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B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Piet Too, Asi

$$$

FIGHT AGAINST BILL 28 CONTINUES

As a contribution toward the trade union compaign
against Bill 28 in the Legislature, Local 1-217, IWA,
recently sponsored a series of radio programs with inno-
vations. One half-hour program presented “on-the-job”
interviews with active IWA members, reproduced with
the background of the sounds ordinarily heard in their
operations.

Interviews were recorded on
the Local Union’s tape recorder,

and were later pieced together
as a complete program at Station
CJOR. The first part of the pro-
gram recorded interviews secur-
ed during the joint labor confer-
ence as follows:

Jack Moore, Local 1-85

“Although I haven’t had time
to. study the Act in any great
detail, in scanning the Act, I
noted many clauses which would
negate the gains won by labor
in British Columbia through
strike action, in the past. Par-
ticularly one section which would
actually make null and void, a
Union Shop, maintenance of
membership contract now in ex-
istence.

Also the members of the Al-
berni Valley Local Union of the
IWA, are very much perturbed
about the terrific amount of
power now being. given to the
Minister of Labor, in view of the
fact that Mr. Wicks is appar-
ently inexperienced in a labor
movement in the aims and ob-
jective of labor, and in view of
the fact that no one man can
actually draw up legislation or
administer an Act and be impar-
tial to all parties. We feel that
this Act, and this terrific amount
of authority given to Mr. Wicks
is absolute folly.”

Tony Poje, Local 1-80

“I fee] that this piece of labor
legislation is the most vicious
that has ever been handed down
to labor in the province of Brit-
ish Columbia. I feel that this
will set labor back 100 years. I
do not see how it will relieve the
pressure that exists bétween la-
bor and management; that, I
believe is the purpose for which
the Act was intended. I feel that
it is so vicious and also takes
away the rights and the privil-
eges of the working people.”

Ranjit Singh, Local 1-118

“Tt is true that the Bill is most
reactionary and backward. We
are deeply concerned about it. I
was just studying the Labor
Acts for Germany and Italy be-
fore the war and this Act seems
to me something parallel to them.
I just wonder if the Minister has
studied the Acts of Fascist re-
gimes. It seems to me very close
to Fascism and I might say that
I hear that the Labor Minister
and his deputy have been mem-
bers of the trade union movement.
I think he has forgotten all what
the trade union movement has
done for him and in a way it is
a most discreditable treachery
as far as I can see.”

Warren Lowery, Local 1-367

“I feel that Bill No. 28 is one
of the most infamous Acts that
has ever been directed to the
laboring forces of the province
of British Columbia. I also feel
that the present Minister of
Labor, if he is allowed to admin-
ister such an Act, has aimed it
directly at the heart of the trade
union movement within the prov-
ince of British Columbia. Also
I feel that there must be some-
thing more behind this than
meets the eye at the present
time.”

Tom Alsbury, President,
Trades & Labor Council,

TLC
“I am very pleased to be asso-
ciated with our fellow trade|

unionists in the CCL and the
Railway Brotherhoods on this
important matter.

Delegates to this Joint Confer-
ence representing three organiza-
tions that I have just mentioned
came to Victoria, We have look-
ed at the proposed new Labor
Relations Act brought in by the

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Government and’ we -don’t like |
the look of it. We are unani-|
mous in our opinion that it is a}
very bad Act and that this is|
very bad legislation. It will take
many of the hard earned rights
‘of labor away from us and set
us back for many years.

Rights that we have won in
the labor movement through
many decades of effort and strug-
gle and sacrifice. We think that
this legislation will not promote
better industrial relations in
British Columbia; that it will not
promote industrial peace. On the
contrary we are convinced that
it will lead to a greater measure
of industrial strife.

We are afraid that it will force
our unions to take action that
under the new Act will be term-
ed “illegal” action. Labor is law
abiding. Labor desires to pro-
ceed peacefully, legally, and con-
stitutionally to attain our legiti-
mate aims and this legislation
will not make that possible. At
the very least it will make it
very difficult.

We are united in our opposi-
tion. We intend to use the pres-
sure of our many thousands of
members and of the public to
have the Government withdraw
this Act and then proceed to in-
troduce the amendments to the
present ICA Act, Amendments
that we have placed before Gov-
ernment over the years. Amend-
ments that we have been prom-
isd by the present Minister of
Labor, Mr. Wicks, would be in-
troduced into the House.

The Government has a respon-
sibility to the people of British
Columbia to pass good labor leg-
islation that will promote indus-
trial peace and enable us to be
prosperous and enable working
people to get that standard of
living to which they are entitled.”

“Qn-the-job” interviews secur-
ed by the roving reporter with
the tape recorder, then followed
on the radio program as follows:

Mags Matson,
Alberta Lumber

“I think those politicians in
Victoria are pitching a curve
against our Union, A lot of de-
cent Joes in these mills have been
slaving for years to build a
Union so we'd have a chance to
bargain for decent wages and
working conditions.

Right now, we're all set up to
start our own IWA negotiations,
and look what they’re going to
do to us because they've fallen
for the bosses’ line.

‘As we see it here, they'll have
us so badly tied up in phony con-
ciliation, that the bosses can get
away with murder. What kind of
a deal would we get from any
Conciliation Board if the poli-
ticians get away with this trick?
Can we put a man we trust on
the Boaud as our representative?
No. Can we be sure that the
Board will dig into the facts, and
come up with a reasonable ans-
wer? No.

