4 B.C. LUMBER WORKER Consolidation. [® is almost inevitable that a prolonged strike period should expose a large industrial union, such as the IWA, to strains and stresses that linger on after a settle- ment has been made. Likewise, as experience has shown in the trade union movement, there never has been a settlement completely satisfactory to all concerned. “Hindsight is always better than foresight.” always much easier to look back and speculate about what might have been, than to make decisions under fire on the basis of estimated possibilities. Commonsense is the most satisfactory ‘pasis for action regarding today’s problems. Any attempt to re-live the past will provide more heat than light. The old farm adages apply: “No one fills the granary threshing old straw.” “Only he can plow a straight fur- row who looks forward.” The state of the Union is the all-important question. By rule of the majority a new contract has been estab- lished.. The unity and strength of the IWA has been pre- served. Tomorrow is another day in which new objectives are possible of attainment, if the potential vitality of the Union is directed to these objectives. The completion of IWA organization is a prime re- quirement. Not only should this organization be extended to include all the unorganized, but it should also be extended to harness greater activity on the part of those now in the organization. The basic project which demands the attention of all alert’ members is the proper policing of the contract. Organization on the job is necessary to offset the constant trend to whittle down the existing contract benefits. The recent strike was perhaps the finest education that could be given in the application of trade union principles. This interest in the value of trade unionism should now be followed up with a program of education which will fully enlighten all on the aims and purposes of the IWA. This is a period when every effort should be extended to consolidate the position of the Union by building on experience, and the new-found qualities of leadership which came to light during a critical struggle. Such con- solidation means the welding together of the best of these elements for unswerving and loyal service toward the Union’s objectives. y Our Conventions E spotlight now turns toward two conventions charged with the responsibility of making decisions of direct interest to the welfare of IWA members. The IWA International Convention in Portland, com- mencing September 15, will face a heavy agenda relating to problems of internal administration and international relations. / IWA Local Unions in B.C. have already prepared to send their full quotas of delegates. That is as it should be. It is likewise important that the largest District in the International should exercise an influence on convention decisions in ratio to its strength. The manner in which this is done is determined by means of Local Union discussions and resolutions. Dele- gates should attend the convention fully aware of the thinking of their fellow-members on the anticipated con- vention issues, channel througn wnicn B.C. I1WA members may gain a voice on urgent international problems. The IWA is an integral part of the CIO, and the CIO in turn is a factor in the ICFTU at the international level. In Canada, IWA members will have an important part to play in shaping labor’s policies on the national field. Through the CCL Convention in Toronto, later in Sep- tember, decisions on political action to secure a larger measure of social security will be determined. Both conventions represent democracy in action. Trade union democracy will achieve for trade union members exactly what the individual trade union members invest by way of their effort and thought as they express their views within the Local Unions. WAY TO SHOW APPRECIATION The Editor: It is} Now that the strike is over and the smoke of battle is slowly clearing away, I think a vote of thanks would be in order for those who did so much to make it possible for us to carry on the fight. The IWA Committees are the ones who, during the strike, bore the brunt of the work, receiving no reward for the job and very often a lot of abuse from all sides, No Sub-Local did more 'work or a better job than the PV group on the picket line or in the office. One way to show our apprecia- tion for their efforts would be in the future attend all Union meet- ings, This is not asking very _ much from ‘anyone and would go a long way to making the Union stronger and backing up the contract. S. J. Bourgeois, P.Y. Sub-Local. WHAT WERE WE ELECTED FOR. ANYWAY? a Your Space Boys! The Editor: I should like, if I may, to take this opportunity to deny author- ship of certain statements and views attributed to me by one E. S. Woodward in the radio pro- gram “Town Meeting in Canada”, transcribed on Saturday night, August 2. In a debate with Bert Gar- grave, International Representa- tive of the United Steelworkers of America, CIO-CCL, Mr. Wood- ward on that program used a written article of mine as a whetstone with which to grind his own very peculiar axe. The article is entitled: “Industrial Re- lations and Government Policy”, published in the Canadian Jour- nal of Economics and’ Political Science, February, 1951. Mr. ‘Woodward not only used the familiar and moth-eaten old trick of lifting sentences out of their context and completely dis- torting the theme of my article. More dishonest than that, he at- tributed to me several statements that I’d never made, in the afore- mentioned article or anywhere else (such statements as, for in- stance: “Union officials have to club their members into submis- sion”). By means of such little tricks as these, Mr, Woodward, I presume, hoped to give the im- pression that I, and perhaps the University with which I am asso- ciated, share his own particularly virulent prejudices against the ; trade union movement. The IWA International Convention is an important ‘The article in question certain- ly was not an attack on trade unions, as Mr. Woodward implied, As a matter of fact, some promi- nent officials of the Canadian Congress of Labor were favor- | ably impressed with it to the ex-! tent that they invited me to pre- sent it in the form of a lecture at a special union staff conference in Banff, following the CCL Conven- tion last year. Interestingly enough, Bert Gargrave himself was at the Con- ference and, if my memory serves me right, complimented me on the article. In the “Town Meet- ing” program, however, Mr, Woodward so distorted my article that Bert didn’t recognize it! Such flagrant dishonesty on Mr, Woodward’s part contrasts strangely with his loudly pro- claimed belief in the efficacy of Moral Rearmament and the Gol- ANS On DIAMONDS, August 7, 1952 NEO den Rule! Stuart Jameson, Associate Professor, U.B.C. The Editor: . I am writing this letter to you as_a member of Local 1-217, IWA, now back at work in the industry, and a member of our Savings Credit Union, Local 1- 217. As you can well understand, the resources of this Credit Union, have been under consider- able strain in the last few weeks, Readers Think! Many workers, declining to ac- cept strike assistance, have in- stead taken out loans. This loyal attitude on the part of our mem- bers, has considerably, I am sure, eased the drain on the Strike Fund. My suggestion is that the Strike Fund Trustees deposit a small portion of the Strike Fund to help service its [WA members, in difficulty, owing to the strike, Fraternally yours, Tony Gargraye. 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