Official Publication, International Woodworkers of America,C.I.0., B.C. District Council No. 1

Vol. XIV. No. 17

Vancouver, B.C., August 13, 1945

East End 2% Printers (350)

B.C. Federation Of Labor Calls For
Unity; Will Lead 40 Hour Fight

Communications

Reestablished

Communications between Can-
ada and liberated countries of

Europe are being re-established | ©

and cables or mail may now be
sent to persons in most of the
areas that were once under ene-
my control,

Mail service has been re-
sumed to Belgium, Bulgaria,
the Channel Islands, Denmark,
the Dodecanese Islands, Finland,
Romania, Yugoslavia, France,
Greece, Norway, Poland, Es-
tonia, Latyia, Italy, Luxem-
bourg, Netherlands, and Lithu-
ania. Air mail service is avail-

Communication officials said
that cables now may be sent to
Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Den-
mark, Bulgaria, Norway, France,
Greeee, Finland, Romania, Bes-
sarabia, Bucovina, Holland, most
parts of Italy, Yugoslavia, Es-
tonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
Service to Poland has not yet
been re-established.

Canadians attempting to get
in touch with Canadian relatives
in the liberated countries may
obtain assistance from the De-
partment of External Affairs

RE-ELECTED FEDERATION EXECUTIVE—Left to right (seat-
ed): 1st Vice-Pres., Harvey Murphy; Pres., Danny O’Brien; Sec.,
Harold Pritchett; (CCL Vice-Pres., Alex McAuslane); 2nd Vice-
Pres., Alex McKenzie; (standing) Executive Members Tom Ostle,
William Sands, Corey Campbell and Malcolm MacLeod., ~*~

Local 1-80 Wins Check-off
Union Shop Agreement With

Convention Urges Federation

Set Up.Non-Partisan PAC

By HAROLD PRITCHETT, BCFL Sec’y.

Meeting in a two-day conventionn, with 120 delegates represent-
ing 68 affiliates of the Canadian Congress of Labor, the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor held their second annual convention in the Hotel Van-
couver Saturday and Sunday, August .4th and 5th, The convention
was officially opened by President Leary, of the Vancouver Labor
Council, and President O’Brien, of the Federation, presided. In his
opening remarks he called for greater effort on the part of the
affiliates, in this convention, in paying tribute to the many thous-
ands of men and women who have given their lives to make victory
possible over fascism. President O’Brien then introduced Alderman
Jack Price who welcomed the delegates to the city of Vancouver
on the part of the city council.

The convention gave serious consideration to the final efforts
necessary to accomplish a military victory over fascist forces 1n the
Pacific, as was accomplished in the defeat of Hitler in Europe.

Other distinguished speakers addressing the convention were:
Major General F .C. Worthington, V.C., on behalf of the Pacific
Command of the Canadian Army; James Thompson, of the Provin-
cial Department of Labor; William McKinstry, Director of Selective
Service; Mike McGeough, Executive Director, Regional War Labor
Board; Dr. Amyot, Director Provincial Health Department; Jack
Henderson, President Provincial Command of the Canadian Legion,
and Vice-President Alex McAuslane, speaking officially on behalf of
the Canadian. Congress of Labor. a “

The officers’ report adopted unanimously by the convention,
brought out the significance of Labor's Legislative Lobby, organized
in February of this year, which instituted the first Government-
Labor Committee in Canada. ‘ 2 i

In view of the fact that many more jobs will be required by
returning men and women, the convention has gone on record
favoring the forty-hour week, with no reduction in take-home-pay,
and that the Federation initiate a campaign petitioning all govern-
ment bodies for necessary amendments to Wartime Order-in-Council

Eight Lake Log Operations

District Council Supports Van.
American Can Steelworker Strike

The American Can Company strikers, members of
United Steelworkers of America, Local 2821, voted to return
to work, after fifteen days of strike, against the American
Can Company, Vancouver ,B.C.

‘This strike, which arose

out of a dispute between the

union and the company, over union security, after the full
process of Order-in-Council P.C, 1003 had been pursued,

focused national wide attention
on issues, directly affecting the
workers and the public. First,
the company has a monopolistic
stranglehold on the production of
cans, affecting every farmer and
primary producer west of Winni-
peg, and secondly, the total in-
adequacy of present labor legis-
lation, which organized labor has
continuously demanded that the
federal government amend, to
provide for union security, With
the administration of Order-in-
Council P.C. 1003, placed in the
hands of the provincial Minister
of Labor, by agreement between
the B.C, [Legislature and the
National War Labor Board, the
Cabinet, In the absence of
Premier Hart and Minister of
Labor George S. Pearson, on the
10th day declared the strike il-
legal, after the provincial De-
partment of Labor had for nine
days declared the strike legal.

with its employees, The company

in Vancouver, in carrying out the
tacties of the Canadian Manu-

facturers’ Association, are deny-
ing the employees their demo-
cratic right to union shop, even
though 95 percent of the employ-
ees are already members of the
union.

