January 22, 1941

THE BC. LUMBER WORKER

IWA Fir-Belt Conference Asks
For More Wages And Union Shop

PORTLAND, Ore—Six district councils of the IWA participated in a harmonious and constructive
Contract Negotiations Conference for the Douglas Fir belt here last Saturday, laying the groundwork for a
powerful, unified negotiating policy to guide the organization through coming talks with the employers on

revision and amendment of working agreements. i i.
From the conference came a six-point program which has been referred to the local unions in the partici-

pating district councils for ratification. Every point in the program coming from the conference was adopted
unanimously by the approximately eighty delegates representing almost every local union in the Northern
Washington, Southern Washington, Columbia River, Plywood, Coos Bay and Boom-men & Rafters’ district

councils,
The conference recommended that the employers be notified that the IWA will open their contracts for

revisions and negotiations on the following points:

Vancouver Island Labor “petit
Council Launches Drive

B—Elimination of all piece work;
work to be paid on an hourly basis
regardless of ownership of equipment.

C—Contracts to call for union shop.

VICTORIA, B.C—A drive to organ-

ize the unorganized in the basic indus-
tries on Vancouver Island into powerful
industrial unions has been undertaken by

D—Vacation with pay.

To carry on the work commenced by
the Island Labor Council of the Cana-
dian Congress of Labor.

Timberworkers
Win Wage Case

BRAINERD, Minn. — It was a real
happy New Year for some 1,000 workers
in the northern Minnesota woods who
received $35,500 in cash as the result of
 wage-hour division action against the
Park Region Timber Co. and Northern
Pine Mfg. Co. here. The court also im-
posed an additional $10,000 fine.

Although some of the workers came
to the company offices here for the pay-
off, many live in small shacks far in
the woods where they cut and strip pulp-
wood. The timber firms promised that
company representatives would travel
out into the woods to make all payments
as soon as possible.

tee. These details, the delegates directed,
must be “worked out by the committee in
such a manner that those people work-—
ing on short-run operations are not de-
prived of their vacations with pay.”

Other points recommended by the con-
ference and referred to the membership
of the six councils include:

“Bach district council to see that each
and every contract under their jurisdic-
tion is opened early enough to provide
for negotiations on amendments and
provisions, in’ line with the provi
these contracts, so that negotiations can
take place in all districts involved simul-
taneously,

“Negotiations to be conducted on a
district basis, or jointly between districts
where such arrangements have been es-

including the

toria Machinery Depot and their employ-
ees represented by the Dockyard and
Shipyard Workers’ Union. The wage scale
agreed upon represents an increase of
one dollar per day for the stage builders
and rough carpenters, an increase of five
vents per hour for the riggers on the jit
ney, 20 cents per hour for the divers ten
der, 20 cents an hour for bandsaw oper-
ators and an increase for machine oper
ators,

the conference here last Saturday, a Fir
Belt Policy Committee was established
to unify and co-ordinate the activities
of the councils throughout the negotia-
tions. The first meeting of the policy
committee is scheduled for Olympia,
Wash., Feb. 8. The policy committee is
to be composed of two delegates elected
from each district council plus one rep-
resentative of the International Union.

At the time of its commencement last
November the Island Labor Council had
an affiliated membership of 4,000 coal
miners, mine, mill and smelter workers,

woodworkers, shipyard workers, mari-
time workers, ete.

Since" that time membership has in-
creased rapidly. New members have
joined existing unions. In Victoria the
bus drivers have become affiliated to the
council.

The wage rates are subject to adjust-
ment quarterly in accordance with the
cost of living. Wages are to be increased
or decreased in an equal percentage to
the increased or decreased cost of living
as ascertained by the department of labor

Major portion of the discussion by the

delegates to the conference centered on
the demand for wage increases when
contracts open April 1.

Although some of the delegates thought

that the Saturday conference should stip-
ulate the amount of the increase that

tablished. Joint district negotiations to
be encouraged with the view of establish-
ing negotiations on as broad and practi-
cal a basis as possible,

“All negotiating committees shall con-
sult with the Fir-Belt Policy Committee

before any contemplated strike action is
taken, or any action is taken to accept
or approve any contract as a result of
negotiations, who shall, after study, sub-
mit recommendations on these as well as
on all matters pertaining to negotiations
that may be presented to the committee.

