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Page Two

BC. LoncenttiWorken

Published Every Second Monday by
INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO)
DISTRICT COUNCIL NO..1,. —
Editor: BERT MELSNESS (on leave, Canadian Army)
Managing Editor: JACK GREENALL
Room 504 Holden Building—Phone PAcific 4151—Vanconver, B.C.
e
The deadline for’ stories for the coming/issue is
Thursday, February 22, \(o°

4pm.

Legislative Action
1S tremendous gains that have been recorded-by’ the labor move-
ment in the province of British Columbia over the-period of the

last five years have not beén gained without a struggle.’ Starting
at the beginning of this period and using the IWA as an example,
we can see clearly the changed position of labor to what it was be-
fore the war. The IWA, as have other ynions, has increased its

membership many times oyer, has increased.its influence and built
up a wealth of respect in the minds of the general public,

Many of the gains made by labor have been in the form of
advanced legislation, designed to assist the working people to better
their living standards, strengthen their position economically, and
above all, to assist in contributing to the destruction of fascism.

Many will recall the intensive campaign conducted by labor two
years ago for amendments’ to the ICA Act. Later, for the passing
of PC 1008 and other legislation affecting “hours of work, overtime, |

improvements to the Compensation Act, ete, Labor has‘ done a|
wonderful job during these war years and has earned recognition for |

its accomplishments. |

Today, as was the case'two years ago, labor has a program. A|
program that is directed towards strengthening our democracy and |
the building of a peace that will guarantee jobs and security for all. |
While a great many employers have declared themselves in support
of this program, it is unfortunate that there are a few (and these
in the main are very powerful) that are doing their utmost to defeat
this purpose. Labor has taken upon itself a big job in this coming
period.. It will need legislation to protect its organization and to
assist, our country in winning the peace.

It is well that'most unions in B.C, recognize this responsibility
and are doing all they can to support labor’s demands in this legisla-
tive sitting now opened at Victoria. Labor cannot afford to slacken
the pressure at this time, but must build up and strengthen the
popular demand for progressive legislation in such a manner that
all opposition may be overcome. The B.C. Federation of Labor pro-
vides CCL unions with the machinery, it is up to local unions to
supply the power.

A Safety Program

ee city of Nanaimo during the week of January 29th to February

2nd saw an event that can be regarded as an historical one in the
history of the woodworking industry of British Columbia. An ex-
tensive program for job safety training throughout this province
received a major boost when representatives of government, man-
agement, and labor sat down together to receive instructions on how
to improve safety conditions in this industry.

‘The logging industry of B.C. is notorious for its high accident
rating. According to figures of the Workmen’s Compensation Board
and the Safety Department, there were’ approximately 12,000 men
employed in the logging camps of British Columbia in 1943. 48 men
were killed that year, or appoximately 17 men killed for each billion
feet of logs taken out of the woods. There were 4254 accidents in
1944 in the woods, costing not only a tremendous death toll and suf-
fering, but over one and a quarter million dollars. Theso figures
indicate that approximately one out of every three loggeta working
in our camps last year were injured, resulting in three or mdte days
of time loss in production, lost earning power, ang suff¢ting to the
employee as well as additional compensation costs.to industry.

Read the following staggering figures as released by the Work-
men’s Compensation Board of British Columbia: From 1927 to 1937
there was a total of 567 workers killed, 1760 permanently disabled,
and 33,897 workers injured. c

Obviously then, the reduction of accidents on the job constitutes
a serious problem; first, to eliminate suffering and time loss of the
workers; second, urgently required production for victory over Hitler;
and third, postwar prosperity and employment; as cost of accidents
is a reduceable factor in the cost of production.

Cooperation between labor, management, and government is
essential to save life, to win the war, and to win the peace. With
the steps that have now been taken, provided they are ¢onsistently

THE B.C. LUMBER W

| attention of our members resolution No. 6, in supplement 17 of the

| action will be for everyone to utilize it.

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ORKER_

Union Hiring Depends
On Your Support

By DON BARBOUR, Hiring Hall Manager

‘TZ adoption of a plan is not as essential as what we do with that

plan after it has been adopted and it is true our District has
planned Union Hiring as the future way of dispatching men to the
job in the lumber industry which will eventually, as a matter of
course, cover the sawmills as well. I wish therefore to bring to the

report of the IWA as follows—convention action concurrence.

