee relations at the Lake Log as amongst the best and fairest in B.C’s lumber industry. In Vancouver, Nigel Morgan stated, “In every case brought to our attention these untrue statements can be traced to company offices. They are either wishful thinking on the part of reac- tionary employers who envy Lake Log’s wise policy of labor relations, or they are deliberately aimed at provoking trouble in other camps where LW.A. member- ship has been rapidly increasing during recent months, It is an old trick of the lumber barons to try to provoke “strike action” in order to try and discredit the union. Similar and equally untrue rum- ors are also being circulated regarding the Sproat Lake Sawmills Ltd., where a wage hoist has just been effected by the LW.A. and the Malahat Log at Port Renfrew, where negotiations are about to open on similar demands. Be on the lookout and please report any more of these cases to union head- quarters. LOG PRICES . quoted by Vancouver brokers this week are: BIR -.. $12 Sli $m CEDAR . 3 16 21 HEMLOCK Bt _ — ‘with some booms of fir and cedar bring- ing one dollar higher. of faulty, outworn equipment, and the abolition of speed-up which drives men to take chances are two of the funda- mental reasons for the sacrificing of so many lives in lumber. The demo- cratic election of safety committees, on every job, elected by and working for the employees themselves — and backed by a powerful union could and would do much to improve working conditions and prevent the needless loss of life and limb.