B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Page Five

St

_ terly meeting of the IWA B.

Mes! Bargaining Power
bor’s Opportunity

_ Vivid contrast between old and new styles of political
action by trade unions was placed forcibly before the quar-

C. District Council in session

Oct, 14-15, by the Director of PAC for the Canadian Con-
gress of Labor, Murray Cotterill.

The speaker made an eloquent
and convincing plea for support
from the IWA for the political

| program of the Canadian
of Labor. He stated
that the Congress had recognized
the special difficulties tonfronting
the IWA in recent years and had

not therefore pressed the issue.

The IWA, having won its
place as the foremost trade
union in British Columbia was
now in a position to change
political trends in the province
through CCL political action,
he contended.

Old Style Policy

In his explanation of the reas-
ons why the CCL broke from the
old tradition of “no politics in the
union” the PAC director com-
pared the former methods of ex-
ercising political pressure for
trade union legisiative objectives
to those employed by a company

inion.

The passing of resolutions, reg-
ularly presented to governments
and as consistently ignored, was
no better than the weak bargain-
ing efforts of a company union
saying “please give us a wage in-
crease” to an employer, without
power to act in the matter.

The bigger the trade union
movement, the readier the em-
ployers have been to turn to law
to restrict the influence of trade
unions in the legislative field.

In earlier days, governments
were neutral, but not so at the
present time, since the trade
union movement in Canada has
attained the stature of over a
million members, influencing the
political outlook of three million
out of a population of 13 million.
Governments ‘are now influenced
to give the employers the advan-
tage.

Bargaining Power

Prices went up and wages did
not, at the moment when the bar-
gaining power of the workers was
high.

Still worse occurred when the
bargaining power of the employ-
ers was high. Governments made
no attempt to deal with the evils
of inflation when the war ended
—the period when danger of in-
flation was the greatest.

Campaign Funds

The employers have a club
over the heads of their political
friends through a very simple de-
viee—their huge contributions to
party campaign funds. It is a
very profitable deal for the em-
ployers, and the politicians find
it most unprofitable to disregard
the interests of their campaign
fund supporters in order to ad-
vance labor's interests.

The trade unions are now in
the position where everything
they require must be secured
through legislative action. There
is no longer any sense in passing
resolutions which are ignored by
governments,

All political parties had been
presented by the Canadian Con-
gress of Labor with the legisla-
tive objectives of organized la-
bor. Only the CCF gave satisfac-
tory assurance that if in power,
effect would be given to the aims
of the unions.

The value of results achieved
through support of CCF candi-
dates, pledged to labor’s objec-
tives, had been shown in Saskat-
chewan.

The labor code in that province
was exactly what labor wanted,
although passed by a farmer gov-
ernment.

Under the code, if 25 percent
of the employees so demand, a
vote is conducted by the Labor
Relations Board, and if 51 per-
cent of those voting approve, the
union is automatically certified,
with maintenance of membership,
and the check-off. Many other
advantages might’be mentioned,
said the speaker.

Basic Principles, PAC

The PAC director stated, as
the basic principles of CCL-PAC,
the following:

1. Organized labor must deter-
mine what the basic issues of an
election campaign must be, with
regard to labor’s interests.

2. Organized labor must have
the machine to drive home these
issues to the electorate.

3. Organized labor must be in
a position to be completely inde-
pendent of any political party.

4. Funds raised by PAC for po-
litical action will be raised
through the trade unions and ex-
pended solely by PAC. Not one

cent goes to any political party.

We know that the CCF doesn’t
get any money from the employ-
ers, and that trade unionists
share in the shaping of their pro-
gram as it effects iabor, he
stated. We are assured ° that
through the CCF we can do our
own bargaining.

IWA Action

The PAC director urged the I-
WA to establish Local Union P-
AC committees, to get their vote
out, and to undertake the job of
publicizing TWA election issues.
Funds raised for PAC would be
divided for activities at the Local,
Provincial and National levels of

ganize Eaton’s” drive, conducted
by Local 1000 of the R.W.D.S.U.,
has culminated in the signing up
of a majority of staff members at
theToronto branch of the Eaton
industrial empire.

IN_ TORONTO:

Certification as bargaining
agency for the vast army of
workers in Canada’s largest de-
partment ‘store is being applied
for by the Retail Wholesale and
Department Store Union
(CCL), it was disclosed by
Murray Cotterill, National
Director of PAC-CCL, at the
IWA District Quarterly Coun-
cil_ meeting.

