B.C.

LUMBER WORKE

R

TH

In the recent
strike we took
the measure of ©

the employers.
‘No worker in the “_
lumber industry *
should now be 4
fooled that the 5
employers will
make the slight-
est effort to bet-
ter conditions un- ~~

less subjected to extreme pres-
sure.

The lesson of our experience is
that we must develop a bigger
and better organization to meet
the challenge of employers who
will, if they dare, depress wages
to swell profits.

Stood the Test

The strike has taught us to ap-
preciate the strength of the IWA.
‘Any union that can endure a 45-
day strike test, and emerge from
the experience as full of fight as
the IWA, is a Union which has
genuine vitality. It is this
strength and vitality that we
must nourish and develop that
our ultimate purposes may be
achieved.

The strike had a unifying effect

on the membership. Men and
‘women whose work relations had

‘NO POST MORTEMS

By J. STEWART ALSBURY,
IWA District President

in Ate La aes with Si iale to the recent strike
lich result in a clearer understandi yf fi 2
sibilities for the LWA. With the gains which havebeca ade a
eeenic ops ee to conpelaate gis oa, with the full
expectation of renewing our attack in the future. i
‘objectives have never heen gained overnight. oe

been somewhat casual, were
thrown together in a spirit of
friendly cooperation on the picket
line. They learned to appreciate
one another’s qualities.

Unity Demonstrated

They learfed the truth of the
axiom that “in unity there is
strength”. They learned to em-
ploy this united effort for their
own purposes. It is this spirit
that must be kept alive at all
costs.

The spirit of the picket line
should now be carried into the
Local Unions and given contin-
ued expression in the many acti-
vities which will weld the mem-
bership into a still stronger unity
of purpose.

‘Men and women who had the
will and determination to hold
the picket lines for 45 days have
the capabilities to build a Union
which may easily attain well-
nigh irresistible bargaining
strength in the industry. There
are more ways than strike action
to outwit the plans of the em-
ployers. All these ways stem
from a well-knit and active trade
union, exercising all its functions
in the job, and in the life of the
community.

ONT. UNIONS

_ BOYCOTT

ba

LABOR BOARD

TORONTO (CPA) — AFL
Labor in the Toronto area has
asked the Trades and Labor
Congress Provincial Federation
of Labor to withdraw its rep-
resentative from the Ontario
Labor Relations Board in pro-
test against the recent appoint-
ment of former Canadian
Manufacturers’ Association
representative E. N. Davis as
“impartial” Chairman.

By a unanimous vote, the To-
ronto District Trades and Labor
Council (AFL-TLC) adopted a
report from its legislative com-

ittee urging the Labor Board
oyeott_on the, Provincial AFL

ly. Efect would be to call a

halt to all Board proceedings, or
to leave only a rump Board of
management and government
representatives, 4

Not Impartial

Controller Ford Brand, vice-

sident of the Council, said he
idn’t see how a man who has
sat on the Board as a “partial”
member could be impartial as
Chairman. Clear examples of

_ business influence on government
such as this appointment and the
Frost government's refusal to
amend its labor relations act to
nullify the effect of the Gale de-
cision would in the end strength-
en labor by rallying union forces
to fight against such measures,
Brand suggested.

“Sabotage”

Doug Hamilton, laundry union-
ist and recent CCF Provincial
candidate, accused the Conserva-
tive government of an attempt to
“sabotage” the labor relations
act. We. have not an impartial

x department,” he charged.
yy hayen’t the intestinal for-

- titude to administer the act as

‘eg, Oma itup in 1950.”
jotwithstanding the injury
‘the provineial government hand-
labor by its refusal to stand
its own legislation in the Gale
the government adds in-

a former employ-

appoint
- constructed b

“death knell of

OUTPUT UP

WASHINGTON (LPA) — A
strong case for a regulation on
productivity wage increases as
long overdue was presented to
the Wage Stabilization Board by
four CIO officials and spokesmen
for the Railway Labor Executives
Association, representing 19
unions. Startling figures on pro-
ductivity increases in the electri-

~ “A Step

Unemployment Insurance

MacDonald said.
Five Waiting Days

The number -of waiting days
has been reduced from eight to
five. Labor considered this also
but a step in the right direction.
“The Canadian Congress of La-
bor has long held that the wait-
ing period should be eliminated
entirely and that is still our posi-
tion,” MacDonald said. “We feel
that, particularly in view of the
healthy state of the fund, greater
improvements can be made.”