“Therefore be it resolved, that we, the Internatjonal Wood-
workers of America, put forth all possible effort to put solid
union hiring into effect by whatever means are necessary,
except that for the duration of the war emergency period, it
shall not be a subject of industry negotiations.”

As the program of the IWA is founded on resolutions adopted
by a majority vote in convention, the adoption of the above resolu-
tion makes very clear the duty of each individual member of the
IWA and while Union Hiring will not be a subject of negotiations
while the guns of the Allied Nations are sounding the death knell of
fascism, let each one prepare as the resolution states in part “to
put solid union hiring into effect by whatever means are necessary.”
The quickest and most effective way “to put solid union hiring into
effect” is for those, at the points of production, to demand of their
respective employers the right to hire only through their own Union
Hiring Hall and be ready at the proper time to refuse to hire any
other way, and as the Hiring Hall is established the only necessary

With international events shaping up as they are. another meet-
ing of the Big Three from which will come the program for the final
destruction of German fascism and a just peace, again we will find
a program or plan and that program or plan will only be effective
if we make it so. The program as adopted by our convention de-
manding union hiring, check-off and union shop, will be the best
means of effecting within the lumber industry decent working hours |
wages and conditions for all who are able and willing to work. Cer-
tainly men who worked in the lumber industry since the end of the
last war( the grim reaper has not taken them all, although the ac-
cident figures have thinned the ranks), do not need to be reminded
of the necessity of our organization controlling the hiring, but the
younger workers can take heed of this oft repeated warning. Most
of you have read of the huge lobby of nearly all the industrialists
of B.C. as well asthe Canadian Manufacturers Association lately at
the legislature in Victoria where they demand Union Shop and check- |
off be not enacted by law. : |

Perhaps this could be summed up best by a chance remark of |
a worker I knew over 25 years ago, when he said “anything the boss |
does not want, I do,” and as the thought is father of the deed, 100%
Union Hiring, Union Shop, and Check-off will be a fact in the ea

period of peace if we follow the program of the IWA and not follow |
individuals no matter how radical or progressive they may sound. |

Yf

Y

wy

for the relief of Ladysmith (th

| were falling over there.”
‘talk natuarally led to how

| never

Your old bull cook did

is Ladysmith, South A\
Ladysmith, V.L., although T he
Ladysmith, V.I., is not @ :
bad now) and live all these
yvening years without /
what some people might class
an education. During these
T have participated in many
movements and trade unions
practised . different — tacties
various periods of time.

In talking with an old
dinavian friend of mine over
glass of stuff that cheers
bought it) he said, “My county
is fighting for its very exi
ence,” and that “the people
this country are doing the s;
the only difference was the bo
Si

should conduct’ themselves he:
He maintained, the war eff
should take. precedence over
else by everyone including
lumber workers. .

Then I sez to him, sez*l,
hear a hell of’ lot of talk about
the, no-strike pledgé being a sel
out of all of laliér’s rights, th
to cooperate with the bosses
this time ~will® spoil labo
chance of getting better hours,
wages, conditions, ete, but mark
you well, my friend, most of:
comes from “people who eith
aw a picket line or to
down notices of meetings when
he IWA tried to-get into diff
ent plants. They either went
through the picket line or to
a foreign country until
strike was over thus dodging:
of that work that goes
strike action,” I sez.

“Further,” I sez, “I know a
guy who helped pull the p
off Slim Evans in Regina,
has eaten jail mush in Franc
jails in Spain, who fought
months for a. job as echokem
and is working for the same co
pany at present and was very
instrumental getting the
crew back after the Christ
holidays. He is highly reg
by both management and or
in fact in the recent vote
delegates to the CCL conven
ir Quebec, he got the
highest vote in Local 1-71.

Dammit, I can’t help but
this lad’s program is quit
tune with the present histo
development. In other words,
practices. as an individual
program of organized
says what he means and mes
what he says, not like the ¢ ol
man who said to his frien
wife snores in her slep.”
friend said, “Ah sez, she
The first speaker said, “W!
you say, black boy?”
replied, “Ah sez,
So Jong, ‘boys.

AT

Figs

REGISTER |

and agressively carried out, will go a long way towards reducing this
terrible toll. it oes eet

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