‘B.C. LUMBER WORKER

June 19, 1952

So The Fight Started

- By OBSERVER

The scenes in which the IWA negotiators took part on June
13 and 14, will long be remembered by those who were privileged
to witness them. The atmosphere was charged with the tension
of men who face graye responsibilities with determination to

meet them unflinchingly.

It was not an easy task to risk
the displeasure of the people of
the province which follows an
industry-wide stoppage of pro-
duction. It was not easy to de-
cide that thousands of their fel-
low-workers must “hit the
bricks” and ask their families to
forego the regular pay cheques
for an uncertain period of time.

The Mandate

-The one over-riding considera-
tion throughout was the mandate
of the rank and file members who
had resolved to cease work on
June 15, if no satisfactory con-
sd emerged from the negotia-

ions.

IWA negotiators know that the
owners' of the industry could, if
they wished, improve wages and
working conditions. The one ob-
staclé to a reasonable settlement
was the determination of the op-
erators to preserve their high
profits at all costs.

Force Imposed

The operators had exerted
force, their economic force, to im-
pose their will on the employees.
The IWA officials realized, that
only as they challenged this use
of force by refusal to contribute
labor until conditions were right-
ed, would any change take place
in the employers’ arrogance.

History will record the fact
that the IWA Negotiating Com-
mittee persisted till the final mo-
ment in their efforts to secure a
settlement.

When denied a strike vote on
June 13, they protested, this dis-
regard of a fundamental right,
and entered conferences with the
operators in a compromising
spirit,

‘The operators refused to budge
from the position which they had
formerly taken, to impose a wage
cut, and the conference broke up
in futility.

They Walked Out

The conference held on the af-
ternoon preceding the strike was
more dramatic. Mr. Fred Smelts
exerted all his amiability in vain,

IWA negotiators set forth scaled-
down terms without securing any
encouragement from the FIR
staff. All Billings could say was
in effect, “You’ve threatened us
with your deadline. You can’t
talk that way to us, we're too
important. You are merely work-
ers, who must do our bidding.”
Then, with his entourage, he
walked out, and could not be con-
tacted by the LRB for the rest of
the evening.

Any fair-minded observer could
only reach the conclusion that he
had been given instructions to
provoke a strike so that the
bosses could bring the workers
to their knees.

Persistence

The-IWA negotiators remained
on duty at the District Office until
within an hour of the deadline.
The signal was then given to in-
form the membership over the
radio that no settlement was pos-
sible, and that the fornier resolu-
tion to cease work took effect, in
accordance with the will of the
membership.

It was a hard decision to make.
Let it be said that it was made
in good faith, Men whose salaries
from that moment were discon-
tinued, determined that the entire
strength of a Union, which had
been patiently built ‘up through
the years, should be thrown with-
out reservation into what prom-

ised to be a grim battle for jus-
tice.

They Kept Faith

It was a decision that was
made with good conscience. They
had kept faith with the men and
women they represented,

They had determined to fight
only after they had exhausted all
available means to reach an
amicable settlement.

They had determined that with
their fellow-members they would
fight to win the standards of liv-
ing to which the lumber workers
are justly entitled.

“Thrice armed

rice is he
cause is just.”

whose

‘PLAN
INFLUX
SAFELY’

OTTAWA (GPA) — Criticism
of the Liberal government’s un-
planned immigration program
was registered by Alistair Stew-
art, the CCF Member of Parlia-
ment for Winnipeg North, when
he spoke in the House of Com-
mons, June 10, on proposed minor
amendments fo the immigration
act.

Stewart suggested that a pro-
gram which envisaged a one per
cent — 140,000 person — increase
in the Canadian population each
year could be worked out in @
planned careful way, with due re-
spect to the economic and other
needs of both Canada and the
countries from which immigrants
would come.

Displacing Workers

He attacked immigration poli-

cies which brought skilled work-
ers and professional men to Ca-
nada as farm workers when they
could make a more important
contribution to national life in
their normal occupations. He
strongly condemned racial dis-
tinctioris made in the Act and its
administration which had the ef-
fect, for example, of excluding
British West Indian Negroes
from Canada. He also suggested
that screening of immigrants had
been inadequate, cited cases of
immigrants who had been ad-
mitted under false names on the
basis of “evidence” they had been
able to supply immigration offi-
cers.
_ Further immigration discussion
is expected in an end-of-session
Immigration Committee which
has now been set up.

Mary stopped by the paymas-
ter’s office to get her aunt’s week-
ly pay. On the way home, a rob-
ber held her up and took the
money. Mary ran up to a police-
man, sobbing.

“Oh, officer,” she said, “a rob-
ber just stole my aunt’s pay!”

‘Well, Miss,” the officer replied
with some irritation, “if you'll
stop talking pig latin, we'll try to
do something about it.”

