orkers, particularly on the Fraser River, which for the past few weeks has been somewhat cur- tailed, due to the shutdown for cold weather, is now getting away to a fresh start. From all areas _ reports are coming in of increased _ membership. It appears that 1943 will bring about tremendous gains. _ Everybody seems to be glad to be getting back to work as a couple of weeks knocked off the pay- cheque isn’t so easy to take. ‘We were very gratified last week when one of the brothers from B.C. Fir and Cedar on False Creek came to the office and contacted us regarding organization in that mill. The brother stated that his _ visit was due to the fact that the BC. LUMBER WORKER had been distributed at that mill for the past two issues. He was of the opinion that most of the employees there are anxious to get on with organizational work. Employees at the North Shore Plant of the Canada Creosote Com- pany are again moving to organ- ize, Plans are being completed for holding a meeting of the Organiza- tional Committee after which a drive will be started, and it is ex- pected that, due to the fact that all Creosote workers in the West- minster area are fully organized, that the workers in the Creosote Plant on the North Shore will rea- laze that they have an obligation to fulfill and will join up 100 per cent. In former years this cornpany has managed tot shut down one or the other of their plants as soon as there was any threat of organ- ization amongst their employees. “They recently closed their New ‘Westminster Plant for that reason. ‘The only solution is to organize both factories at the same time. If we do this, we will soon see _ Some very substantial gains, The Mohawk Lumber Company plant in New Westminster, which has been shut down for the past “several weeks for repairs, is re- J d to be opening up within the ct few days. It is expected that ctically the entire crew will re- to the job. ‘The employees of Royai City which is at present being op- by the Overseas Wood Pro- have been refused negotia- by the company on the ds that the mill will be clos- s down in about a month’s time hen the new mill in Vancouver leted. ’ Suits, Overcoats, Log. ¢ ots and Sleeping Bags} @= B.C. -LUMBER WoRKE®@ Page Three Sawmill News “Every Reader a Correspondent” REPORTS [WA Local 1-357 Elects Councillor Percy Smith Union Business Agent’ On Sunday, Jan. 31, Percy Smith, vice-president of IWA- CIO Local 1-357 and councillor of the Municipality of Coquitlam, was unanimously elected to the position of full-time Local Business Agent. During the past few months, Brother Smith has worked unceasingly in the interests of the organization in the New Westminster area. His work in leading the organiza- Majority Award For Mohawk Is Adverse Majority award of an arbitration board, appointed under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, refused a union agreement to the Mohawk Lumber Company employees at New Westminster. The majority award was submitted to the Ministea of Labor, Hon. George S. Pearson, by Chairman J. W. Finlayson, Dean of Applied Science at the University of B.C., and supported by R. V. Stewart, company representative. The third member of the board, representing the workers, Herbert Gargrave, CCF MLA, disagreed with the majority findings and entered a minority report. tional commit~ tee in Fraser Mills has been particularly outstanding. His populari- ty amongst the millworkers is shown by the fact that Bro. Smith is the first labor member ever elected to the board of councillors in the above-mentioned munici- pality. Brother Smith’s capability of understanding and dealing with the problems of the mill- workers is assured by the fact that he has worked in the in- dustry for quite a number of years. Prior to being elected business agent, he was em- ployed by the Canadian West- ern Lumber Company at Fraser Mills, where he had worked for over 15' years. Ontario Unions Make Gains We congratulate the Ontario workers on the progress they are making to take their proper place in the ranks of organized labor. Ontario has certainly made and is making great strides in the or- ganizational program now being ing carried out. The United Electrical, Radio and machine Workers’ Union has launched a drive to enroll over fifty thousand Ontario War Workers into their union. UNION COMES TO SUDBURY. Now the workers of the Interna- tional Nickel Company are really settling down in grim earnest to organize into their own democratic union. The International Union of Mine Mill and Smelter Workers. After a twenty year period of repression the workers of Inco are on the march, They have thrown off the shackles of intimidation, discrimination and company domin- 104 Shelly Bldg. 5c per Issue READ “THE