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THE B.C.

LUMBER WORKER

Page Nine

) THE OFFICERS and MEMBERS, IWA DISTRICT No.
‘Meeting in its second quarterly Council session since the

y 4 Therefore, with a view to facili-
_ tating the work of this enlarged
_ Council meeting, we herewith out-

‘set forth what we believe is ne-
cessary for our continued suc-
_ €ess and advancement in the fut-
‘ure,

e

One of the most outstanding
ains that labor has made in the
history of the Province of British
Columbia was
the amend-
ments to the
Industrial
Conciliation
and Arbitra-
tion Act enact-
in the last ses-
sion of the
Legislature.

The out-
standing fac-
tor, of course,
in the estab-
: lishment of la-
bor’s Bill of Rights, was the dis-
play of complete unanimity of the
Part of all labor in this province,
‘regardless of affiliation. In this,
our camp and mill stewards, our
_ Sub-Local, Local and District of-
ficials played an important part.

With the passage of these
amendments come added respon-
Sibilities to the individual work-
_ er; the responsibility of joining
_ our union and remaining in good

_ standing for the purpose of cer-
tification and recognition before
the law. Having obtained such
certification, it is necessary for
‘Us to do everything within our
to peacefully and amicably
otiate with the management
culminate such negotiations
sued union agreements cover-
wages, hours and working

H. Pritchett
President

added authority and pres-
Gained by our District Coun-
the last three-month period
eyes of management, goy-
pment and the general public,
‘direct result of our increased
hip. We now have eight
ng chartered Locals, and
ximate membership in-
of 2650 since the District
n. In face of this genu-
for organization among
ers in British Columbia
desire for recognition
chosen union, this en-
Council should re-
utilize every member and
cer under our jurisdic-
up the job of or-
industry this year.
ently your District Execu-
ard met in special confer-

Director of Organization George
Brown. It was mutually agreed
that -three additional organizers
will be placed 6n the Internation-
al payroll, which would then make
a total of seven International Or-
ganizers for this District. The
main points of concentration for
the new organizers would be —
Victoria and area, Vancouver and
area, Port Moody and surround-
ing area.
a)

It was highly gratifying to note
that in spite of the fact that this
District Council has yet to con-
solidate its membership around
signed union agreements, this
District represented the second
highest vote cast of any District
Council in fayor of the recent
International Referendum on the
two dollar special assessment. A
sentiment for meeting our legiti-
mate debts to the C.I.O. is high,
and in spite of the fact that a num-
ber of Locals, because of their
numerical strength and consoli-
dation, will re-
quire an ex-
oneration; it
is felt that if
such exonera-
tions are
granted, large
sections of our
membership
within the jur-
isdiction of
these Locals
will voluntar-
ily pay the
assessment to
assist in the organizational work.

M. Mosher
3rd Vice-Pres.

Our organization, with the
assistance of the Pacific Coast
Labor Bureau, prepared an exten-
sive brief in the matter of time
and one-half for all work done in
exeess of eight hours in any one
day or 48 hours in any one week,
covering every phase of the en-
tire woodworking industry, sub-
mitting same to the Regional War
Labor Board. The Regional War
Labor Board referred the matter
to the Board of Industrial Rela-
tions of the Provincial Govern-
ment who generally agreed that
time and one-half was essential
to the woodworking industry and
thereupon called a conference of
District Officials to discuss the
problems that such an order
would entail, Later they submit-
ted a rough draft of their pro-
posals, embodying exemption of
18 different, categories, who would
be required to work nine hours in
any one day or 54 hours in any
one week before they would be
eligible to receive the time and
one-half premium rate.

However, as the result of repre-
sentations by our Council, these

fficers’ Report

— GREETINGS:

exemptions have been reduced
to six categories, and further re-
ductions will be necessary in fut-
ure by direct negotiations with
the companies.

The important thing here is that
the principle of time and one-half
pay has now been established in
the sawmill industry; and con-
sideration is being given for its
extension into the logging, shingle
and plywood industries at an early
date.

At regular intervals, while in
negotiations or even arbitration,
the employers used as their main
argument the fact that at no time
in the history of the woodwork-
ing industry had any employer
signed a union agreement with
our organization. This argument
has now been removed, as a re-
sult of the signed union agree-
ment between IWA Local 1-363
and the Batco Development Com-
pany, which provides for com-
plete union recognition, a union
camp clause and check off.

)

As a direct result of our con-
tinued organizational growth and
proven responsibilities, Selective
Service and the Federal Depart-
ment of Labor has granted the
District Council a hiring permit
which authorizes our District Of-
ficers ‘to despatch men to jobs in
every section of the industry. This
is an important step, as can be
seen in establishing a higher de-
gree of cooperation between un-
jon and government and laying
a sound basis for future union
hiring. However, the union hiring
permit will be negative unless our
membership becomes union hir-

Bert Melsness
Secretary-Treasurer

ing. conscious; insists on hiring
through the District Office and
refuses to hire in the future with
the shark hiring hall which has
always maintained an extensive
blacklist system.

