Season's Greetings Sand Here's ig a BIGGER & STRONGER Union for 1941! ° Lu: Bi-weekly Bulletin Published by The B.C. District Council, International Woodworkers of America, Affiliated with Congress of Industrial Organizations — VOL. 9, No. 20 VANCOUVER, B.C., SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1940 = (243) _ District Convention Jan. 2, 3 How to Organize the Unorganized; Boost Wages; Im- prove Working Conditions; Negotiate Employer-Em- ployee Agreements; Reduce Accident Hazards; Improve Social Security and Preserve Civil Liberties —- Main Items Up for Discussion. VANCOUVER, B.C.—The Call for the Fourth Annual Con- vention of the International Woodworkers of America, Dis- trict Council No. 1, was sent out to all B.C. Locals last week by the District Officers. The Convention, at which District President Hjalmar Bergren will preside, will be held in the Assembly Hall of the Holden Bldg., 16 E. Hastings St, in Vancouver, commencing at 10 a.m, on Thursday, January 2nd. With a record of progressive achievements to its credit for 1940, a year which has brought our membership real divi- dends in the form of increased wages, it is anticipated to be the largest convention in the history of loggers and mill- workers union in B.C. The Call reads in part: “At this Convention the gains of the past season will be carefully reviewed, and a program adopted to guide the destinies of our Union in this District during the coming year. “Meeting in these critical and disturb-@ ing times great responsibilities face our organization, and our program, of neces- sity, must be the broadest and most far- veaching ever advanced by organized labor in the lumber industry. The I.W.A. and the C.LO. are leading in the fight for the preservation of civil rights and liberties, and must continue to declare their firm resolution against those forces of reaction who would destroy democ- racy. Among many important items on the Agenda will be the extension of our drive to ‘ORGANIZE THE UNORGAN- IZED IN LUMBER’ as well as the con- solidation of recent wage gains through the negotiation of employer-employee agreemments. The cost of living has risen and indications are that it will rise again sharply early in the New Year! The tax burden on the workers is being steadily weighted! Wages and working conditions need improvement! Camp conditions in many cases are anything but satisfactory! On the other side of the balance, log and lumber prices have soared, bringing sharply increased pro- fits for the operators, “The continued success of our District Council depends upon our ability to for- mulate plans consistent with the pro- gram of our International in the consoli- dation of our membership so that we may more readily succeed in meeting our responsibilities to organize the unorgan- ized and bring them within the confines HJALMAR BERGREN ® Union Negotiates Second Boost For Lake Log Crew ROUNDS, B.C. — Announce- j at Lake Log of the acceptance by ment was made this week by the | the crew of a 10c increase in pay, chairman of the Camp Committee | which will be retroactive to last . SSE EE September Ist. The increase, LADYSMITH || gotet> Sin be tie second bene obtained this year by the 200 odd SUB-LOCAL crew members as a result of their meets organization, the last wage hoist TUESDAY, DEC. 17th having been granted after negotia- tions with the management last summer, Negotiations are proceeding for the fallers and buckers, who are on the “bushel system,” and an offer of an increase from the company has been submitted to those affected, for 8 PM. NICHOLSON’S HALL Election of Officers Washington IWA Members Get 67 2c An Hr. Minimum Negotiators OK Industry-wide Pact for CIO Woodworkers Giving Crews of 52 Plants Wage Hoist A recommendation fixing new wage scales for employees of fifty logging and lumber operations in Washington was agreed to yesterday between negotiators for operators and the International Woodworkers of America, Congress of Industrial Organizations affiliate, oper- ating under a standard agreement, it was | announced by O. M. Orton, president. The new scales, subject to ratification by the operators and the various local involved, would fix the minimum base wage at 67% cents, compared with a pre- vious scale of 62% cents. None of the operations nor the unions having juris- diction over them have been involved in the strike. The IWA obtained a higher increase, for a longer period with peaceful negoti- ations, as against less benefits and a strike brought on by “phoney” AFL lead- ership against the wishes of their mem- bership, The following statement was issued by the IWA: “The new recommended wage scales announced by a committee represent- ing the International Woodworkers of America and a committee representing employers are a 6244 cent base, plus 4 per cent increase in the base rate and 5 per cent increase in the more than base rate, and in addition, 244 cents per hour. The 4 per cent and 5 per cent and 2% cents are for the period from January 1, 1941, to March 31, 1941, inclusive, their consideration. The same lift will be granted to employees of the Crofton Export Company at Crofton, B.C., who are working under similar “employer- employee” agreement as the Lake Log men. A demand for a pay in- crease was made at the meeting of the Crofton Sub-Local 1-80 on De-- cember 5th, and bargaining com- “The 4 per cent and 5 per cent in- crease first were made effective Octo- ber 1, following negotiations on a pleted this week. Nigel Morgan, secretary of the B.C. District Council of the IWA, represented the employees in nego- tiations with the management. Bakers’ Union Obtains 20 Per Cent Pay Raise The Cowan-Dodson (Weston’s) offer of a'20 per cent increase in wages for six months effective December ist, has been accepted at a general meeting of Local 489, Bakery and Confectionery Workers’ International Union, held this afternoon. This replaces the union demand for a 10 per cent increase effective the date of reopening of the old agreement, namely, June 1, 1940. In regards to the union demand for night compensation of 15 cents an hour, Weston's intend to abide by the decision reached by other parties to the arbitra- tion. The others, namely, McGavin's, Canadian Bakeries, Robertsons, Mother Hub- bard, Brown Brothers, have asked for a week's adjournment from arbitration hear- ings, which are proceeding under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, to consider the new situation. The board comprises: Chairman, Judge A. M. Harper; Mayor J. Lyle Telford, G. F. Gyles, C.A, Union representatives are Jack Humphreys, business agent, and John Wigdor, of the Pacific Coast Labor Bureau. R. H. Tupper is appearing for the Master Bakers, ‘The union points out that its demands are modest and that they are being met in full by Safeway, who owns Polly Ann Bakery; that they have now been con- ceded by Cowan-Dodson and they must be met in full by the others. The union feels that an increase is due to the workers as for four years their basic rate has been the same. : The increase in the cost of living, the inadequacy of earnings to maintain a family at even minimum health and decency standards, the low rate of pay for skilled journeymen bakers, and the abnormality of night work, add justice and weight to their demands, ¥ | (Continued on Page Five)