. B.C. LUMBER WORKER Se The UNION’S BUSINESS INTERIOR CHALLENGE Nov the whole story catt be told about the Interior settlement. In the telling we needn’t pull any punches in dealing with the part played by the employers. Their pretended benevolent interest in the welfare of their employees disguised a ruthless and cold- blooded cloak and dagger operation to destroy their oganization. A conexete il- lustration of this | attitude was their ; attempt to cut off }” the Unemploy- ment benefits for locked - out em- ployees. This demonstrated the weapon they re- lied on chiefly was starvation. No stone was left unturned to present the workers with only one alterna- tive to complete submission—that alternative was hunger. Lessons Learned We have all learned lessons as a result of this experience. As practical trade unionists we must wisely profit by the experience. The major lesson taught the District Council was that the conduct of negotiations, however expert, is not enough to win the fight in the Interior. The one genuine, and most weighty bar- gaining card, when the cards are faced up, is the strength of orga- nization among the workers on the job. The administration of IWA af- fairs throughout the Interior, in Season and out of season, must accomplish a more closely knit organization, capable of function- jag in, for, and through the In- " membership. Frank Analysis If our organization methods in the Interior are not efficient or are inadequate, we should face the question, and by taking a frank inventory arrive at the correct solution. IWA members throughout the Tnterior must also take an inven- tory of their assets and liabili- ties. Last year’s experience demonstrated that they are re- quired to shoulder a greater share of responsibility. The District Council can do much to assist the development of organization throughout the Interior. I believe that it is the will of the Coast membership that the utmost should be done in this respect. -Not “Ready-made” The fact remains that the Dis- trict Council cannot provide the Interior membership with a ready-made organization, capable of doing the job. Effective orga- nization must have grass-roots growth, otherwise it is so arti- ficial that it withers under fire. 'There’s no sense in “crying ~ over spilt milk”, or “threshing old straw”. We must face one simple fact—we didn’t have the strength of organization in the Interior to do a job on determined _|and unscrupulous employers. The one important question is—where do we go from here? Opportunity Knocks The obvious answer is that we must build a stronger organiza- tion in the Interior, The facts are that we have the opportunity to build such an organization, and that it is needed and wanted by the lumber workers. The District Council can pro- yide temporary assistance and leadership, but that is all. We will have a real organization only when the Interior members de- termined to build their own, and act for themselves within the framework of our Union. . Police Agreement The opportunity to do this is found in the performance of duties regarding the existing agreement. If the [WA members on the job tackle the policing and enforcing of the present contract,’ they will find an immediate re- ‘sponse in the form of better or- Banization spirit. Every member must be made to realize the importance of the agreement and its benefits. It can be made to work in a way that will vastly improve condi- tions throughout the Interior. Certain it is, that if the-em- ployers find that the workers are indifferent now to the contract in existence, they will exploit that indifference to the hilt when ne- gotiations start. The problem of the Interior will never be solved until the IWA members in the Interior de- cide to do for themselves all those things about the contract which they alone can do. UP. AGAIN WASHINGTON — Gonsumer prices rose between October 15 and November 15, and were back at the all-time high reached last August, the Bureau of Labor Sta- tistics reported December 19. The consumer price index rose 0.1 percent to 191.1, despite the con- tinued decline in wholesale prices. The rise made false prophets of business and industry leaders who insisted prices are dropping, and there is no longer need for \ price controls. copy January 12th, Publication date of the next issue of the B,C. LUMBER WORKER fg Jonuary 16th. Deadline for ad copy ie January 11th ond for news 2 Went cane Tat Viee-President a Vice-President ... gra. Vice-President Secretary-Treasurer gubseription Rates. rized as Second Autho 0.000 COPIEB BC Lonpentt Representing the Organized Loggers and Mill Workers of B:C. PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY BY INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (CIO-CCL) B.C, DISTRICT COUNCIL No, 1. DISTRICT OFFICERS: tional Board Member .... ve ka Address all communications to RGE H, MITCHELL, Secretary-Treasurer : GPor Kingsway - Phone FAlrmont 8807-8 Vancouver, B.C. Representative._.....G. A. Bpencer nie Oey Class Mail, Post Office Dept, Ott¢wa PRINTED IN THIS 188UB > nme J. Stewart Alsbury Joe Morris M. Hodgson neers Fred Fieber George H. Mitchell “- William N, Gray $1.50 per annum Illustrated is the Cruiser’s Stag of pure virgin wool in mackinaw or kersey, Mackinaw plaids are either red and black; green and black, or blue and black. or favorite dealer, Notice the four large pockets in front, and the large pack pocket in back, which opens at both sides... a feature of both mackinaw and kersey garments. These are two of the many designs of “Pioneer Brand” clothing obtainable from your commissary Made in Vancouver, B.C., by Jones Tent & Awning Ltd., they are designed through careful study of the needs and desires of B.C. workmen. LOOK FOR THE NAME FOR WORK CLOTHING OF UNSTINTED MATERIALS DESIGN and WORKMANSHIP 3 B ORDER SPLITS CARTEL OTTAWA (GPA) — Canadian Industries Ltd, the Canadian branch of the international che- mical cartel, will be split up be- tween its two parent companies under orders from a U.S. federal district court. EI. du Pont de Nemours and Imperial Chemical Industries have announced that they will divide the assets and operations of CIL into two separate com- panies. CIL, which has been jointly controlled by Dupont and ICI since 1910, was instructed by the parent companies “not to engage in any export trade even when it is in a favorable position to do so through tariff preference or other causes”, according to a report of the Canadian Combines Investi- gations Commissioner published in 1945. Eliminates Competition Earlier this year the U.S. De- partment of Justice charged that the joint interest of Dupont and ICL eliminated competition and restricted the foreign trade of the U.S. in Canada and the com- panies were ordered to either divide or sell their interest in Canadian Industries. The two companies are now re- ported to be working out plans for the division of CIL which must be presented to the U.S. court by the end of March 1953. If the court approves the plans, they must be implemented within one year. Canadian Industries Limited, operates 23 plants in six Cana- dian provinces and at the end of 1951 had total assets of $141,- 188,949. After deduction of taxes the-company made a profit of $11,526,625 on its operations dur- ing 1951, 15% VOTE WASHINGTON — During 1951, workers voting in favor of unions as collective bargaining agents numbered 75 percent of those voting. In the third quar- ter of 1952 the figure rose to 79.38 percent, the National Labor Relations Board reported Decem- ber 23, _— FALSE OATH CAMDEN, NJ. — The NLRB has revoked the certification of Local 80-A, CIO Packinghouse Workers, because the local’s busi- ness manager, Anthony Valentino had been convicted of having sworn falsely in a non-Commun- ist oath in 1949 in behalf of a predecessor union. | Bill Resigns ‘Bill Franklin; popular Business Agent of Local 1- 367, IWA, has resigned his position in that Local to go into business with his two brothérs and a friend run- ning the’ “Regal Building Supply”, in Haney. | — my BANKING BY MAIL The safe way to save your money is to put it in a bank. You can do this best through any of the branches of the Canadian Bank of Commerce in British Columbia. Get some Banking by Mail forms before you leave town, or write for a supply to your nearest branch of the Commerce. BANKING BY MAIL is convenient, easy to do. See for yourself—today. THE cao BANK OF COMMERCE 80 Branches in British Columbia