® Union Merger

“BOOST PAY A BUCK A DAY,” IWA THEME

FOR MAY DAY, 1940, can only be made a reality with the support of EVERY WOODWORKER in B.C. And that

means you, and you, AND YOU, Mr. Woodworker !

It is time we took stock of our conditions and joined hands to

make a powerful industry-wide crusade in every camp and every mill to win higher wages, better working conditions
and to organize the unorganized into their trade union. Under the slogan “War for Democracy”’ overseas, exploiting,
“profiteering Big Business interests ably supported by their “Charlie McCarthy” government, are carrying ona fierce

war against Wages, Conditions and Living Standards of the Canadian people

challenge and big responsibilities.

Seven months of war has reduced
the real wages of every Canadian
worker, for the cost of living has
risen by leaps and bounds. Is it
not true that we have to pay new
war taxes on bread, meat, milk, gas,
light, tobacco and beer; not to men-
tion the sharp price upturns on
boots, elthes, socks, gloves and other
necessities of life? But on the whole
‘wages remain where they were in
pre-war days, and no once can deny
that they were far too low even then.

In the camp of the industrialist,
there is a different picture. They
have got big war-orders and all
doing fine. In fact, every bank, cor-
poration, mining, fishing, lumbering
and manufacturing concern in the
country is reporting all time records
and predicting even higher profits
for the future. For the past 11 years
of black depression the bosses have
kept our wages down and pleaded
poverty and poor business, Now
enjoying a paradise of mounting
profits, they say that it is disloyal
and unpatriotic to ask for higher
wages. Plans are already being
launched by Big Business to use the
War Measures Act to hamstring
labor, to block unionization drives
and to break strikes. A dictatorial
war economy is being foisted upon
our people to transfer the Canadian pro-
ductive power to new and destructive
purposes—hand in hand with that. pol-
icy goes the paring down of necessary
social services, and curtailed consump-
tion of food, clothing and the necessi-
ties of life, so that they can be diverted

(Continued on Page 3)

Fishermen Complete

With the merger this week of Salmon
Purse Seiners union and United Fisher-
men’s union one of the most powerful and
influential fishermen’s unions on the
Pacific Coast comes into being. The
merger is regarded as representing a
long step towards labor unity in the B.C.
fishing industry.

“The merger is a step towards unity
in the fishing industry, for which we
have worked some considerable time and
the success of which we are highly
pleased,” George Miller, secretary of the
Salmon Purse Seiners' union told the
B.C, Lumber Worker today.

“With the merger finally approved
many of the problems encountered will
disappear leaving us free to solve other
questions and make greater gains, which
under former conditions we would not
have started on,” said U.F.U. Sec. Burgess.

‘The union leader also expressed con-
fidence that the membership would in-
crease to 1500 in a very short time.

The union also plans to move next
‘week into new quarters at 138 East Cor-
dova Street, which the union is pur~

ehasing.

GARMENT WORKERS
STRIKE AT WINNIPEG

WINNIPEG, Man.—Sixty-five em-
ployees of Freed and Freed Ltd.,
pants manufacturers, walked out on
strike last Wednesday, charging
their employers were not paying

L. Vassil, business agent of the
Garment Workers’ union, is-

This May Day, Labor faces a great

IWA

BC. Lonse

BULLETIN

VOL. 9, No. 7

VANCOUVER, B.C., MAY 1, 1940

OS> No. 230

SPLITTING TACTICS OF AFL
PHONIES START MOVE FOR.
NEW CANADIAN UNION CENTRE

P.O. BOX 205

‘entlexsor

Afpate id
Me Truk on Liber Corres
ef Conte

May Sth) EB

LONDON.

