B.C. LUMBER WORKER 1-217 AFL Raiding Beaten By Votes In'Two Plants Two victories were scored by Local 1-217, IWA, in recent Labor Relations Board votes to determine certification of en- | gineers in IWA-certified plants raided by the AFL. Vote at Burke Lumber Co. unanimously selected the IWA. Engineers in the Homalko Div- ision, North West Cedar Prod- | ucts, on Aug. 1, gave a 4-3 yote | in favor of the IWA. Sweeney’s Again Negotiations opened on July 29 to settle the terms of the contract in the recently IWA-certified cooperage section of Sweeney’s Cooperage Ltd. Wm. Gray, Busi- ness Agent and Financial Secre- tary _S. M. Hodgson acted for the Local Union. Demands were similar to the terms of the mas- ter agreement. Conferences are proceeding. Surprise move by the Labor Relations Board was made July | 31, when notice was served on the | Local Union that another vote would be held Aug, 1 in the mill section of Sweeney’s Cooperage Ltd. The IWA won the vote re- cently by a narrow margin, over the protest of the employer and the AFL Lumber and Sawmill Workers Union. Reasons for the snap vote was that a number of employees had previously failed to vote. Protest action by the Lo- cal Union is under consideration. Canadian White Pine A series of conferences with management at Canadian White Pine, resulted in satisfactory un- derstandings on working proce- dure for the maintenance of mem- bership clause. Details with re- gard to the hours of work were also determined, The company agreed to furnish advice to new employees in the form suggested by the Local Union. It was also agreed that ithe Union would: receive a list ‘every two weeks of new employ- ees and date of employment. The Chief Shop Stewards and Plant Chairman will also be advised of revokes, with the required seven days’ notice to the employee con- cerned. Under the hours of work clause as agreed upon, no work will be performed at CWP on Sundays, except by watchmen and. the boiler-room workers required. Operating mill-wrights will get two specified rest days. All con- struction, repair, and maintenance men will get Sunday and Monday off, with the exception of four who will give maintenance -cover- age on Mondays, with Tuesday off. The outcome of this arrange- ment is that each man will work Mondays only once in every five weeks. Work performed on Sundays since June 15, will now be paid retroactively at time and one half. MacMillan Industries Several conferences between management and the plant com- mittee at MIL, aided by Financial Secretary S. M, Hodgson, reached an agreement to experiment with a new shift schedule for three shift continuous operations in this plywood plant. Day shift hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; afternoon shift from 4:30 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Night shift 1:00 a.m. to 8:00 am. Night shift starts at 12:01 a.m. Mon- days only. All shifts have one- half hour for lunch, and two ten- minute rest periods. Hight hours’ pay for eight hours production has been maintained. The lalla he resi iice operati millwrights was also worked ext to the satisfaction of all concerned, Hammond’s Committee A new plant committee was re- cently elected at the Hammond Furniture Co. with B. Sherwood as chairman, and committee mem- bers, B. Sherwood, liona Holm- gren, C. A. Magnon, M. Carroll, T. Smith and W. Miller, Nice Work Gordie Patterson and Tom Blake, chairman and member of the plant committee respectively at Butler-Downward Co. Ltd., with the assistance of Local Union officials Lloyd Whalen and Stuart Hodgson, recently nego- tiated an agreement in accord- ance with the master agreement in which they secured reclassifi- cation for 29 out of 30 categories for which revision had been re- quested. The Local Union officials tool occasion to congratulate commit- tee members Patterson and Blake for their energetic services in the interests of their fellow-workers, Collections are still being re- ceived at the Local Union office on account of aid for the IWA strikers in the Weyerhaeuser Timber Co. operations and_will be applied to reimburse the Union for the donation of $1,000 previ- ously forwarded as an advance against such collections. Grievances Settled ‘Two employees, wrongfully dis- missed at Masterbilt Doors Ltd., were reinstated through interven. tion of Local Union officials, and retroactive pay with full senior- ity rights secured. Action through the Labor Re- lations Board secured reinstate- ment for an employee at Home Fuels Ltd., and retroactive pay with seniority rights established. 