Page Four BiG. LUMBER WORKER EDITORIAL aye Dictatorship. REACTION, in the shape of the Labor Relations Board, is on the march in B.C. Make no mistake about it, the elections are over, and a determined attempt is being made to confuse unionists, and frighten non-unjonists from taking part in new fields of organization. How else can any intelligent working man interpret recent decisions of the Board? District Secretary-Treasurer Mitchell reports the mat- ters more fully on another page. In Nanaimo we had the case of an industrial union moving into an admittedly unorganized bargaining unit in an operation. The union, the ABCW, was successful in signing up the men, complied with the ICA Act, and has|P had its application rejected. — 0, BoB! --CAN POLLY WAVE A, CRACKER - + ? Because, decidéd the Board, it was no place for] === an “industrial” union; only, they said, by clear infer- ence, it was only a place for the appropriate craft AFL union. Tn other words CCL union organizers are wasting their time working on unorganized sections of industry, unless they first go to the Lords of Trade Union Creation, and say, pleadingly, “Please, will it be all right if we dare to sign these people up on CIO cards?” . In Vancouver, the Board took an identical slant on an application by the AFL Bakers’ Union. They refused to certify the inside unit of a plant on the grounds that the new members of the applicant union were not “in good standing” because the union “failed to show jurisdiction”. Since when, despite the pleadings of the Board, did the ICA Act, give them the right to interpret jurisdiction? Nothing they can say will convince the B.C. Lumber Worker that they have such a right. Certainly it is the first time in North America, that such autocratic, and patently anti-union unity action has been taken. ICA Act is quite clear. If an applicant union for cer- tification fulfils certain qualifications, “it must be cer- tified as the bargaining agent.” But not by Pitcairn Hogg’s post-election plans: he takes it that “it is obvious that only the appropriate union can be certified.” The rulings by the Board, unless legal action by the Bakers and the CBRE is successful, make them the un- doubted dictators of all B.C. Labor. De-certification of existing bargaiffing agencies will become a matter of form-signing. We are told there is no appeal: the decision of the Five Lords of Labor is final. The sole answer tothe menace is that the labor move- ment across Canada must rise in its might and say “stop”. IWA and ECA | J[NTERNATIONAL President J. E. Fadling deserves high praise for his forthright signed editorial in the July 27 issue of THE INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKER on the position of the [WA with regard to the Economic Coopera- tion Administration (Marshall Plan). He brings into sharp focus confused thinking on this subject and condemns the tactics of trade unionists who have proposed an embargo on Canadian logs entering the United States. He enunciates a principle which might well be adopted by Canadian industrialists. The answer to any threat of business recession is through world-wide cooperation look- ing toward increased prosperity for our world neighbors. Simultaneous development of the domestic market with a world-wide market for exchange of commodities will enable recipfocal trade. The only way to prosperity is through prosperity for all. y Negligence - Death! Once again failure to’ observe safety regulations has taken the lives of two B.C. loggers. The jury, after deliberating for thirty minutes brought in the following report: 2 “We find that Alex Andruchuk and Johnny Williams came to an accidental death by being struck by flying debris at the Spring Creek Logging operations at approxi- mately 10:00 a.m., August 3rd, 1949. ‘ “We, the jury, also find negligence on the part of both the deceased and the management, and recommend that greater care be taken in selection of anchor trees. On behalf of the Union (Local 1-367 IWA, Mission) we would like to point out that the use of a standing tree for an anchor is contrary to Workmen’s Compensation acci- dent prevention Rule 817, covering logging and rigging. We also find that it is common practice for loggers to work within the bight of the line which is also contrary to Compensation regulations and therefore recommend that both management: and safety representatives of the workmen see that this rule is most rigidly enforced.” From the evidence of Bros. Rex South, camp super- intendent, and Fred Phillips, hook tender, who witnessed the accident, the two men who were inside the bight of the haulback line, were struck by flying pieces of debris when the haulback anchor tree of 175 feet in height and 34 inches diameter at butt, uprooted and fell, killing them instantly. aS ll ERME WALKER