B.C. LUMBER WORKER

_ November 1, 1951

PRESIDENT’S COL By J. Stewart Alsbury

A Serious Threat

"[ HE IWA has good reason to follow closely the outcome of

court proceedings now launched against the Labor Relations
Board by the Marine Workers’ and Boilermakers’ Union with the
support of the entire CCL organization in the province. The issue
is whether the Board has the power to set aside a trade union-

right to-negotiate and determine hours of work.

The decision of the Board is
art of the official program which
as developed over recent years
to establish government control
» of trade unions.
Government con-
trol of trade un-
ions means em-
ployer control,
for the employ-
ers’ interests are
dominant in thé
present provin-
cial government.
It is a fundamen-
tal IWA belief
that trade unions shauld be free,
and without any outside ‘restric-
tion in the democratic. manage-
ment of their own affairs.

This latest infringement on the
rights of trade unions denies the
fact that the trade union’ move-
ment is a democratic institution,

hich in turn is an essential part
fof the national democracy.

Identical Interests

If we place ourselves in the
position of the Marine & Boiler-
makers’ Union, we can see more
clearly all that is involved.

Like that union, the IWA has.
a 40-hour week clause in the
master contract. Similarly, in the
IWA we have overtime problems.
Our position has been that in
preservation of the 40-hour week,
we accept overtime only under
emergency conditions, Within the
policy adopted by the District or-
ganization, the decision on over-
time is left mainly with the Lo-
re Unions and .the men on the
job.

Let us suppose that at certain
points we decided that no press-
ing emergency existed, and that

—

©1951 are Sramurts

EE 159

“First, what is your present wage,
limitation, seniority status, health
and welfare benefits, and retire-
ment pension?”

overtime was wholly unneces-
sary. The decision would be
reached: by majority vote of the
crews affected, and. the employ-
ers’ request would thus be re-
jected. We would insist upon the
observance of the negotiated con-
ract. ° <

We Would Fight

What would be our reaction, it
at this stage the Labor Relations
Board stepped in, and said that,
notwithstanding our contract,
any refusal to work overtime was
a refusal to work, and therefore
contrary to the ICA Act. Woula
we be ‘likely to accept without
protest any decision of the Board
which would brand our refusal as
an illegal work stoppage which
made us liable to de-certifica-
tion? We'd raise such a storm of
protest that Victoria would ex-
perience a, political earthquake.

In the Vancouver wooden ship-
yards the Board picked a small
union to establish a dangerous
precedent. Because it didn’t hap-
pen to us is no reason why we
should ignore it. We may be the
next,

This reasoning will explain
why, on behalf of the IWA, I
spoke at the CCL rally on Octo-
ber 22, and pledged the support
of our Union to the fight to de-
fend the 40-hour week, against
the sabotage of the Labor Rela-
tions Board in this instance.

This is why we have responded
to the appeal of the B. C. Federa-
tion of Labor to help finance the
court action, instituted by the
Marine and Boilermakers’ Union.
The threat to’ trade union rights
in the wooden shipyards is a
threat to established IWA rights
in the lumber industry.

TEL’s New Plant

IEL power chain saw dealers
and distributors of Eastern Can-
ada will meet at North Bay, Ont.,
November 2, to attend the offi-
cial opening of the new building
recently constructed by Indus-
trial Engineering Limited to
house their eastern branch. IEL
is the largest chain saw manu-
facturer in Canada.

Officials from Vancouver, B.C.,
where the head office of Indus-

‘| trial Engineering Limited is lo-
*| cated,
eastern men.

will also meet with the

The new building, with a staff
of ten, covers an area of 3,700
square feet and will carry a full
parts stock and provide all fa-
cilities for repairs and the “run-
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today

1. UNITED NATIONS — The
United Nations with its agencies
and committee is our best hope
for the settlement of interna-
tional disputes without war. We
reiterate our support of the Unit-
ed Nations and believe, in view
of past and present frustrations,
it must be strengthened in its
powers to preserve peace and en-
force world law.

2, BUROPEAN RECOVERY
PROGRAM—We reaffirm our be-
lief, upon which our support of
the’ European Recovery Program
has been based, that the econo-
mic strength of the United States
shouldbe used to assist in the
rehabilitation and economic re-
construction of post-war’ Europe.
Our support for ERP was and is
based on our belief that it must
raise the living standards of the
European people, having free
and democratic labor organiza-
tions. We voice our determination
that ERP must be used to insti-
tute an economic pattern free
from exploitation and oppression
through world cartels and mon-
opolies.

