Otel ettonion time International Wooduorleers of America vt. pusra Conta

Vol. XX, No, 13 JUNE 5, 1952

=

5c PER COPY

VANCOUVER, B. C.

WORKERS URGED
TO USE VOTE

Resolution of the quarterly meeting of the B.C. Dis-
trict Council, May 31-June 1, reminded all lumber workers
of the importance of exercising their voting rights on

ling day, June 12, on behalf of labor’s legislative de-

ands. Loggers who expect to be absent from their estab-
lished places of residence on polling day were reminded
of their right to vote absentee.

The Provincial-Elections Act
reads:

"For the purpose of exercising
his franchise at any general elec-
tion, any voter whose name is on
the list of voters for one electoral
district, and who is absent from
that district on the day on which
a poll is held therein, may obtain
a special ballot-paper te that
district in any polling place of any
other electoral district in which a
pee is being held, and may record

‘is vote in the manner provided

in this section.”

A logger whose name appears
on the voters’ list, say in any one
of the Vancouver ridings, may
thus vote at the polling station
nearest him on election day.

His procedure is to present
himself at the poll and advise the
Deputy Returning Officers of the
riding in which he is registered
and in which he desires to record
his vote.

He is required to take an affi-
davit on a form provided to the
effect that he believes he is en-
titled to vote, and is then provid-
ed with a ballot which enables
him to cast a vote for the candi-
date of his selection in his home
riding.

This ballot is placed in a spe-
cial ballot envelope and is later
forwarded to the’riding indicated
to be counted at the time of the
official count by the Returning
Officer.

‘Those who vote absentee are
eautioned that they should be
certain of the riding in which
they are entitled to vote, as fre-
quently confusion is encountered
with regard to addresses close to
riding boundaries,

Operators’

Front
Breaks

Break in the employers’ front
to “hold the wage line’ was
indicated this week when a
number of independent opera-
tors approached the District
Policy Committee of the TWA
to open negotiations on the
basis of the Union’s demands,

The overtures were made as
the news spread through the in-
dustry that the Conciliation
Board had failed to develop any
settlement likely to bridge the
gulf between the Union and the
operators.:

It was indicated by the inde-
pendents that an interruption in
production at this time would be
disastrous, and that they would
much prefer to pay the increased
wages. | :

Union Assurance

On the part of the Union, as-
surance was given that any firm
under agreement with the Union
would not have its shipments de-
clared “hot” in the event of strike
action.

District Officers expressed the
opinion that this latest deyelop-
ment revealed growing disatis-
faction among operators with
current bargaining. conducted by
FIR under the domination of the
larger operators.

INTERIOR OPERATORS SIGN

Possibility of a strike in the
Coast area on June 15, has re-
sulted in a flurry of activity
among the Interior operators
to sign up with the IWA, it
was reported by IWA District
Officers this week,

Upon receiving assurance from

i Union that shipments pro-
by firms under agreement

with the Union would not be de-

clared “unfair”, contract signing |

started,

The hope evidently entertained
was that a stoppage of produc-
tion in the Coast area would pro-
vide a golden opportunity for
Interior operators to invade mar-
kets otherwise difficult for them
to enter in competition with

Coast monopolies,

WHAT'S
INSIDE

Locals ..........

ON
JUNE 15

Soh

Delayed
Conciliation .
Failed

Public hearings of the Con-
ciliation Board (A, J. Cowan,
Chairman) in the IWA dispute
with the Coast operators ended
after a two-day session on June
4, when the IWA negotiators
indicated that the presentation
of their evidence had been com-
pleted, and that they would
expedite any effort of the
Board to reach an early deci-

+ sion, by waiving any fruitless
argument.

The Union re-stated the de-
mands which had been presented
to the operators during bargain-
ing talks with supporting argu-
ment. The employers’ repre-
sentatives even more firmly than
before demanded that wages be
cut because of the perilous plight
of the industry in relation to the
lumber markets.

No signs of compromise were
evident on either side of the
tables, and the dispute was placed
on the laps of the official con-
ciliators.

IWA observers remarked that
the statistics employed by the
employers to prove their claims
of gloomy market prospects were
largely compiled from studies
prepared by their own agencies.
Statistics used in reference by
the IWA were all gleaned from
authenticated official sources.

Witnesses Coached

An amusing feature of the
hearings was the remark of one
IWA representative who pointed
out that Counsel for the employ-
ers had evidently coached his wit-
nesses with extreme care. He
discovered that counsel had the
same answets already before him
which the witnesses had read.

‘The opinion was expressed that
the proceedings had. been care-
fully staged by Forest Industrial
Relations “as a puppet show to
create the illusion of pending
calamity in the lumber market”.

VOTE “YES”

Committee Requests
Strike Authorization

Events marched rapidly toward a strike crisis in
the dispute between the IWA and the coast lumber
operators this week, as disclosures revealed that
the members of the Conciliation Board had failed
to establish any satisfactory basis of settlement.

The Union’s Negotiating Committee immedi-
ately ordered steps to proceed with the membership
balloting which would vest authority in the Com-
mittee to call a strike should it finally be found that
no satisfactory settlement could be reached before

June 15. :
Simultaneously, application was made for a gov-
ernment-supervised strike ballot to be conducted

on June 13.

Sequence of events up to time of going to press was:

End of Conciliation Board’s deliberations as a Board
on June 6, following which the IWA nominee, Lawrence
Vandale, submitted a minority report on June 7. This‘ac-
tion was regarded by the Negotiating Committee as evi-
dence that no satisfactory settlement would be proposed
by the other two members of the Board. _

Meeting of the District Policy Committee on June 9
ordered that the Union’s strike vote be taken commencing
June 10, with returns to be made by Thursday, June 12.
Balloting was requested only on the second question “Fail-
ing a satisfactory settlement, do you authorize your Policy
Committee to call a strike on June 15.”

The District Policy Committee recommended to the
membership that confidence be placed in the judgment of
the Union’s nominee on the Board, Lawrence Vandale, who
in submitting his minority report had indicated that any
recommendations proposed by the other members would
be unsatisfactory to the IWA.

Application was made by the Negotiating Committee
for a government-supervised strike vote on June 13.

The recommendation was made to all IWA members to
vote “YES” on the ballots relating to strike action.

All necessary steps were taken to complete plans for

strike action on June 15.

Strike Broadcasts

Special broadcasting sche-] Tuesday, June 10—6:00 to
dule has been arranged by | 6:05 p.m.
the IWA District Negotiat-| “Wednesday, June 11—6:00
ing Committee to keep .the| to 6:10 p.m.

Thursday, June 12—7:00
to 7:15 p.m. (Green Gold).

membership up-to-the-minute
on all developments in the

contract dispute crisis. IWA
times are over Station CJOR

as follows:
Monday, June 9—10:15 to

10:20 p.m.

Friday, June 13— 6:00 to
6:05 p.m.

Saturday, June 14—6:00 to
6:05 p.m.

B.C. DISTRICT, COUNCIL IWA meets with
Hall, Vancouver, June 1, when plans for strike action were prepared to

to slash wages.

READY FOR STRIKE

ok p Cae.
ally of Lower Mainland Shop Stewards in Arcadian
meet threat of employers

NO CONTRACT, NO WORK ©