VANCOUVER, B.C. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 1941

‘Discrimination At Crofton
Mill Brings Sharp Protest

LAKE COWICHAN, B.C.—Charging the company with discrimination
in the firing of Okie Olson and Hugo Rehader last week, from the Lake
Cowichan operations of Crofton Export Mill, the men in the mill took
immediate action, elected a committee which interviewed the manager.
Failing to receive satisfaction on the spot, the District Council of the
IWA was notified, and negotiations started with Mr, Hunter in Vancouver.

Olson, who is an executive member of Local 80, had been success-
fully organizing the employees at Crofton, having signed up 20 members
into the Union, of the 26 men employed there; and plans were going for-
ward towards opening of negotiations for a signed agreement with the

company and a wage increase.

Tt is also claimed that the fore-|

man has been openly threatening
the employees with loss of their jobs
if they do not drop the Union.

As the case stands at present, the
men are awaiting the arrival of Mr.
Hunter, who has given his word that
he will personally look into the mat-
ter on the job. Meanwhile, the crew
at the mill are standing solid in their
determination that these two Union

- members shall be reinstated on their
jobs, and that their campaign for a
signed agreement shall not: be di-
verted.

Also pledging open support
against the discriminatory action
of the company’s officials is the 250-
man crew of the Lake Logging Co.,
which is the source of supply for the
mill’s logs. H. W. Hunter, manager
of the mill, informed the IWA to-
day that he will be at Lake Cow-
ichan to investigate the matter to-
wards an amicable settlement next
Monday morning.

Lumber Takes
Terrific Toll

For every billion feet of lumber
_ logged in British Columbia in 1940,
1,397 men were injured, and 19 men
lost their lives,

This shows an increase of more than
47 per cent in logging accidents since
1934, according to figures just released
_ by the Workmen’s Compensation Board.

‘The following figures, covering the
last seven years, are of those which
under the Workmen's Compensa-
| Act only, and are compiled on the
of a billion board feet:

Dver this period of time, the average
per billion board feet was 1247.8

Labor Spy
Convicted
In Killing

NEW YORK.—Not even the Dies Com-
mittee could save Jerome Madeiros, alias
King, from conviction on a charge of
first degree manslaughter in the kill-
ing of Bruce fCameron, National’ Mari=
time Union member, last September.

Cameron was brutally kicked to death
on the street. Madeiros, who faces a 10
to 20 year term for his part in the kill-
ing, was once secretary-treasurer of the
N.M.U. and was expelled when found to
be a shipowners’ spy.

The two witnesses from the Dies Com-
mittee who testified on Madeiros’ be-
half told the jury that he had been act-
ing as a labor spy for the past seven
years, that he had given the Dies Com-
mittee “valuable information” and that
he was a “peaceful man,”

Madeiros swore that the killing was a
“red plot” by leaders of the National
Maritime Union to get him. Convicted
with Madeiros were two others, Thomas
Harmon and James Cottilo, alias Cos-
tello. .

COUNCIL ELECTS
PRITCHETT SEC'Y

Officers for the coming year were
elected at the meeting of the Vancou-
ver District Labor Council (Canadian
Congress of Labor) held Jast week. L.
Campbell, business agent for the Boiler-
makers’ Union, was elected president,
and Vice-President E. Leary of the
Shipyard Laborers’ Union, was re-
elected to office.

Harold J, Pritchett, former president
of the International Woodworkers of
America, was the unanimous choice for
executive secretary,

The Vancouver District Labor Coun-
cil has moyed into new offices.at Room
704, Holden Building, 16 East Hastings
Street, Vancouver.

Join the LW.A. and Help Boost

Our Pay a Buck a Day

Stewart Exposes Hotel Vancouver Sellout

Bengough And Jamieson Sharply
Assailed For Latest Betrayal

Charging the top-leadership of th
with “trying to whitewash their sell-

e Trades and Labor Council (AFL)
out of the Hotel Vancouver waiters’

strike,” William Stewart, recently resigned secretary of Local 28, Hotel
and Restaurant Employees’ Union (AFL) this week refuted “red” charges
of these officials in a press statement, from which we quote:

“The proposals of settlement of the?
strike came through certain officers of
the Trades and Labor Council, namely,
P. R. Bengough, secretary; H. A. Jamie-
son, president, and W. G. Couper, execu-
tive member of the council and secretary
of the Bartenders’ Union. The proposals
were that 32 waiters of the 42 on strike
be taken back at a two cents per hour
increase in wages; and three busboys
out of 22 on strike be taken back. These
proposals were transmitted to the strikers
through J. Hicks, president of the union,
who was a striker, and Lloyd Stanley,
shop steward of the strikers. These two
strongly urged the strikers to accept the
proposals and those whose names were
amongst the 32 were-to return to work.
During the meeting on Jan. 21, it was
brought out that Mr, Mylett, manager of
Hotel Vancouver, had called up the shop
steward at his home and requested’ an
interview, with the provision that he tell
no onecof it. It was further brought out
that Mr. Mylett informed the shop stew-
ard that the whole strike could be settled,
provided he would go down to the Trades
and Labor Council, \A lettor-was drafted
by myself, and forwarded to the T.& L.C.
by Mr. J. Hicks, requesting that the coun-
cil lend their voice to the growing list
of public bodies condemning the action
of a government establishment in reject-
ing the unanimous award of a provincial
board, Mr. E. A. Jamieson later got in
touch with Mr. Hicks and requested that
he bring representatives of the strikers
and of the executive board to interview
the T.&L.C, executive board.

“This meeting was held Jan. 21, where
the T.&L.C, executive presented an ul-
timatum—that the T.&L.C. would assist
the strikers on one condition, that Mr.
Hicks, as president of the union, must
send a wire to Cincinnati, Ohio, request-
ing the International headquarters to
take over Local 28. If that was not done,
the T.& L.C. would not assist in any way.
However, if this was done, the T.&L.C.
would interview the management of the
Hotel Vancouver, and whatever offer they
returned with must be accepted by the
strikers, regardless of whether it meant
discrimination or not. Otherwise, the
council would again wash its hands of
the whole affair. Hicks, unfortunately,
succumbed to this ultimatum and Ben-
gough drafted the wire, which was paid
for out of T.&L.C, funds. Further, this
committee was sworn to secrecy that not
one word of the interview should be trans-
mitted to the strike committee or myself.

“The following day, Bengough, Jamie-
son and Couper came back with the pro-
posals above mentioned, and the warning
that if it was not accepted, they were
through.

“It is very significant that the mayor
of this city, the provincial government,
and the federal government's representa
tive could get no proposals from the man-
agement, BUT the T.&L.C’s unholy
three could come back with sell-out pro-
posals in the space of 12 hours. It might
be that the three governments men-
tioned had more trade union principles
than to carry such proposals back to the
strikers. Iteis not so significant when

B.C. LOG PRICES

(February 5, 1941)

3 pee noe G13 $18 $25
Cedar (Shingles) . 11 Ww 23
Cedar (Lumber) .... 9 a4 _-
Hemlock... ot = _

we find out that Mr. H. A. Jamieson broke
the picket line to have an interview with
Mr. Mylett some two weeks prior to the
settlement of the strike.

“It is my opinion that at that meeting,
the proposals for a settlement were
made and later worked out, by Mr.
Mylett sending the shop steward to see
Mr. Jamieson,

“The actions of the T.&L:C. prior to
their sudden interest in the case, are
known to everyone. Mr. Couper issued
a statement to the press in which he said
the ‘strike was illegal’ Jamieson openly
declared at a T.&L.C. meeting, also re-
ported in the press, that all trade union-

|ists should stay away from the picket

line, even though the minister of labor
declared the strike was legal so far as
the laws of Canada and B,C. were con-
cerned,

“These officers of the T.&L.C. have
made a deliberate attempt to smash the
Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ Union,
Local 28:

“1. By refusal to re-affiliate Local 28
to the council when the application had
been in since October 19, 1940. This ap-
plication was referred to the executive
of the council, and ‘Local 28 has not as
yet received an official answer from the
council. ;

“2, ‘They refused to sell buttons to the
local, then instituted a campaign amongst
the membership not to pay dues because
they did not wear the buttons,

“3, They connived with the manage-
ment of the Hotel Vancouver to sell out
the jusified strike of the waiters and
busboys.

“This latter point is very evident by
the foregoing explanation, and also that
a number of the 32 who were supposed
to go back have not been re-employed;
and further, that Mr. Mylett stated to
Mr. Hicks that he would prefer Hicks to
remain as president of the union, provid-
ing he would co-operate and work under
the guidance of Bengough and Jamieson

(Continued on Page Five)

FATALITIES RISE
TO SEVEN IN JAN.

Fatalities in the woods have increased
by three since our last report, bringing
the total of men killed in the industry to
seven in the first month of 1941.

Joseph Matiaja, employed as head fal-
ler at the Eli River

Timber Company's

7 Camp 9, Quinsam,

was instantly killed

Woodworkers | on January 28, when
pave ‘beet I ke twad rushed fh

killed in B.C’s p ubed sbae

lumber in- | cedar which was

dustry since | knocked down by the

Jan. 1, 1941. tree he was falling.

Chris Bergford was
injured while working at the operations
of Bell and Campbell at Minstrel Island
on January 22, and died six days later.

Robert Grumbach died on January 23
of injuries received when he was run

over by a logging truck at Poet's Nook,
near Bamfield,