fe THE

B.C. "LUMBER WORKER

Published Every Second Monday by
INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO)
DISTRICT COUNCIL NO. 1
Editor: BERT MELSNESS (on Jeave, Canadian Army)

é Managing Editor: JACK GREENALL
Room 504-Holden Building — EROS: PAcific 4151 — Vancouver, B.C.
The deadline for stories for the coming issue is 4 p.m, Thursday,
December 14,

A Reactionary Plot

must be apparent now, to organized labor and the the general
public, that the reactionary Progressive Conservatives, in plunging
Canada into a national crisis on the issue of conscription, did so for
the sole purpose of overwhelming the Government and assuming power.
The facts show that this culminates an extensive campaign, extending
over a period of many months, and is part of an over-all plaf to drive
democracy backward.

Premier Drew, of the province of Ontario, who was elected to power
by a minority in that province, made a vicious attack on the Federal
Government's plan of family allowances and all other social legislation
of a progressive character—at the same time refusing to implement
his twenty-one-point programme that he promised the electorate during
his campaign.

‘We well remember the flying trip that Premier Drew made to the
battle fronts of Europe for the purpose (so he said) of getting a

‘ first-hand picture of the situation. Obviously this was done for the
purpose of continuing a campaign, based on the allegation that our
armed forces were insufficiently trained and equiped for offensive war-
fare, to stir up trouble and lay a basis for attacking the Federal
Government. The Progressive Conservative Party in Canada, in order
to forward its reactionary, narrow, partisan aims, stirs up race hatreds
in an attempt to divide English-speaking Canadians from French-
speaking Canadians.

In spite of the King Government's refusal to take the Canadian
people and organized labor into its full confidence, Canada’s contri-
bution to the war effort has been nothing short of a miracle—on the
production fronts, in the Victory Bond drives ,and in the man and
‘woman-power necessary to supplement our fighting forces in the field
of battle. In short, Canada’s war effort, in the past five years, takes
second place to none.

Our membership has, and will continue to give its full and unequivo-
cal support to, the Government in the future as in the past, to make
possible the early destruction of fascism in Europe and Asia or, for
that matter, anywhere it raises is ugly head. We emphatically condemn
the present attempted Tory seizure of power by the unprincipled use
of the conscription issue which can only result in weakening Canada’s
national unity, and thereby hamper our national war effort and morale.
Nothing but strong condemnation can we offer to those reactionary
elements found mainly in the Tory party who, in the interests of
their own partisan aims, would deliberately precipitate a bitter elec-
tion controversy and resultant crisis while our fighting men are en-
gaged in a life-and-death strugle with Hitler's Nazi hordes.

Woodworkers will strongly oppose any attempt or suggestion of
a general election at this time, promoted and organized by a small
reactionary and Tory group. They will urge the King Government to
give that quality of leadership that the war-government of Canada
and the Canadian people are entitled to expect. Further, they will
continue in their efforts to preserve and build Canada’s national
unity, high tempo of Canada’s war effort, so as to. return our fighting
men and women home, at the earliest possible moment. -

Unity Essential

As a result of the experience of labor in the United States, where
political action has become the most important weapon of organized
Jabor, labor in Canada is finally coming to a realization of what non-
partisan political action is and what it can do.

The attempts that were made at the recent CCL convention to
make PAC a political machine for one political party, have created a
situation that was untenable, to say the least. Joint action with the
AFL was impossible under such a set-up and the vast majority of
union members throughout Canada were opposed to such an isolated,
ineffective policy. H

As a result of this opposition, the National PAC meeting held re-
cently, adopted a resolution favoring non-partisan political action in
the interests of gaining legislation of concern, to workig people.

This is a important step and should, if carried out, make possible
united action of all trade unions in Canada on a legislative program.

Such a policy will enjoy the support of the IWA and it. is up to
our members anr locals to see to it that the leaders of the CCL-PAC
become fully aware of our demands in this regard—and further, that
we utilize this weapon to its fullest extent in all our future work,

Union Hiring Depends
On Your. Support

By DON BARBOUR, Hiring Hall Manager
EVERAL inquiries have come in from the boys at the point of
Production as to just how many men have shipped out through
the Union Hiring Hall, the classifications, etc. and perhaps that can
be answered in percentages like the Irishman who ran a logging
camp employing 500 men and two women. Every month Pat used to
put in a detailed report till at last the manager of the company ob-
jected to such lengthy reports and suggested he be only given in
Percentages the monthly occurences in camp, so Pat's next report
read: “This month 1/5 of 1 percent of the men married 50 percent of
the women.” However, I know many other people besides our own
union members are anxious to find out all about the business of the
Union Hiring Hall as well, and according to personal reports to me,
the Union Hiring Hall is not popular with other hiring sharks to say
the least.

