— BC Lem

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

Vol. XIV. No. 19

VANCOUVER, B.C., SEPTEMBER 10, 1945

East End <=> Printers

(852),

——

National Campaign Under Way
For 40-Hour Week, 48 Hrs. Pay

Congress Unions To
Unite Efforts For
Security Measures

The forty-hour work week with no reduction in take-

Civic Elections

Within the next few months many cities and muni
palities in the Province of British Columbia will be in the
midst of Civic elections. The citizens of these cities and
communities will be required to elect government representa-
tives closest to the people.

Postwar rehabilitation plans for our armed services and
the wartime industry dorker must be made effective. City
and municipal governments must accept their share of the
responsibility. In view of this the election of labor and pro-
gressive candidates to these governments, becomes extremely
important, IF YOU ARE A TENANT, SEE THAT YOU
ARE ON THE VOTER’S LIST, AND ON ELECTION
DAY SEE THAT YOU VOTE. DON’T DELAY! MOST
ee ES CLOSE THEIR LISTS THIS
Mi i

Petition Repudiated
By Youbou Membership

A well attended, and one of the most successful meetings held
for sometime by IWA Local 1-80, took place in. Youbou, Thursday,
September 6th. Over 400 members of the local turned out to testify
before a special International Committee, on the advisability of
installing charters within the jurisdiction of the local. The Invest-
igating Commission came about as a result of a petition presented
by T. Watson, former Vice-President of the Youbou sub-local. The
officers of the sub-local circulated a petition opposing splitting of
the Local and obtained 185 names of members in good standing, 87

home pay is one of the major demands being put forward
by the Canadian labor movement as a partial solution to im-
mediate postwar problems. Returning from an executive
meeting of the Canadian Congress of Labor last week, Har-
oid Pritchett, IWA District President announced that a
nation-wide campaign is beng launched for this and other

nin Removal

Of Organizer

George Brown, Director of Or-
ganization IWA-CIO has been
requested to immediately recall
Mike Sekora, International Re-
presentative from the Mission
area. Sekora was sent recently
by Brown to work in Local 1-367
and earned the condemnation of
the Local Executive by econduct-
ing a vicious tirade against el-
ected Local and District officers,
aecording to a report given by
Frank Gaglardi, Local President
at a District Council Executive
Board meeting held September
5th,

Asked by an Executive mem-
ber during a meeting in Mission
what his purpose was in the area,
Sekora stated his intentions were
to “get rid of the District Of-
ficers.” The Local has demanded
his immediate withdrawal and
the District Council Executive
Board, with George Mitchell of
New Westminster dissenting, up-
held the Loeal’s position.

Gaglardi claims that it is im-
possible for the Local to extend
cooperation to Sekora as long
as he maintains his present at-
titude which is stirring up re-
sentment among the members,

of which repudiated the first
petition, stating they had signed
without knowing what it was
about.

It was admitted by the spon-
sors of the first petition, that
many names were of delinquent
members, non-union members,
and students, who have since left
the operations for school. ‘the
investigating commission con-
sisted of International Presi-
dent, Claude Ballard; Interna-
tional Secretary, Ed. Benedict;
International Board Member,
Nigel Morgan; District Presi-
dent, Harold Pritchett, and Dist-
rict Vice-President, Hjalmer
Bergren.

President Owen Brown of the
local called the meeting to order,
requesting Brother Watson to
present the case on behalf of the
sponsors of the petition for a
separate charter, and Brother
Gibson, Chairman of the sub-
local, to present the case against
the granting of the charter. The
meeting was then thrown open
for general discussion and ques-
tions were directed to the’ In-
ternational officers, as to the
legality of a petition bearing
signatures of delinquent mem-
bers and non-union workers.

Secretary Wilfrid Killeen of

IWA, Local 1-80, produced evi-
dence to show the connection be-

‘tween Brother Watson and the

plans to decentralize the locals

reconversion demands.

