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BO. LUMBER WORKER

OC LousenlWorner

Representing the Organized Loggers and Lumberwerkers of British Columbia

Published Every Second Monday By
INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO)
DISTRICT COUNCIL NO. 1

35,000 Copies Printed This Week

Subscription Rate: $1.00 per year
Advertising Rates on Application
Editor: B, J. MELSNESS Advertising: MATT FEE
Room 504 Holden Building—Phone PAoific 4151—Vancouver, B.C.
Authorized as Secoiid Clase Mail, Postoffice Dept., Ottawa.

@
The deadline for the coming issue Is 4 p-m.
Thursday, May 23

Industry Standards
Effects All People

B.C.’s most important industry is lumber. Of the
total provincial payroll $1 out of every $3 comes from
this industry which employs some 37,000 people. On the
standard of wages, hours and conditions that prevails in
lumber the living standard and security. of the great ma-
jority of our people will depend.

The standard of prosperity and well-being which is
enjoyed by the people in B.C. is therefore tied up diréctly
with that of the people employed in this industry.

During the ’20s we had a so-called boom. In reality
it was an era of disgrace. In the woodworking industry,
the price of lumber and logs skyrocketed and while lum-
ber operators made huge profits the wages were low, con-
ditions were-bad; speed-up of the workers by intimidation
and layoff and other abuses ran rampant.

' "The benefits that should have accrued to the workers
in the industry; the new homes and general prosperity of
the people'of the province disappeared into the vaults of
the banks and the pockets of absentee owners. .

WORDS OF RELIEF

Following such a situation came the hungry 30’s and
our industry became a burden upon the economy of the
province; the low wages, long lay-offs and mass unem-
ployment, made lumber a liability instead of an asset. It
made our people wards of the relief rolls and charitable
institutions,

The lumber industry, instead of being an aid in bal-
ancing the sagging economy, was in the full sense of the
word a drag and a burden. The lumber operators prac-
tised a policy of minimum wages and maximum production.

High profits were made at the expense and poverty
of the people employed. Attempts on the part of the
workers to become organized were opposed in the most
highhanded manner.

Blacklisting, discrimination and intimidation were the
order of the day. This policy was practised all over the
world by reactionary interests which finally culminated in
the rise of fascism, the second world war with the defeat
of these forces on the battlefield and the winning of the
war.

Our job is now to win the peace, a peace that will
give security and jobs for all.

DEMAND IS JUST
This is the fight our Union is engaged in now. Our
demand for a 25¢ an hour wage increase is a just demand
to take care of the rising cost of living and to give us a
share of the increased productivity of labor.

The 40-hour week is a demand that will give em-
ployment to more people. The union shop and check-off
are matters of security and a fuller recognition of our
union by the employers.

\

These are questions of concern not only for the work-
ers in our industry, but to all the people in British Cloum-
bia. The woodworkers are on strike today because the
majority of employers have failed to concede to our just
demands despite the fact that they can pay the- wage
increase being asked for out of excess profits alone.

They will only grant our demands if we stand united.
To win we must have the cooperation of our fellow trade
unionists and the public at large.

Sez Your .
Secretary

By BERT MELSNESS

Hello Boys:

Speaking figuratively, you fel-
Jows sure dropped an Atom
Bomb on the Lumber Industry
at 11 am. on May 15th in the
year of our Lord (H. R. Mac-
Millan) 1946.

It brought the industry to a
standstill just about as effect-
ively as everything was stopped
at Hiroshima without the de
struction of course. It is rum-
ored the accident rate has drop-
ped to almost nothing.

However, the free gifts of
nature are atill a-growing on the
hillsides; Paul Bunyan and I
logged off most all the level
ground years ago. It is just
possible the toredos may have
a good summer,

Speaking of toredos, this has
nothing to do with my rival
columnist who lost out to me in
the last issue on account of
seniority, Union security and
due ‘recognition given by the
Editor to. competency,

Some people who saw the
walkout told me it was a sight
fore sore eyes to see all those
good looking gals coming out
of the Plywoods Mills a-march-
ing along with their brother
Unionists singing the cutest
little ditties entitled, “We don't
like seabies” and “Will Spear-
mint lose its flavor on the bed-
post over night.”

Take this ‘hull’ show since
negotiations began. The first
statement from the operators
was to the effect, “An amicable
settlement would no doubt be
reached by the committees as
now constituted.” Just 4 mild
sleeping powder. but it proves,
“You can’t fool all the lumber-
workers all the time.”

