Bulletin insta by The B.C. District Council, Internationa] Weodworkers of America, (CIO), Affiliated with Canadian hrc) of Labor

10

VANCOUVER, B.C., SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1942

> (270)

lywoods Gets Conciliator,

Union Vote Being Questioned

Chemainus Mill

Vote on Bargaining Agency

LADYSMITH, B.C.—A mass meeting of employees of V.L.M. Co.’s

Chemainus Mill heard Sam Guthrie,

tive Board member Morgan urge organization of an IWA sub-local at
Chemainus and strongly condemn proposals of Managing Director Hum-
bird and some of his foremen and shareholders that a “company union”

be established, Mr. Humbird, who was%
invited to address the meeting and de-
fend his “home union” ideas, did not
attend.

The meeting, which had to be held
in the school ground when Mr, Hum-
bird refused to allow employees the
use of the Community Hall in spite of
the fact that it had been rented to them
by the secretary of the Hall Commit-
tee and a receipt given for the rent,
voted to hold a secret ballot of all em-
ployees to decide whether they wanted
a real union or the company’s pro-
posals.

More than half the mill's employees
joined the IWA last week, which action
led to Mr, Humbird’s proposals for a
“company, home union.” An organiza-
tional drive is proceeding under the lead- |
ership of District Vice-President Bergren
and @ temporary chairman, secretary and
exeentive have been elected to carry on
until a regular union meeting can be
convened,

An employees' meeting was called last
night to hear the report of the Ballot
Committee and elect a Grievance Com-
mittee to represent whichever bargaining
agency the majority choose.

Howe Asks Labor=
Management Council

WINDSOR, Ont.—Hon. ©. D. Howe,
Minister of Munitions and Supply,
told a delegation of workers from
the United Automobile Workers’
Union, OO, that the government
favors labor-management councils
and had requested all holders of gov-
‘ernment contracts to establish such
councils,

Mr, Howe declared that the gov-
ernment fully endorsed labor-man-
agement committees and emphasized
that failure on the part of companies
- to cooperate would be answered by
action now being considered.

Wage cuts and intimidation by
‘management are both illegal, he told
workers, The unions haye the
in their hands, he declared,

Unionizing,

CCF M.L.A. and IWA Int'l Execu-

OCI STRIKE VOTE
NEARLY UNANIMOUS

Completed returns from all AeA
Queen Charlotte Island logging |
camps show an almost unanimous
opinion in regard to dealing with the
eight-month-old dispute. Voting on
a secret referendum ballot, the log-
gers, 90 per cent of whom are mem-|

bers of the IWA, voted as follow
Yes

Pacific Mills, Camp A-35 7 5
Kelley Log, Church Creek ... 68 6
Kelley Log, Rafting Camp .. 10 hy
Kelley Log, Lagoon Bay . . 0
Allison Log, Beach Camp ... 79 2
Allison Log, Lake Camp . ~ 44 3
Morgan Log., Huxley Island . 63 5

In addition, loggers authorized District
President Harold Pritchett and District
Secretary Nigel Morgan, to make appli
cation to go to the Federal Minister of
Labor at Ottawa for a Conciliation Board
in accordance with provisions of the Fed-
eral Investigations and Disputes Act. The
QCI crews also nominated Arthur Turner,
CCF M.L.A., as their representative on
the Conciliation Board.

Application for conciliation will be filed
by IWA officials before the end of this}
week, although in a last effort to try and
reach an amicable settlement, meetings
are being held this week with representa-
tives of both the Federal and Provincial
governments.

International Executive Board Member
Morgan met with provincial Labor Min-
ister George Pearson on Wednesday in
Victoria and arrangements have been
made for a delegation to meet with El-
liott M, Little, Director of Selective Serv-
ice, who is in Vancouver this week.
Among other matters to be discussed with
Little, who represents the Federal gov-
ernment, will be the threat of “freezing”
loggers to the QCT, and the failure of the
QCI to produce even as much spruce as
is possible, Reports continue to come in
from fallers who claim they have been
taken from quarters with a heavy spruce
cut to quarters where other “more profit-

able” species can be obtained.

vA: Joint AFL-CIO Weekly Radio Program over
KOMO or KPO

war, if @ lasting peace with liberty for
all is what we seek from victory,” de-
clared Elliott M. Little, National Selec-
tive Service Director, in an address in To-
ronto last week.