Another bad provision which
has not been changed is the non-
compensable waiting day. Also
there was no effort to extend un-
employment insurance coverage
to workers now excluded from its
benefits. These include employees
of hospitals and charitable insti-
tutions, agricultural workers and
domestic servants.

No Discrimination

What looked like an anti-dis-
crimination rule was added to the
section of the Act dealing with
the National Employment Ser-
vice. This provides that there
shall be no discrimination because
of racial origin, color, religious
belief, or political affiliation “sub-
ject to the needs of the employ-
ment,”

This meant that the NES staff
would not ‘discriminate against
workers in referring them to em-
ployment. However, it offered no
guarantee that NES could refuse
to comply with the request of an
employer who practised discrimi-
nation as a condition of employ-
ment. Suppose the XYZ Co. sent
in a request for three workers,
but added the rider “Don’t send
us any who aren’t red-haired
Irishmen.” It looked as though
the NES staff could only refer
“yed-haired Irishmen” to the XYZ

cal industry were presented by
the CIO Electrical Workers.

Company.

DONALD MacDONALD

In The.

Right: Direction”

Act amendments sponsored

by the Government last month to raise the maximum
weekly payment to $24 were welcomed by CCL Secretary-
Treasurer Donald MacDonald as “a step in the right direc-
tion”. The top payment of $24 is “still definitely insuffi-
cient for the support of a family under today’s conditions,”

Victoria Pres.

PRESIDENT J. MacKENZIE
Local 1-118

“My father,” said the young
woman to an admirer, “is a very
good business man. When he was
quite young he managed to make
a large fortune. Would you like
to hear how he did it?”

“Certainly,” said the young
man, “but tell me first, has he
still got it?”

Pie yee

_Many a man who is proud of
his right to say what he pleases
wishes he had the courage to do
so.

|CANADA

RAISES
BARRIERS

OTTAWA (CPA)—A tighten-
ing of racial barriers against ad-
mission to Canada has been an-
nounced by the federal govern:
ment here. Particularly hard-hit
are Italians who want to come to

Canada. :

The government restrictions on
immigration of national groups
follows labor protests that the
flow of newcomers was not being
regulated to bring it, into, line
with the number of jobs available
when they arrived. Unionists,
however, did not ask for racii

| screening of immigrants.

Racial Bans

The new order will ban all
Italian, Israeli, Turkish and Iran-
jan immigrants except those
joining close relatives here. Scan-
dinavians, Belgians and Swiss
mus now have essential skills to
enter Canada, while only agri-
cultural workers and domestics
from Germany, Austria, Greece,
the. Netherlands and Finland need
apply. Meanwhile, American,
British and French immigrants
will be able to enter Canada al-

most at will. ‘

Employment Needs Ignored

Commented the Ottawa “Citi-
zen” editorially: -

“Canada’s immigration policy
should be based on employment
conditions here . . . But the gov-
ernment’s present policy goes
much farther than mere concern
for fitting immigration into the
existing employment pattern. It
subscribes to racial theories that
most Canadians of good will
would reject.”

A recent statement by the im-
migration department shows that»
211,000 amin erate entered ei
nada during the year ende
March 31, 1952. Of these, 36,000
were classified as Germans, an-
other 36,000 as British (including
Trish), 28,000 as Italians, 20,000
as Dutch-and 18,000 as Poles.

2

“Grandpa, why don’t you get

a hearing aid?”
“Don’t need it, son. Hear more

now than I understand.”

PAC “Old Hat” In

UK Trad

OTTAWA (CPA)— Political
Action by Trade Unionists is a
new idea in Canada. But in
Britain it’s 52 years old—and
still going strong.

Here are some _ highlights
from the recent leaflet on
“Trade Unionists and Politics”,
published by the British Trade
Union Congress:

"You'll usually find that people
who say unions should be non-
political are themselves keen sup-
porters of the Tory or Liberal
parties, Their real complaint is
that trade unions today support
the Labor Party...”

‘The unions... formed their
own independent poltical "party in
1900...”

