Bs Ses LUMBER WORKER Agreement to demand another round of wage in- creases and to feature wel- fare plans in the 1949 nego- tiations was reached in the Contracts C-ordination Con- ference held under the aus- pices of the B. C. Federation ef Labor, Sunday. Eighty-nine delegates, - repre- senting 12 organizations com- ged all existing contracts held Bice principal CCL unions in province, and reached com- mon ground on tactics for this year’s negotiations. In the matter of wage in- creases, the conference deter- mined to follow the lead previ- ously given by the Canadian Congress of Labor. Unprecedent- ed profits, increased productivity, existing inequalities, and low standards of living were all in- stanced as making higher wage rates imperative. The amount of increases to be asked will be left with the indi- vidual unions in the light of con- ditions in their respective indus- tries. _ The need for measures of so- cial security led the conference to recommend that welfare plans be featured wherever possible in this year’s negotiations. _ The value of satisfactory sen- jority clauses in agreements and enforcement by grievance com- mittees was stressed by all dele- gates. Improved clauses were considered. Over-time was under-fire, with the result that the assembled delegates urged abolition of over- time, except in emergency. SUPPORT OUR ADVERTISERS special flannels SLACK SPECIAL Good assortment of well-tailored slacks in serviceable materials at this dines, coverts, worsteds, MOSHER TURNS THE TABLES 1 A. R. Mosher, CCL presi- dent, neatly turned the table on critics at the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ district convention jin Vancouver. | He referred scathingly to |“Pritchett and his raiding” jwhen the CCL was accused of raiding in Ontario. The reply was especially apt in that it went to men who are notorious supporters of the Prit- chett-Dalskog policy in B.C. He bluntly told his questioners that the CCL action in taking away Mine, Mill’s jurisdiction in Port Colborne, and Timmins, On- tario, was not raiding. He said that the CCL stepped in and organized chartered locals in those sections of Ontario, be- cause the vast mass of the mem- bership had lost faith in Mine, Mill leadership. He quoted figures to back his statement. He said that in one area, a 7,000 membership had dwindled to 65. He was not con- tradicted by any of the Mine, Mill officials present at the con- vention. Harvey Murphy, who later in the convention collapsed and had to be taken home, introduced Mr. Mosher as “one of the outstand- ing leaders of Canadian labor,” and said that it was “indeed a great honor to introduce him to the meeting.” Murphy is still under a two- year CCL ban imposed in 1948 after he, Murphy, made an ob- scene verbal attack on the CCL leadership, while speaking to a banquet in Victoria. Other slacks in gabar- eo *”. price. and serges .... B.C. Govt. SI Wismer Admits legislation. Wismer, Minister of Labor, answer to members of the Victoria last week. Two days persistent button-hol- ing of Cabinet Ministers and members of the Legislature, on March 9 and 10, met only with a caustic rebuff from the Govern- ment spokesman, District Presi- dent J. Stewart Alsbury and the IWA delegates joined with other members of the thirty-five mem- ber lobby in expressing condem- eat of the Governments’ atti- tude. “DOUBLE-DUTY” Said District President Als- bury, “The position in which or- ganized labor has been placed can be determined by examina- tion of the exact words used by the Minister of Labor. They should be noted by every IWA member. Needless to say, the IWA, with vital negotiations pending, will not tolerate with- out protest the restrictive fea- tures of Bills 39 and 87.” The Minister prefaced his re- marks on the ICA Act by admit- ting that it was not fair either to labor or the public that the portfolios of Attorney-General and Labor should be held by one man. He stated, “The criticism that I have not had time to do a real job as Minister of Labor during the past year is fully justified.” BILL 39 “Under the so-called infamous Bill 39, trade union membership jumped from 119,258 in 1946 to an all-time high during 1947 of 715 organizations representing 135,320 members.” The Minister of Labor spoke in glowing terms of the opera- tions of the Labor Relations ||Board under the Act. He quoted a resolution from the Board op- posing any change. This, he stated, came from a Board on which had been seated nominees of the AFL and the CCL. ams Door on ICA “Real fot” as Lator Minister The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act (Bills 89 and 87) will remain unchanged this year. The administration of Workmen’s Compensation will be investigated within a “reasonable time”. No major changes will be undertaken in other labor These announcements were made by Hon. Gordon He hasn't done in the B.C. Legislature, in CCL Labor Lobby when in Act Changes Meetings Local 1-80, Duncan, meets every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of the month. Balloting for local officers will take place at the meeting on March 23. All mem- bers are requested to attend. Local 1-423 will hold its @® lar meeting on Sunday, March’ in the [WA Hall in Kelowna at 2 p.m, All members are urged to attend. = a Ta a N-W Operators’ Profits Soar As They Stall on Pay Boosts PORTLAND, Ore. — Sharply challenging the