@. B.C. LUMBER WORKER ©

Page Three

LETTERS

Sawmill News

“Every Reader a Correspondent”

REPORTS

CHIPS and
SAWDUST

By GREEN-CHAIN PETE

The story of the week is the one
where the fellow down on False
Creek got up in a meeting to plug
for a company union and then
fell over in a dead faint. We pre-
sume that his conscience must have
dealt him a knockout blow.

Our congratulations to the very
energetic shop stewards at the
Eburne Sawmill. They have been
doing such a fine job that the
mill is now well on the way to
being organized. They are now
planning to set up a sub-local.

This week a new sub-local was
established at Brownsville where
ninety-five percent of the fifty-four
employees are meinbers of the
union. A five cent raise went with
the formation of the union in this
mill. Officers elected were Chair-
man C. Binnington and Secretary
R. Baker.

<fhree more shingle mills start-
ed organizing this last week. The
boys are really going to town ac-
cording to all reports. Even the
local office is now permeated with
the odor of cedar and it really
smells good.

Loss estimated at $40,000 was oc-
casioned by a fire which destroyed
a large quantity of felled and
bucked timber, a donkey engine
and other equipment on Lake Log-
ging Company timber holdings at
Cowichan Lake, recently. All losses
are covered by insurance.

When in VANCOUVER
Stop at

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303 Columbia Avenue

MAr. 3757

Loggers, Shipyard Workers, Lab-
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HOME OF TASTY-MEALS

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Hastings Steam Baths
764 EAST HASTINGS ST.
Government Registered Masseurs
in Attendance
J, WEPSALA, Prop.

Also Agent for . . . Norwegian and
American Steamship Lines

6240 ALWAYS OPEN

Word was received on Frid.

Local 1-357 IWA-CIO, held
Legion Hall, New Westminster,

down to the business of the unio:

IWA Local 1-217
Sponsors Rallies

On Sunday, September 26, mem-
bers of the IWA Local 1-217 met
in the Canadian Legion Hall, 49th
and Fraser St, where we heard
an address by Harvey Murphy, In-
ternational representative of the
International Mine, Mill and Smel-
ter Workers, GJO. Brother Murphy,
in his address, dealt mainly with
the question of political action and
outlined the steps taken at the
recent convention of the Canadian
Congress of Labor, where affilia-
tion of the CCF was recommended.
Brother Murphy stated that if the
CCF were prepared to give Labor
Unions representation on its execu-
tive and: its conventions on the
same basis as the British Labor
Party gives British trade unions,
then he would be wholeheartedly
in support of the trade unions af-
filiation to the CCF.

Secretary .Melsness outlined
briefly to the meeting the latest
developments in the QCI dispute
and appealed to the workers to
contribute one day’s pay to the
Queen Charlotte Island Support
Fund. Also, introduced to the meet-
ing was Mr, MacOdrum of the
National War Finance Committee
who spoke briefly on purchasing
the Fifth Victory Loan Bonds.

On the same evening Local 1-217
held a special meeting at the For-
ester Hall for the employees of
the Sitka Spruce Lumber Com-
pany. The meeting was addressed
by John MecPeake, former organiz-
er for the IUMM & SW and is
at present working in the ship
yards in the city. The meeting was
well attended and Brother Mc-
Peake’s address was enjoyed by
all. Another meeting is expected
in the near future. :

MODERN and OLD-TIME

DANCING

EVERY WED, AND SAT.
All Modern Every Friday.

Hastings Aulitorium
828 East Hastings

MODERATE RENTAL RATES

JARBITRATION BOARD GRANTED
IN CIRCLE 'F’ MILL DISPUTE

lay that the Minister of Labor

had granted the request of I.W.A. Local 1-357 for the establish-
ment of a Board of Arbitration to hear evidence in their dispute
with the Canadian Western Lumber Co. The unions’ member
on the Board is William Burgess, Secretary of the U.F.F.U.

their monthly meeting at the
with an excellent attendance.

After listening to an excellent address by Mr. MacOdrum on
behalf of the Fifth Victory Bond Drive, the membership got

mn. First came filling the vacan-

cies of the members of the executive who have left for other

industries. Unanimously elected as
trustees were the following,

George Langstaff, Tommy Kipp
and Dave Anderson.