Lawrence Regan, writing in the “Nation” has. this to say about Union leaders. “Each day the job of a union becomes tougher. The day-to-day problems of collective bargaining and grievance handling become more involyed with every new contract.” Continuing, Mr. Regan points out that legislatures all over the continent are forever tinkering with labor laws, and these, whether favorable or unfavor- able, complicate the unions’ job. “Greater responsibility for the union means more work for union ‘UNION ‘LEADERS MUST HAVE TRAINING ers,” he says. To meet these needs he urges union membership to provide “courses designed to give labor know-how to active union mem- bers . . . a solid background in trade unionism and skill in labor leaders . . . and more union lead- | techniques.” Your Space, Boys! Fred Stanlake The Editor: It is with deepest regret we report the death of Fred Stan- lake, donkey engineer. Using a cold-deck machine which was on a skeleton car, chained to the railroad track, they were tight- ening a loading guy. The skele- ton car was tied down with only one chain. ‘The donkey had only one tie-up line to the right-hand front lug. The chain broke. The skeleton car moved ahead. The donkey slid off to the right. Stanlake was unable to get clear. The donkey rolled on top of him crushing him to death, Fred Stanlake was a stalwart union man. He will long be re- membered by the IWA. and his many friends. Dan Sailor, Press Committee B.C. Forest Products, Bear Creek Camp. Wrong Numbex! The Editor: Quite by accident I happened to get hold of the last issue of the ‘Wooie Rag”, and was amazed to see that they had listed under their “directory” the phone number “861” for Kelowna. I would like to inform every- one that 861 is very definitely NOT the number of the WIUC here in Kelowna, That number belongs to this Local of the [WA and it hasn’t got.a thing to do with that LPPdominated outiit, I would certainly like to see that changed in the WIUC paper be- cause I’d sooner be dead than have our Local mixed up with an organization (if you can call it that) that has nothing for the people. This is very important to us—so please note that 861 is the number of this Local of the IWA. Also I would be very interested in finding out where 29,500 copies of the WIUC paper are sent. Of course they tell me Russia has a large population. Could be. Agnes Harrison; Recording Secretary, LET THE CHIPS FALL by Woody Weadpacher HEN President Truman used a rude but familiar epi- thet to express his contempt of a mud-slinging news- hawk, he was roundly scolded by the saints. Even the abbreviation, “S.0.B.”, when reported in the big dailies horrified the rocking chair brigade, who weren’t supposed. to know what the letters meant anyway. After five minutes accidental contact with the sheet issued now and then by the WIUC to a select mailing list of 500, one might well take the side of the President. Not even Drew Pearson at his lowest, could manufacture lies more expertly or maliciously. Nevertheless it might be well to refrain from the unprintable, however apropos, lest scandal overtake this respectable family journal. Let those who like mud, fall into their own mudholes. As such fantastic distortions of fact make the average fair-minded worker seasick, the WIUC ghostwriter must now have other ambitions than those professed last Octo- ber. Failure gets short shrift from the Communist big- wigs. Possibly constant romancing has gone to his head, and he is now cultivating his talents as a plot writer for Hollywood “whodunits”. Or, possibly, he has just gone berserk, blindly hitting out in revenge for a lost “revolution”. Whatever his intentions or ambitions, he has suc- ceeded only in insulting thé intelligence of B.C. lumber workers. He accuses twenty-four thousand of them of be- ing idiots, hypnotized into witless action by the arch- criminals (?), Fadling, Alsbury and Mitchell, hirelings of R. V. Stuart. It’s a slimy variation of the theme that the majority of the great unwashed can never be right unless guided by Divine revelation from Moscow. There is only one true religion, Communism, and it’s only true prohpet in the lumber industry is Saint Harold. The Only Pritchett. The hell with democracy! _ The WIUG masterpiece of hypocrisy is a sanctimonious editorial pledging support to the IWA in a publication filled with false and vicious attacks on the IWA. A knife in the back is to be accepted as proof of good intentions. __ Those responsible for the prolonged and farcical nego- tiations of 1948, now accuse the IWA of stalling, though the IWA in 1949 has taken half ime i i iffi- Aer ae the time in twice as diffi The men who masterminded past fi: i i lumber Workers were shoreciareed one in whi the lumber workers in B. C., if it is a basic industry to help Soviet international plans?