Page Four

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

One Month To Go!

ERE is only one month to go before the contract

deadline. Only 30 days remain to do what must
be done to get the IWA contract demand—the Union
shop and 17 cents an hour wage increase.

The job is organization with every IWA member
an organizer.

Organize the job 100 percent IWA to prove 100
percent fighting support for a just and reasonable de-
mand.

Organize the job to make Union shop conditions
a reality now as well as a:demand for recognition.

Organize the job till every man knows the score
and what to do about it on June 15 when it’s no con-
tract, no work.

Lumber workers will get only what
pared to fight for.

Needless Delay .

PENT-UP grievances of trade unions in B. C. against the

terms of the ICA Act are accumulating in yolume and
intensity. They may easily explode in the form of defiant
job action, unless sanity prevails in official circles.

The Government has been warned. Organized labor,
during the last session of the Legislature unanimously
urged remedial amendments to the Act. The Government
chose to defer action which would make the ICA Act
workable.

The earlier predictions of CCL unions have come true.
The Act was so fashioned as to provide employers with the
means to throttle trade union bargaining strength at will.

Trade unions are confronted with only two. ugly alter-
natives—either submit to strangling pressure, or defy
the law.

X Industrial unions have suffered most, with the IWA
now singled out as the chief victim.

The official ruling under the Act, as communicated to
the IWA recently, stipulates that a Government-supervised
strike vote must be conducted unit by unit, and not on an
industry-wide basis. The unit for purpose of a strike vote
is held to be the same as that originally certified.

No concession could be made for the sensible com-
promise suggestion that the vote be taken on the basis of
the three main bargaining groups; employees bargain-
ing with Forest Industrial Relations Ltd., Bloedel, Stew-
art & Welch, and the remaining group of independents.

Each group will have one Conciliation officer, one Con-
ciliation Board, why not then one strike vote, if such be-
comes necessary?

The absurd and chaotic condition may easily result
where some operations may legally take strike action
while others in the same area may be restrained, by law.

The verdict desired by the lumber workers, and the
only verdict acceptable in the industry, is the verdict for
or against strike action, as rendered by the over-all major-
ity of the workers in the whole industry,

*

they are pre-

*

FOLLOWING preliminary negotiations, the nature of the

deadlock between the IWA and. the Coast operators
made it logical to apply for the immediate appointment
of a Conciliation Board.

The Labor Relations Board was well aware of the im-
portance of speeding the conciliation procedure, to permit
a settlement or a strike vote before the end of the contract
year, June 15. ‘ =

It was within the power of the Board to grant the re-
quest. It chose to act on a rigid interpretation of the Act,
and delay effective conciliation several weeks by demand-
ing submission of the dispute to a Conciliation Officer.

A two-hour conference, demonstrated that the Concilia-
tion Officer could only put the official rubber stamp on the
original recommendation of both parties to the dispute.

The only purpose accomplished was to embarrass the
IWA further, by the delaying tactics contemplated hy the
ICA Act.

Law-making, and law enforcement which does not deal
out even-handed justice with common sense application,
invites unrest and finally defiance.

The Right Man

SELECTION of Dr. Eugene Forsey, as the IWA nominee

on the Conciliation Board dealing with the dispute be-
tween the Union and the Coast lumber operators, will give
lumber workers assurance that their interests will be in
the hands of the ablest exponent available.

As Research Director of the Canadian Congress of La-
bor, Dr. Forsey has earned a well deserved reputation’ as
the foremost labor economist in the Dominion.

Submissions prepared by him for Parliamentary Com-
mittees, and Royal Commissions expressing labor’s point
of view have been generally recognized as of outstanding

quality. 2
Prior to his appointment on the-staff of the CCL, labor

AH, THERES SOMETHING

TO TAKE HOME

Yrov TAKE YOUR
‘BIG THUMB OFF!