PEOPLE” LABOR’S VOICE for VICTORY Published at FALSE CREEK EAST INDIANS JOIN IN BODY Another step towards com- pleting the organizational of Al- berta Mills on False Creek, was made last week when the en- tire East Indian crew joined IWA-CIO Local 1-217, The Inter- national Woodworkers of Am- erica at all times fights dis- crimination by employers in the matter of wages, etc, against the Oriental people. An out- standing example of what has been accomplished was the re- cent award by the Regional War Labor Board granting to all Ori- ental workers in Fraser Mills the right to receive equal pay for equal work. The. East-Indian workers now realize that in the IWA they have an organization through which they can better carry on the struggle to obtain their just rights in our society on an equal basis with the rest of the community. The ‘union also has, and will continue to, campaign for the granting of the franchise to the East Indian citizens, ation. Less than a year ago Inco’s open shop had a clear field. We remember how eight months ago a few daring workers had the ¢our- age to organize the nucleus of Sud- bury’s first bona-fide union, Local 598, What happened? A gang of thugs raided the union headquart- ers, smashed every article of furni- ture and in true Nazi style merci- lessly beat up the leaders. If the Inco officials thought that would be the end of the union they were badly mistaken. Months of quiet organization continued up to November last, when the union announced an open meeting for Inco workers at the Capitol Theatre. — Vancouver, B.C. $2.00 a Year Protests Bring Action On Labor Forwn Broudeast OTTAWA—A tentative agree- that the Labor Forum would be reorganized and ment National carried on as a joint undertaking of the Canadian Broadcasting Cor- poration, the Workers’ Educational Association, the Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, and the Cana- dian Congress of Labor was reach- ed at a meeting of the executive committee of the National Labor Forum yesterday. A new executive committee, on which the two labor congresses will be represented, is to be set up. The CBC also will be represented and two other members will be ap- pointed by the representatives of the four organizations involved: Consideration is to be given to appointment of a general secretary to supervise the broadcasts, work- ing in conjunction with the mem- ber bodies of the Forum. National Labor Forum is broad- cast every Wednesday over the na- tional network of the CBC. The Workers’ Educational Asso- ciation, whose energetic and able secretary, Drummond Wren, was the live-wire organizer who had brought this program to a high level of popularity, had recently withdrawn from the program be- cause censorship by the CBC gen- eral manager was destroying the original character of the broadcast. General Manager Thomson for several weeks retained the program without labor representation but protests from all parts of the coun- try led to this latest reorganization. @ The principal question consid- ered by the Board was whether the company should enter into an agreement with the International Woodworkers of America, Local 1-357, covering bargaining rights, working conditions and wages. The™ majority award disregarded the fact that an overwhelming ma- jority of the employees of this com- pany are members in good stand- ing of the IWA Local, and that there was ample evidence, both verbal and written, supporting the contention of the employees that the company should bargain and conclude a union agreement with the union selected by their em- ployees. The company contended, through its manager, Mr. Pendleton, that they should not consider a union agreement because (a) there are no union agreements in the lum¥er industry, and (b) they did not trust the union leadership. No evidence was produced in cross-examination that the union was not trust- worthy, and this reason, therefore, cannot be considered. Mr. Gargrave pointed out that one section of the Act was worded in such a manner that it enables employers to evade union agree- ments and, until amended, will be used to this end. Mr. Gargrave concluded his, minority report with a strong recommendation that ne- gotiations should be opened be- tween the company and the union for the purpose of concluding a signed union agreement. The employees of the Mohawk Lumber Company, through their union, will be required to vote by secret ballot on the acceptancé or rejection ofthe award. No action has as yet been taken, owing to the fact that the plant has been shut down for repairs and because of ~ LIGHT CRUISERS Always the BEST - ° Ask for them in the Co: Or Order Direct from A. W. JOHNSON & CO. 1056} West Pender Vancouver JOHNSON’S the weather.