Page Four B.C. LUMBER WORKER IWA Attack ‘THE BATTLE of words has already opened. Whether this may prove the prelude to another kind of battle is an open question. The contract demand stated by the IWA, has already prompted the employer interests to launch propaganda in- tended to bias the public against reasonable and justifiable proposals. They are on the defensive. On the other hand, the IWA is rapidly mobilizing its forces for an offensive. The long-range duel, at this stage, is an exchange of facts and opinions, with most of the facts in the IWA locker. “Facts are stubborn things.” If the facts are made known, the employers’ arguments collapse. The true facts about the living standards of the lumber workers—the constant threat to the status of the Union in the industry—the profits and responsibil- ities of the operators—the lumber market possibili- ities, form the barrage to be laid down by IWA mem- bers in the opening stage of their attack. * * cd “NONSENSE can only be defended with nonsense.” On the theory that what nobody believes cannot be proved too often, the operators blatantly claim that wages and working conditions in the lumber industry are the best ever. For the benefit of the public, the logger and mill-worker are again pictured as either living in the lap of luxury or indulging in witless extravagances. Tt never seems to occur to the financially-minded that lumber workers are people, and that they have the same desires for amenities of civilized living as all other citi- zens. Lumber workers now have ample for their needs, they say. How unreasonable to ask for more, they piously re- tort in horror at the rank presumption of manual workers. This fog of propaganda can be dissipated by a shower of facts released by IWA members. The facts are plain to be seen, and should be pro- claimed in the highways and by-ways of their communi- ties. The annual wage of the average lumber worker is be- low an acceptable community standard. No wage increase has been awarded since 1948, while in the interval, living costs have soared and are remain- ing at the new high level. Seasonal interruptions of employment, expense: of equipment, and transportation, play havoc with the an- nual earnings. An urgent need exists, which cannot be denied, to adjust wage rates to provide a standard of living that is a fair annual reward for labor’s production in the lumber industry. a a * SATISFACTORY working conditions are partially a mat- ter of contract terms and also to a large extent the out- come of right relations between labor and management on the job. * The letter of the contract is one thing. The application of its various clauses in the daily round is quite another. Essential factors to ensure mutually satisfactory ad- herence to the contract terms are, first, full recognition of the status defined in the industry for the Union, and, sec- ond, democratic representation for all employees within the bargaining unit in rights established by the contract. These rights have not been established for all employ- ees, with the result that standards for working conditions vary widely and are always a matter of uncertainty and, frequently, unrest. The one satisfactory method to establish the rights of all employees, who by majority decision have selected their bargaining agency, is to adopt the Union shop clause. The Union shop is the democratic development of the processes of collective bargaining. The Union shop is the best guarantee of democracy in action to permit fufillment of contractual obligations on the part of both employer and employees. ; = The argument for democracy, which has been seized upon by the operators to oppose the Union shop is the very argument that justifies the Union shop. The Union shop introduces into industry the same rules which govern all democratic communities. * ® * E absurdity of the argument employed by the opera- tors during last year’s negotiations, predicting a mar- ket collapse, is now apparent. Profits are not at the same high level, but are neverthe- Jess continuing to yield an exceptionally high return on the investment made to exploit the natural resources of he province. : i Q Let it not be said again, that wages for labor impair ‘ket possibilities. f sincs, the last wage increase, the wholesale and retail prices of lumber have been marked up repeatedly, and not because of increased labor costs. EDITORIAL CONT'D to seamen. “Calculating Greed” The low wage position of the B. C. lumber workers has been exploited with calculating greed to bolster increased profits in the American market. On three counts, the B.C. operators profit on this score. They produce lumber at lower wage costs to sell in the American market where wage rates in the lumber in- dustry average 87 cents an hour more. They enjoy cheaper shipping costs to the Atlantic sea- board because American bottoms must pay higher wages They also enjoy a profitable advantage in the dollar ex- change arrangements with the United States. On top of this, they have been promised ECA dollars, with the above advantages over American competitors. Calamity predictions will not wipe out the financial facts known to the lumber workers. The owners of the lumber industry were never in a better position to meet their responsibility to the lumber workers. Their responsibility is to establish living standards for their workers in the highest de- gree made possible by the resources of the industry, and these include the accumulated profits and en- hanced investment of the operators. STRIKE! Pin-Down “Sit-Down” Rumor has it that Lawrence Vandale, Financial Secretary of Local 1-857, IWA, is pana to organize a junior branch the IWA to include bowling alley pin boys as woodsmen. The pin boys employed in a large bowling alley in New West- minster took their grievance about low wages to the Local IW- A office. They were too young, they had been told, to get - cation as a group within any es- tablished Union. No one has confessed whether or not they were coached to do so, but they organized a sit-down strike during an important — league game. Under the wing of their WA friends they bargained for secured a 4-cent-an-hour ineret across the board. Lawrence claims that there are no age limits for trade union edu- cational work. ; LETTER Get Busy Now! The Editor: The Wages and Contracts Con- ference is over and our program for this year’s negotiations has been decided. We have elected a Policy Committee, and from this group a Negotiating Committee of seven have been elected. This group has been charged with the responsibility of nego- tiating a contract for the wood- workers of B.C. This ‘contract must contain a Union shop clause and a 17-cent per hour wage in- crease, as directed by the confer- ence, Members, Attention We will get this demand of ours only if every member in our organization exerts the supreme effort. Being agreeable is not enough. We’ve got to work as we never did before. Attend your Local meetings, Sub-Local meetings and plant or camp meetings; volunteer to as- sist in any way; keep abreast with our Union’s program; read the Lumberworker; participate in discussions on the job pertaining to our demand; don’t let your fel- low worker lay down on his re- sponsibility, These are the things we can all do to assist our elected com- mittees do a job for us, R. J. 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