Pacific North- west lumber operators in their contention that the industry can- not meet the demands of the workers in the 1949 negotiations of the International Woodwork- ers of America, CIO, the Union’s negotiating committee last week declared the industry had piled up higher profits in 1948 than in any. previous year. “In the year 1948 lumber prices increased 9.4 percent while wages increased 7.6 percent,” de- clared President J. E. Fadling of the IWA-CIO, who acts as Chair- man of the Union’s Northwest Regional Negotiating Committee. “Cost of living increases fur- ther ate up a substantial part of the last wage increase all through the year,” he said, “and even to- day, while food prices have de- clined slightly in some sections of the United States, they have actually increased on the West Coast.” IWA-CIO contracts covering some 50,000 woodworkers in the Pacific Northwest states of Ore- gon, Washington, Idaho and Cali- fornia, are due ‘to expire April 1, 1949. Negotiations for contract revisions were opened by the Union and the first meeting was held February 8th in Portland. Points on which the IWA is demanding improvement include a wage increase, an employer- paid health and welfare plan, the six-hour day, wage classification adjustment, increased night shift differential and six paid holidays. Last week in meetings held in Portland with the major lumber industry group the operators proposed that present. contracts be renewed without change. ) sis for their proposal was a p nostication of future market con- ditions based solely on theory. In sharply rejecting the pro- posal the Union committee point- ed out that such slight redyg- tions in the price of lowe lumber as have been made é prove beneficial to the industry as a whole. Prices have sky- rocketed to such an extent that the industry has been in danger of pricing itself out of the mar- ket and substantial reduction can be made in prices without in the least endangering the ability of the industry to meet the cost of the increased benefits demanded by the workers, it was declared. DOLVLLNASHVLVLMLOLONLA. ATTEND YOUR UNION MEETINGS BeSoVooeeeseeeeeeeeeeeey = Suits: $3.50 - IN “UNION” THERE IS STRENGTH In STANFIELD’S UNION SUITS there is STRENGTH, COMFORT and SERVICE combined. $4.00 and $5.00 eee MADE TO MEASURE SUITS BILL RICKSON We again have secured our pre- war tailoring firm for Made-to- Measure Suits and Topeoats. Spring samples now in_ stock. Prompt delivery and first class workmanship guaranteed. MADE-to-MEASURE m SUITS from 50.00 THES HUp Vancouver, B. C. SER Representing the Organized Loggers and Mill Workers of B.C. PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY BY INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO-CCL) B.C, DISTRICT COUNCIL No. 1. PROVISIONAL OFFICERS Sy Alsbury, President : Whalen, Ist Vice-President W. S. Lyach Sad Vice: Caen Meta Seeery 9, 8 ifasary, tos. Board Member Subscription rates, $1.00 per year. 26,500 copies printed this issue, Room 7, 426 Main St. PAcifie 4151 Vancouver, B.C. Authorized as Second Class Mail. Post Office Dept., Ottawa ADVERTISING RATES effective Ist February, 1949, until further notice: ‘Transient: $2.00 per column inch, Contract; (To be used within 12 months at advertisers dis- eretion.) i Minimum of: 72 in iif ooh inches = BE 8 7 Lite eae As his final word, the Minister stated, “As I have said before, this legislation is not perfect, and there are many changes which could be made to improve it. It was my opinion, however, COURTENAY “The Clothing Man” Your Money’s Worth or Your Money Back VANCOUVER ISLAND that it is not a wise thing to tinker with and patch up legisla- tion of such an important char- acter. I was convinced, from my discussions with both labor and management, that it would be an unwise thing to open the Act at this session.” BURY’S REPLY During a Canadian - Congress of Labor radio program Sunday, Jim Bury, Secretary of the Van- couver Labor Council, stated: “This unjustifiable rebuff from the Coalition Government for our reasonable requests leaves us no alternative but to work for the defeat of this Government. The Government is playing polities with these urgent issues. They spoke to us as though we had no reason to make requests except to embarrass the Government. They neyer took time to examine the justice of our claims. = te) LOGGERS WORKMEN “Tt is our democratic right to present the views of labor. Our points were right or they were wrong. The Government should dispose of the issues only on that basis after weighing all the evi- dence. The Minister of Labor completely overlooked the fact that we were charged to speak the views of thousands of trade unionists who are sincerely inter- ested in rectifying the wrongs which they experience.” IWA delegates, when inter- Send your Boots fo| Dayton’s for Repair or Rebuild by Expert Craftsmen. DAYTON SHOE Rates for Full Page and Halt Page Insertions on Application All Enquiries should be addressed to: @. A. Spencer (Advertising Representative) ‘Telephone: PAcific 8848 viewed by THE B.C. LUMBER WORKER, announced their in- tention of reporting fully to their respective Locals on all the facts of the situation. Further action, it was stated, would be taken fol- lowing such consultation. MFG. CO. (B.C.) 950£Commercial Drive VANCOUVER, B.C. HA. 5177 Aland Made BY EXPERT CRAFTSMEN LOGGERS Work Boots LTD.