Following demands by IWA officials, supported by CCL Vice-Presi-
dent A. McAuslane and CCF M.L.A. Harold Winch, provincial Minister
of Labor Pearson after first refusing, this week agreed to appoint James
Thompson as special conciliator in the dispute existing between employees
of McMillan Industries Ltd., Plywoods Division, and the company.

At a meeting of employees called Wednesday by Commissioner Thomp-
son a vote was taken as to whether a dispute existed, resulting in 409 yes,
75 no, one spoiled ballot. A vote was then conducted as to whether the
union committee would be the bargaining agent or the company com-
mittee, the vote in this case being 327 for the union committee, and 86
for the company committee. Agreeing to accept the first vote that a dis-
pute existed, Thompson refused, however, to accept the second vote, de-
claring that he doubted if it represented a majority of all employees

affected.

Every possible method has been used >

by the company in this case to prevent
recognition of the union, Employees at
the Plywoods plant have on five differ-
ent occasions designated in no un-
certain terms that they wish to have
IWA Local 1-217 represent them as
their bargaining agency. Union offici-
Is have again contacted Minister of
abor Pearson, asking that the latest_
yote be recognized, or that the employ-
ees who were laid off be contacted in
their homes to ascertain their desires
in the matter of a bargaining agency,

‘The company management, in an’ at-
tempt to persuade workers into joining
a company union,
Owen, Vancouver attorney, and well
known exponent of company unionism,
to talk to the men. Employees, however,
showed very clearly that they had no
intention of being sidetracked from join-
ing a proper labor union and having it
vepresent their wishes to the manage-
ment.

Plywood is an important sinew of war.
The government has indicated a desire
for all-out production, The employees
have declared a dispute in no uncertain
terms and have designated their bar-
gaining agency. The only thing now
standing in the way of peace, harmony
and increased production is the com-

brought out Walter |

|year up to twenty-four.

pany’s refusal to recognize their em-

WOODS DEATH
TOLL UP TWO

Death of Fred McDonald, chokerman
for Bloedel, Stewart & Welch Logging
Company at Port Alberni on May 16,
brought the total of logging deaths this
McDonald died
while en route to hos-
pital following a log-
ging accident last Sat-

24

Woodworkers "| U"d2y: :
have been Edward Poulton,
Idlled in BiO’g | 22>. Saplovedi by,
lumber in- the Port McNeill Log-
dustry since | simg Company at
Jan, 1, 1942 | Alert Bay, was killed

by a snag while fall-
ing timber last week.

IWA members heard with regret of the
death of two union members recently,
Andy Enlund and John Hultin, Brother
Enlund, an executive officer of Local
1-80, died when a piece of chewing gum
became lodged in his lung, causing it to
collapse, while Brother Hultin, also a
member of Local 1-80, died of pneumonia
in Powell River Hospital on May 5 last.

ployees' right to join an organization of
their own choice for the purpose of col-
lective bargaining,.

Labor-Employer Cooperation
Key To War Output, Says Little

“Plant efficiency and production maxi-
mums are the joint responsibility of man-
agement and the employees, Good em-
ployer-employee relations are the great-
est single factor in achieving those maxi-
mums. They are more; they are the only
long-term dividend-earning investment
both groups can hope to make in this

“£ tell you quite frankly,” he said in
discussing “freezing” of labor, “that we
have heen given information about some
employers deliberately stimulating the
movement of Ixbor to and from their

plants, with the definite purpose of
persuading the government that it was
necessary to freeze all labor to present

See E. M. LITTLE

(Continued on Page 3)

ELLIOTT M. LITTLE