T ) THE B.C, LUMBER wore

Sawmill News.

“Every Reader a Correspondent”

REPORTS

‘We fel that we can get away with
pit of an editorial this week in
view of the recent developments
in connection with the District

Wide Negotiations.

It is our opinion that the negoti-
ating of this agreement is without
a doubt the biggest thing that has
ever happened in the history of our
union, for that matter in the en-
tire movement in this province, at
Jeast for some time. We also be-
lieve that it has knocked the last
argument of the non-union men for

_ the proverbial “row of ashcans.”

‘What sensible argument can now
be brought against the union. (For
that matter was any argument
against it ever sensible.) The union
hhas repeatedly proven that it can
improve wages, hours and work-
ing conditions, It has further prov-
en that it is a responsible organ-

_ization, and the beauty of the whole
thing is that the union is a com-
pletely democratic organization.

The accomplishments that have
been made are due to (1) the or-
ganized strength of the IWA and
(2) to the unity which has been
achieved between our own and
other unions. Now is the time to
really lIaunch an organizational
campaign to bring. in the other
15,000 woodworkers in this prov-
ince.

And now for a little news about
the mills:

Timber _Preserves report that
there are only five men outside
the-ranks of the union in that
mill. One hundred percent mem-
bership is expected soon.

Mohawk reports that atendance
thas picked up at the sub-local

_ meetings. Interest in the agreement
is given as the cause of the activ-

ity.

‘The B.C. Manufacturing boys re-
port that the gate meetings there
are haying a good effect there.

___ ‘They are wondering, however, why
the superintendent didn’t ask any
questions when Pres. Pritchett was
over. They seem to think that he

was afraid he might get too good
answers,

CWP reports that organizational
gains there are oustanding. Thirty-
one members were signed up in
one day following the opening of
district wide negotiations.
Hammond Cedar sends in the re-
‘port that the management is not
very cooperative in the matter of
making adjustments in the wage
‘schedule and insists that it must
maintain the old setup of sliding
i 5, ete. The recent award of
War Labor Board in the You-
case should settle the whole
tion. By the way it is the same

is reported that Local 1-217
now want an educational
and intend to bring the

Shows Big Increase

At a meeting held on Nov. 18 for the crew of Horton’s
Shingle Mill, which has been organized practically 100 percent

for some time, Brother Wainscott as secretary of the local,
was instructed to apply for certification on the first of De-, sepaartion notices to approximately sixteen girls, stating that

cember. They: also unanimously adopted the draft agreement due to the shortage of logs it was necessary, at this time, to

presented to them as a basis for negotiations with the company,
and elected Brothers Pritchett,

their Bargaining Committee. Bro-
ther Delmas reports that the situ-
ation at Macarters is much the
same as at Hortons, having 90 per
cent of the crew now in the Union,
with the membership looking for-
ward to being certified also.

The past month has been a very
successful one, inso far as getting
the mill workers in this area into
the Union. At Camerons alone,
sixty new members have been sign-
ed up since Nov. 1st. So far the
Chinese and Hast Indians are lead-
ing the way in this particular op-
eration, which says very much for
them. However, from the rumors
that are floating around, there is
a large majority of the Whites, who
are not yet members, just waiting
for the next meeting to get in this
honorable crusade of the Wood-
workers,

Remember, all that is necessary
is to have 51 percent of any opera-
tion in the Union for a period of
three months or more, and they
automatically come under the in-
dustry wide agreement, granting
them holidays with pay, union
recognition, seniority rights, and
many other things very beneficial
to the woodworkers,

So come on, you Cameron work-
ers, let's make your plant 100 per-
cent Union by the end of the year.
You are working in the largest
mill in Victoria, therefore it is up
to you to lead-the way for the
sawmills. The other millworkers
here are looking to you to give
this lead, so don’t let them down.

Lemon-Gonnason’s crew are

Royal City
Sub-Loecal Elects
New Officers

The officers of the Royal City
Mill Sub-local have changed. Mr.
E. Hansen is new President. Mr.
Eric Ebbe, Secretary, H. Holm,
Shop Steward. There has also
been a Grievance Committee ap-
pointed and it is represented by
Harry Foden,'Don Griff and Eric
Soderholm. A number of new
members have signed up but there
are still some hiding behind the
lumber pile. It is expected how-
ever, that they will come out and
join up when they see how things
Bo.

