Lo

tna Pebtionice tite Incbornational Woodworkers of Amerie vt. piss Cosel Net,

‘Vol. XX, No.7

LZ.

March 13, 1952

5c per copy

Vancouver, B.C.

STIRS

SHABBY DEAL
FOR WIDOWS

LABOR

Failure to make retroactive provision for widows’ pen-
sions in the Bill amending the Workmen’s Compensation
Act now before the B.C. Legislature was sharply chal-

é lenged this week by IWA officials, in support of the posi-
tion taken by the B. C. Federation of Labor.

Analysis made of the Bill in-
troduced by the Johnson-Wismer
~ Government and based on some

of the recommendations of Chief

‘ Justice Sloan, revealed that it fell

. » far short of the expectations of
] organized labor.

The present $50 a month pen-
sions paid to widows of workers
who lost their lives in industrial
accidents will not be increased
for those now on pension. Only
those who secure awards after
the effective date of the amend-
ing Act will benefit by the $25 a
month increase.

Distressing Poverty

Sericuis objection was found by
trade union representatives to the
fact that more than 1500 widows
will be continued at a pension
rate described by the Commis-
sioner as pitiable, and distressing
in the extreme.

Although he did not recom-

: mend that the increase for them
should be charged against the

: Accident Fund, he did make a
ointed suggestion that it was
. * the responsibility of the Govern-
$ ment to bring the pension to the
d $75 a month level by direct sub-
sidy from Consolidated Revenue.

Rate Too Low

‘Trade unionists generally have
voiced their dissatisfaction with
the increase of disability rates to
only 70% of former earnings
with a maximum imposed of
$3600.

Demands submitted to the
Commissioner and the Cabinet
were for a rate of 100% with no
maximum on earnings. General
consensus of opinion has been
that the rate should at least be
equal to that established in On-
tario and Saskatchewan, which is

15%.

In conformity with trade union
demands, CCF members have
introduced a number of amend-
ments to the Government Bill,
chief among which are proposals
to increase the rate to 75% and
raise the maximum to $4000.

Although an amendment to in-
|crease the widows’ pension from
Consolidated Revenue has fre-
quently been proposed by the
CCF, the introduction of such an
amendment would be out of order
for private members.

‘Bad Food?’
Probe Wins
Job Back -

Threat of arbitration pro-
ceedings made on behalf of Lo-
cal 1-424, IWA, by District 1st
Vice-president Joe Morris and
Financial Secretary C. H.
Webb secured re-instatement
for Ernest Laliberte at Upper
Fraser Spruce Mills, Upper
Fraser, B.C. recently.

Adjustment was made-on a

lost-time basis, which brought to
the wrongfully dismissed em-
ployee thirteen days back pay.

The glaring injustice of the

dismissal caused the Local Union
to press the grievance with vigor,
and to declare that arbitration
would be sought if no redress was
forthcoming.
Laliberte was discharged for the
reason that he had lodged a com-
plaint with the company on be-
half of the crew with regard to
the quality of food served.
Action by the Local Union and
the camp committee has resulted,
not only in the reinstatement but
also in action to provide palatable
food to the satisfaction of the

crew.

_ PORTLAND, Ore.— Timber
industry employers were warn-
ed here last week by the North-
west Regional Negotiating
committee of the IWA that
they must improve wages and
working conditions or lose
workers to other industries
short of manpower.

A prospective shortage of man-
power in many industries is an-
ticipated due to maladjustments
in defense mobilization plans.
They leave many areas with un-
filled jobs. Industries will be bid-
ding against each other to attract
workers, the committee predicted.

This manpower shift will bring
on the need for more housing and
therefore more lumber, the 12-
man committee, headed by IWA
President A. F. Hartung, fore-
cast. The industry will be caught
short with too little lumber and
too few men unless wages go up
substantially.

Meanwhile, “price controls—
too late and too weak—have al-

WAGE BOOSTS NEEDED
TO HOLD U.S. WORKERS

lowed the cost of living to creep
further up and put workers far-
ther away from adequate stand-
ards of living.

Real Wages Stationery

“Real wages did not increase
one cent from 1945 to 1950, ac-
cording to BLS figures on gross
weekly earnings in the all-manu-
facturing field,” it was pointed
out. Prices have gone up 47 per
cent since 1945, thus the net
spendable weekly earnings (1939
dollars) for a family of four have
increased from $33.08 to only
$83.19 as of December 1951.

See U.S. WORKERS—Page 2

Listen to

GREEN GOLD

COR, THURS. 7 P. Mm.

the ICA Act Enquiry Board

recently following an exhaus'

“The amendments required to
~yestore freedom of association

before the Legislature,” was

the statement made by George Home, Secretary of the
B.C. Federation of Labor, in reporting to CCL Unions

tive analysis of the report.

and organization to the trade
union movement have been ignor-
ed, except in the minority report
of the Enquiry Board member,
Arthur Turner, MLA,” he added.