"The unions had found that the
Tory Party and the Liberal Party
could only be relied upon to rep-
resent the viewpoint of landown-
ers and employers. They wanted
a party which would represent the
wage-earner in Parliament.”

"It does seem curious, doesn't
it, that Tories should resent work-
ers paying out of their own pock-
ets a couple of shillings a year to
their union political fund which is
legally registered and yet the same
ad raise Ae ebysetion to em-

loyers secretly collecting among
Themcloes Wousands « «for the
Tory Party. Or does it?” -

"Of course, trade unions con-
cern themselves ese. with ques-

tions of wages and s fa

“But nobody can think about
wages and salaries without think-
ing of prices as well. Prices are
affected by taxation and subsidies.
‘And that’s politics again, right

“Full employment is as import-
ant as es {eef aw

Everybody knows that Gov

e Unions

ment decision can seriously affect
employment. Today almost
every indus! question sooner
or later becomes a political ques-
tion, ,

“Is it a wise thing to entrust
your political=representation to a
Tory Party which notoriously rep-
resents the employer; to people
who have no responsibility to
your industrial organization? If
you believe that your political
representatives must be of your
own democratic choice it means
you should support the Labor
Party?

HOUSING —
COSTS
HIKED

OTTAWA (CPA)—There was
a jump of 65%, or nearly two-
thirds, between 1950 and 1951 in
the amount of ready cash Cana-
dians had to lay on the line if
they wanted to buy a new house,
according to a recently released
Central Mortgage and Housing
Corporation study. The 1951 av-
erage down payment was $3,188
while the normal 1950 require-
ment was only $1,928.

‘The total cost of a new dwell-

| THE CO-OPERATIVE VIE

Pr. Rupert Housing

The following is a descrip-
tion of the Co-op Housing Pro-
ject in Prince Rupert, written
by a member of it, who is also
an employee of the Celanese-
Corporation in the northern
city.

A Co-op group was formed
among the employees of Celanese
and registered in Victoria as the
“Cellsco Building Co-op. The
Company assisted them in the
purchase of the old property
where the Americans had their
barracks during the war. These
lots, about 120 by 150 feet, are
sold to the members of the Co-op.
at $200 each, payable at $50
down and the balance by means
of the payroll check-off on your
own terms.

The Company loans its equip-
ment, bulldozer, loader, etc., for
the excavation and gives lumber
left over from construction which
is still going on, such as scaffold,
forms, etc., and sells new lumber
at cost.

Self-employed

Now here is the core of the
whole plan. All the members of
the Co-op, who are mostly trades-
men, agree to assist in the build-
jing, and are credited with one
dollar per hour toward their
shares in the Co-op. Everyone
gets the same credit per hour,
whether they are laborers or
tradesmen. The first house com-

ing also rose—from an average
of $8,805 to one of $10,211. Gov-
ernment-inspired cuts in mort-
gage lending, plus increased con-
struction costs were blamed by

the CMHC researchers for |
housing costs.

pleted is mortgaged for $4000,
and that money is used to pur-
chase material for the next house,
The member who moves in then
pays off the mortgage as rent,

with no payment.

Surplus Accumulates

The difference between the ac- -
tual cost and the $4000 goes to
the Co-op so that in fairly short
time it should be possible either
to declare generous dividends to
the shareholding’ members, or to
use the surplus funds to start up
a Co-op store or any other
scheme deemed advisable.

So far, one house has beep
nearly completed, with excava-
tions for two more ready. With
the spring and longer days com-
ing, it is expected that ten to
twelve more should be completed
before fall. I am buying a lot, but
do not expect to start building
this year. The first house has so
far cost about $2500 with very
little more to be svent on actual
material. Lights, sewer and water
are already laid on for all the
property. In all, it looks though
‘we will have a real Co-op village
within a very short time.

Ocean Falls United Worker.

CO-OP HEALTH

TORONTO (CPA) —. Sixty
thousand trade union families in
Chicago, Illinois, have learnt that
co-operatives and trade unions
ean work together to give them
top-flight optical care, That’s the
true story John Burke, president
of the Windy City’s Union Eye
Care Centre took to the recent
Co-operative Health Federation
of America meeting in Toronto,
Modern unions see the health of
their members as something just
as important as their wages and
working conditions, Burke told

the convention. F