1-85 295-215 Vote Swing Shift Referendum ballot conducted by Local 1-85, IWA, among em- ployees of Bloedel, Stewart & Welch, aroused such great in- terest that 500 members voted. By 295 to 215, the employees declared themselves in favor of instituting swing shift arrange- ments, _ On July 29, the employees met in a mass meeting to outline the necessary steps to carry out the majority decision for swing shift schedules. The company has made no def- inite committments in the matter, but, it is expected, will meet with Local committee to negotiate the question. Considerable attention has been required on the part of Local Union officials to introduce new hours of work schedules in vari- ous plants in the Union’s juri: diction. In all cases, the striking improvements made possible by the’ new contract are now in evi- dence. Maintenance men are especially pleased with the change. Previ- ously, very few of them had two consecutive days of rest. Now this is changed, and they will get Saturday and Sunday together, or Sunday and Monday together. Stanley Knowles (CCF, Winni- peg North Centre), on February 20, in the House of Commons in- troduced a bill which would pro- vide a voluntary revocable check- off of union dues, Tt was defeated. U.S. WORKER BETTER OFF real weekly wage of a worker in the manufacturing trades in the United States in February, 1950, was $55. In Canada, the same wage was The cost of living in the U.S. Canada. : $43, is only 1.7 percent higher than —CCL Labor Research. — 1-357 “Lockout, Defeated Referendum vete conducted by Local 1-357, IWA, approved the proposed assessment of 25 cents per month in aid of the strikers on the picket line at the Army & Navy Department Store, New Westminster, and other strike needs. Funds de- rived from the assessment will be administered by the Local Union officials, as required, in light of the circumstances, in | each particular case. Ace Industries Ltd. Temporary work stoppage which occurred at Ace Industries Ltd., over intolerable working ‘conditions, which the company re- fused to rectify, has now. ended. Details of the dispute appeared in the previous issue of the B.C. Lumber Worker. Despite determined efforts of Local Union officials, the ployer refused to remedy condi tions which the shingle packers found impossible, while loading the kiln cars without a loader or conveyor. The men finally quit work in protest. The employer appeared before the Labor Relations Board and requested that the IWA be de- certified. Further conferences en- sured during which the men agreed to return to work. Upon returning, they found the em- ployer had locked them out, and the Local Union officials promptly notified the Board that a lock-out d placed the employer in a quandry, from which he could only extricate himself by agree- ing to a settlement. Some of the conditions objected to have been remedied. He agreed in writing to submit the matter to arbitra- tion if conditions were still com- plained about at the end of three months. Picket Line Discipline A member of the Local Union was required to answer to a complaint at the last general meeting to the effect that he was suspected of crossing the Army & Navy Department Store picket line of Retail, Wholesale, CLO. He was cleared of the charge to the satisfaction of the com- plainants. In order to deal with similar complaints, an inyestigat- ing committee of three-was ap- pointed to deal with such charges, and recommend appropriate dis- ciplinary action. Employee-owners Members of Local 1-357, IWA, are following with close interest the sale of Northern Wood Prod- ucts to the employees. The deal has been closed and details as to whether the new company will be organized on a_ profit-sharing basis or