Page 12

B

.C.. LUMBER WORKER

February 15, 1951

Geo. Mitchell Reports

The ION’S BUSINESS

Prepare For Talks

ance of these terms.

The District Policy Committee
has faithfully followed the in-

wom structions of the
convention in re-
spect of a continu-
| ous effort to reach
an agreement on
satisfactory terms.

There are, how-
‘ever, responsibili-
ties which must be
assumed by the

Local Unions, and
in fact, the entire
IWA membership.

As Before

Successful negotiations will be
no easier this year than in for-
mer years. They will require un-
mistakable evidence that the de-
mands are backed by the loyal
determination of the workers in
the industry. It is therefore im-
portant that all our fellow-
workers are well informed in
respect of our intentions, and sold
on the practicability of the 1951
contract demands.

Local Unions have a great re-
sponsibility in preparing their
recommendations for the Wages
and Contract Conference, March
10 and 11, in the matter of re-
vised category rates for the
semi-skilled and skilled workers.

Shingle Mill Rates

Workers in the shingle mills.
for instance, have been subjected
to abuses which have crept into
the industry over the course of
the years.

The contract rates paid have
not resulted in uniformity of in-
come for these workers, and in
the opinion of the Union, the
time has arrived for acceptance
of a daily guaranteed rate.

Contract workers have been
severely penalized by loss of pay

. when required to remain on the
job when the mill is temporarily
out of timber or a breakdown
occurs.

Many required to work in poor
quality cedar are unable to make
a satisfactory wage at their pres-
ent contract rates.

Provision must soon be made
to set a satisfactory cate-
gory rate for those working on
the shingle grooving machines.

Local Conferences

The Local Union Conferences,
which are now scheduled, should
enable the Local Unions to assist
the shingle mill workers to pre-
sent satisfactory solutions of
their problems for consideration
at the Nanaimo conference, Feb-
ruary 18, and subsequently at the
Wages and Contract Conference.

Local Union conferences should
also assist the engineers and
filers to gain the ear of the
Wages and Contract Conference
with regard to their special
needs,

We intend to conduct these con-
ferences so as to demonstrate

A study of the demands formulated by our District Con-
vention in January for inclusion in the 1951-52 master contract
will indicate to any thoughtful IWA member that a vast amount
of preparation is necessary to negotiate successfully for accept-

that as an industrial Union, the
IWA is eminently capable of bar-
gaining for all classes of workers
as one union for the entire in-
dustry. In this way the strength
of the whole-Union is brought to
bear on the solution of each
group’s problem.

1-357 Ballots
On Officers

Two new certifications have
been applied for by Local 1-357,
IWA, New Westminster —
Windsor Building Supplies and
Markland Sawmills. At the
latter plant the employer is
protesting IWA certification.

Ballotting is in progress for
the election of the Local Union
officers. On the ballot appears
the names of the following: For
President, Andy Smith (un-
opposed); for Vice-President
(three to be elected), Alex Archi-
bald, Ted Day, Roy Moore, Sandy
Naylor, Pat Power, Albert Rose;
for Financial Secretary, Law-
rence Vandale (unopposed); for
Recording Secretary, Rae Eddie
(unopposed); for warden, Art
MacDonald, John Wall; for Con-
ductor, Les Laxton and Les
Smith; for Trustee, Stan Eng-
berg and Lee Palmer; for Press
Manager, Jimmy Abrams and
Doug Ferg.

Officers elected will be installed
at the March membership meet-
ing.

Ballotting Committee is com-
prised of Ray Pigeau, H. Swit-
zer, Frank Melvor and Robert
Brendt.

Grooving Machine Trouble

Local Union officers are watch-
ing developments at a local
shingle mill, where 18 men were
fired because of spoiled shakes
resulting from speeded-up groov-
ing machines to take care of rush
orders. The plant has been shut
down, as it has become necessary
to slow down the machines. The
Local Union contends that the ad-
justments found necessary by the
company prove that the men
were not to blame and that they
should be re-instated.

