B.C. LUMBER WORKER

June 7, 1951

| PRESIDENT'S COLUMN i ae thei

No Wage Discrimination

FoR years, IWA members have been promising themselves
that they would take effective steps to wipe out the Interior

wage differential.

This year we must make good on the promise.

Our wage structure at the Coast will never be safe until we do.

The evidence supplied by Local
«1-71 IWA in the dispute with
Columbia Cellu-
lose Co, Ltd., ex-
posed clearly the
absurdity of |
drawing an ad-
ministrative line
to differentiate
between wage
scales.

Where men
were working
back and forth
across this line, doing the same
type of work, it was impossible
to justify any wage discrimina-
tion.

The same principle applies with
equal force, even where the dis-
tances are greater. Where men
are engaged in lumbering any-
where in the province they should
receive the same pay for com-
parable classifications of work.
‘The base rate should be the same
throughout all sections of the
industry.

The case for the Interior lum-
ber workers is unassailable. Their
living costs are as high as at the
Coast. Their employment is fr
quently less regular. The lumber
they produce commands the same
high prices, Their employers are
profiting unduly by reason of low
wage costs.

A coast lumber worker might
perhaps say, “What's this got to
do with me? I’m doing all right.”
He should remember that the
lumber produced by the labor of
Coast lumber workers finds its
way into the same market as In-
terior lumber. At present there
happens to be a heavy demand
for lumber. Should this demand
slacken, Interior lumber is at an
immediate advantage over Coast
lumber, if it is produced with
lower wage costs.

If an Interior lumber worker is
forced to work for 20 cents an
hour less, his fellow workers at
the Coast will find it difficult to
maintain the higher scale. Low
wages anywhere in the industry
threaten everyone in the industry.

We realize our duty toward our
fellow-workers in the Interior on
grounds of simple justice. We
also realize our duty toward our-
selves,

For these important reasons,
the IWA is urging all Coast lum-
ber workers to give full support
in every way possible to the In-
terior brothers, who are putting
up the fight of their lives to get
equality with the Coast workers.

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T. Eaton Unit
Defined:

Certification of Local 1000, De-
partment Store Employees’ Union

| at Eaton’s in Toronto moved for-

ward another step with the de-
cision handed down on May 28
by the Ontario Labor Relations
Board, outlining the bargaining
unit.

The bargaining unit established
by the Board closely follows that
sought by the Union, and bitterly
disputed by the company. Argu-
ment over the unit has consumed
six months since Local 1000
applied for certification on
October 18, 1950. The Union
applied for some 11,500 em-
ployees in the Toronto stores,
mail order, delivery and ware-

houses. aton’s argued for an
over-all unit including 16,365
employees,

All Employees

The unit will include “all em-
ployees of the T. Eaton Co.
Limited at Toronto who regularly
work at least three full-time or
part-time days per week through-
out’ the year, save and except
first assistants, persons above the
rank of first assistant, and per-
sons ‘below the rank of first as-
sistant a part of whose duties it
is to Yecommend alterations in
the employment status of em-
ployees,” General offices, Eaton’s
factory, printing and advertising
departments, investigation, night
watchmen and floor superintend-
ents are excluded, as well as
persons covered by agreements
with other unions,

“We are well satisfied with the
Board’s decision,” Eileen ‘all-
man, organizing ‘director of the
Eaton drive, stated. “It reflects
the excellent presentation of our
case before the Board by David
Lewis, our union counsel.”

The next step will be the
Board’s card check to determine
the Union's percentage of the
unit settled upon jn their deci-
sion, and if necessary, following

the ‘check, arrangements for a
vote.

‘MLA’s DODGED
UNION RALLY

_ Six members of B. C’s Coali-
tion party refused to meet with
labor in public and discuss the

B.C. Hospital Insurance
Scheme.

As a result, the public meetin
scheduled for May 29 was can

pated by the joint labor commit-
ee,

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W oss’,

Procedure for the more effec-
tive application of the main-
tenance of membership clause
in the master agreement was
agreed upon at a recent labor-
management conference at
Camp “N”, Englewood Divi-
sion, Can. Forest Products, at-
tended by Financial Secretary
Fred Fieber, Local 1-71, and

representatives of the camp
committees.

In future the form letter,
approved at the time of the 1950
negotiations, will be presented to
all new employees, directing at-
tention to the desirability of join-
ing the Union. Job Stewards will
receive a list of new employees at
regular intervals,

New Offices

The management agreed to
provide office accommodation for
the Union at Camps “Woss” and
Camp of Westen Logging,
Port Neville, has now returned to
the IWA fold, and is certified by
Local 1-71, This camp was for-
merly certified by the WIUC.