We urge the Economic Co-
operation Administration to
tighten its liaison with the labor
and non-Communist progressive
movements in Europe. We urge
Congress to spend the necessary
funds to achieve: the purposes of
the ERP. However, such expendi-
tures will be in vain unless labor
both here and in Europe is as-
sured participation by appropri-
ate policies, At this point we
must criticize the policy of ex-
tending of monies to Fascist
Franco Spain. Under no circum-
stances should aid be given to
that dictatorship. government.

3. GERMANY & EUROPE—
Sound European recovery re-
quires the closest of cooperation
in the countries working with the
Economie Cooperation Admini-
stration. The placing of the pro-
duction of the Ruhr Valley and
its industries under democratic
international control will safe-
guard against German militaris-
tic revival. But international con-
trol of the Ruhr will fail.as a
measure of reconstruction if it
merely means the oppression of
the vanquished by the victors.
Cooperative arrangements must
be arrived at by the West Euro-
pean democracies for the distri-
bution and allocation of all their
basie coal and steel production.
This means closer integration of
European economic life which is
indispensible if prosperity and
rising standard of living are to
be attained. A beginning has
been made in returning self-gov-
ernment to Germans in the west-
ern zone, but the reconstruction
of a united democratic Germany
has been prevented by refusal of
Russia to come to agreenient
with the three western powers.
We condemn the hand picked
puppet regime, installed by Rus-
sia, for blocking united Germany.

4, ATLANTIC PACT—In the
absence of a system of world
collective security, the IWA sup-
ports the Atlantic Pact as a
necessary defense measure. We
reaffirm our devotion to peace
and reject as absurd the charge
of warmongering directed against
our country. .We believe the dem-
ocracies must take the necessary
defense measures against the
dangers which threaten them.

“ 6. ECONOMIC POLICY — We
believe the effort to maintain
and extend the frontiers of dem-
ocracy is more than a political
struggle. Economic well-being is

necessary for political stability
and individual Eesdor We can-

not operate in a nationalistic va-
cuum so the influence of our gov-
ernment must be directed toward
expanding world trade and elimi-
nating barriers to economic trade.

6. POINT FOUR—In keeping
with our support for a world-
wide good neighbor policy we
support the program of using
technical knowledge and produc-
tive capacity to raise living stan-
dards, The gains by giving tech-
nical assistance to industry in
these countries must be accom-
panied by improving the living
standards to the workers. Mecha-
nical modernization of industry
must be matched by the modern-
ization of workers’ rights. Too
many workers are forced to still
live under near feudal conditions.
Unless industrial advancement is
balanced by union organization
and collective bargaining, the
program will not achieve the hu-
man.as well as material gains
which are its objective.

7, ASIA—We hail the cessa-
tion of hostilities of World War
II which has resulted in the
signing of an equitable peace
treaty by 48 nations with Japan.
We must recognize that there
are many natural differences
separating eastern and western
viewpoints. We must make it
known to the people of Asia that
we have no motive in our pro-
gram which will result in eco-
nomic control over them. The
power and influence of the dem-

IWA Stand On Foreign Policy

Forthright statement on foreign policy made at the IWA International Convention was: In the
present highly critical international situation, the IWA maintains its support of policies based on
the defence of democracy and the attainment of world peace and security. The aggressive threats of
Soviet expansionism in the world cannot successfully be met by military measures alone. Our for-
eign policy must be designed to protect and safeguard our national welfare, and this can only be
done by encouraging and assisting the people of the world to improve living standards and widen
political liberties. An economically-sound and progressive America can be the basis for a free world,
In light of these principtes, the IWA states its position on the important international issues of

ocracies will fail throughout Asia
unless they support a policy bold
enough to insure security to the
Asiatic peoples.

8, DISARMAMENT—We call
upon the United Nations to pur-
sue its efforts to obtain genuine
disarmament, including interna-
tional control of atomic energy
with full power of inspection.
The IWA is unalterably pledged
to a Good Neighbor policy to-
ward the peoples of the whole
world. We accept the obvious
truth that peace and prosperity
are indivisible.

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