B

_

.C. LUMBER WORKER

THE UNION’S
BUSINESS

AND now we are in the year
1949, The year of 1948 was no
doubt a year of interesting events

for most of the organizations—
industrial, trade union, and other-
wise. We will _ . ,
all agree that

the year 1948

was a year

that will go

down in the

history of the

Interna-

tional Wood-

workers of

America, B.C.

District Coun-

oil No. 1 as

one of the 4

most important years full of his-
torical happenings that our union
has ever gone through.

*TAKING stock of the problems
we were confronted with in
other years, we find that the
problem thrown into our hands
early in October, 1948, was one
of the greatest in magnitude that
our organization has ever been
confronted with in its history.
We were faced with the prob-
lem of whether we were going to
let a group of irresponsible
stooges of the LPP forma splinter
organization within the ranks of
the workers in the woodworking
industry, for the purpose of
spreading a dangerous red fascist
political ideology.

AS always the good common
sense of the workers and
members on the job, prevailed
under the direction of the various
provisional officers, local and dis-

trict, and together, we destroyed |.

all chances of a splinter group
being established and surviving
for the purpose of subjugating
the interests of the workers in the
industry to those of the interests
of a foreign, bankrupt political
ideology. The membership de-
serve the credit.

Now that we have licked the
* problems of 1948, we are go-
ing to be in the very near future,
confronted with some problems
just as important in the year
1949. The membership must see
to it that those who are going to
be in charge of administration in
1949, are men and women of
sound judgment, and administra-
tional experience for we are go-
ing to be faced with tasks even
more difficult than those that we
have faced before,

Already on the horizon, we see
the vested interests girding them-
selves for a full scale onslaught
‘on wages, hours and working con-
ditions in all industries,

C.C.L. UNIONS

JAN. 22 FOR CO-ORDINATION)

_ A contract conference to

The plans include an all-out
organizational drive to bring the
bargaining strength of the IWA
to its maximum in preparation
for negotiations with the opera-
tors.

The District officers’ report to
the convention warns the mem-
bership that a determined strug-
gle will be necessary to secure
satisfactory living standards.

The operators will claim that
the cut-backs in the British tim-
ber exports prevent wage in-
creases, That’s nonsense!

Congress Support Assured

IWA representatives will at-
tend the meeting of the Execu-
tive Committee of the B.C. Fed-
eration of Labor on Jan. 22, when
consideration will be given the
co-ordination of wage demands
for all CCL unions in British Co-
lumbia.

This meeting will consider the
findings of the Executive Council
of the Canadian Congress of La-
bor, which met to deal with
similar problems in the national
field in Ottawa on Jan. 10 and 11.

1949 Wage Drive Opens

In the meantime the Oil-
workers’ International Union
(CCL-CIO) has opened the 1949
wage drive in B.C. with a de-
mand for a wage increase of 15
cents an hour across the board
and union security.

The Shell Oil Co. (B.C.) em-
ployees have entered conciliation
proceedings and negotiations are
under way with Imperial Oil,
Home Oil, and McColl-Frontenac.

Opposition Organizing

Reports appearing in financial
journals indicate that the wage
outlook is under review by em-
ployers as well as trade union
officials. Canadian business men
are predicting shrinking markets
and are preparing organized re-
sistance to wage demands in
1949,

Workeis will be asked to accept
slightly lowered liying costs in

IWA Wage Demands

and the terms of the 1949-50 agreement for lumber work-
ers in B. C. will be held by the B. C. District No. 1 IWA in
April, if the recommendation of the provisional officers
is accepted by the District Convention, Jan. 15 and 16.

Open April

GET TOCETHER|

decide upon wage demands

New Approach

It is expected that trade union
neogtiators will adopt a new ap-
proach to wage demands in 1949.
Wage standards are lower in
some industries than in others for
similar classifications of work. “a

Higher wages will be necessary
to keep consumer ebarehasiie.
power up, and are made possible
by the high corporation profits.

Blake.

FAST SALVAGE WORK was done by the M
staff when their office was partly damaged by fire. In the
picture, (left to right), Neil Shaw, Jean Philp, and Bob

BOARD RATES

IWA TO HEAR OPERATORS’
SURVEY RESULTS JAN. 20

The Board rates battle is still on.

IWA top officers are scheduled to meet with Stuart Re-
search officials on January 20, at 2:30 p.m. to hear the result
of the camp survey conducted by the operators.

._ Then the gloves will be taken off for hard hitting bargain-
ing to wipe out the blatant injustices of the two 50-cent raises
made during 1948,

The first, in April, brought the general figure to $2.00, and
then just after the new agreement was signed, the rates were
upped again.

It is the considered opinion of the majority of loggers that
the total $1.00 raise in many instances wiped out the wage in-
creases granted.

“We will do everything we can to make sure this problem
is settled to the maximum satisfactory degree for the men af-
fected,” declared provisional President Alsbury. “It is a pity the
negotiations could not have been held prior to the convention,
but at least we will be able to report that the battle for the right
to negotiate board rates has been won by our action against the
operators.”

