BS é a 3 ALSBURY “PREACHES” TRUTH OF WAGE FIGHT TO ST. JOHN’S “We Were Ready To B.C. LUMBER WORKER _ June 22, 1950 Strike For It is my privilege and respons- ibility to speak this evening on behalf of 25,000 lumber workers organized in our Union, in B.C. The question this evening is one of great and practical importance to them, It is a matter of their bread and butter. In our work, We are accustomed to deal with it in plain and blunt language. It was a possibility that this; evening we might be on strike. We were then prepared to take strike action that would have completely closed down the Coast lumber industry. The Policy Committee of our District Council has recommended to the members of our Union that , 8 proposed settlement be accepted by them. Within a few days, the membership will vote by secret ballot to accept or reject the set- tlement recommended. The de- cision is in their hands. We were fully z consequences of acti shut down the major industry of the province. We were still more aeutely aware of the sacrifices ‘that would be faced by the lum- her workers themselves and their families. The strike is a weapon of last resort to be used only when all other alternatives -fail. The lum- ber workers had freely elected to risk the sacrifices involved, if all| our endeavors to reach a ‘peace- ful settlement failed. We are free men in a democracy, We have the right to refuse to work under conditions that we be- lieve to be unsatisfactory or un- just. The lumber operators have great economic power over our living and working. If to achieve hetter living and working it be- comes necessary to challenge their use of that power, we can do so effectively only if we with- draw the labor which produces EXTRA WEAR IN EVERY PAIR A 100% union sho; makes “Lumber Ki! leather work fi gloves for protection and comfort. Made from finest leather, ap CLOWES |} Rights” the wealth of the industry. 2 We know the urgent need for \improvement in the conditions of living and working among the lumber workers. We know that the resources of the lumber in- dustry permit ‘substantial pro- gress, in advancement of stand- ards of their welfare. We are convinced that more |wage income and better condi- tions for the lumber workers will add to the prosperity and well- being of the province. It would be a mistake to be- lieve, as has been suggested in jsome quarters, that strike action in this instance was ordered by so-called leaders in the Union. We {hope that the public will take \pains to realize how very-demo- eratie we are in the IWA. Each |year we negotiate a master con- tract on an industry-wide basis with the organized employers. |- The terms of the contract re considered by the rank and file “180-200 Days The value of production in the lumber industry is now over $360 million annually. The owners of the industry are | not always the managers, and the | owners are no longer in close con- tact with their employees. To get employment and make a livelihood, the lumber worker must sell his labor to the owner of the tools of production. He sells his labor to a company, which in order to make a profit, seeks to buy labor power as cheaply as possible and sell the product of labor at the highest possible price. Each company, to make a profit tries to keep pro- duction costs down, and there is, therefore, a constant pressure to keep wages at the lowest poss- ible level. The workers must bar- gain, in selling labor, to get a little more than bare subsistence, or barely enough to keep body and soul togther and perform the necessary work, Not only are the lumbering operations owned by large and well-financed companies, but these owners in turn are well organ- ized in their own associations to maintain a common policy and protect their interests. The in- dividual worker cannot bargain | successfully on his own behalf; He must buy expensive equip- ment to do his work properly, such as caulked boots and pro- tective clothing. If he lives in camp, he must pay board at the rate of $2.25 a day whether he earns any money that day or not. Tf he lives at home, he must pay the costs of his transportation under difficult circumstances, to and from his job. If he is working at remote camps, say on the Queen Char- lotte Islands, and if he wishes to keep in touch with his family, his transportation expense on steam- ship or plane is a large item of expense in the year. The mill worker’s employment is also subject to the interrup- tions of any depletion of log sup- ply, flood, and fluctuating market demands, Again, all through the indus- try a heavy toll has been taken in life and limb, against which the worker must safeguard himself. Already this year, 26 men have been killed and 3,100 injured, aceording to the re- Best way to get Mr. and Mrs. General Public to understand the.aims and aspirations of the Union, is to give them the full story of what unionism in the woodworking industry is, and what it means. District President Alsbury gave a comprehensive 30-minute talk to an attentive audience at St. John’s Forum, Sunday, June 18, Dr. A. E. Cook. Here are extracts from at the invitation of Rev. his speech. membership, in the light of their experience on the job. The rank and file members prepare their demands, which are considered and formulated in the District Convention. Remember this when you hear it suggested that the officers of our Union are labor czars. We are elected as servants of the membership, and are at all times held accountable to the will of the majority. It was because of this deter- mination to maintain trade union democracy that the IWA mem- bership in 1948 repudiated an at- tempt to dominate-the affairs of the Union for Communist pur- poses. Work A Year” if he is to make any headway. It would be foolish for him to rely solely on his skill as a worker and ability to impress the boss, His wages and working con- ditions are determined by a gen- eral policy. It is therefore necessary for the lumber workers to organize on an industry-wide scale and bargain collectively. It is for this reason that the IWA is or- ganized as an industrial union, and to include every worker in the industry that wil joi whether he is a common laborer or a high rigger or head sawyer. By organizing in this way, and bargaining for a master contract that covers conditions in the whole industry, we are able to meet the owners with something like a footing of equality. In bargaining to determine the scale of wages, special conditions in the lumber industry must be taken into consideration. Em- ployment is frequently interupted. The work in logging camps is broken in the winter by snow conditions, and in the summer by fire seasons. The logger is for- tunate if he has gainful employ- ment for 180 to 200 days in the year. “Toll Of Life And Limb” pensation Board. _ The great majority earn only enough to make ends meet in their homes, and often they fail to make ends meet. The take- home pay for the average lumber worker in the year has been. be- tween $1,700 and $2,000. With rising living costs, that does not provide any luxury liv- ing. It certainly does not com- pensate the lumber worker who is separated from the comforts and decencies of civilized living when at work in the woods. It makes no provision for protection against the special hazards to health and limb that are part of his daily experience. With these facts in mind, we ask you to consider the objectives of our Union in the development of labor-management relations. We ask you to remember that we are organized in a spirit of brotherhood to protect and cher- ish the welfare of our members and their families. We feel that the employers have a responsibility to protect ports of the Workmen’s Com- the status of the Union as a bar- Support The Aduertisers gaining agency, by lending every co-operation in maintaining mem- bership strength, and member- ship participation. If a union must constantly struggle, in the face of opposi- tion from the employer, to retain its bargaining status, the atmos- phere of the industry is one of strife. wit an employer whose policies are regarded as anti-union. If on the other hand, the employer will recognize the will of the majority of the employees to maintain the Union, greater harmony prevails, and the energies of the Union can be devoted to more constructive purposes, relating to the welfare The energies of the Union are concentrated on the effort to out- and progress of the employees and the industry. The Best GIN You Can Buy! «+ Triple Distilled, «+. Tropical Botanicals add that delightful bouquet. «+» Strength, for a good fizz or cocktail. YOU CAN BUY NO BETTER. ZZ This advertisement is not published or or by the Government of, Leo LBA 5 displayed by the Liquor Control Board of British Columbia, BIG 3 TAILORS MEN’S CLOTHING AND FURNISHINGS © STORAGE SERVICE @ Cleaning, Pressing and Expert Repairing Phone: 332 Carrall St. MArine 1737 VANCOUVER RETAIL LUMBER BUILDERS’ SUPPLIES PAINTS — WALLBOARDS — ROOFINGS STEWART & HUDSON LTD. 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