Strike Deadline In Interior: OVEMBER 21 ' Otte Pabitatie of he International Woodworkers of America nb. visit Covad Nei ne 7 67% Favor Action ik Strike deadline for Interior operations was set by the \ (A |IWA District Policy Committee. for November 21-after the results of the government-supervised strike vote were announced on Wednesday. Summary of votes cast revealed Vol. XIX, No. 100 3 Nov. 15 1951. Se per copy Vancouver, B.C. _ THESE ARE THE ISSUES AT STAKE @ Interior Lumber Workers! The IWA District Policy Committee has accepted your ballots cast for strike action on November 13 as a clear mandate to set a strike deadline and prepare for strike action. The deadline is set for November 21, after which date, the IWA will strike any or all of the Interior operations affected by the vote. This decision is a grave one. It may demand sacri- fices and great inconvenience from you. Be assured that the Union’s entire resources will be placed behind your fight. This is the year when the Union must fight to gain for Interior lumber workers the wages and working conditions to which they are justly entitled and which are now approved by a Government Conciliation Board. This is the year when the Union must challenge the autocratic policies of the lumber operators. The operators have rejected the fair settlement proposed by the Government Conciliation Board, because they intend to keep wages and conditions as low as they dare in the Interior. For this reason they concealed from you that one of the real issues is the necessity’ of a cost-of-living bonus. ' Instructions are going forward to the Secretaries of all Interior Local Unions and job committees. Or- ganizers will be in your operation at the earliest date possible to assist you. £ Get ready to fight for your rights. It’s a fight we can win in short order if every man remains firm and loyal to the majority decision given Tuesday. It’s a fight we can win because we know now that not only the entire [WA in this province will be behind you, but also the whole trade union movement of the province. There is not a trade unionist in the province but who realizes the importance of raising your wages and job standards in the Interior. Together, we'll fight and win. Coast IWA Members! The ineyitable has happened. The stubborn anti- labor tactics of the Interior lumber operators have pro- yoked their employees beyond the point of endurance. The strike vote is now a mandate to the entire [WA in this province to throw its full weight behind the struggle. This strike deadline has been set with the confi- dence that the Coast members will make good on the assurances given earlier that they would rally all-out support for their brothers in the Interior. The time is now near when this assistance must be extended as promised. The IWA is on the verge of the major fightof its history, and the entire resources of - the Union must soon be mobilized to win this battle ¥ See “ISSUES” Page 2 Deadline For Ballots Nov. 19 WHAT'S INSIDE Interior Operators! You have asked for it, and now you can face the consequences of months of your provocative anti-labor, union-smashing: tactics. The majority of the Conciliation Board laid the _ basis for a fair settlement of the dispute between you and the IWA on terms that were amply justified by the evidence. The IWA accepted this proposed settle- ment. You have chosen to ignore the needs of your em- ployees, as well as the results of official conciliation proceedings. You did this because you prefer to risk serious and bitter industrial strife to fair dealing with your employees. You chose to present the issues to your employees in a manner that could only be described as misleading. You thereby betrayed your anti-labor bias, for you ignored the proposed cost-of-living bonus, and other approved contract benefits in your propaganda. You chose to attack the Union, because you want the right to reduce wages at your pleasure, on the same terms as you made with the Communist splinter groups. The IWA has served notice on you that a strike deadline is set for November 21. After that date the IWA will exercise its legal right to strike any or all of your operations. You aré dealing with men who have fought before and can fight again for justice. You made the choice of industrial strife, and you can take the consequences, if you are unwilling to sign the draft contracts now before you, on the terms approved by the Conciliation Board. : 4 The IWA places its case before the public and the entire trade union movement of this province with con- fidence that it will gain whole-hearted support, and in the end secure the fair settlement that we have been and are still prepared to implement. that in the Northern and Southern Interior 67% of those voting declared in favor of strike action. Decision which committed the Union to a course of action likely to lead to the major fight of its history was made by a committee representative of every IWA Local Union in the province at the commence- ment’ of an all-day strategy ‘conference. By unanimous -vote of the committee it was resolved that a strike deadline be established for IWA- certified operations represented by the Northern Lumbermen’s Association and the Southern Lumber Manufac- turers’ Association as of No- vember 21, after which date the Union will strike any or all of these Interior operations. Large Units Voted ‘Yes’ The votes cast according to the latest figures available at press time totalled 2100, and was re- stricted to those operations bar- gaining through the operators’ associations and certified by the Union. The members of the Policy Committee regarded it as most - significant that all the larger op- erations gave overwhelming ma- jorities for strike action. It was also reported to the Committee by organizers, who have recently traversed the In- terior, that an increasing num- ber of “independent” operators have signed with the IWA on the terms approved by the Concilia- tion Board. Indications are that some of those now bargaining through the Associations will also sign the IWA agreement, rather than risk interrupted pro- duction. Sign or Else! In anticipation of a further break in the operators’ ranks, the TWA Policy Committee has ad- vised all operators of the Union’s intentions to strike, “any or all” See “Nov. 21” Page 2 Taking the cue from the International Woodworker, this publication erroneously stated in the last issue that the closing date for voting on the election of Interna- tional Officers was Nov. 15. | tw NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE and organizing staff mobilized at recent meeting of the B,C. International Vice - Presi- | District Council to wage an aggressive campaign in the Interior prior to the strike vote. (Left back - dent John Hawkins has since | row) Don Campbell, District 2nd Vice-President S. M. Hodgson, 1st Vice-President Joe Morris, C. H. instructed both publications | Webb, Prince George, District President J. S. Alsbury, Jack Strong, H. Hickling, we Lawson, Andy that the ballots must be | Good, Rae Eddie. (Front row, left) International Representative Mike Sekora, W. x, W. Lieberg, postmarked not later than | District Secretary George Mitchell, International Board Member Tom MacKenzie, International midnight, November 19. Representative Joe Miyazawa, President Andy Smith, Local 1-357, IWA. ik ‘