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

VANCOUVER, B.

. TUESDAY, MAY 21, 1946

SS"

Price 5 cents

(871)

IWA Demands Royal Commission
Want “Black Market’’ Charge
Of Contractors Investigated

A royal commission, appointed to investigate charges levelled by the Vancouver

Union To Call Off Strike
Only After Demands Met

Determination to defy rumored government action to
break the woodworkers strike was expressed by the Inter-
national Woodworkers of America on Monday, May 20,
as the Executive Session unanimously decided that “under
no circumstances will we return to work in the wood-
working industry in British Columbia until all matters
in dispute, namely: 40-hour week and 25c per hour in-
crease; are satisfactorily negotiated and a settlement ar-
rived at between employers and the union.”

Rumor has it that government authorities contem-
plate the appointment of a controller to take over in the
industry and force strikers back to work by claiming that
the union is “on strike against the government.”

No assurance is given that if such a controller is
appointed steps will be taken to negotiate points at issue.

The union has expressed willingness to meet em-
ployers at any time to negotiate disputed points, but so
far employers have turned down every offer advanced by
the union and have remained in their refusal to discuss
points at issue.

The union on the other hand, is ready to co-operate
with either the government or employers in any steps
that will mean an early conclusion to the strike and has
demanded that the Federal Department of Labor immedi-
ately take such steps as are necessary to force employers
to accept the union proposals,

Government action is seen as the only possible means
of breaking the deadlock in the face of the operators’ non-
cooperation, but the union is in such a position that it
cannot tolerate any action by either government or man-
agement which is of a coercive nature.

The union has provided every possibility of amicable
settlement, and the way has been left open for negotiation.
Regardless of government action, the main responsibility
for moves to settle the strike lies with the operators.

Regional Labor Board
Action Is Criticized

‘The news that the Regional
War Labor Board had moved
into the strike situation unher-
alded and uninvited Saturday

Campbell of the Boilermakers
Union and Birt Showler, presi-
dent of the Vancouver Trades

with the pronouncement that|2nd Labor Council, have not
they “may” prosecute the many|been heard from as we go to
small operators who have ac-| Press.

eepted the union’s terms for
settlement of the strike, came
as a complete surprise to IWA
headquarters, and leaders were
quick to react to the quaint
ove of the Labor Board.

In & statement to the press,
Pritchett said that ap-
parently the Regional War La-
bor Board members are inter-
ested in spreading the strike
and tint their threatened action
~ would do just that.
‘The operators are screaming
from the housetops that the

Speaking Tour
Is Arranged

A province-wide speaking tour
or all districts and locals has
been arranged by Stu Kennedy,
Local 217, publicity chairman.

Times and speakers will be an-
nounced by your own locals.

Here are the districts and
places on the itinerary:

besspat is Megal and now when} Vancouver Island: Victoria,

small operators (in num- Duncan, Courtenay, Nanaimo,
not to be ignored) accept | Port Alberni.

union’s three major de-| Crow's Nest: Coleman, Alta;

the Regional War Labor| Michell, Fernie, Kimberley,

| steps adroitly imto the |Cranbrook, Creston, Nelson,

‘and aligns itself with
ne Okanagan: Kamloops, Vernon,
Kelowna, Penticton, Hedley,
Princeton, Copper Mountain.

Contractors’ Association, May 17, that the majority

of British Columbia’s domestic

lumber allotment is being diverted into black market channels, was demanded by the

International Woodworkers of America on Monday, May 20,

this week. Charges

arose out of a meeting of Vancouver contractors which went on record as welcoming
the IWA strike as “solution to the entire chaotic problem” of lumber supply. Con-

tractors’

perts,”
veterans’ housing schemes.

i
t

This is Al Parkin, who in a

few months has built up a
reputation as one of Canada’s
outstanding news analyists, Al
can be heard Monday through
Friday, 6:00 to 6:05, CKWX, in
his program, “Labor Looks Be-
hind the Headlines.”

Don’t miss this broadcast!