B.C. Federation Fights Bill 39

Legislative program for COL
unions in B. C. will be outlined by
the Executive of the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor at its meeting on
Jan. 22.

Steps will also be taken to
press for the adoption of the
legislative demands of labor dur-
ing the session of the B.C. legi
lature which opens on Feb. 8.
All CCL locals have been

alerted to forward their sugges-
tions for legislation to the Sec-
retary of the Federation 214 Hol-
den Building, Vancouver, prior to
the meeting. Drastic over-hauling
of the ICA Act (Bills 39 and 87)
will be demanded, and important
amendments will be proposed on
Workmens’ Compensation, Hospi-

tal Insurance, and the Sales Tax, |p

among other” questions.

Records Saved
In Mission Fixe

A’ serious fire forced IW.
Local 1-367 to evacuate its offi
in the Lighthouse Building, Mi
sion, on Jan, 9. ;

Extensive damage to furniture
and equipment of the local was
sustained, but Neil Shaw, busi-
ness agent, rescued the records of
the union.

Local IWA volnteers were on
hand promptly to assist the vol-
unteer fire brigade in fire-fighting
and to salvage IWA office equip-
ment and records.

Prompt action has been taken
to establish the office of Mission
Local 1-367 IWA over the Food-
land Market in Haney. Until fur-
ther notice the new postal address
is General Delivery, Haney, B.C.

This local reports the negotia~
tion of the second contract with
a union shop clause in the Hope
area, The latest is with the Fir-
bank Logging Co.

MEETINGS

reOQLSLeLoee

TY British Columbia oux union |lieu of wage increases although
ays been in the fore-|there is little evidence in sight
Ron a ea es = preserve all | that prices, especially food prices, YOu ( AN B ANK 1.W.A. DIRECTORY
TERS of workers. We shall stay] will be allowed to drop to a lower pee Mailing Address Phone Number
Hu 1- 71 Leo Young
BY M ALL Financial Secretary,
Rm. 18, 9 E. Hastings St.
CRANBROOK WORKERS SWING) cee ee
i with 1- 80 ____Edwin Linder,
Secretary, Box 430, i
TOWARDS I. W. A. SUPPORT |) nxn navs toes =
Ol a fhe 1- 85 Jack Squire, :
: OF CANADA Business Agent,
A. back-to-the-IWA movement | sented to the meeting by Brothers 108—2nd Ave. North
Was initiated at a recent meeting | Mike Sekora, P, Berkosha, Fred Banking can be carried on Port Alberni, B.C. a 1052
_ of lumber workers held in Cran-| Feiber, and J. Mayzawa, repre- . 1-118 ___Bernard Macham,
brook. senting the District and interna-||| simply and safely through Financial Secretar;
A number of those who had | tional organizations. the mails. Deposits will be 715 Johnson Street,”
been misled by WIUC misrepre-| ‘Their plea for.labor unity was||| promptly acknowledged and Victoria, B.C. ee Garden 3012
sentations undertook to comply | strongly endorsed by those pres- instructions carried out with 217 Robe! 7 :
with the expressed wishes of the|ent, and plans were adopted to i i ts Firancial Secret
majority, and restore the origi-| canvass opinion among all the||} Proper attention to detail. — Em. 218, 175 b, Broadway,
nal IWA organization if so de- lumber Workers in the district. ||] Miners and lumbermen in Vancouver, B.C. : Air. 9530-31
Among the number was in-|have been secured by the IWA,||| out-of-the-way places will ligase ba atl Ou
cluded Mark Kennedy the former| including one on behalf of the||| find banking easy and con- Siensah becretay,
District Trustee, employees of the Glacier Lumber || venient using Impesial Bank pS CIR eRIB EDC We aie ll
ORE fig a pleat atu ¢ BG, See a ae WE
er : peewee O mail banking service. 1-363 ___Ed Lidberg, Secretary,
Biases ace lattes co any Box 83, Courtenay, B.C, _____ Courtenay 135
egsicin ates Des ad Bety ae Tuinees Xgeut Box 196 i
ice will follow promptly. ; Mission, B.C. : Mission 186
1-405 Peter Berkosha,
rganizer,
Representing the Organized Loggers and Mill Workers of B.C. IMPERIAL Rm. 36, Cranbrook Hotel,
PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY BY BANK eigen prea ee
INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO) ry dae Home:
ecretary, Box 217, Kamloops 1276
B.C. DISTRICT COUNCIL No. 1, OF CANADA Kamloops, B.C, ay wes,
Voncouver—Granville & Dunsmulr 1-423 ____H. J. Brueh, POP PERS 1
Voncouver—Hastings & Abbott Financial Secretary,
ac daa 790 Fuller Ave. (Box 663),
precisa sl | is Kelowna, B.C.
Cranbrook Fernie Golden 24 ——D. E. MeShane,
evermore Natal Nelson ee eee
x 819,
en ere Prinee George, B.C. pamteDantae rs «|
‘Yellowknife, N.W.T. 1-469 ____H. M. Seaton,
, Terrace, B.C.

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