Mill of the Western Manufac-
turing & Sales Co., Sechelt, has
recently been organized and a
contract has been signed award-
ing the crew back pay to Janu-
ary 1.

Loggers Navy

The Loggers’ Navy’ is now
making up for lost time, caused
by the recent breakdown, and is
at present in the vicinity of Alert

ay.

1-80 MAN
CRUSHED

Accidental death of Brother
Anton Renton is reported with
sincere regret by Local 1-80,
IWA, Duncan. ‘The deceased
was crushed between a cater-
pillar tractor and a log, when
employed at Camp Creek, Port
Renfrew.

Coroner’s jury at the inquest
held at Duncan returned a ver-
dict of accidental death, with no
blame attached to anyone.

Companions of the deceased
found it difficult to explain why
he had stepped between the log
and the caterpillar when they
were so close, to release the tow
ci le.

“He must have been thinking
of something else,” explained one
witness, who stated that the
driver of the “cat” could not see
the victim’s movements, and
therefore could not be held to
blame.

Bro. Renton had been employed
as a jack-hammer man, but on
the day of his death was helping
in bridge construction.

Excess Profits
Tax Urged

Moves to wipe out the 20 per-
cent surtax on married men with
incomes between $2,000 and
$8,000 and single incomes be-
tween $1,000 and $1,500 were
ruled out by the Liberals in the
Federal Parliament.

The attempt was one of two
made by the CCF recently. The
other unsuccessful motion was
to introduce an excess profits tax,

MP Stanley Knowles pointed
out that the 20 percent surtax
means that a childless married
couple with a $3,000 income had
to pay $180 instead of $150.

Alex B. Macdonald

Barrister & Solicitor
Notary Public
751 Granville Street
VANCOUVER, B.C.

Telephone TAtlow 5128

SOLICITOR TO THE 1. W.A.

Offices At

This work coupled with the
steady enrollment of new mem~
bers in all camps, brought the
Local Union 200 new’ members
last month, and this rate of in-
crease is taking another upward
swing during the current month.

IMMIGRANTS
DESTITUTE

Employees of labor in B.C.
want mass immigration of
workers so that they can pick
and choose and haye a surplus
labor pool available.

Immigrants now in B.C.
without steady jobs are in a
desperate plight during the
winter months.

‘These two points were made at
Vancouver Labor Council (CCL)
by Delegate Vic Forster, report-
ing for the Unemployment In-
surance Committee on the ‘press
reports of management pressure
for immigration in large num-
bers,

Vie Forster suggested that the
solution was for labor, the gov-
ernment and management to
work out a program of orderly
and constructive immigration.

Forster dealt, too, with the
problems of two groups of B.C.
workers—those leaving school at
15 with insufficient education for
a white collar career, but not
strong enough for a place in in-
dustry, and those over 40.

He mentioned a veteran who
studied several years at univer-
sity under DVA to fit himself for
a bank job and then, because of
his age, couldn't get a place to
work,

Lloyd Whalen stated that im-
migration should be stopped until
every Canadian worker has a job.

LRB SCORED

George Home, B. C. Federation
of Labor secretary, suggested at
Vancouver Labor Council that a
meeting of all affiliates be called
soon to discuss possible action
against the Labor Relations
Board.

The action will be with specific
reference to the situation in
Trail, B.C., where the Steel
Workers’ have been refused cer-
tification.

“The powers taken on them-
selves by the Board,” said Home,
“can quite easily cripple organi-
zation.”

Alsbury At
Camp 5 & ERT

Capacity meetings at Camp
5, Bloedel, and Camp 8, Elk
River Timber Co., greeted Dis-
trict President J. Stewart
Alsbury on the occasion of his
recent visit to Local 1-367,
IWA. He was accompanied by
Financial Secretary J. Holst.

The. District President outlined
the purpose for which approv:
of the $2.00 assessment had be
requested, and the expansion of
District activities planned.

Intense interest was displayed
by the audiences on both occa-
sions in the subjects of Hospital
Insurance and the price control
measures proposed by the Cana-
dian Congress of Labor. Ques-
tions directed at the speakers
gained full information on these
matters for enquirers.

At the meetings steps were
taken to bring the camp com-
mittees up. to full strength by
filling vacancies caused by for-
mer members leaving the camps.

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