Veterans Will
Get Lumber

A special top committee of
the International Woodwork-
ers of America will meet with
a similar committee from the
Canadian Legion to go° into
the question of homes for
veterans,

The union is prepared to
prevent any hardship being
suffered by veterans in act-
ual need of housing accom-
modation,

Provisions are made that
where a genuine case of need
for immediate material to
complete homes is found, ma-
terial will be made available
by the union,

Procedure to be followed
will free lumber from speci-
fied lumberyards where stock
piles are known to be avail-
able,

‘The union will provide men
to move lumber and these
will be accompanied by the
veteran. himself.

_

assertion followed claim by Stuart Research Ltd., employers’ research
that the lumber strike was robbing contractors of lumber needed to complete

Assuming the existence of a
}giant “black market” in Jum-
|ber, the operators will find
| themselves away out on a limb
jif the commission is convened,
jand much dirty linen will be
| washed publicly.

| It°is difficult to imagine that
Ja black market of the propor-
|tions claimed by the contrac-
|tors could exist without knowl-
edge of the operators.

Contractors claim that their

problems would be solved in
“ess than--a~menth,” had ‘lum=
ber been available to them

through legitimate channels, but
state that even had the strike
not come off sufficient lumber
would not have been available
to meet local housing require-
ments,

It was also revealed this week
that the $14.00 per thousand
higher profit rate in the United
States has caused thousands of
board feet of essential lumber
to be shipped to the United
States, presumably “foreign ex-
port” allotment, but it is very
doubtful if more than a trickle
of this lumber ever left the
United States, where a building
boom of unprecedented propor-
tions is now taking place.

A royal Commission is seen
as a positive means of clearing
up once and for all the sus-
Rected illegitimate diversion of
much-needed lumber into lucra-
tive black market and export

channels, to the detriment of
local and Canadian housing
needs.

Black market charges place
the operators in the position of
appearing to have closed their
eyes to known illegal operations
in lumber supply, with the os-
tensible aim of wringing the
highest possible profit return
out of acknowledged short lum-
ber supplies.

Contractors charges also make
it clear that the responsibility
for lumber shortages cannot be
laid at the door of the union,
but must be borne by operators,
who must prove that they have
been unaware of black market
manipulations.

No comment has been receiv-
ed from government sources as
to date of appointment of the
Royal Commission, but the Int-
ernational Woodworkers of Am-

“exe

erica will press for appointment
of such a commission to clear
up the black market at the
earliest possible date,

To Entertain
Pickets Here

“Hold the-fort, pickets, for we
are coming!” The District Coun-
cil Strike Education Committee
has.already visited several picket
lines in Vancouver with films,
union recordings, musical shows,
ete, and your turn is coming
soon, We plan to extend activi-
ties to Vancouver Island some
time this week. 5

We're going to step up our
shows so that every picket line
in the Vancouver area will get
some form of educational enter-
tainment or entertaining educa-
tion to keep morale at its pres-
ent high level, to deepen und-
erstanding of the strike issues
and to explain the significance
of this stage of labor’s struggle.

We've had to beg, borrow and
steal all ayailable equipment and
talent. And. we're still short of
musical talent, If any pickets
can give us further equipment
or know of talent, get in touch
with District Headquarters and
we'll put it to work immedi-
ately.

A start has been. made with
informal group _ discussions, with
members of the Trade Union
Research Bureau on hand for
facts and figures about the
strike. Plans have been laid for
short one act plays, choir sing-
ing, and quizz programs.

All activity is stemming from
District Council Strike Educa-
tion Headquarters. Brother E.

Dalskog is chairman of the
committee, and Brother Gus
Skuzanski is secretary.

Members of the social and ed-
ucational committees of Locals
217, T1, 367 and 357 are taking
part, along with Claude Donold
of the WEA, Emil Bjarnason
of the Trade Union Research
Bureau.

Bruce Yorke of the Bureau

has been loaned full time to
the committee, and Watson
Thomson has been put in

charge of strike education
the Duration.”

“for