1052 Cane Seamarte,

“The first aid kit? . That’ for these
anti-union carpers who can’t keep
ea mouth shut while I’m shaving

LOGGERS
ATTENTION!

‘Ask for Spood-Sew at Your
Commissary

MENDS SOX, JEANS,
BONE DRYS In 30 SECONDS

Giant Size Tube Mends at Least
BO Pairs of Socks

7. Universal Enterprises
ade ae

Medicin

OTTAWA (CPA) — The retail
price of many drugs is higher
than justified by their cost of
production, Clarence Gillis, M.P.
(CCF-Cape Breton South) charg-
ed in the House of Commons,
June 9. In a question to Justice
Minister Stewart Garson, Gillis
asked if the new resale price
maintenance legislation could be

used to bring down consumer
prices of drug items,

es Soar

Garson’s reply was non-com-
mittal, stressed that the price-
fixing ban was just that, didn’t
provide for any production cost
studies.

Latest available government
taxation statistics show that drug
and toilet preparations firms ay-
eraged profits of 11% on sales
and of 75% on invested capital
during 1949,

OTTAWA (CPA)—Substantial
labor gains of recent years are
reflected in reductions in’ the
number of hours which make up
the standard work week of an
average sample of Canada’s in-
dustrial workers. From slightly
over 44 hours in October, 1950,
| the average normal work week in
Canadian manufacturing plants
dropped to 43.6 at October, 1951,
say Labor Department statis-
ticians.

The percentage of workers on
a five-day week had risen from
65% to 70%, they report, and
about half of those affected work
only 40 hours a week.

Shortest normal workweek is
in British Columbia (41.5 hours) ;

LABOR GAINS
LESS HOURS ;

longest in Newfoundland (47.6
hours). 81.4% of Ontario work-
ers have a five-day week, only
2.1% in Prince Edward Island.

Standard work weeks by indus-
tries range from an average of
40.5 hours in printing, publish-
ing and allied inudstries to 45.6;
hours in non-metallic mineral!
products (brickyards, kilns, etc.).
Electrical apparatus and supplies
workers had an almost universal
five-day week (98.9%), while
only 32.5% of paper products
workers had obtained the extra
day of rest.

The report was based on a sur-
vey of 6500 manufacturing plants
with about three-quarters-of a
million workers.

Saskatoon and District La-
bor Council provides a good
example of opportunities of
linking the labor movement and
co-operative organizations.
The Council occupies perma-
nent quarters in a building it
owns jointly with the Saskat-
chewan Farmers’ Union.

In addition the council has a
Labour Co-op Co-ordinating com-
mittee composed of representa-
tives of the Saskatoon Co-op As-
sociation, the Saskatoon & Dis-
trict Labor Council and the
Trades & Labor Council. This
committee was organized for the
purpose of carrying on educa-
tional work among union mem-
bers concerning the Co-operative
Movement. The Committee has
been operating for four years and
has distributed literature and let-
ters to members on cooperatives
and credit unions. This, together,
with talks which have been given
at union meetings, has made
many union members realize the
need to support and the advan-
tages which may be obtained
through co-operative and credit
unions,

Building Shared

The building which the council
occupies with the Farmers’ Union
is 120 by 40 feet and, with chairs
and a piano, represents an invest-
ment of $20,000. The west end
is occupied by the Council and
several labor unions who are ac-
commodated in eight offices. Be-
sides the offices there is in this
section a room known as the

Farm-Labor Co-Op

proximately seventy-five people
and is used for smailer meetings.

The east end of the building is
used by the Farmers Union. They
have seven offices and a sto:
room. In the center there is. a!
hall which will seat 250 persons
and is large enough for socials
and meetings of the larger locals.
This hall measures 32 feet by 40
feet. An addition was built on
the north side of the building to
provide wash rooms and kitchen
facilities. A basement under this
addition accommodates the heat-
ing unit.

Farmers Cooperate

The Co-op Farmer Labor Hall
Association is composed of the
Saskatchewan Farmers’ Union
and the Saskatoon and District
Labor Council supported by the
CCL-CIO local unions which are
affiliated with the Council. The
Co-op Farmer Labor Hall Asso-
ciation is a bona fide co-operative
and is incorporated under the
Provincial Co-operatives Act of
Saskatchewan. The Board which
administers the affairs of the as-
sociation is made up of ,three
members from each of the par-
ticipating groups. These members
are elected by their respective
organizations. Representing the
Farmers’ Union on the present
board are Frank Eliason, A, Wes-
lawski and Stewart Thiessen.
John Poth who is chairman of the
Board, Joseph Brown the Secre-
tary-treasurer and Tom Elliot are
representatives of the Labor

Board Room. This room seats ap-Council.

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