INTERNATIONAL CONVE

NTION

REPORT

—See PAGE 4

Bi-weekly Bulletin Published by The B.C, District Council, International Woodworkers of America, Affiliated to Congress of Industrial Oreanination® (CIO)

VOL, XII, No. 18,

VANCOUVER, B.C., MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1943

Broadway EP Printers Ltd.

300

Operators Refuse To Accept
Gov’t Proposals In QCI Dispute

New proposals for a settlement of the two-year-old Queen

Bill Bennett

Charlotte Island logging dispute, deadlocked through refusal
of operators to signs an agreement with the International
Woodworkers of America, were submitted this week by George
Currie, federal labor department representative, to a joint
meeting of union and company officials in the Vancouver
offices of the labor department.

A further meeting is expected® sented at the meeting by R. V. Stu-

before the end of the week at
which both parties will give their
answer to the new proposals,

That the IWA is prepared to ac-
cept the new labor department
plan for an end to the deadlock
was made clear in a statement
issued on behalf of the union’s ne-
gotiating committee by Nigel Mor-
gan, declaring that the proposals
submitted by Mr, Currie “can be
accepted as a basis for a fair set-
tlement,” and that IWA is prepared
to urge their acceptance by the
QCI loggers.

“The proposals do not include | ;

art of Stuart Research Enterprises,
and R. J. Filberg, manager of Aero
Timber Products. IWA representa-
tives were Ernie Dalskog, Secre-
tary, Local 1-71, District’ President
Harold Pritchett, and Nigel Mor-
gan, International Board Member.

Joins RCAF

A gold identification dise bear-
ing the insignia of the RCAF was
presented to Wil-
liam Bennett, in-
| ternational repre-
sentative of the
union, by Harold
Pritchett, district
president, last
Friday.

Bro. Bennett
has joined the

Duncan Sub-Local Elects
QCI Support Committee

DUNCAN, B.C., Sept. 3.—Meeting in the K.of P. Hall here °
last night, members of the Duncan Sub-Local 1-80 IWA voted
unanimously to establish a special “Queen Charlotte Island
Support Committee.” The function of this committee will be
to assist in any way possible the QCI loggers and Local 1-71
IWA in obtaining signed union agreements with the operators.

This action was taken after the?bringing about a settlement of the
meeting heard a report on the | dispute.
Queen Charlotte Island situation] George Maynard, who recently
by District Secretary Bert Mels-| returned from the Seventh Consti-

Bill Bennett RCAF, and has
been posted to air crew. He leaves
for Edmonton on Monday.

The presentation was made in
recognition of Bro. Bennett's faith-
ful service to the IWA.

Local 80 Mourns
Executive Officer

(Govt. Proposals, Page 2)

Still Serving
Loggers in QCI

ness, who outlined the dispute as it
exists today and also the program
for settlement of the QCI dispute.
adopted by the District Council
Executive in its special meeting
last Wednesday.

The Sub-Local meeting passed a
resolution condemning the anti-
union stand of the operators and

tutional Convention of the IWA in
Sacramento, gave a detailed report
to the meeting. The meeting
voted to accept the report with
thanks.

H. Valley, IWA Local 1-80 sec-
retary, also gave a report on Local
activities and requested the mem-
bership to support the Labor Day

all the points asked by the union,
or even all the recommendations
of the government-appointed ar-
bitration board,” Morgan said, “but
we feel they provide a basis for a
settlement which, in view of the ur- | ~
gency of the war situation and the | |
need for uninterrupted and in-
creased production of spruce for
Mosquito bombers, should be adopt-
ed.”

“It is the absolute minimum we
could agree to,” said Harold Prit-
chett, “and if the operators do not
accept, and we hear no more over
the week-end from Ottawa concern-
ing the strike vote, I am flying
there immediately to see Minister
of Labor Hon. Humphrey Mitchell.”

‘The QCI operators were repre-

M.V. ANNART

Immigration Resolution
Unanimously Endorsed

unanimously, IWA International Convention,
Sacramento, Calif, August 18th, 1943,

The death toll in B.C. lumber
this week rose to 41 with the re-
port of two more deaths reach-
ing the District

Office.

We regret to] A]
report the death | yooaworken
of a member of have been
the executive | killed in B.0?s
of Local 1-80, lumber in-
Bro. William | dustry since
Moore, who Jan. 1, 1943

iedetronne <2
juries sustained after being struck
by an exploding cylinder of a gas
donkey engine. He was employed
as a mechanic at the workings of
the Comox Logging and Railway
Company near Ladysmith, and
leaves a wife and daughter at
Ladysmith to mourn his passing.
Brother Moore, who was an active
and popular member of the IWA,
will be greatly missed by his fellow
officers and memibers of the Lady-
smith Sub-Local.

We also regret to announce the
fatal accident of a 15-year-old boy,
Robert Bowe, who was killed at
ERT Camp 9.

In July, the government froze
all canned goods. The status of
the logging industry in respect to
this order was taken up with the
good administration at Ottawa and
assurances have been received that
they appreciate the needs of B.C.
lumber and are endeavoring to
complete arrangements to provide
a reasonable supply of canned
goods for logging camps.

asking the Federal Department of | dance which has been arranged by
Labor to take immediate action in the Local union.

District Council Aids QCI;
Sends Leaders To CCL Conv.

VANCOUVER.—In a special meeting of the IWA-CIO B.C. District
Council last week, delegates representing every woodworker’s local
union in the province reiterated the demand that the.operators must
be compelled to observe the recommendations of the arbitration award
reorganizing the IWA as collective bargaining agent and urging the
operators to sign a union agreement. ‘:

Harold Pritchett, District Council President of the International
Woodworkers of America, is expected to leave for Ottawa within the
next few days to interview Labor Minister Humphrey Mitchell unless
the Labor Department immediately abandons its policy of evading
IWA requests for action on a strike vote in a number of Queen
Charlotte Islands logging camps where operators have refused to
accept the recommendations of an arbitration award instructing them
to sign a union agreement. 5

This was the decision of a joint meeting of IWA Local 1-71 and
District Council Executive Members here this week where plans were
laid for further action to avoid the threat of an employer-proyoked
tie-up in the vital spruce logging industry.

Other decisions arrived at include: >

Establishment of a special fund for the. Queen Charlotte Islands
loggers “to be used in case emergency should arise in the 2-year-old
dispute over the right to collective bargaining.

Local 1-71 will immediately apply for certification as the collective
bargaining agency for all employees of Aero Timber Products in the
Queen Charlottes. Camps operated by-this company are not included
in the award handed down by the federal arbitration board.

The meeting also elected Nigel Morgan, International Board Mem-
ber and former IWA representative on the National Executive Council
of the Canadian Congress of Labor, together with District President
Pritchett to attend the CCL Convention in Montreal next week to
ask lifting of the IWA’s suspension. $