Page Two THE B.C. LUMBER WORKER January 25, 1943 What's Behind The Steel Strike? the basic steel industry, directly affecting over At long last, a showdown has come in ae mee tit ate many thousands of other workers 10,000 workers at Sault Ste. Marie and Sydney. Indirectly, , are affected. The deadlock in steel concerns labor everywhere in Canada. The issue in steel is this: Shall sub-standard wages be frozen for the duration? In other words, the issue is Order-in-Council PC 5963. Fourteen months ago, back to Ottawa and by Ottawa induced the Dominion government to promise the whole problem. The Barlow Commission has now The majority did not hold that of evidence about living conditions an v day after day. In fact, they ignored almost all the evidence, workers in basic steel at Sydney and Sault Ste. the National War Labor Board for a standard base rate of 55 per hour. Their application was referred by Ottawa to the Regional War Labor Boards; it was referred by the Regional Boards again to the Regional Boards. the present wages are adequate. pase rates in this industry could not be raised. The majority report states: “After careful perusal of Order-in- Council PC 5963, and particularly the sections of the said Order-in- Council dealing with wage rates, it is clear that the purpose is to prevent a general increase in wage rates.” = This is the central theme of the majority findings. It is this which gives the lie to the famous declara- tion made by the Minister of Labor, Hon, Humphrey Mitchell, to the Canadian Congress of Labor in Sep- tember: “Too often our policy is spoken of as wage freezing. Wages are not frozen. You know as well as I do that there is power to ad- just wages given to the National | and Regional Boards, . . . It is our aim to remove anomalities and to eradicate injustices.” Let all labor take note! The Bar-| low Report holds that a 43% cents rate is good enough—and must re- main frozen for the duration, That is what PC 5963 means, according to the majority report of the Bat- low Commission. The minority report, submitted by Commissioner J. King Gordon, disagrees with the majority find- ings and points to the urgent ne- cessity of establishing an adequate living wage, not only to protect the welfare of the steel workers and their families, but also for the sake of a better war effort. It is only after 14 months of per- sistent and prolonged delay and evasion by the government, by the department of labor, by the Na- tional Board and by Regional Boards, that the patience of the workers has at length been ex- hausted, The steel workers have Crystal Steam Baths 40 Lorne St. NEW WESTMINSTER Under new management. .M. Variea, prop. Hours: 12 noon to 12 midnight. Expert oil and electric massage. 444 Carrall Street Hotel W FRED R. MARCHESE, Mer. Moderate Rates and Centrally Located PAc. 8374 — attempted every possible method of settling their claims without inter- rupting production in a vital war industry. Although they voted to strike last summer by 6196 votes to 60 (more than 100 to 1), they have patiently waited five more months in the hope that a settlement might be reached. That hope proved vain and they have now been driven, as a last resort, to adopt the only re- maining remedy. They are on strike, As if desiring to provoke a prema- ture strike, the National War Labor Board, just before the release of the Barlow Report, ordered the Dominion Steel and Coal Corpora- tion to reduce its present cost-of- living bonus at Sydney. The Na- tional Board took this insolent, provocative step, notwithstanding the fact that at all other times it has refused to accept any jurisdic- tion over the steel industry, pre- tending that it is purely a regional matter. ; In short, the crisis af Sydney and Sault Ste. Marie means this: The government is determined, through PC 5963, to perpetuate injustice, to prevent any increase in wage rates which the government’s own fig- ures prove to be insufficient to maintain a steel worker and his family. On the other hand, the steel workers are determined that they will no longer tolerate this injustice. If the government wins, standard rates will remain frozen, not only in steel, but in every other industry. If the steel workers suc- ceed in winning their 55¢ minimum, it will be a victory, not only for them, but for all other workers on ————————— SHOE REPAIRING While-U-Wait We Sell Men's Fine Shoes Walk-Rite Shoe Repairs 48 - 6th St., 1 Block up from P.0. New Westminster, B.O. > est Lid. sub- PAc. 8375 Vancouver, B.C. a Royal Commission which would investigate xeported. The majority have rejected the application for a base rate of 55c. They have conceded nothing except overtime rates for the seventh day. . They ignored the whole mass d wage rates which was presented to the Commission and reported that under PC-5963, Marie applied to The crisis in steel last August QC] Logger Greets IWA To the Editor: With the year 1942 drawn to an end, I would like to extend to all my brothers in the IWA my heartiest and sincere wishes for a happy and prosperous new year. 2) Let us hope that in 1943 our union will have every success in organizing and bringing under union contracts those occupied in important task of supplying the Armed Forces with wood. May our members work to- gether in the same spirit of unity and good fellowship that has marked our great organiza- tion in the past. I have been in the Navy for the past five months, trying to serve my country in this great struggle to destroy Hitlerism, and I can realize now more than ever before the great necessity for one hundred per cent