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B.C. LUMBER WORKER

“Interior Action”

In their own communities individual lumber workers
must act to offset the misleading propaganda of the
employers, with the firm conviction ‘that the Union is
right, in battling for better conditions. ¢

Eyery day, and in every way, from now until the con-
tract is signed, Interior lumber workers must build their
organized strength in cooperation with the District Policy
Committee, to fight and win the contract they need and

deserve.

The entire Union must act to meet the threat to its

general progress which lies
lumber industry.

in a low-wage area in the

FROM PAGE 1 -

Loggers Warned

was discovered by some loggers
who signed up, without examin-

ing the terms of the contract
closely,

Phony Agreement

Here is what the terms of the
agreement provide, as entered
into between the owner of the
timber and his so-called partners.

The first condition is that the
partners pay to the owner the
sum of $10 per 1000 feet board
measure for the timber to be
logged subject to the other con-
ditions of the contract, -

The partners are then required
to pay all the costs of operation,
including, Compensation, Unem-
ployment Insurance, stumpage
and royalties, broker’s charges
and commissions, and. so on
throughout the entire list. They
are charged for all such pay-
ments before earnings are dis-
tributed.

To Feed Owner’s Family

They must agree to provide
that the owner’s wife and her
children shall be fed-free in the
cookhouse, together with any of
her visitors. She must also be
provided with stove-oil for her
own quarters. All these charges
are to be assessed against the so-
called partners.

All costs and expenses .of ma-
chinery repairs and maintenance
will also be charged against the
production of the partners. The
books are fully under the control
of the owner, The owner’s word
is to be accepted as final in de-
termining the correct charges.

Any partner may be discharg-
ed on the instruction of the own-
er or by majority vote of the
other partners. Lf he is discharg-
ed, or incapacitated, he may re-
ceive only that share of the pro-
fits which may be credited to
him up to that time, Payment of
his share, as well as for those
that may fulfill the contract re-
quirements may be deferred until
all logging has been completed,

and the machinery parked where
the owner designates.

Any loss or damage to ma-
chinery is also charged against
the partners, even though the
owner has undisputed right to
close down or direct operations
as he may choose.

Payments. Delayed

If the partners fail to complete
the logging during the present
year, they may, if the owner so
agrees, continue next year, again
under conditions which make the
word of the owner final in all
important respects.

One must read the contract,
a copy of which is in my pos-
session, to accept the almost
incredible fact that.any em-
ployer would present such a
document with such barefaced
terms of victimization to an
intelligent logger.

The matter was brought to
our attention by an unfortu-
nate logger who signed and
worked for about four months.
He required money and found
he couldn’t get it until all log-
ging is done, toward the end
of the year.

Mainly through the com-
missary, he received the mag-
nificent reward of $90 for four
months’ work, and must now
take legal action to establish
his claim for wages.

Illegality Claimed

To the best of our knowledge,
as we have stated to the Attor-
ney-General, this set-up violates
the Minimum Wage Act, the
Hours of Work Act, and, of
course, the ICA Act, Beyond any
doubt it is an invention to em-
ploy men under conditions that
would prevent their unionization,
and exploit their labor for the

profits sought by the owner.

We condemn this practice in
the strongest possible language,
and not only warn loggers, but
ask them to report to this Union
any attempt to extend this trick-
ery to any other operation.”

IWA SCORES.
WAIVER FORM

Warning has been issued to
all IWA Local Unions in Brit-
ish Columbia by the IWA B.C.
District Council against any
attempt on the part of opera-
tors to evade the provisions of
the master agreement with re-
spect to accumulated leaye,

‘The warning was prompted by
the action of the Pioneer Timber
Co. Ltd., Port MeNeill, subsidiary
of the Alaska Pine & Cellulose
Co., in presenting employees
with a form to sign as described
below:

‘ Pioneer Tim! Co, Ltd.
Port McNeill, B,C.

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

This is to certify that | have
been offered my accumulated
leave which was due
dates shown below, and that it
is my choice to refuse this leave.

I understand that my refusal
to take this leave means that it
is forfeited, and that I have no
claim for payment on-my em-
ployer.

Dated. . Signed.. .
Instructions to Local Union:
are to the effect that any com-
pany attempting this practice
should be advised -that such is a
violation of the master agree-

ment,

It is pointed out that the agree-
ment was reached as between the
Union and the Company, and that
signed statements by any indi-
vidual waiving any of its provi-
sions cannot be regarded as valid.

The IWA will seek prosecution
of any such violation, and all
IWA members are advised not to
sign such forms, if presented to
them,

FROM PAGE 1

“Boards”

will commence at an early date,
and full-scale preparation of
evidence and argument is pro-
ceeding with despatch.

President Frank Howard, Lo-
cal 1-71, IWA, has been nominat-
ed by the Union as a member of
the Board hearing the dispute in
the Northern Interior, expected
to sit in Prince George.

District First Vice - President
William Gray is the IWA nomi-
nee on the Board for the South-
ern Interior, whose hearing will
be held in Kelowna.

FROM PAGE 1

“ISSUES”

Battling for the favorable at-
tention of the large audience
were LPP Maurice Rush, Social
Crediter Peer Paynter, CCF’er
Harold Winch, Conservative Ar-
thur McArthur, and Liberal
Elmore Philpott.

MAURICE RUSH: “Canada
has been reduced to the status of
a colony through subjection to
the United States, We must re-
store the sovereign right to
govern this country to the Cana-
dian people.”