“A committee of two members from
each district and a representative of the
International Union was established ‘to
make a study of wage schedules in all
classifications and to recommend a stan-
dard uniform scale for each classifica-
tion.”

‘The committee was also charged to
make a study of minimum crew require-
ments in the industry, with their con-
clusions and recommendations to be
submitted to the respective district ne-
gotiating committees.

will be asked, others were of the opinion
that with conditions in the lumber indus-
try changing and altering as swiftly as
they are, that the stipulated amount be
referred to the Feb, 8 meeting of the
policy committee, which will make a re-

of the Dominion government of Canada.

At a regular monthly meeting of the
Island Labor Council held in Nanaimo
last week it was reported that three
locals of the U.M.W.A. in Alberta don-
ated $70 to the defence fund of the
council during the past month. The |commendation to in turn be referred to
I.W.A. B.C. District Council also donated |the districts and local unions for con-
$25 toward the fund. | currence.
| Sour DETERMINATION.

Although one figure received much at-
tention as a probable base rate demand,
every delegate appeared to be of the
opinion that such matters as the contin-
ued boom of the industry, rising costs of
living and the threat of inflation might
make the figure too modest.

The delegates voted unanimously to
refer the question of stipulating the ex-
act amount of the wage increase to the
Policy committee. There was solid de-
termination among the delegates to unite
behind the IWA negotiating program to
drive forward to the original demand
of a dollar a day raise.

An equal determination to gain the
union shop in coming negotiations, was
exhibited by the conference. The obtain-
ing of the union shop is a major step
necessary in consolidating the IWA’s con-
tractual position and opening the way
for new union advances, it was pointed
out by various delegates who spoke on
the question.

On the question of vacations with pay,
the matter of working out technical de-
tails was referred to the policy commit-

A proprietor of a beer parlor in
Nanaimo gave one empreyee M* Week off
with pay to assist in the organization of
a bartenders’ union. That union, now
known as the Island Beverage Dispen-
sers’ Union, Local 1, has received its
charter and is a full-time functioning or-
ganization with headquarters in Nanaimo.
‘The bartenders on the lower part of the
island will be organized in the very near
future.

The hotel and restaurant workers on
both the lower and upper parts of Van-
couver Island ard’ in the process of org-
anization,

AGREEMENTS SIGNED.

Agreements have been signed by the
employers in the two largest yards on
the Island, Yarrows Limited and the Vic-

Peeeasennescs cess ees seeesy

The meeting was unanimous in the
opinion that organized labor should get
behind trade unionists arrested under
the Defence of Canada Regulations, see
that they are given a fair trial and at
the same time fight the reactionary ele-
ments within Canada who are seeking to
weaken the trade-union movement by
dictatorial methods.

The meeting expressed support of the
striking waiters and bus-boys, employees
of the C.P.R.-C.N.R-owned Hotel Van-
couver and wished them luck in their
demand for union recognition and higher
wages. The action of the Hon. G. S, Pear-
son, minister of labor, of walking through
the picket line into the hotel was con-
demned.

In a message to each local union in
the six councils, International Secretary
Bertel J. McCarty urged them to “take
immediate aétion on the recommenda-
tions and notify the International Office
and your district council.”

When In Vancouver
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Sey. 1956

WATERBURY, Conn.—(FP) —Annual
wage increases totalling $1,500,000 were
won by the International Union of Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers (CIO) in new
contracts covering 13,000 workers in the
brass valley.

‘The contracts are with the American
Brass Co., the Bridgeport Brass Co. and
the A. H. Wells & Co.

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UNION SHOP Alf Lindahl, Prop.

Seven boats loaded with scrop iron
destined for Japan had stopped in’ at
Union Bay, V.L., to load coal, it was re-
ported by a council delegate. Strong pro-
test was registered at the policy of the
government in allowing shipments of
war materials to go to Japan, despite
the fact that legislation has been passed
to prevent this.

CeCe TCC Cerrccerey
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