Strike Looms At
Bush. & Miller

Following a lengthy struggle
to get the Bush and Miller
Shingle Go. to sign an agreement
a strike vote was taken on
Thursday, August 23rd, in which
the crew voted overwhelmingly
in favor of strike action, The
taking of this vote was the climax
to negotiations which go back
for a year, during which time
the union used every possible
legal means including the win-
ning of an arbitration award to
achieve a peaceful settlement.

Following the vote a strike
committee was set up consisting
of Brothers Gallant, De Witte
and Cook, who notified the Fed-
eral and Provincial Ministers of
Labor as to the situation and re-
quested they use every means at
their disposal for a speedy and
peaceful settlement, which they
have agreed to do. Failing to
bring the company to time with-
in the next few days, the plant
will be called out without any
further delay.

into many chartered operations,
agreed on in the Malaspino Ho-
tel conference, attended by the
self-named “White Block.” Bro-
ther Killeen proceeded to show
that decentralization of the lo-
cals must create a division and
disunity, making the membership
vulnerable to employer attacks.
The meeting continued until 12.30
p.m., until it had exhausted the
long list of speeches and ques-
tions by the membership.

The motion was made, that the
illegal petition sponsored by
Watson be made the property of
the union, and that the Interna-
tional Board take no action in
granting any charters within the
jurisdiction of this local without
a referendum vote of the mem-
bership. The vote resulted in
three dissenting votes out of the

400 present.

“Because conditions make it
impossible to hold a convention
this year, the campaign will be
conducted by local unions, labor
ccuncils and provincial federa-
tions,” Pritchett... reported. “The
B.C. Federation is now prepar-
ing plans for mobilization of
CCL unions in the province for
the campaign.”

Main efforts will be centred
around securing amendments to
P.C. 1003 and the forty-hour
week, combined with government
action to prevent mass closure
of wan industries that could be
reconverted to peacetime pro-
duction.

The Congress executive met
with Labor Minister Mitchell
and Reconstruction Minister
Howe and informed the govern-
ment that labor was not being
informed of any plans for recon-
version and rehabilitation. “Hum-
phrey Mitchell agreed labor
should be taken into the govern-
ment’s confidence if peaceful and
orderly reconversion was to be
achieved,” Pritchett reported.

The proposed withdrawal of
the CCL from the World Trade
Union Federation was discussed
by the meeting and upon receiv-
ing assurances from the British
Trades Union Congress and from
the CIO that an amendment to
the constitution providing for
Canadian representation “on the
executive committee would be
supported, the council decided to
send a delegate. Secretary-Trea-
surer Conroy was elected as dele-
gate, with Executive Committee
member C. H. Millard as alter-
nate. It was also decided that,
in the event that provision was
made for a Canadian representa-
tive on the Executive Committee,
Secretary - Treasurer Conroy
would be the Congress nominee,
and that the Trades and Labor
Congress of Cayada should be
advised that the Canadian Con-
gress of Labor would be agree-
able to having alternate dele-
gates, in the event that the
Trades and Labor Congress of
Canada became affiliated with
the World Federation of Trade
Unions,

Tommy McDonald

McDonald Now
Business Agent

Tommy McDonald, formerly
IWA International Representa-
tive, has been elected to the posi-
tion of Business Agent for Lo-
cal 1-217, Vancouver. McDonald,
formerly of Chemainus mill was
zppointed to the International
Organizational staff August Ist,
1943, He was sent to Vittoria,
where he did an excellent job of
organizing that local. Later he

was mainly responsible for or-
ganizing Alberni Plywoods.

Brother McDonald was elected
at a well attended Local meeting
on Sunday, August 26th by a
vote of two to one. 4

Logger Dies
Of Injuries

The death toll in B.C. lumber
this week rose to 33.
Allan Clarence Dinsmore, who
was injured
33

during opera-
tions at Sum-
mit Logging

Woodworkers
have been | COMPany on
killedinBC’s | the Cowichan
Jumber in- | Lake road, Au-

gust 30th, died
September 5th
in hospital.
Dinsmore was married and lived
in Duncan.

Injuries were inflicted by the
lashing end of a broken main
line on a setting at the Lake
Cowichan camp. The coroner’s
jury declared death from acci-
dental injuries, with no blame

dustry since
Jan. 1, 1945

attached to anyone,