Now that everyone is on strike
rumors are going to increase.
During the war we were warn-
ed “to spike that rumor.” You
can do so now, by sending in
the names of all rumor mong-
ers to strike headquarters,

I took a hike along the pic
ket lines the other day and I
saw a husky young lad there
wearing a service button along-
side his picket card and he was
softly singing something that
went like this:

“I’m dreaming of my next Xmas

Not like the one I used to know

With trees glistening and chil-
dren listening,

But I’m not selling Xmas trees
in the snow.”

Negotiations remind me of
the two lads who went up in
an aeroplane and one fell out.
The other feller explaining how
it happened, said:

“Unfortunately the plane turn-
ed over but fortunately we had
a good pilot; but unfortunately
my friend didn’t have his safety
belt fastened; but fortunately
way down below there was a
hay stack; but unfortunately
there was a pitch fork in the
hay stack; but fortunately my
friend missed the pitch fork,
but unfortunately he missed the
hay stack.

I kind of figure the IWA has
a good pilot and put on the
safety belt by conducting a
strike yote prior to negotiating.
Flash—IWA headquarters in the
Holden Bldg.—Ain’t seen such 2
big rush of workers there since
it (the Holden Bldg.) used to
be the City Hall and everybody
was registering for relief back
in the 30's.

So long boys.

Although thousands of IWA
strikers are thronging into Van-
couver the strike committee re-
ports that the boys are behaving
themselves and giving the lie to
the popular legend that all lum-
ber workers go berserk and bot-
tlehappy when they hit city
pavements. “If we are to win
public support for our just de-
mands,” says the committee “it
is essential that the boys co-op-
erate with us and control them-
selves while in the city-

Accommodation, by the way,
just can’t be had and all hotels
have the sold right out signs up.
Friends are helping out, how-
ever, and many of the visitors
have been taken into city homes.
LIE 18 PINNED

Our first broadcast over
CKWX Sunday night made
much of the story spread by
the operators that the lumber
that might have been produc-
ed since the strike started
Would have built so many small
homes. Thanks to the local
contractors the lie was pinned
for what it was: A deliberate
attempt to place the onus for
Jack of lumber for small
houses on the IWA.

“If so many homes could have ,
been built,” sald the contractors
in effect, “then where in hell has
the lumber been going during the
last year?” According to the
operators figures issued by those
master statisticians, Stuart Re-
search, we would have no housing
problem inside a month.

The plain fact, however, is that
the lumber produced has not been
going into homes, Perhaps you
reading this’can supply the an-
swer. Maybe it has gone into the
black market, say the contrac-
tors. We do know, however, that

OLR

Output ..

1989 Selling Price, Same
Output

DAILY

Radio Station

CKWX

MON. to SAT., Inc.

6:25 to 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY

6:00 to 6:05 p.m.

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SU

ANG CARL A

This is the ad the

COVERING TI

STRIKE BULLETINS

During this period excess profits

many millions of board fe.
gone for building back east
also know that lumber re
south of the border for
thousand more than it does

But God forbid that we
suggest our operators ary
profit-minded as to ship lu
south when it is so badly }
ed here for Canadian ho
Hasn't Stuart Research p
out that the first day's lom
lumber would have built 815
room houses? Heigho!

sae

:
A story Thursday last jp
Vancouver Daily Province;
the strike has little supp
Vancouver Island from
naimo south, was one of
crudest pieces of yellow jou
fem recorded by that jo
some years. The story
signed, although it was
that one Bruce McKelvie
it.

Harold Pritichett and Ber
Melsness visited the editor ;
the Province and gave him the
once over not so lightly.
said the story was un ¢

had mo names although
quoted several spurious p

sons, it glibly quoted the #i
ures of the Stuart rh! x
and that it quite plainly was| {
planted by that organ e
8
I

ee Mie oa A.

Not so, said Editor McTa
but he promised that it woul
happen again,

Social note: Bell Funeral
lors threatened the plekets
Lynn Forest Sawmills that if fl
can’t get lumber for coffins,
will put all IWA members on ¢
blacklist with the undertakers,

Note on Unity: The B.C. Co
Steamships refused to load ut
ber from Westview becauss

UTA

STO)

FROM THE PUBLIC a

1944 Selling Price B.C. Lumber

$16,220,000