AFL -Complications

AFL boilermakers engaged in
building a new stack and repair-
ing the boiler at McNair’s
Shingle Co. complained to the
Local Union recently that IWA
men were performing stéel work.

Upon investigation by Presi-
dent Andy Smith it was found
that D.P.’s were being employed
by a contractor at 75¢ an hour,
and matters were soon put right.
Union scale wages are now being
paid on the job, and it was
demonstrated that IWA men
handle only the woodworking

operations involved.

, NOTICE
Publication date of the next Issue of the B.C. LUMBER

WORKER is March 1. Deadline
news copy Feb. 24.

for ad copy is Feb. 22, and for

BC Loxcent’Worver

Representing the Organized Loggers exd Mill Werkers of B.C.
PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY BY

INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO-CCL)
B.C, DISTRICT COUNCIL No. 1,

SS

DISTRICT OFFICERS:

President ..... ae
1st Vice-President ..
2nd Vice-President «..
Grd Vice-President
Secretary-Treasurer
International Board M«

ge H. Mitchell
Tom G. MacKenzie

Address all communications to
GEORGE H. MITCHELL, Secretary-Treasurer
45 Kingsway - Phone FAirmont 8807-8
‘Vancouver, B.C.

Subscription Rates......

Advertising Representative.
Authorized as Second Class Mall,

t Office Dept., Ottawa

26,000 COPIES PRINTED IN THIS ISSUE

IWA Delegation |

IWA DELEGATION at Annual Convention of B.C. Federation of Labor, numbered 50.

Political action program of the Canadian Congress of Labor was
again approved by the 7th Annual Convention of the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor and plans were laid to conduct educational work in
explanation of the need for labor’s entry into the political realm.

Resolution of the convention
read: elect a, working class govern-
WHEREAS: The labor movement ment; and to this end we urge

when it becomes organized on that the Executive Committee in-

a national scale becomes aclude courses in the present edu-

political force, and to becomecational program that will

a power to protect its own in- instruct the students in the philo-

terests, it must give expressionSophies and programs of the

to its aims and objects, and _ various political parties of this
WHEREAS: The unions affiliated Province.”
to the CCL through their vari-

B. C. Federation Backs CCL-PAC

U.K. HOUSING

Since the end of the war, 1,207,-
350 families have been rehoused
in the United Kingdom, and the
total number of houses built was
927,658.

Only 157,146 of these wer
temporary homes.

In September 1950, alone, more
than 17,000 permanent houses
were completed.

ous conventions have accepted
the CCF as their political arm

at the present time, now.

THEREFORE BE IT RE-
SOLVED: That this 7th Con-
vention of the B.C. Federation
of Labor go on record as sup-
porting the Political Action
program of the CCL, and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:
That we recommend to all
affiliate unions that they co-
operate in the national cam-
paign to collect a dollar per
member per year in order to
prepare funds on the civic,
provincial and federal levels
for educational and election

purposes.

MArine 7235

SPECIAL WEEKLY RATES
1221 GRANVILLE STREET

VANCOUVER, B.C.
Under New Management

Officers’ Report Committee,
Chairman Joe Morris, stated on
this subject:

“The committee feels that the
general failure of Political
Action in the past year has
brought recognition that educa-
tion is the key to the problem,
and that a politically informed
working class will automatically

A Shining
Example

By NEIL SHAW

Financial Secretary, Local 1-367,
IWA

Eddy Match Sub-Local has
again set a shining example of
true trade unionism and brother-
hood. Having failed to negotiate
an M.S.A. clause in their contract
they formulated a policy of mak-
ing a pay day contribution to any
member unable to work.

Brother Gordon Radmore is the
second brother assisted in this
manner and the money donated
was a godsend in providing
groceries through the long five
weeks wait for his first compen-
sation cheque.

In extending his thanks to his
brother workers Brother Rad-
more wishes at the same time to
bring to the attention of the en-
tire IWA the unselfish and
brotherly attitude of his fellow
co-workers, and suggests that
any operation which has no
health plan in effect would be
wall advised to institute a similar
plan.

APHIC

ENGRAVERS ARTISTS

106 WEST MASTINGS ST. VANCOUVER. BoC

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