Did you notice that the Min-
ister can take steps to change
any report of the Board, after
he appoints the Chairman, him-
self? If we take a strike yote
in this plant, the boss can de-
mand that-someone be appointed
to see that its on the up and up,
although every vote we take-in
the Union is more efficient and

more democratic than any of the
government election voting. i

And this really makes me,
weep. If we decide on strike
action, we've got to give the boss
48 hours’ notice. Why, for those |
48 hours we'd all be working our |
fool heads off, helping him to
break our own strike. How crazy
do they think we are?”

in the air until almost Christmas,
if he has the notion.

‘All the way down the line, he
can name his stooges to give us
the works, first as a Conciliation
Officer, or, maybe as a Concili
tion Board Chairman. He can
hurry us into a vote, or he can
cool us off till New Year's. The
Bill makes certain that we can’t

name a good man of our own to
any Conciliation Board.

The Minister is given the right
to stack the odds against us, if

Bert Fulljames
Canadian White Pine

“One thing I know for sure,

now that we've gone over the
Bill here, and that is that it will
take away our rights to strike. |

we should be compelled to strike,
then he can drag us into Su-
preme Court, under a law that

T’m no fonder of a strike than
the next fellow, because I well
remember what we suffered in|
our homes during the 1952 strike. |

But when the chips are down, '
on the bargaining table we'll get |
exactly nowhere unless the boss
knows that if he pushes us
around too much, we’ll quit
work. He can’t run this plant
without our labor, and that’s a,
point we’ve got to be able to!
make, If Victoria ties us up in
the way proposed by this Bill, |
we'll have to take what the em-
ployers hand us, and act like
good little panty-waists.

Suppose they see their chance
to hand us a wage cut, what sort
of a break would we have to!
fight as we should, when this Act |
is wrapped around our necks.

As sure as shooting, if we ever
are compelled to strike in this
industry, the Minister will give
us the works in Court. We'll lose
all our bargaining rights, our
check-off—our certification, and
then we'll be fiat on our faces.
No union, no rights, just a bunch
of criminals, and we'll be back
where we were in 1946, working
for 76 cents an hour. I know for
sure that they couldn’t make it
worse for us.”

Ted Salmon,
J. R. Murray Co. Ltd.

“I took one look at the penal-
ties, and then I realized what
was up. Why, we're treated like
second-class citizens. The Bill
makes it certain that we’re to be
found guilty. of illegal acts in ad-
vance, if we are on strike, and
then it asks a Judge to confirm
the Minister’s suspicions. What-
ever they. may be the coast is
then clear to wipe out any mili-
tant union completely. We'll not
even get a chance to defend our-
selves in court, with the same
rights given the worst of crimi-
nals. ‘The whole Bill is written
as though all trade unionists
were bandits or something, and
that the Government had to
stamp out a sort of racketeering.
Well, he'll find out that this
province is trade union-conscious,
and that the organized workers
make up the most of the popula-
tion. Just you wait till the work-
ers find out all about this plot to
cut their throats.”

is tailored to do a job on us.

If there’s a Joe around, who
thinks we're peddling hot air
about the Bill, I wish he’d look
at the penalties in store for
unions that don’t line up with
the Minister and his friends.
This gives the whole show away.
They can de-certify a union, and
cancel all bargaining rights, as
well as the check-off. This is not
a sentence to punish persons who
do wrong under the law. It
means the end of a union.

You'll never make me believe,
that any government, which
plans in this way to wipe out
trade unions completely, has at
heart any belief or trust in dem-
ceracy. I’m telling you, that
there's only one thing to do, and
that is to keep on fighting it,
whatever. the consequences, until
this Bill is exposed as a sell-out
of the workers’ interests to the
employers,”

FIRST.
FIND THE
MONEY

Under Canada’s new housing
law, the would-be homeowner
with $1,400 in cash can buy
himself a $10,000 house.

All he has to do is to find a
house for sale at $10,000. And in
many parts of Canada, that will
be a tough task indeed.

_Last year the average cost of a
single story house under the Na-
tional Housing Act was $11,666
with a lending value for mort-
Bage purposes of $10,895. It had
1,000 square feet, which, with
some squeezing, could provide a
house with three small bedrooms.

The prospective homeowner
cannot get maximum assistance
with financing even this average
small house. He’s not likely to
find a $10,000 house for a $1,400
down payment. So he tries to buy
this average small house. He will
have to provide $2,439.50, in cash.

In the first place the house has
a lending value some $771 less
than its cost, so he will have to
fill the gap. Then on the $10,895
he will have to provide 10% of
the first $8,000—that’s $800, plus
30% of the additional $2,895—
that’s $868.50, for a total of
$2,439.50. (Financial Post)

PENALTY
NO CHECK

OTTAWA (CPA)—Th
penalty is no dsigmoatt ee
tential murderers, the Canadian

Charlie Lamarche,
Universal Box

“The Bill will put us in the
pocket of the Minister of Labor,
the minute we have a dispute
and I wouldn’t be surprised if it
turned out to be the pocket of
the employers. If we ever start
to conciliate, and now we'll sure
have to, the Minister can do
what he likes to us, just when
he likes. For one thing, he could
keep our negotiations dangling

LE

PARTS ok

Nanaimo
Phone 1515

IRA BECKER & SON

Vancouver Island Distributors
i be
POWER CHAIN SAWS

Welfare Council stated in a
brief presented to the Parlia-
mentary committee’ studying
capital punishment.

“The brutalizin;
the eae presence of

euth penalty”, ruther tl

deterring crimes ‘carrying he
capital penalty, stre: e
factors which bring sen ett

ring sw A
alouterthe baat ride & crimes

“We believe murder i
likely in a wholesome sonal
mmorghore taremsot social te

SERVICE