man- agement-labor co-operation to boost production and achieve victory over our enemies. We have got to work as never be- fore to step up production if we are to protect, let alone extend, our democratic way of life. Again, as a member of the IWA-CIO, I want to wish you all ‘a successful new year, and keep up the good work, boys! With best regards, Fraternally yours, DICK ROCHE, Able Seaman, Royal Canadian Navy. depressed rates, Every effort will be made by the enemies of labor to misrepresent the steel workers and to arouse Prejudice against workers on sub- standard rates. Let the truth be known! We urge that all Locals and Sub-Locals let the government and-the press know that labor will not accept wages below the level of health and de- cency—and that PC 5963 must be LOG PRODUCTION ‘The labor shortage, bad weather, construction projects all conspired British Columbia in November. According to the Forest Branch of 1941. Total sawlog scale for the first 11 spruce, which rose from 254,601,864 Among the minor species a number wood and miscellaneous. Sawlog scale by species for the Fir, 1,307,512,430 (1,561,966,642;. ce 199,820 (125,500,860); yellow pine, 40, 224,236 (36,700,757); lodgepole pine, (32,209,504); cottonwood, 2,754,882 Cut of poles and piling during tl 24,606,186 lineal feet, an increase of DOWN NEARLY HALF.A BILLION FEET IN’4-3 and the reduction in truck logging operations due to the diversion of many logging trucks to government to reduce the log production, in report for that month the sawlog scale was 222,518,072, as compared with 239,960,689 for the same month months of 1942 stands at 2,827,641,221 ft.b.m., a decrease of 468,775,481 ft. from the figure for the same period in 1941. A comparison of the cut by species for the 11 months of 1942 and 1941 shows decreases in the scale for all the major species except ft. in 1941 to 259,264,945 ft, in 1942, of gains were reported, those show- ing a heavier cut in 1942 being yellowpine, lodgepole pine, larch, cotton- 11-month period, with comparative figures for 1941 in brackets, is as follows: dar, 474,298,847 (593,577,423); spruce, 259,264,945 (254,601,864); hemlock, 535,354,087 (637,485,581); balsam, 123,- ),922,139 (26,501,702); white pine, 28,- 8,159,175 (5,128,043); larch, 36,210,756 (2,317,610); miscellaneous, 11,739,904 (10,426,898) ; totals, 2,827,641,221 (3,296,416,702). he 11 months under review totalled approximately 5% million feet over the previous year. Cordwood and hewn ties both showed declines. the first meeting being held in No. 1. Plans for changing the organiza- tion in this area from a Sub-Local of 1-80, to a full-fledged local, which has been necessitated by compli- cated transportation problems and organizational developments, was discussed. It is planned to make an application through the proper channels in the near future, which if accepted, will undoubtedly strengthen and solidify the or- ganizational work that has been accomplished in the Courtenay- Campbell River area. The membership of the IWA can be fairly well pleased with the ‘steady progress made during 1942, but 1943 is a year that holds out many promises, chief amongst which is the right of collective bar- gaining, such as the Wagner Act provides for the workers in the U.S. Since all the political parties in Canada have publicly stated they are in favor of amending the labor laws, there can be little doubt that some improvements in this regard are in the near offing. Such legisla- tion will do much to increase Can- ada’s war effort, for it will give to labor some of the very rights that have been denied to workers, who are unfortunate enough to be living under the fascist dictators. Yes, sir, Hitler doesn’t believe in colective bargaining, and no more do certain anti-labor employers who apparently hate labor more than amended. they hate Hitler. * WEST PAc. 0936 Ask for “GEORGE” Cars Fully Insured — Reasonable Rates 2 Office and Stand: WEST HOTEL, 444 CARRALL ST. | TAXI * _ PAc. 8374 Courtenay-Campbell River Loggers To Ask For Charter By DON BARBOUR, International Organizer COURTENAY.—The IWA in this area has begun 1943 with the Native Sons Hall at 2 pm. January 10, where those present heard the delegates’ report on the sixth annual convention of IWA-CIO District Council The IWA fully realizes the winning of this war is the great- est task confrontnig us all today, and that is why the IWA demands that this important question of col- | lective bargaining be settled so that we can devote all our energies and time to helping to destroy the Axis. ONE LOGGER LOST ALREADY The first fatality in B.C. woods for 1943 was recorded this week when news was received of the death of Oran Presho, 60, em- ployee of the Lars Strom’s | wWoodworken logging camp at has been Prince George | Killed in B.O’s Jan, 18. Presho lumber in- was hit by a] dustry since tree he was Jan. 1, 1943 helping cut down and by a falling snag. Belated news of the death of Elvin John Clark, injured at Ca- nadian Forest Products Camp at Englewood was received this week. |Clark Was taken to the hospital at Alert Bay, where he succumbed to his injuries Dec. 6. He leaves a wife at 6093 St. Margaret Street, Vancouver ,to mourn his death. 1 East Indians Get Equal Pay Granted The application of IWA-CIO ‘Local 1-357 at Fraser Mills to the Regionak War Labor Board for a ruling to give equal pay to Hast Indians and Orientals in the lum- ber industry received a favorable response. A communication re- ceived by the IWA this week stated that the same rates now paid other workers in the industry will apply to these workers at this plant.