| } | LUMBER WORKER Organization Chief Brown Calls For 6-Months' Campaign “Complacency Fatal” He Warns Delegates In-frank, straightforward terms, George Brown, International , ney | aue thés Supplement COMPLETE ON PAGES 3, 4, 5 and 6 ~ Price Control the Answer Director of Organization keynoted the plans of the annual District Convention to launch an intensive six months’ organizing campaign. His remarks were followed by the aitoytion of the report of the Or- ganization Committee, Tom Bradley, Chairman, proposing vigorous measures to consolidate and expand the IWA in British Columbia. George Brown told the convention: is . “We ean now work together, as we could not before.” The IWA has an agreement with the CIO. This agreement can now be made to work, co-ordinating administration and organization. The International was prepared for the secession move, and To Spiral of Inflation thereby saved the IWA for the lumber workers of B.C. It will take six months intensive organization to make the union what it ought to be. Tt will require $40,000 above district revenue, and 20 organizers. | The Director of Organization took the delegates into his confi- dence regarding developments in the CIO and the IWA Interna- tional. The Communist attempt to give the impression that the IWA had failed to oppose the Taft-Hartley Act was exploded by the IWA participation in suc- cessful political action to defeat Taft-Hartley law supporters in the U.S. Congress. The IWA- CIO had taken the only effettive means available to defeat anti- Jabot legislation in the United States. As a result, he claimed, the GIO will now move forward, be- cause the CIO has beeri largely responsible for the victory of President Truman. A social sec- urity program will now be writ- ten for American workers, which will include the main proposals of the CIO. Organization is the main prob- lem befote the IWA, stated the speaker. The Portland Interna- tional Convention, 1948, has laid the basis for a bigger and better organization. Organization, he warned the delegates, is ninety per cent hard work, but it pays off in big dividends. The collec- tive job of members. and officers alike is to build the right kind of union, not merely by speeches or resolutions, but, through con- tacts with workers on their own operations, It would be a fatal mistake, he claimed, to allow complacency or a “we'll take it easy, we’ve got them licked” feeling to overtake union activities. “The minute we relax,” he stated, “the party boys <<< _ ___ will be busy again, wrecking the union. We must redouble our efforts, not only to defeat the commies, but to consolidate the union.” Financial assistance could be expected from wealthier districts and more powerful CIO unions, he promised, in order that the nee job might be completed in The speaker sounded a call for men capable of undertaking the tasks of organization, and urged all Locals to canvass the possi- bilities*among their own members and report same to the District office. For the immediate future, it would be essential, he said, to concentrate on the logging camps. “We must organize the camps,” he warned, “or we will not have a strong union. We must reach them when the camps re- open, and not weeks later.” The plans for organization will give first attention to key places in the industry, Later it will be possible to fit into the:plan the smaller and intermediate opera- tions. The Interior of the prov- ince presents a special problem, he pointed out, and will be given special and immediate attention. There is no secret about suc. cessful organization, he con- cluded, The key to the problem is to secure five to fifteen men on each operation, who will carry the union message. “All hands on deck,” he urged, “contact the men on your own job. Such work is vastly more important for suc- cessful organization than organ- izers in the field.” Organization Committee Recommend Co-ordination Jutenion ta Get Butllest Assistance The convention, after discus- sion, approved the following rec- ommendations as contained in the Teport of the Organization Com- mittee, 1, That when organizers are being placed in Locals that the Locals have some consideration as to who this personnel shall be and that all Locals immediately make recommendations through the District Council as to person- nel that they feel would make competent organizers, 2. That we suggest to the In- ternational Officers that they take all possible steps to have the CIO and CCL and all CIO and CCL unions donate funds to help us in our organizational fight within District No. 1. 3. That we strongly recom- mend there be more central direc- tion of organizers and also that the Brarsll situation within Dis- trict No. 1 be co-ordinated. 4, That we stress upon all Lo- cals and organizers the need of establishing sound, strong, hard working Local Committees, camp Committees and Shop Stewards as soon as possible, so as to save time of Organizers for more r nt work. | That we on record as the District Officers to the ERO poe 0 ughly invest e in- problems and give these ‘the necessary assistance | to build them to self-sufficient units. 