ment of our just demands, erpecielly ex our industry directly affect

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

John Ulinder,
Box 336,
Ladysmith, B. C.

VANCOUVER, B.C., APRIL 29, 1946

PRICE 5 CENTS (368)

OPERATORS" PROPOSALS REJECTED
NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE MAY 6

EDITORIAL
Negotiations

ATEST proposals of the employer representatives provides for a

12% cent per hour increase across the board, depending en-
tirely upon the union scrapping its just demands for a 40-hour
week and union security. A further provision is that the District
Negotiating Committee recommend acceptance and the membership
adopt it, while the employers’ representatives will recommend its
adoption to their clients.

Tt can be readily understood why the District Negotiating Com-
mittee rejects such a propos#l as impractical, First because 12%
cents per hour increase only constitutes the halfway mark on our
just wage demand and secondly, the employers’ hours of work
proposal is identical to the new provincial hours of work Act with
the exception that they propose time and one-half for all work
in excess of 44 hours in’ any one week. This is only a minor con-
cession on their part.

In the matter of union security that the IWA forewent during
the war years, it received no consideration, in fact in the employers’
opinion, warranted a flat “No.” It is the intention of your District
Negotiating Committee to explore every possibility for peaceful settle-

the housing problem of our nation and those countries devastated
by war.

"The responsibility for « strike of the entire woodworking industry
in the Province, rests with the employers who are concerned with
the problem of maintaining and extending profits at the expense
of the worker, and by forcing prices upward, utilizing threat of
general etrike at the expense of the people.

No stone will be left unturned to effect a peaceful settlement,
but if strike is necessary to obtain our just demands, then strike
it will be.

Of Things To Come...
tea se

1.W.A,
At LIARIES
we.

—Courtesy News-Herala

‘The negotiations meeting on April 29 was opened with
a statement by the union spokesman who said: “We are
rejecting the offer of 12c per hour increase, the 44-hour
week and no union security, as insufficient to meet the
original demands and do not consider these proposals would
in any way meet the requirements of our membership at
this time.” The statement was in reply to the last proposal

of the employers, which is as
“Stuart Research is prepared,
subject to the Union withdraw-

ing contract amendments other
than wages, to recommend to its
clients a wage increase of 12)
cents per hour increase across
the hoard. provided th’
mended by the Union Negotiating
Committee and approved by the

is recom~

Prince George
Negotiations
To Continue

Meeting in Prince George the

International Woodworkers -of
America (CIO), Negotiating Com-
mittee, consisting of District

President Harold Pritchett, Vice-
President Hjalmar Bergren and
officers of Local 1-424, agreed
with the operators’ Yrepresena-
tives, headed by Mr. J. H. Rud-
dock, the Chief Conciliation Of-
ficer James Thompson of the
Provincial Department of Labor,
that they would continue nego-
tiations in Prince George on May
16. At the first meeting, the op-
erators rejected the union’s pro-
posals of 25¢ per hour increase,
the 40-hour week and union se-
curity on the basis of inability to
pay, and further requested, due
to the seasonality of the work
in that area, that the union give
consideration to some compro-
mise on the hours of work.

From the meeting on May 16,
the operators have agreed to sub-
mit, in writing, facts to prove
their inability to meet the union's
wage demand, and also state in
writing the amount of increase
they are prepared to pay, includ-
ing 2 final answer on union se-
curity. The union, in turn, has
agreed that in the light of the
employers carrying out the above
commitments, they will then give
consideration and an answer to
the employers’ objections to the
institution of the 40-hour week,
with time and one-half for all

work in excess.

follow

Union membership and will
withdraw’ contract amendments
submitted on behalf of the em-
ployers.

“Ig the above wage figure and
conditions of settlement are
agreed to, it is to be confirmed
im writing “and ic joint-application
to be submitted to’the Regional
War Labor Roard by the Union
and the Employers. The present
master contract to continue in
force for a period of one year
as from March 15, 1946.

“The provisions of the 1946
Hours of Work Act dealing with
44 hours per week will apply
and time and one-half paid for
time worked over 8 hours in one
day or 44 hours in one week,
except for exempted occupations.”
This was submitted by the em-
ployers at the last meeting on
Tuesday, the 23rd.

Spokesman for the union com-
mittee elaborated on their reason
for turn down of the operators’
proposals by saying that firstly,
cents per hour increase
by the employers was contingent
upon the Negotiating Committee
recommending to the membership
the acceptance of such an in-
crease, prior to final word on
wages from the operators. Second-
ly, the employers proposed that
after the increase has been ac-
cepted by the membership, that
a joint application to the Re
gional War Labor Board be made.
On the question of hours of work,
the employers’ refused to give
consideration to anything beyond
what was required by the re-
cent amendments to the Hours
of Work Act and stated they
would give no consideration
whatsoever to the union’s de-
mand for union security and
checkoff.

Assisting in negotiations, to-
gether with the regular commit-
tee, were International Vice-
President Bill Botkin and Assis-
tant Director of Research Virgil
Burtz. A further meeting of the
Negotiating Committees will be
held on Monday, May 6, at which
time the union will explore fur-
ther possibilities leading towards
a settlement of the negotiations.

12% Cents Per Hour Proposal
Turned Down As Insufficient

With 44-Hr Week, No Security

Council Meet
Urges. Strike
Preparedness

Meeting in quarterly session in
the Boilermakers’ Hall in Van-
couver on April 14, the Council
of the International Woodwork-
ers of America, District No. 1,
reviewed the progress of negotia-
tionsahd” concluded that’ there
was every possibility of a strike _
within the near future. The coun-
cil called upon the membership
to immediately establish within
the various locals, the necessary
machinery for ‘conducting 2
strike. Text of the resolution is
as follows: :

Resolved: International
Woodworkers of America, Dis-
trict 1, meeting in regular
quarterly session April 14,
1946, in the City of Vancou-
ver, instruct our entire mem-
bership to immediately estab-
lish strike committees on
every job. Final preparation
should be made for full stop-
page of work and the mem-
bership should stand in full
readiness for a strike call
from the district officers to
enforce our just demands.
Be It Further Resolved:
That the District negotiating
committee with _ authority
vested in it by a 93 percent
positive strike vote of the
membership, reject any and
all stalling on the part of
employers or government.

Auxiliaries Pledge Full
Support To Strike Action

At their quarterly meeting hela
over the weekend in Nanaimo,
B.C. District Council of TWA Aux-
iliaries pledged full support to
the Union in whatever action is

deemed ‘necessary to win the
1946 demands.

“We realize that any gains the
IWA makes will benefit all of
us and that it is just as much
our fight as it is the Union's.”
Strike Committees are being set
up in Auxiliary Locals to work
side by side with Union com-
mittees. '