In returning to work, the
steelworkers marched with ranks
unbroken, from the union head-
quarters to the plant, on the
morning of the opening.

Federal Departmet of Labor,
in a special Order-in-Council or-
dering the return, have appointed
Chief Justice Richards of Winni-
peg to mediate the question in a
thirty-day period.

Organized labor everywhere
will support the ‘steel workers in
their just demand for union shop
and anxiously await the findings
of the Richards Commision.

Meeting ‘in regular session
August Ist, the IWA-CIO B.C,
District, Council unanimously en-
dorsed the strike and pledged
full support for a speedy and
just settlement. ry

Signing of the first mas-
ter agreement containing union
shop and check-off was an-
nounced this week by Wilf Kil-
leen, secretary of Local 1-80.
“The agreement, which was
signed last week with the Lake
Logging Company Limited con-
stitutes one of the best agree-
ments in any basic industry in
Canada,” Brother Killeen stat-
ed.

The contract, which was ne-
gotiated for the union by Nigel
Morgan, International Board
Member, George Grafton, Busi-
ness Agent; and Wilf Killeen,
Secretary; and for the company,
Mr. H. W. Hunter and Mr. K.
Scott, covers operations at
Rounds, Hill Log, Meads Creek,
Honeymoon Bay boom, shingle
mill and sawmill, Paldi Sawmill,
Lake Cowichan Log Lift and
Crofton,

Wages in all operations were
adjusted to the ceiling rates of
the Regional War Labor Board.
“An excellent spirit of co-opera-
tion prevailed throughout the
negotiations,” Secretary Killeen
stated; “with both parties ex-
pressing their desire for con-
tinued good relations through-
out the life of the agreement.”

Local 1-80, and particularly
the erew at Lake Log’s, opera-
tions, are to be congratulated for
their organization and consist-
ent union work, which made such

,tan excellent contract possible.

P.C. 9384, to bring about legis-
lation for the 40-hour week. This
campaign is to include a prov-
ince-wide referendum, urging
the officers of the Canadian
Congress of Labor to initiate a
similar campaign on a nation-
wide scale.

The convention \, considered
this as an immediate and neces-
sary step, if the standard of li
ing which has prevailed during
the war years, is to be main-
tained.

Amendments to Wartime Or-
der-in-Council P.C. 1003 were
urged, granting union security
be included in a full Federal La-
bor Code.

Full co-ordination of munici-
pal, provincial and Federal Gov-
ernments to speed up the hous-
ing program and an equitable
tax structure to provide ade-
quate old age pensions and na-

INTERIOR DEATH
BRINGS TOLL TO 32

Another death was added to
the rising toll of accidents,

bringing the to-
32

tal of deaths in
the lumbering
industry to 32

Woodworkers A

have been | 5° far in 1945.
KilledinBC’s | , George Gil.
lumber in- | [°sPie, a night

dustry since | Watchman for
Jan. i, 1945 Smith Sawmills
a) AD ATInatron ge,

B.C., was killed on July 30th,

when caught in revolving soe

ional health services. Recog-
nition of Labor-Veterans unity
in the interest of maintaining
union standards and wages, both
for veteran and worker was
seen in the acceptance of a pro-
posal to set up committees in all
local unions and the Federation,
to aid in rehabilitating veterans,
and to facilitate veteran parti-
cipation in trade union activity.

Highlighting the convention
on the question of unity was
a proposal which was almost
unanimously accepted . by the
delegates, requesting that the
B.C. Federation of Labor in-
coming executive, approach the
two working class political par-
ties, with view to having one
progressive candidate for labor
on which all progressive forces
could uphold and support.

The convention gave full en-
dorsement to the steel strikers
of the American Can Company,
and strongly condemned the
provincial Cabinet in declaring
the strike illegal on the 10th day.
~ Strong suspicions of the mo-
tives of a few government of-
ficials in the release of Canadian
fascist Adrien Arcand of Que-
bec. was seen in the unanimous
demand of the convention, that
the Government bring him to im-
immediate trial, as a traitor. The
Caadian Congress of Labor was
urged to participate fully in the
World Congress of Labor Confer-
ence to be held in the city of
Paris.

The incoming executive were
also instructed to conduct an ex-
oo atinued on page 8)

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