6. That this 12th Annual Con- vention instruct the District Offi- cers to meet with the Officers of the P.L.I.B. union and CCL with a view to having them affiliate with the IWA, _ |, That we urge the Organiza- tional Department to carry on a real intensified organizational campaign to deal effectively with the situation in District No. 1, based around the logging section of the industry. This campaign to be put on full blast as soon as the camps re-open after the shut- down and that the utmost con- sideration be given to the selec- tion of organizers for the logging section, with one of the main qualifications being the ability to understand ‘the problems of the loggers, plus organizational ex- perience. i , 8. That we set up organiza- tional committees in every Local in District No. 1 of the IWA for the purpose of establishing 100 per cent organization in the mills and camvs in B.C, which will serve to strengthen our demands for the union shop clause in our 1949 contract. We believe that this program will tend to build a bigger and Petter. TWA. than there thas, ever ‘been in District No. 1 and for that reason again ask that this Convention endorse the program just set out to you in this report. All Plibtographs inthis Issue by Tom Bradley | Dominion. : ‘The cost of living increases in the past year havi ee Beet consumed the aes increase won by Unions in the past year, an ae WHEREAS: Wages cannot keep up with the cost of living with- : out proper price controls, and >) WHEREAS: The Government lifting of price control on almost all : essential commodities places us within a spiral of ; inflation, therefore be it : Z RESOLVED: That this 12th Annual Distric 4 eo shi th A 1 District Convention go o1 record demanding that the Federal Government re- institute complete price control throughout the Security, Well-Being of Workers Stressed In Forceful, Constructive Resolutions In clear-cut, forceful resolutions, ranging over major social and economic problems, the 12th Annual Convention of B.C. District 1 IWA outlined policies designed to safeguard the security of workers in the lumber industry. me eae Hedy. (Loeal 1-357) Chairman, and members of the con- vention resolutions committee faced the task of selecting, consoli- dating, and recommending the proposals contained in over one hun- dred resolutions forwarded from the various Locals. Convention approval was given the following: | PUBLIC WORKS RESOLVED: That we call upon the Dominion and Provincial Governments to bring forth the following program: 1. A program of public works based upon development of na- tional resources, highways, air- ways and waterways, and a co- ordinated program between the Dominion, Provincial Govern- ments, cities and municipalities to construct sewer systems, streets, hospitals, roads, schools, and the development of recrea- tional facilities, such as parks, beaches and libraries. 2. Distribution to the people of surplus products. No destruc- tion of any products while people have need for them. 3. A more advanced federal program based upon a more ade- quate education for every indi- vidual, and keeping the youth in, school rather than in the ranks of the unemployed. RESOLVED: That we pay spe- cial attention to the problems of the unemployed members in our IWA meeting. Every effort must be made to keep unem- ployed members attending meetings; and be it further RESOLVED: That unemploy- ment committees be set up in all Local Unions to help each unemployed member in strug- gling for his rights. WORKMEN’S COMPENSATION WHEREAS: The principle be- hind the payment of compensa- tion is the protection of the living standards and obliga- tions of the injured workmen and family, and WHEREAS: The payment of sixty-six and two-thirds per cent of income, as at present is a negation of that principle. THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That the B.C. Dis- trict Council No. 1, IWA, CIO, go on record to press for amendments to the Compensa- tion Act, so as‘to allow com- pensation payments on the basis of one hundred percent of wages. ‘ EDUCATION Bro. George Home, Secretary of the B.C. Federation of Labor, supported by Bro. Pen Baskin, International Representative of the United Steelworkers of America, urged support of the educational program sponsored by the Canadian Congress of La- bor. Both speakers conveyed greetings from their respective organizations and pledged sup- port to the 1949 IWA program. The resolution on education stressed the value of well trained officers in local unions, and pro- posed that training courses be instituted, co-ordinating such work with that of the Canadian Congress of Labor. Consideration of plans to send delegates from local unions to the Congress Winter School in Toronto, and to the Week-end Institutes in Vancouver and Na- naimo was approved. OLEOMARGARINE | WHEREAS: Labor does not agree that oleomargarine is a substitute for butter, and WHEREAS: Spasmodie short- ages of butter have raised the price beyond the reach of the lower wage earners, and WHEREAS: Oleomargarine is a nutritious food product and can be used when butter is not available, therefore be it RESOLVED: That this 12th An- nual Convention go on record asking the Provincial Govern- ment to remove from the sta- tutes the legislation barring the sale of oleomargarine in B.C.! iia ae = Mike at the ‘‘Mike” Ae Wa ‘Delegates Make Merry at Commodore FOREST CONSERVATION Bosses Blasted for Destruction of Resources WHEREAS: The propoganda machine of the big lumber corpora- tions is engaged in a continual effort to convince ' the public that forest fire protection and reforesta-- tion of devastated forest lands will solve the nation’s fotestry problem, and WHEREAS: This propaganda tends to conceal on the one hand the continued prevalent destruction of commercial forests by clear-cutting and high-grading, and on the other hand the colossal loss of timber that dies _ and rots to waste in unmanaged and inaccessible forests; therefore be it That this Twelfth Annual District Convention of District No. 1 of the IWA-CIO reiterates the support which our organization has consistently given to forert fire protection and to reforestation; but be it ‘urther ‘ RESOLVED: RESOLVED: That we roundly condemn the failure of the dominant propaganda groups of the wood industry to recognize the need for, and their failure to support a program that would stop the destruction and high-grading of forests by medlea and indiscriminate use of the axe, and which would save, by means of proper road de- velopment and scientific forest management, the huge amounts of valuable timber which today are per- mitted to die and rot to waste in unmanaged forests.