The officers reported that for-
mal application to the Minister of
Labor G. S. Pearson for a board
of arbitration had been made and
that Wm. Burgess, secretary of
the powerful Fishermen’s Union
had been nominated as Union Rep-
resentative.

District President Harold Prit-
chett reported on the Canadian
Congress of Labor Convention, in
which in his opioion was outstand-
ing in spite of a few weaknesses.
The convention is on record for all
out production and no strike policy
in the interest of the war effort.

The opening of a second front
on the continent in the immediate
future and calling for full trade
union unity of all labor in Canada
and instructed the incoming offi
cers to make application for affi
ation to the Anglo-American Soviet
International Labor Committee.

The political action resolution
had the support of every delegate
in the convention but objections
were raised on affiliation with the
CCF unless the CCF’ were prepar-
ed to accept Labor on a true
democratic representation basis.
Following the report the motion
was made that we immediately af-
filiate to the CCF and instruct the
delegates of this Local to fight for
affiliation to the District Council.
Many of the delegates expressed
themselves opposed to such a step
without some guarantee of Board
representation. The motion was
then ammended to establish a com-
mittee to investigate possible af-
filiation and the substitute motion
was accepted by the chair that
we affiliate with no political party,
which was unanimously endorsed
with the exception of one dissent-
ing vote.

Two delegates were elected to
meet with all trade unions re-
gardless of affiliation in the city
of New Westminster to establish
a New Westminster Trade Union
Co-ordinating Committee.

The business agent reported that
application will be made immedi-
ately for arbitration in the Mo-
hawk Lumber Co, Sub-local.

Lower Mainland Millmen Want Union Bargaining

bargain through legitimate,

Alaska Pine Crew Votes 326 To 44 In
Favor of IWA Local-1-357

Independent and “Company Unions” in British Columbia
lumbering industry are on the way out. Recent developments
show decisively the desire on the part

of the mill workers to

democratic trade unions. The IWA
has scored several overwhelming victories in retent weeks,
one of the most outstanding of which was registered in the

Alaska Pine when the employeés®
of that company who had been bar-
gaining through the Alaska Pine
Employees Advisory Committee
voted 326 to 44 in favor of disband-
ing the present committee in favor
of the IWA.

The relationship between the
union, IWA Local 1-357 and the
company, have at all times been
excellent, with the management of
the company agreeing that the em-
Ployees should have the right to
choose by democratic vote the bar-
gaining agency which they desire
and further agreeing to recognize
the agency so chosen. It is our
sincere hope that in the near fut-
ure a union agreement will be
signed between the Alaska Pine
Company and the IWA Local 1-357.

A decisive blow to company
unions was struck last week when
the employees of the Sitka Spruce
Lumber Company in Vancouver
voted 132 to 58 in favor of terminat-
ing their present so-called “Em-
ployees Association.” The desire
for trade union bargaining by the
employees of this company is
shown by the fact that they have
organized themselves into Local
1-217 of the IWA. The speed in
which the majority of the employ-
ees in this plant have bene organ-
ized into a union exceeds all re-
cent records. The management of
Sitka Spruce would be well advised
to adopt the attitude of coopera-
tion such as the Alaska Pine Com-
pany has done and allow their em-
Ployees to freely bargain through
the agency of their choice, the In-
ternational Woodworkers of Am-
erica, Local 1-217.

LIGHT CRUISERS

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4
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Or Order Direct
from

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& CO.

63 West Cordova St.
MAr. 7612

JOHNSON’S

Vancouver

SINGLE MEN
SEEK GUARANTEE

At the last meeting of the Shingle
Mill Sub-Local at Boundary Road
the membership voted unanimous-
ly to make application to the Regi-
onal War Labor Board for an in-
crease for all laborers paid by the
hour and for the establishment of
a guarantee for the Sawyer and
Packers. The guarantee being
asked is $110 an hour for sawyers
and a probable 75 cents an hour for
packers,

It is understood that in several
smaller shingle mills in the district
higher wages are paid on the deck
and on all hourly wages. In the
Huntington’ & Merritt mill at Mar-
pole $1.10 guarantee for sawyers
has ben in effect for some time.
The decision to request guarantee
was brought about by a lack of tim-
ber for the sawyers which amounts
to nothing more or less than a wage
cut as sawyers and packers are on
a piecework system. The local of-
ficials are confident of a favorable
award,

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