So come on boys, let us help
ourselves and while helping our-
selves we are helping our fellow
worker,

feel that this is an excellent idea
that should be instituted immedi-
ately. Local 217 seems to be get-
ting the jump on the rest with a

lot of things.

MacDonald, and Wainscott as

progress, with Moore-Whittingtons |
and all other operations coming
along nicely. Af present we are
trying to arrange a meeting for,
the entire crew of Pemon.Gonne|
sons, for the purpose of electing
a grievance committee to take up
the question of wages. To elect
such a committee legally, neces-
sitates having a majority of the
employees present. So keep on
the lookout for this all important
meeting; remember it is for your
benefit, therefore it is your duty
to attend. The wages in your
plant at present are a disgrace
to the lumber industry, and the
easiest way to remedy this is to
come to the meeting en masse.

At a meeting held on Nov. 15th
and 17th, for the Chinese and East
Indians, very ably addressed by
Brothers Roy Mah and Darshan
Singh Sangha, the entire turnout
of some forty or more joined the
Union. We are looking forward
through the continued co-opera-
tion of these two Brothers, to hav-
ing all the Chinese and East Ind-
ian workers members of the Union
in the very near future.

Local 217 To
Ballot On

Benefits

Final voting on the ammend-
ments of the By-laws of Local
1-217 to include the death and sick
benefit fund will take place at
the next Local union meeting to
be held on Sunday December 12th.
Further important matters to be
dealt with at the meeting will be
the election of delegates to the
Annual District Convention to be
held in New-Westminster and the
opening of the nominations for
officers for the coming year.

Commenting on the subject, Sec-
retary Doreen McCorkindale stat,
ed, “It is important that every
member attend the meeting on
December 12th as the By-laws re-
quire that any amendment requires
an affirmative vote of more than
50 percent.”

All Work Guaranteed

Service Jewelers

Dealers in Diamonds,
Watches and Jewelry

EXPERT WATCH & JEWELRY
REPAIRING

H. Zlotnik, Mgr.
28 E, HASTINGS —_ Vancouver

Victoria Membership [Sitka Spruce Layoff

Is Protested By Union

Last week Sitka Spruce Company at False Creek issued

will be returning to farms in the:
spring. Further, ‘the Sitka Spruce
Company has at the present time
large numbers of part time work-
ers (ie. workers who through ar-

‘reduce forces. At the same time it is reliably reported by Shop
‘Stewards of Local 1-217 that the Company is continuing to
running a very close second to hire male workers who they term seasonal workers sas several
that of Camerons in the way of of these so hired have told union representatives that they

rangement with Selective Service
work evenings to assist in increas-
ing production,) still employed in
the factory.

The Union has taken the matter
up with the officials of Selective
Service who are at the present
time investigating this action by
the Company. “Unless some ac-
tion is taken and the situation is
clarified immediately the union
will be. forced to believe that the
Company is attempting to défeat
the application for certification ©
which -it is expected will be made
in the near future by IWA Local
1-217,” stated George Pulling In-
ternational Representative in Van-
couver.

PAY OFF DEBTS - DON'T MAKE NEW ONES

Labor Scores Col. Edgett’s
Instructions To Bosses

A recent document published by Colonel C. E. Edgett of
the Industrial Association of British Columbia is being roundly
condemned this week by labor organizations through the prov-
ince. The document which is an explanation to employers on
how to conduct collective bargaining, is very interesting and
copies have been sent out by the District Council to all locals
and sub-locals in this district. Indicative of the type of material
it contains is the following quotation taken from the suggestions

for bargaining on the wage issue:

“The union negotiators invariably expect the management
to offer much less than it will ultimately agree to do, and always

anticipate three or four better of-
fers before a final agreement is
reached. Whatever the initial and
subsequent offers of the manage-
ment may be, it is preferable for
them to be expressed in cents per
hour, rather than in percentage
advance in hourly rates, Percent-
ages mean very little to the great
unwashed who- usually constitute
the majority of any negotiating
committee.

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