Turing the month of Soptenter the 5th Annual Convention of
the Trafes ond Labor Congrono of Canada will "bs held in London, om
our Gounoil will be hostr to botmesn 500 ani 600 Delegates, reprosont—
ing every craft and industry from Vencouver to Hal ifaxe

Many important mtters axe on tho agenda for deliberation,
nom of which Hava been subjects for recent newspaper reference, ewh

ao tho major iosue of confirming the aotion of our Executive in.

polling from the Organication all Cenedion affiliates of the 6,
ing out our promise to our Industrial friendo, that wo.

would accomplish this fact at the Convention held in Magara Falle

therety oar:
last yeare

As an Exployer of Lator, you will apprecinte the importance
or oxganized labor teins dizvatal unex anna and friendly Leadership

Great Lakes Seamen And
CIO Win Wage Increase

TORONTO, Ont.—(CUNS).—Canadian workers, both A.F.L. seamen.
and C.LO. steelworkers organized in the Steel Workers Organizing Com-
mittee, won a smashing victory to improve their working conditions and
obtain wage increases to cope with the rising cost of living in two strikes
here last week. Both strikes were won with the united support of labor
against the attempt by the government and big business to blackout the
workers’ rights to collective bargaining.

Five thousand Great Lakes seamen,

members of the Canadian Seamen’s
union, won pay increases up to $71.50
monthly, representing in some instances
a gain of 15 per cent, following a week’s
strike,

The CSU agreed to submit other con-
tract provisions to a conciliation board
after the shipping companies made addi-
tional concessions at the height of the
strike.

The strike was a definite victory for
the union, which defeated the combined
efforts of the government and shipping
companies to illegalize such action.
J. L, Cohen, K.C., noted labor lawyer,
was named as union representative on
the board which is expected to begin
hearings almost immediately. Cohen’
Is also representing Teck-Hughes gold
miners on a board at Kirkland Lake.
Local 222, U.A.W.-C.LO., endorsed the
seamen’s strike at an overflow meeting
and approved a resolution condemning

the “anti-labor” action of the federal
labor department in publicly asserting
that the strike was “illegal” at the exact
time when the shipping companies were
about to negotiate with the union. This
action prejudiced the democratic collec-
tive bargaining rights of the seamen, the
resolution declared, as the companies
withdrew from negotiations, believing
that the government was supporting
them,

Four hundred employees of Fittings
Ltd., Oshawa, members of S.W.0.0.
Lodge 1817, won a 7% per cent pay in-
crease and other improved conditions
after a three weeks’ strike.

Fittings Ltd. has a, clause in its con-
tract providing for a wage boost as of
next’ Dec, 1 based on the rise in the cost
of living. Time and a half will be paid
for overtime and a grievance committee

has been accepted.

LETTER SHOWS C.I.0.
OUSTER PROMISED TO
‘INDUSTRIAL FRIENDS’

A recommendation for the affiliation
of the International Woodworkers of
America, largest single union in B.C., to
the All Canadian Congress of Labor was
ordered for submission to all LW.A.
Locals ia District -No. i ‘bythe quarterly
meeting of the District Council at Nar
naimo Jast Thursday. Affiliation of the
United Mine Workers 25,000 Canadian
members is already completed and other
CIO affiliates in Canada are expected to
follow shortly.

Affiliation with the ACCL is the first
step in a series of important moves to
establish a. COMPLETELY SELF-GOV-
ERNING LEGISLATIVE AND ORGAN-
IZATIONAL CENTRAL BODY TO
DEAL EFFECTIVELY WITH THE
GREAT PROBLEMS AFFECTING CAN-
ADIAN LABOR.

Light was shed this week on what's
behind the AFL order for the expulsion
of all CIO affiliates and militant trade
unionists in Canada, with the distribu-
tion of photostatic copies of an appeal
to an Ontario employer for financial
assistance to organize the recently held
55th Annual Convention of the Trades
and Labor Congress. The letter sent out
under the signature and seal of the Sec-
retary of the London (Ontario) Trades
Council on behalf of the Convention Com-
mittee, a part of a photostatic copy of
which is produced on this page, states
amongst other things, “@XPELLING
FROM THE ORGANIZATION ALL
CANADIAN AFFILIATES OF THE CIO,
THEREBY CARRYING OUT OUR PRO-
MISE TO OUR INDUSTRIAL FRIENDS,
THAT WE WOULD ACCOMPLISH THIS
FACT ....” This evidence shows that
the expulsion order, which has de
stroyed all CIO attempts to maintain Can-
adian unity, was carried out as a result
of collaboration and understanding be-
tween certain reactionary AFL repre-

(Continued on Page Two)
Ladysmith Sub-Local 80
LW.A.

Meets the first Thursday of each
month in the Finnish Hall at ©
8 p.m,

Ed. Wennerlow, Organizer, #