4 B.C. LUMBER WORKER First Issue, April EDITORIAL Your Part OPENING of bargaining talks with Forest In- dustrial Relations this week, with respect to the terms of the 1954-55 Coast master contract is the signal for alert and well-informed support on the part of all IWA members. All the bargaining skill at the command of the Union will be employed on behalf of lumber workers at the bargaining table. The demands formulated by the membership will be stated and advocated with emphasis and all the supporting evidence. One vital feature of this bargaining process should not be forgotten. The Union’s Negotiat- ing Committee is merely the focus of the Union’s negotiating ‘activity. The circumference of this bargaining must include every member of the Union. 5 It vests with every member of the Union to undertake his share of the bargaining launched this week. He should help to keep alive in the thoughts and actions of all his fellow-workers the urgent necessity for united action in support of the demands. He may lay the basis now for support of pub- lic opinion, by convincing his fellow citizens of the justice and reasonableness of the Union’s negotiations. The individual member is this week, more than ever, a vitally important cog in the mobilization of support, so essential always to successful nego- tiations. When the men on the job talk about the demands with firm and confident language, the employers are more readily infiuenced by the Union’s logic at the bargaining table. All Gain "THE IWA has scored another important gain in the adjustment of rates for tradesmen in the lumber industry. The vote given for acceptance of the District Committee’s report disclosed that this fact is appreciated by those most concerned. In a frank report to the tradesmen, the mem- bers of the Committee stated that they had not obtained all that was originally desired. The settlement finally negotiated, however, was the best obtainable under the circumstances. It was a matter of regret among the commit- tee’s members that nothing could be obtained for the oilers and the first aid men. In respect of adjustment for these categories, the employers had been found adamant. The terms of the adjustment bring order out of chaos. When given application on the job, journeymen tradesmen will have the protection to which they are entitled by reason of their skill and experience, and will know exactly the basic rate for their classification, in all major opera- tions. - Improvers will not be required to accept the responsibilities of journeymen at the improver’s rate. When qualified they will be entitled to the higher rate. -The uniformity of a basic rate for each clas- sification throughout the industry will prove a boon for those whose circumstances compel them to seek employment in operations other than the one in which they qualified. . Production workers will be pleased that this matter, which has been hanging fire since last year’s negotiations has been cleared away before the beginning of this year’s bargaining. The support given the claims of the tradesmen by the production workers will be reflected in the increased bargaining strength for the entire union this year made possible by this demonstra- tion of unity, Disputing the statement of the trade union movement of Canada, in submissions to the Federal Cabinet, that unem- ployment had reached grave proportions, business leaders have in recent weeks subjected a long-suffering public to a barrage of propaganda design- ed to minimize any sense of alarm. Labor Research, the CCL pub- lication, in the current issue, of- fers statistical proof that in March there were 570,000 unem- ployed in Canada. ‘The brightest spot was at the Pacific Coast, where the number reached 70,- 000. Quebec had 185,000 among the army of jobless. Labor Research indicated that this figure was 30 to 50% above the figure, reported this time last year, and disposed of the theory that unemployment as _experi- enced this year was purely “sea- sonal”, Labor leaders have been quick to point out that the business interests cannot have it both OUTLOOK GOOD AT THE TOP ways. During negotiations the employers plead the threat of a recession. When public works projects are mooted they accuse the trade unions of being gloom- peddlers, In this connection the remarks of Mr. Rhys M. Sale, speaking before the Montreal Canadian Club, are of no more than ordi- nary interest, It must be re- membered at the time he was facing the demands of the United Automobile Workers. He said, in part: “The Canadian economy today is sound as a bell. No one can persuade me that a depression or a recession, or anything more than a minor eco- nomic adjustment, lies just around the bend. The only real danger is that the blue ruin spreaders may get enough people to believe them to start a minor panic. I am mystified as to the motive of the gloom-peddlers. But T do know that for every argument they can offer to prove a depres- How They Voted A CCF motion, introduced by Clarie Gillis, M.P. for Cape Breton South, calling for “immediate action by the federal govern- ment to prevent further economic distress” from unemployment was defeated by the Liberal majority in the House of Commons recently. The Cape Breton miner suggested five measures the govern- ment might take to reduce unemployment. There were: general economic planning;-specific action to cope with seasonal unemploy- ment; special assistance in areas of “regional” unemployment; a sharp increase in unemployment benefit rates; and care for handi- capped people who could not work. . The entire Opposition supported the motion. The vote was: for—CCF, 17; Progressive Conservatives, 36; Social Credit, 12; and Independents, 3; Against—Liberals, 129. The voting record which follows indicates how the members from B.C. voted on this question which affects close to 580,000 Canadians. BURNABY-COQUITLAM Erhart Regier (CCF) For | sx pena CARIBOO E. T. Applewhai ; B. R. Leboe (SC) Fer | Wee a ee COMOX-ALBERNI Eeeanl 7. S, Barnett (CCF) For| "J. L. MacDougall ESQUIMALT-SAANICH (L) Apa. G. R. Pearkes, (PC) or Ges be KOOTENAY = Z J. A. Byrne (L) Against | eer aan GD ce Raia NANAIMO ‘ Colin Cameron (CCF) For Paes Winele (CGE) oy NEW WESTMINSTER F,G. J. Hahn (CCF) For| _ Angus MacInnis (CCF) For OKANAGAN BOUNDARY South O. L. Jones (CCF) For| Elmore Philpott (L) Against OKANAGAN-REVELSTOKE | VICTORIA G. W. McLeod (SC) For| ¥.T. Fairey (L) Against ANS on B. C. COLLATERAL LOAN 77 EAST HASTINGS, Cor. COLUMBIA sion is just over the horizon, any sensible Canadian could put up a dozen to prove they are wrong. New Investment Im this connection it is inter- esting to note that total new capital investment in Canada from the end of the war to the close of 1958 amounted to $30 billions — and that Canadians themselves put up $25 billions of the total. United States invest- ment in Canada during that p iod increased by only $4 billions. In terms of dollar value, Cana- dians now produce almost three times as much goods and services as we did in 1941, and almost five times what we produced in 1981. We have done that with an increase of only 50% in our population since 1931, We are consuming a larger share of what we produce and are some- what less dependent on export trade than we used to be. Standards Up It also means that we have raised our standard of living very substantially. The real in- come of our people has been in- creased by 25% since 1941. Cash income of farmers, in spite of reductions in the past couple of years, is still more than three times what it was in 1941, more than five times what it was in 1931. We have just closed the books on the most prosperous year in Canadian history, In 1953 we Canadians made more money, spent more money, and saved more money than ever before. We saved more than twice as much money collectively in 1953 as we did*in 1950, even though we spent 25% more in 1953 than we did in 1950. pe meta EE SAN FRANCISCO — TAILORS — LOAN MONEY ON Suits, Overcoats, ete, , Loggers’ Boots, Sleepi ‘Bags, Suitcases, Radion Watches and Rings Expert Watch Repairing —__ UNREDEEMED Suits and Caulk Boots + For Sale MAIL ORDER 52 Weat Hastings Street On DIAMONDS, JEWELRY, SILVERWARE, ALL VALUABLES No Red Tape! Unredeemed Diamonds for Sale BROKERS LTp. PAc