The Iong and intensive “Or-

EATON’S ORGANIZED!

Success of the campaign was
due in part to the financial and
moral assistance contributed by
CCL unions across Canada, as
evidenced by a full-page ad in the
Toronto Daily Star inserted by
the R.W.D.S.U. to publicize its
victory and officially thank its
supporters. Among the unions
listed were many from B, C., in-
cluding the IWA.

The Director of the drive,
Eileen Tallman, who is well-
known to B.C. trade unionists,
received special tribute in a re-
cent full-length article in Mac-
lean’s Magazine.

CCL political action.

The speaker answered numer-
ous questions relating to the poli-
tical action policies of the CCL.
He pointed ont that independent
members of Parliament could not
elect governments, and that trade
union members on the Liberal
side of the House of Commons
had been frustrated by their
party in their efforts to help la-
bor.

1-217 BROTHER
INJURED if

Members of 1-217 have heard
with regret of the accident suffer- |;
ed by Bro. Chas. Beattie, plant
chairman at the L. and K. Lum-
ber Co., seriously injuring his |
hand. Good wishes of the Local |
Union are extended with the hope jj

i]

of a speedy recovery.

CCL CLASSES
START NOV. 3

An opportunity for trade
unionists to improve their ability
in two very important fields is of-
fered with the announcement of |
the Vancouver Labor Council
Education Committee of its fall |
program.

Safety Invention

|SAFETY DIRECTOR JACK TAYLOR, Comox Logging and Rail
way Company, Ladysmith, displays device invented by him using
truck inner tube, vuleanized at both ends, for protection of First
Aid equipment,

os Sa Ls

Under the chairmanship of |
Frank Dean, the Committee has
arranged a ‘series of classes in
Public Speaking and Chairman-
ship, to be held every Friday eve-
ning from Nov. 8 to Dee. 8. The
classes will be held in a private
room of a downtown restaurant
and refreshments will be served
at the conclusion of each class.

For a fee of only $6.00 per
student, unions can increase their
strength by encouraging the de-
velopment of an informed and
capable rank and file.

Applications should be sub-
mitted to Jim Bury, Secretary of
the Vancouver Labor Council, 214
Holden Building (MArine 7010).

‘PROBE LABOR BOARD’ DEMANDS CCL AS
AMALGAMATED DENIED BASIC RIGHTS

Organized CCL labor in B. C.
lic inquiry into the policies of
more than justified.

considers that a full scale pub-
the Labor Relations Board is

Vancouver Labor Council has asked that an impartial com-

missioner be appointed to hear.

witnesses and review evidence

as has been done in respect of the operation of the Workmen’s

Compensation Act:

Details of the most recent case of flagrant violation of the

by the IWA’s

worker's rights are reprinted, as told to radio listeners in B.C.
“Green Gold” program:

An application of the Operat-
: ing Engineers, Local 16, a section
. of the Amalgamated Building and
Construction Workers (CCL), for
certification on behalf of employ-
ees in the Gilley Brothers Ltd.
quarry at Pitt River, was sup-
ported by evidence to show that
30 out of the 40 employees were
members in good standing of the
Amalgamated.

The application, made on July
11, was acknowledged on July 18,

Before any decision was

reached by the Board on this ap-
th ‘tion, advice was conveyed to

‘ that two AFL.
plied for certifica-

je of August for

the Gilley Brothers’ opera-

, although at that time in

x at Pitt River these

a no organization.

_ Finally, the Board granted cer-
tification on Sept. 12 to the two
AFL unions, arbitrarily deciding
that they were the appropriate
bargaining agencies for the em-
ployees.

The date for the re-hearing and
appeal of, demanded by the CCL
Amalgamated, and promised by
the Board, has not yet been fixed.

A petition signed by 29 em-
ployees, practically 100 percent
of those now employed at the Pitt
River quarry of Gilley Brothers,
and stating that they demanded
the right to enjoy the protection
of a union of their own choice,
was forwarded to the Board.

So here you have the outrage-
ous situation where the employ-
ees organized themselves into a
union which they had selected as
their bargaining agency, and yet
were arbitrarily over-ruled by

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the Board and forced to accept
another union, without any op-
portunity to declare their wishes
by a free vote.

They have been forced to ac-
cept the bargaining of a union in
which they have had no voice.
Nothing could be more dictatorial
or contrary to the intentions of
the legislature.

We urge all trade
unionists to support our demand
for a public enquiry, for only an
exposure of this, high-handed
action will prevent future viola-
tions of trade union rights by the
Board.”

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