One other outstanding victory
for the IWA since .our last Dis-
trict Convention is the majority
award favoring Local 1-71 in the
Queen Charoltte Islands dispute.
It is the opinion of your officers
that if this award is implemented
immediately, as recommended by
the Board, it will have a tremen-
dous effect in improving the mor-
ale of the organized loggers en-

gaged in the production of aero-
plane spruce, reduce to a mini-
mum absenteeism, and lay a basis
for sound labor relations with the
employers.

CS)

The Federal Government, real-
izing the importance of stabilized
labor relations, and setting an
example to that end, has passed
a special Order-in-Council known
as P.C. 10802. Such order-in-
council requires a crown com-
pany, where its employees are or-
ganized, to recognize the union
and the officers of such union
and to negotiate with them, con-
summating such negotiations in a
signed union agreement. Unfor-
tunately, the Order -in-Council
has as yet insufficient authority
to make such provisions compul-
sory.

Cognizant of the weakness of
the government’s labor policy,
and the lack of a sound labor
policy, the District Council, with
the assistance of the Pacific Coast
Labor Bureau,
prepared an z=
extensive brief A
dealing with
such matters
as our desire
for compul-
sory collective
bargaining, es-
tablishment of
mana gement-
labor produc-
tion commit-
tees and an in-
dustry co-ord-
inator, an adequate and equit-
able system of rationing, equal
pay for women’ doing men’s work
and other matters of importance
to the workers employed in our
industry.

This brief, presented to a
special committee on labor known
as the McTague Commission by
your International Board Mem-
ber Nigel Morgan, received a sym-
pathetic hearing. It is believed
that with the support of all other
organized groups in Canada, bene-
fits will be forthcoming on the
basis of the final report of the
McTague Commission in the next
session of Parliament.

CANADIAN CONGRESS
OF LABOR.

While in Ottawa, Bro. Morgan
interviewed President Mosher
and Secretary Pat Conroy of the
Canadian Congress of Labor, with
a view to seeing the return of Dis-
trict One of the IWA to full status

Ernie Dalskog
2nd Vice-Pres.

as an affiliate to the Canadian ~

Congress of Labor. Bro. Morgan
reports that the Congress officers
were adamant in denying rein-
statement to our organization but
that they instructed one of the
officers to come to Vancouver

to the Midsummer
IWA Conferenee

Sixth Annual Convention of District No. 1, International Woodworkers of America, your officers
med it advisable, in face of the coming war offensive and the tremendous gains made by our membership in this past period, to broaden the District Coun-
meeting within the framework of our District Constitution. This will enable us to have a frank discussion relative to the immediate problems facing our
bership and our added responsibilities; in formulating plans to continue the excellent work of our union, to consolidate our membership around the
iating and signing of union agreements, and in aes fhe. pemeunins woodworkers of this province to join the ranks of our International Union.for
purpy ibuti i are in eat tasks that lie ahead.
The ee ere oer aoe ah ee Annual Convention, in line with the decisions of the Sixth International Convention held in the City
Spokane, will form the basis of our continued work in the woodworking industry. This program embodies a full all-out war program and the development
f the offensive against fascism this year. Such an all-out program necessitates the implementation of Production-for-Victory Committees in every opera-
tion, the organization of the unorganized and the fullest participation on the part of every officer and member of our organization in every phase of Canada’s
_ war effort—in taking care of the immediate grievances and improving the working conditions of the woodworkers; thus, in so doing, placing our membership
n a strong position to make its maximum contribution in winning victory over fascism; and after such victory, winning the peace that must follow.

early in July to discuss the mat-
ter further with District and In-
ternational officers of the IWA.

In any event, your officers deem
it most advisable that in spite of
the refusal on the part of the of-
ficers of the Canadian Congress
of Labor to reinstate us as a func-
tioning affiliate, we should pursue
a policy of organizing the unor-
ganized in the woodworking in-
dustry, consolidating such organi-
zation with signed. agreements,
establishing ‘
production
committees in
every -mill and
camp and
building the
prestige of our
organization so
that we can
make the
greatest pos-
sible contribu-
tion to Can- -
ada’s war ef-
fort.

H. Bergren
Ist Vice-Pres.

°

One matter of importance to our
District is the refusal on the part
of certain reactionary United
States Immigration officials to al-
low our elected officers and
union delegates to cross the In-
ternational boundary in pursuit of
their official duties. President
Lowery informs us that he has
taken the matter up with the state
authorities of the United States
government in B.C. and while.in
Vancouver, met, in the presence
of International Board Member
Nigel Morgan, with the American
Consulate-General in order to get
some assurance that the elected
delegates and officers of our
union would be guaranteed their
right to legal entry to participate
as an International affiliate in
the seventh annual, convention of
our union, to be held in the city
of Sacramento, Cal.

It is important now for every
local affiliate in our district to
take steps to elect their full quota
of delegates and to raise the ne-
cessary finances to send them to
this all-important Convention.. It
is here that a good neighbor
policy will be developed and in-
ternational solidarity upheld in
the process of democratically de-
termining a progrom and policy
in the interests of our interna-
tional membership, the general
public and our allied cause.

ene

The importance of organizing
the unorganized should be con-
sidered here. While we have
made tremendous organizational
gains in this district, we are only
at’ the half way mark; which

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