The Federation Secretary
charged that the handiwork of
the Labor Relations Board could
be traced in the majority of the
90 pesrceed changes recommend-
ed by the Enquiry Board, The
employer group had presented 26
suggested amendments, The Fed-

“We Dont Like Report
4 On I.C.A. Act” —Home

“Organized labor has little reason to be satisfied with
the recommendations contained in the majority report of

is that the report was intended
to strengthen the powers of the
Labor Relations Board in a man-
ner likely to intensify the conflict
between labor and a government
agency cloaked with arbitrary
powers and without responsibility
to the Legislature.

The Federation analysis of the
Enquiry Board report agreed
with the arguments presented for
labor’s demands as found in the
minority report of Arthur Turner
MLA, and which contended for
the basic rights of the trade
unions.

as detrimental to the well-b

means to provide maximum

Appearing for the Labor Coun-
cil on the occasion were President
George Mitchell and Secretary
Jim Bury, both of whom reported
dissatisfaction with the manner
in which proceedings had been
conducted,

Burden Falls

The brief presented on behalf
of the CCL Unions was based on
the following considerations.

(1) The proposed fare in-
creases would result in an in-
crease in the cost of tram and
bus rides out of all proportion to
the general average of wage and
price increases in recent years.

(2) The burden of increased
transportation costs would fall
most heavily upon low income
wage and salaried workers, and
would discriminate against peo-
ple served by the BCER in a
number of specified localities.

The statement on behalf of or-
ganized labor provided an ex-
haustive analysis of wage and
price levels in order to show the
effect of the additional financial
burden that would be placed upon
the average worker’s family by
the proposed fare increase.

In some areas, average families
would be faced with an increased

CCL UNIONS —
BATTLE BCER
FARE HIKE

PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
IS.ONLY SOLUTION

Submission of the Greater Vancouver and Lower Main-
Jand Labor Council (CCL) presented to the Public Utilities
Commission last week at the Vancouver public hearing
opposed the application of the BCER for a fare increase

eing of the community, and

urged public ownership of the transit system as the only

service at minimum cost.

The opinion was expressed by
them that the procedure tended
to convey the impression that the
only urgent matter under con-
sideration was adequate protec-
tion for the profits of the BCER.

On Workers

(3) The new request of the
BCER represents a sudden
change on the part of the Com-
pany, a change that would work
grave hardship on the commun-
ity.

(4) The Company’s own finan-
cial status and operations do not
indicate the need for any such in-
crease in fares.

(5) The policies pursued by the
Company, if approved by the
Commission, lead to the inescap-
able conclusion that only through
public ownership can the public
be assured of maximum service
at minimum cost.

Threat To Living Standards

expenditure on transit cost rang-
ing from $48 to $75 a year. These
amounts, it was contended, would
seriously affect living standards
in the low income groups.

Trade unionists in Victoria dif-
fered on the course of action to
be taken with regard to the im-
minent fare boost.

_ Gardiner

Rebuffs
UPWA .

OTTAWA (CPA)—Appoint-
ment of a federal government
controller to enforce foot-and-
mouth disease quarantine regu-
lations and .to ensure proper
distribution of healtlfy meat
supplies throughout Canada
was demanded by Hazen Ar-
gue, MP. for Assinaboia, Sas-
katchewan in the House of
Commons, March 4.

Repeated by Alistair Stew-
art, M.P. Winnipeg, were de-
mands that Regina packing-
house workers laid off because
of federal quarantine measures
be given compensation pay-
ments. Replied Gardiner: “. . .
the Unemployment Insurance
Act will take care of these peo-
ple as well as it has been in-
tended that persons out of

work should be cared for . . .”

Epeceven er eoremnencenencen enema ee renies!

KNOWLES»
TRIES
AGAIN

Legislation to provide the
voluntary revocable check-off of
union dues by law for workers
covered by federal labor legisla-
tion has been introduced into the
House of Commons by Stanley
Knowles, CCF M.P. for Winni-
peg North Centre.

Knowles has‘ submitted the
check-off bill at half a dozen ses-
sions so far, but each time it has
drawn more support from Liberal
and Tory back-benchers anxious
to keep Labor votes in their own
seats. He hopes to repeat with it
his success in obtaining deduc-
tion of union fees from income
for tax purposes, accepted by the
government at the Fall session of
Parliament.

Also to be introduced by
Knowles will be a resolution ask-
ing that all niedical expenses be
deductible from income for tax-
paying Canadians (now deduct-
ible: medical expenses in excess
of 4% of income.)

Another Knowles bill will ask
transfer of Quebec and New-

Delay Explained

eration had pro} asa. sionilak foundland divorce bills from Par-

_ changes,
phrasin;

number of major changes. The
report of the Board went to the
extent: be peapesing over 90

y nly dealing with the

ig of the Act.

For special reasons relating to editorial content it was decided
to publish this issue of the B.C, Lumber Worker on March 13
instead of the scheduled date, March 6. Regular schedule will be

resumed with the next issue.

liament to the Exchequer Court,
They're now put through the
legislative body after examina-
tio. by a Senate Committee, Ar-
gument is that they take too
much of M.P.’s time and don’t get
proper legal treatment.

— Editorial Board,