PEER PAYNTER: “Social
Credit will take away from the
bankers the right to control our
money and place it in the hands
of the Federal Government.”

HAROLD WINCH: “It’s com-
plete nonsense for the LPP to say
that the CCF is cast from the
same mold as the Socreds, Lib-
erals, and Conservatives. We are
Socialists and proud of it. We're
out for a complete economic re-
form to replace capitalism with
socialism, that human welfare
may gain priority over profit-
making.”

ARTHUR McARTHUR: “I
could walk down the aisles here
tonight and pick out a better
Cabinet than they have in Ot-
tawa right now.” “. .. a vote for
the CCF or the Socreds is a vote
for the Liberal Government.”

ELMORE PHILPOTT: “The
government set up the finest wel-
fare state program on this side
of the Atlantic, and in most re-
spects better than anything on
either side of the Atlantic.”

IWA officials selected for each
speaker five questions from
among the 500 that were sub-
mitted at the close of their re-
marks,

The meeting cost the IWA Lo-
cal Union approximately $800, of
which sum approximately $400
was collected from the audience.
The entire proceedings were xe-
broadcast over CJOR the follow-
ing afternoon.

Despite the financial loss, the
IWA Local Union officials ex-
pressed the belief that the orga-
nization had done an important
PAC job in rousing people to the

necessity of weighing the issues
and voting on August 10.

FROM PAGE 1

“Prosecution”

methods of intimidation and
threats to dissuade his employees
from continuing membership in
the IWA. He became especially
active in this respect, after the
employees had signed with the
IWA, almost 100 percent.

IWA officials familiar with
conditions in the plant are un-
sparing in their language when
they describe treatment meted
out to the workers under an em-
ployer known far and wide for
his high-handed disregard of civi-
lized conduct.

Scandalous Wages

Because wage rates are scan-
dalously low, even under the low
standards common in the Interior,
many of the employees have
been kept so deeply in debt that
they are at the mercy of the
operator, who does not hesitate
to use his economic advantage in
a domineering way.

One employee, employed with
the firm for over 80 years and
now in a supervisory capacity, is
still receiving the rate of $1.15
an hour,

No attempt has been made to
classify the various jobs in a
plant employing over 70 men,
Each man is hired on a personal
basis for as low a wage as the
employer can force upon him,
Some live in company houses and

are required to pay high rents
for hovels out of their low wages.
Any complaint and he is prompt-
ly transferred to one of the
employer’s farms, and later fired.

Exposure Pending

Said one IWA official: “If all
the facts are heard by the Con-
ciliation Board, we can expose a
system of peonage that is more
vicious than any reported in Can-
ada since the days of slavery.
Every law, designed to protect
workers in the enjoyment of
their legitimate rights has been
broken by this employer. The
sole object of the employer seems
to be to get a worker so deeply
in his clutches that he is terrified
to speak for his rights.”

One report to this publication
described one worker being chas-
ed across the lumber yard in
front of the jeep used by. the
Superintendent. No ordinary em-
ployee is allowed to ride the jeep
from one point to another, and
this method was taken to keep
the man on the jump.

The Local Union officials re-
gard the attempted intervention
of the AFL Union as a ruse of-
the employer to perpetuate these
deplorable conditions under the
terms of a “yellow-dog” con-
tract.

LOCAL 1-367

Annual Meet Aug. 9

Annual meeting of Local 1-367, IWA, to be held in the
IOOF Hall, Mission, August 9, at 1 p.m., will hear Interna-
tional and District Officers on the immediate problems of
the Union and will then proceed to nominate and elect the

Local Union’s officers for the

EDDY MATCH
SETTLES

Settlement was reached by
the officers of Local 1-367,
IWA, Haney, in the dispute
with the Eddy Match Co., Mis-
sion, when a memorandum of
agreement was signed with the
management on the eve of con-
ciliation proceedings.

When the Conciliation Board
met, its sole function was to re-
port that an agreement had been
reached and settlement affected.

The settlement provides for a
wage increase across the board
of 3% cents an hour, effective
July 21st, 1953, with a revision
of the cost of living bonus.

The number of paid statutory
holidays was increased to nine.

Provisions for a night shift
differential were again defined, as
well as those for the prevailing
hours of work.

SANDWICH
WHITE BREAD
Sliced

“== = WHITE BREAD

BALANCED
RATION
Sliced grad

Id to better nutrition _all G.B. White Bread
fe now made with Vitamin. Enriched White Flour
The white flour content of such loaves as Balanced
Ration, Brown, Rye and Special Meal ia also En-
riched Flour.

“Listen to G.B., CKWX — 5:30 p.m. Monday thru Fridey””

ensuing year.

Invitations have been extended
to International President Al
Hartung, District President Joe
Morris and District Secretary-
Treasurer George Mitchell, all of
whom have expressed the inten-
tion to be present.

In addition the meeting will
hear from the former CCF can-
didate in the riding, Ken Pattern,
and the MLA-elect for New
Westminster, Rae Eddie.

Refreshments will be served at
the conclusion of the meeting.

Latest certification secured by
the Local Union is that for the
R. & F. Rusted Logging Co. Ltd,
Harrison Lake, where there are
approximately 15 crew members
employed at present.

"WHAT — HE TRIED To SELL

YOU @ SUIT THAT DIDN'T FITS.

TRY THE HUB, (7Y BOY, ANO CET
YOURS WITH EASY CREDIT”

Home of Union Made

MEN’S WEAR
AND FRIENDLY
SERVICE

THE@ Hp

45 EAST HASTINGS
VANCOUVER, B. C.