JO THE
LITTLE WIFIE.., AIN'T | GOO

ae

THE MAIL BAG

Editor:

In reviewing this year’s nego-
tiations, it strikes me as being
strange when the operators ad-
mitted that the lumber price and
market are good, and yet would
not consider any inerease in
wages. In fact, they brushed off
our demand of 17 cents an hour
as something outlandish.

They said to us: “You either
accept our hours of work pro-
posal, or you don’t get a’ thing”.
Do you know what that means?
It means they are giving us an
ultimatum, either give in to their
desire or there’s going to be no
contract changes,

Now, at the present time, when
conditions point to the dire need
of the Union shop to consolidate
industrial peace and harmony,
and a substantial wage increase
to meet the rising living cost in
particular and to promote pros-
perity to the province in-general,
the operators really have no case
at all.

Mr. Bob Morrison, of the F.I.R.
said: “For the Union to ask for
17 cents an hour in wage increase
is just like asking us to give you
the Marine Building”.

I would counter his query quite
simply, for F.ILR. to ask us to
work 48 hours now, is just like
asking us to go back to the

Your Space, Bays!

Fred Soon Ribs Morrison

(good?) old days of bullock log-
ging.

Furthermore, Mr. Morrison
contended that our master con-
tract is a thing that is sacred.
The working conditions stated
therein are also something sacred.
It took years of hard work and
faith to build up, he said. Well
then, why do they suddenly de-
cide to break that faith by pros-
tituting the hours of work
clause? It would not be so bad if
they merely asked for the
Union’s opinion for this change,
but they made it their main con-
dition in opening our wage talk,

The operators’ representatives
said the reason they asked for the
hours of work change is based on
the loggers’ demand. This is not
fue, because, if the loggers
wanted to change any working
conditions, they could simply go
to the Union that represents
them.

In closing, I would like to em-
phasize the necessity of dealing
with the hours of work question
separately from our Union shop
and wage proposals, In this way,
we will not be tied down by a
phony counter proposal that en-
ables us to lose sight of our real
objective.

F. Soon,

EDITORIAL---Contd.

problems were the central interest of his brilliant academic
career. He holds the degrees of B.A. and M.A. (Oxford
and McGill) and Ph.D., and was selected as one of Canada’s
Rhodes Scholars. As a member of the Faculty of McGill
University, he risked his official neck on many an occasion
because of his fearless championship of labor’s cause.

Dr. Forsey’s nomination by the IWA will focus atten-
tion on the importance of the problems before the Concilia-
tion Board. It should influence the appointment of the
other members from among those of the highest calibre
available. His presence on the Board will command public
respect for any award gained by him for the IWA.

By this action, the IWA District Policy Committee has
given further proof that the Union is sparing no effort
within its resources to gain the contract demand of the

membership.

In the last war, a rookie had
just arrived in Paris. Standing
outside Notre Dame Cathedral,
he saw a magnificent wedding
procession enter.

“Who’s the bride,” he asked a
man beside him.

“Je ne sais pas,” was the reply.

Shortly after, the soldier saw a
coffin being carried into the Ca-
thedral, followed by a line of
mourners.

“Who’s dead?” he asked,

Back came the reply, “Je nais
se@ pas,” *

“Ge whiz,” exclaimed the
rookie, “they don’t last long
here,”

YOU EARN MONEY
THE

Way

Don’t lose your pay cheque.
Deposit it by mail this easy
way, and then you'll have
money to use when you come
into town. Besides being safe,
what you save will increase
with bank interest.

SAVE IT THIS

Send me all info: if bout
my payagainstloss,and""Bankingby Mail

Name.

Send to |

Vancouver Branch, Dept. B. 3,
Vancouver B. C.

14 branches to
banal ems

Immediate Cash!

ANS

71 EAST HASTINGS, Cor. COLUMBIA

On DIAMONDS, JEWELRY, SILVERWARE, FURS AND
ALL VALUABLES

No Red Tape!
Unredeemed Diamonds for Sale

B. C. COLLATERAL LOAN BROKERS L

PAc

yP