This is a good sign and anyone who has worked in the woods for
any length of time must realize the importance of Union Hiring which
will be even more important when that long awaited, bitterly fought
for, glorious postwar period comes. The greatest boon to the workers
and peoples of the entire world -would be the unconditional surrender
of Hifler and Hirohito. In order to implement the plans already
in existence it is necessary that organized labor with all its strength
(don’t forget for a moment that Union Hiring does strengthen organ-
ized labor) must be enthused with the idea of winning the peace. As
surely as organized labor has put forth a wonderful effort by produc-
tion, by supporting war bond drives and every measure necessary to
win the war, so, can it be done to win the peace. However, to win the
peace, the plan is similar to that famous recipe for rabbit stew—
“first catch the rabbit.” So, in order to have.real peace, it first must
be obtained only on the utter defeat of Fascism.

A young fellow called at the Union Hiring Hall a short time ago
looking for work, who has never worked at manual labor in all his
life. He came to our Hall because he had heard one of our district
officers speak at a meeting which he had attended and the words
of the speaker impressed him that organized labor had a program of
benefit to everybody. He was somewhat surprised when he found
out from me that all lumber workers were not-as yet in the IWA and
hiring out only through their own Hiring Hall. He could not under-
stand how anyone working in lumber could not see their best inter-
ests were in their organized strength. This young man has a college
education, never worked in the woods, and while I never had a college
education and have worked in the woods for a quarter of a century,
we agree exactly.

Now, Brothers, the lesson I want to impress on each of you from this
report is this: If the words of our District Officer can bring some
results, it surely must follow that the many words you can use in every
day life, among those you come in contact with, and who are unfamiliar
with Union Hiring, can do a great deal to assure that never again
will the union logger, seeking employment at an honest wage and fair
working conditions, be subjected to the whims and caprices of a boss-
controlled anti-union hiring shark,

The Union Hiring Hall must suffer no net-back in its steady march
forward to 100 percent Union Hiring.

Don’t Swallow “Hate Bait”

Dropping into a beer parlor the
other day (strictly on a tour of
inspection), I walked right into an,
argument. I have been in many of
these kind of chin fests in the *s
past and usually manage to come
out with flying colors. (i do not
refer to my nose either, as the
editor unkindly suggests).

To get back to the discussion,
the subject was about the union
shop. The guy who provided the
opposition (I noticed he didn’t buy
either) maintained that the union
shop was undemocratic.

I had with me a clipping that
an admirer from across the line
had sent me (by the way, the edi-
tor tells me that hundreds of re-
quests for B.C. Lumber Workers
are coming in from U.S. locals
since the convention and I am
told they are mainly interested in
my column). To get back to this
clipping here it is:

“What's all this in the papers
about the open shop?” asked Mr,
Hennessey, :

“Why, don’t ye know?” said Mr.
Dooley. “Really I’m surprised at
yer ighorance, Hinnissey. What is
the open shop? Sure, ’tis wheer
they kape the doors open to ac-
commodate the constant stream
of min comin’ in ¢ take jobs
cheaper than the min that has th’
job. ’Tis like this, Hinnissey: Sup-
porse wan av these free-born citi-
zens is working in an open shop
fr the princely wage of wan large
iron dollar a day av tin hours.
Along comes anither son-ov-a-gun
and sez t th’ boss, ‘Oi think oi
could handle th’ job nicely fr 90
cints.”

“‘Sure’ sez the boss, and th’
wan dollar man gets out into th’
crool woruld t’ exercise his inalien-
able reights as a free-born Ameri-
can citizen an’ scabs on some oth-
er poor divil. An’ so it goes on,

“| Hinnissey, An’ who gits th’ bene-

fit? Thrue, it saves the boss’ money,
but’ he don’t care no more fr
money thin he does fr his right
eye.

“It's all principle wid him. He
hates t’ sge men robbed av their
indipindence, regardless av every-“
thing else.”

“But,” says Mr. Hennessey,
“these open-shop min ye menshun
say they ore f'r unions if properly
conducted.”

' “Sure,” said Mr. Dooley, “if
properly conducted, An’ there we

| are; an’ how would they have thim

conducted? No rules, no contracts,

no scales, hardly iny wages, an’

damn few members.” €
The argument didn’t last long

after that. Our opposition got up
and left. Still without buying.
‘Now boys the way Seeretary
Gladys Shunaman of Local 1-217
is filing receipts these last few
weeks is certainly a good indica-
tion that the mill men are getting
behind their union and are going
to make their respective plants
100 percent union. This is the way
to get the union shop. =!

So long, boys,