NOR'WEST LUMBER
CLOSED TIGHT

(Continued from Page 1)

the employers came out with a last-
minute offer of a 12% cents an hour in-
crease. Answering this “offer,” Vice-
President Koivunen this week issued the
following statement:

“Since the strike was declared, the
boss lumbermen insist on referring to a
12% cents an hour increase. Since we
have only asked for a boost of 7% cents,
obviously there could be no dispute on
‘wages had they actually offered the in-
crease stated,

“The reason for their stating this
amount is that they are going back to
wage rates paid prior to last September
as a means of setting their basic scale
and to befuddle the minds of our mem-
bers and the public. Actually they of-
fered only a 7% cents increase to a
limited number of members who are
employed at minimum rates of pay. Only
about 14 per cent of the membership
would be covered by this proposal, while
for the men in the other brackets the
increase would vary downward from 7%
cents to no increase for some, while still
others would suffer a substantial wage
cut.

“The employers would also have the
public believe that they offered us an
outright vacation with pay proposal, But
in their statement to the press they make
no mention of the fact that their pro-
posal does not grant vacations in 1941
and no employee would be entitled to a
holiday until after May 1, 1942,

“We are bargaining to improve the pre-
sent conditions of our members—not to
obtain from the operators meaningless
proposals,” Koivunen points out in his
statement. “Of the four proposals we
have made—wage increases, abolition of
busheling, vacations with pay, and union
shop—the employers have not acceded
to a single request and have not offered
anything on two of the proposals,” the
statement concludes,

, IWA CHARTERS 27
¢ NEW LOCALS

SEATTLE, Wash—Twenty-seven new
locals of the International Woodworkers
of America have been chartered since
March 1, it was announced recently by
officials of the International Office.
Pushing the organizing campaign vigor
ously, five new charters were added to
the March and early April record of 22.

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STREET RAILWAYMEN
ARBITRATE MAY 19

The Street Railwaymen’s arbitra-
tion, which involves 1700 employees
of the B.C, Electric, commences in
earnest on May 19, with the arrival
from San Francisco of H. R, Melnikow,
director of the Pacific Coast Labor
Bureau, Unsuccessful efforts, which
‘were probably company-inspired, to
keep him out of Canada proved of no
avail due to the militant attitude of
many trade unions.

Approximately $300,000 in wage
increases Is involved in the action.

When the union’s negotiating com-
mittee meets with representatives of
the company it will be assisted by
John Wigdor of the local Labor
Bureau office, who has already aided
a number of Vancouver unions in suc-

cessful arbitration hearings.

ISLAND LABOR COUNCIL
RAPS FEDERAL BUDGET

VICTORIA, B.C.—Voicing sharp pro-
test against taxation provisions in the
new Federal budget, and terming the new
taxes unjust in that they place new and
heavy burdens on the working class while
allowing the wealthy too many exemp-
tions, the Island Labor Council of the
Canadian ‘Congress of Labor at its last
regular meeting unanimously endorsed
the following resolution and forwarded
it to the Minister of Finance, Ottawa:

“Whereas the new budget has imposed
increased taxation on the people of Can-
ada in ways which drastically reduce
their standard of living; and, whereas the
income tax of 15 per cent on the first
$1000 is unjust as such an amount barely
ensures a decent standard of living; and,
whereas the tax on travelling, gasoline,
autos, sugar and entertainment are dir-
ected mainly at the working people as
business corporations can deduct same
as legitimate expenses,

“Therefore be it resolved that we
strongly condemn the Budget as being
unfair to the people of Canada and in
the interests of Big Business and urge
all labor organizations to send protests

to the federal government as outlined
above.”

MIDWEST LWA NEGOTIATES
DULUTH, Minn—IWA Local 29 has
submitted a rock-bottom proposition to
the Timber Producers’ Association call-
ing for a 28% cent per hour wage in-
crease in minimum rates, with adjust-
ment of other pay inequalities,

Fighting to batter down a deep-rooted
system of peonage standards which was
imbedded in Minnesota before the com-
ing of the IWA, Local 29 refused to back-
water on the basic demands. The oper-
ators association is now polling its mem-
bership on the union proposals.

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(Continued from Page One)

‘where decision to strike the operations
affected was unanimously voted. Still
earlier, the entire membership of the
Northern Washington and Southern
Washington District Councils, including
some sections of the Boommen and jRaft-
ers’ District Council and the Plywood
District Council, voted three to one by
referendum ballot for strike action.
‘Twenty-two thousand workers were in-
volved in the action.

Nine weeks ago the IWA Negotiating
Committee presented its demands for (1)
a straight 7% cents per hour wage in-
crease; (2) vacations with pay; (8) aboli-
tion of bushelling; and (4) union shop
and union hiring. These were flatly re-
jected by the employers’ negotiating com-
mittee which presented a counter-offer
of a 12% cents an hour increase only
and turned down the three other IWA
demands.

Vice-President Koivunen, chairman of
the negotiating committee, announced
that the employers’ wage offer was not
accepted because, although on the sur-
face it appeared to be a bigger increase

than asked by the union, their proposed |

increase would be based on wage rates
paid prior to last September and would
result in reduced rates for some of the
higher paid categories.

As an example, he pointed to fallers
in certain operations who were earning
$6.60 a day last fall, later secured a 40-
cent boost by IWA action, bringing them
to the $7.00 a day standard established
by the union agreement. Subsequent
wage increases since then have brought
them to a level of $7.55 a day, yet the
operators propose to base their new scale
on the former rate of $6.60 a day, which
would bring fallers up to $7.60 a day or
.006 cents per hour increase.

Again, Kolvunen showed where a
hooktender may have been earning $10
a day prior to last September, and now,
due to IWA action, has had his pay
boosted to $11.75 a day. Now, however,
the employers propose to go back to his
$10 scale of September, 1940, and add $1,
bringing his pay to $11, or a wage cut
of 75 cents per day,

It was these considerations, together
with the employers’ rejection of other
basic demands, that forced the IWA to
take the action which has tied up the
entire industry ‘in the State of Washing-
ton.

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