a co-operative basis have not yet been announced. Pat Powers Resigned The resignation of Pat Powers as Assistant Business Agent, sub- mitted for personal reasons, has been received by the Local Union with regret. Applications to fill the vacancy, thus caused, will be considered at a meeting of the Executive Board on Aug. 11. Alaska Pine Ltd.,/has assured the Local Union that the manage- ment will post all jobs. Where doubt exists the issue will be de- termined by joint consultation be- tween management and the plant committee. Negotiations Local Union officials are giving careful study to working arrange- ments with Local IWA-certified firms to secure satisfactory en- forcement of the maintenance of membership clause. In one instance, the employer has agreed to provide a blank check-off form with the notice supplied each new employee and to indicate the shop steward to whom he should present his ap- plication for membership. The understanding will also re- sult in the Local Union receiving a list of new employees and of those who are laid off. Membership Growth Members of Local 1-357, IWA, heard with pride at their last general meeting that over 700 new applications for membership were received during the last two months, and that the total mem- Ibership is now well over the 5000 mark, 4 ALBERNI MEMBERSHIP Dues paying membership of Local 1-85 as at June 30, approximately 2,350, and not all check-off lists were in fi operations. Members signed up in June totalled 461. Membership ures for previous months were: March, 1,91; April, 1,831, May, 2,071. wi 1-71 ~ CHIC SALE “HOUSING” VANISHES AT WOSS President Howard of Local 1-71, IWA, has temporarily de- serted the Loggers Navy and has undertaken special organi- ization work in the Holberg Camp area and the Queen Charlottes. “Scotty” Draper, formerly of Camp Woss, is acting-organizer in place of Frank Howard on the Loggers’ Navy and in company with Skipper Ozzie Mattila, is re- porting remarkable organiza- tional progress in the Minstrel Island area. The month of June brought an- other 400 new members to Local 1-71, IWA. This has been the average increase now for months and is responsible for reinvigor- ated activity in the Loggers’ Lo- eal. Camp Wo3s Grievance Commit- tee acted with vigor to secure the installation of modern sani- tary facilities, in the camp at Englewood. Delight over the new- found comfort is tempered only by regret at the passing of some interesting old traditions, fos- tered by the former “Chic Sale” outdoor plumbing. A full report on these more intimate matters may be secured upon application to the Local Union office. Oldtimer Passes Members of Local 1-217, IW- A, express deep regret at the passing of Brother George Hun- ter MacIntosh, for 22 years an employee of Restmore Mana- facturing Co. The late Brother Macintosh was an active trade unionist of 40 years standing. He played an active part in the organiza- tion of the IWA in the plant where he was employed as a member of Local 1-217, IWA. DUNCAN BUSINESS GUIDE c. & D. TAXI Phone 756 i DUNCAN, B.C. "We appreciate Woodworkers! Patronage” VOGUE CLEANERS Truck calls at Mesachie Lake, Cowichan Lake, Crofton and south to Shawnigan Hats Cleaned and Blocked Press While U Wait Phone 360 Duncan, B.C, KIRKHAM’S DUNCAN GROCERY LTD, Your Red and White Store FREE DELIVERY TELEPHONE 180 Duncan, B,C, J. LINDSAY LOUTET (C. Bradshaw & Co.) INSURANCE & REAL ESTATE DUNCAN, 131 Jubilee Stre LAKE COWICHAN BRANCH: Paul's Building eaten ET KYLE TAX! DUNCAN 165 Station Street Four, 5 and 7-pass. cars AMBULANCE BUSES Q.C.A. Reservations and Ticket Office COMPLIMENTS 2 Phones: 102 or 103 THE ODEON THEATRE ANYWHERE - ANYTIME Phone 11 4 Duncan British Columbia CITY TAXI Tel. 703 DUNCAN, B.C. Tel. 703 Owners: Eddie Abercrombie and Dean Johnson, both former loggers and strong supporters of the IWA. FLORAL ART SHOP 281 Craig St., Duncan, B.C, “Flowers For All Occasions” PHONE Ss 797 or call in and see JACK MITCHELL FISH & CHIPS Hamburgers, Sandwiches, Ice Cream, Soft Drinks ‘* DELMAR’? Opposite the Post Office, DUNCAN, B. Phone 370 Phone DUNCAN 370 DUNCAN Robinson’s TAXI Next to Bus Depor CALL US