2

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

LEGAL MONSTROSITY
SAYS MacDONALD

Four hundred IWA shop

stewards, wives and friends,

heard General Secretary Donald MacDonald, of the Cana-
dian Congress of Labor, denounce the new B.C. Labor
Relations Act as a “legal monstrosity”, when he addressed
the banquet tendered them by Local 1-217, IWA, at
Happyland, Hastings Park, April 17.

Arrangements for the banquet,
floor show, and dance, made the
evening an outstanding success.
President Lloyd Whalen keynoted
the occasion, when he expressed
the hope that the banquet might
become an annual affair. He
praised the faithful services ren-
dered the Union by the shop
stewards and committee men, and
stated that their loyalty had
made the Local Union the largest
and most active within the Inter-
national.

Carl Winn =

International Secretary, Carl
Winn, who made a special trip
from Portland to attend the ban-
quet, complimented the Local
Union on the enterprise shown,
and said, “Now that I am face
to face with the shop stewards
and committee men, I well un-
derstand why Local 1-217 has
captured top place within. the
International.”

An unexpected guest of honor
was Vice-President Silbey Bar-
rett, of the Canadian Congress
of Labor and veteran of District
50, UMWA. With amusing refer-
ences to his long experience in
the trade union movement, he
warned the audience that the les-
sons of past struggles should not
be forgotten if present-day objec-
tives are to be won.

Secretary MacDonald, spoke in
feeling terms of the spectre of
unemployment which now haunts
all trade union gatherings, and
which he claimed is now more
manifest than in the last fifteen
years. He deplored the fact, that
under the free enterprise system,
-so-called, many thousands were
now pleading for social assist-
ance. “Those responsible for this
deprivation of health and decency
standards of living stand indicted
of the most despicable crime con-
ceivable,” he said.

Official “Brush-oft”

He described the reception
given the trade union movement,
when the request was made to
the Federal authorities for work
projects, and measures to stimu-
late employment. “It smacks of
callousness, as well as stupidity,
that we should have been told,
that the problems of the unem-
ployed could be solved if they
sought work elsewhere.”

The unemployment now experi-
enced in Canada is not seasonal,
he declared, and it provided cold
comfort to be told that it was
the result of an orthodox reces-
sion, soon to pass. He called for
the adherence to policies which
would promote standards com-
patible with human dignity and
worth. ‘

‘The speaker described the shop
stewards as the N.C.O.’s of the
trade union army, who had given
the movement vital leadership.

When the GCL Secretary ex-
pressed his opinions of the newly-
enacted B.C. Labor Relations
Act, he was unsparifig in his con-
demnation of the attitude taken
toward the trade unions. He said:

“One of the purposes of my
present visit to British Columbia
is to consult with the Unions af-
filidted with the Canadian Con-
gress of Labor with respect to
the Labor Relations Act, recent-
ly enacted by the government of
this province.

The Canadian Congress of
Labor shares the view, already
expressed by the trade union
movement of this province, that
this legislation is unworkable,
and provocative of industrial un-
rest, because it is designed to
interfere with and restrict the
legitimate and established right
of organized labor.

Legal Monstrosity

In the Congress we recognize
the menacing features of this
legislation which has been aptly
termed a legal monstrosity. We
deplore the fact, that, in a pro-
gressive industrial province such
as British Columbia, the govern-
ment should enact legislation
which gives legal effect to the
anti-union, anti-democratic views
of reactionary interests — views
which have been emphatically
repudiated elsewhere on this
continent.

We believe this Act stands in
contradiction to established legal
principles and trespasses upon
the civil liberties of trade union
members in-this province.

It denies to them, the most
elementary rights of justice be-
fore the courts in its enforce-
ment. It also proposes to sub-
vert the functions of our courts
to fulfill a2 vengeful purpose
against an offending union.

Challenge Validity!

On these grounds alone, the
legal validity of certain sections
of the Labor Relations Act
should be challenged by CCL
unions. I am not an authority
on constitutional law, but I do
know, that certain laws enacted
by provincial governments in the
past, have been disallowed by
the Federal Government, when
found prejudicial to the welfare
of the Dominion and natural
justice.

I venture the opinion that, on
reference to our legal counsel,
grounds may be found for the
disallowance of this Act by the
Federal Government. Whether
such legal grounds exist or not,
I cannot say for certain, but I
do say that this Act should be
wiped off the statute books of
this province by a superior auth-
ority, as being contrary to the
public interest.

If disallowance is not feasible,
I hope that this law will be
tested in the courts, and found
in violation of the rights of the
subject under Canadian juris-
prudence. We will welcome such
a test of its validity in the
courts, as soon as it is proclaim-
ed. I find it difficult to believe
that our courts will uphold a
law which proposes the elimina-
tion of a legally constituted
trade union, without fair trial,
and the right of appeal to the
higher courts.

Legislative Blunder

In my opinion, the govern-
ment has committed a serious
legislative blunder in the enact-
ment of those sections of the
Act which enable direct refer-
ence to the Supreme Court of
an alleged illegality on the part
of the union, on grounds to be
stated by the Labor Minister.
Obviously, the provisions of the
Act make it easily possible to
“frame” a union, and the refer-
ence is made on terms which
constitute a presumption of
guilt, which would naturally
prejudice the position of the
Union before the court.

Those sections of the Act can
be regarded as a travesty of
British justice, especially when
it is realized that the sentence
to be passed upon the union,
which fails to pass this unprece-

plete elimination. Prosecution
by the Crown, should follow the
prescribed rules of law.

Strikes Made Ineffective

Clearly, these sections in the
Act are intended to render strike
action well nigh impossible.

dented legality test, is its com-|—

This has long been advocated by
the employing interests through
the medium of compulsory arbi-
tration. This Act not only makes
a farce of conciliation proced-
ures, but at the same time des-
troys the bargaining strength of
a union. It contemplates the
eventual obliteration of any
union that dares to pursue a
militant policy in defence of the
living standards of its members.

District President, Joe Mor-
ris, has rightfully said that this
Act was conceived in hatred of
the IWA. I am inclined to agree
with him, that labor laws en-
forced in the spirit with which
this one was drafted, may pre-
cipitate a period of serious in-
dustrial unrest.

Will Never Surrender

The men and women who form
the free trade union movement
of this province are proud of the
traditions of struggle which
have won for them their pres-
ent “rights, Those of us who
know the ‘sturdy independence
and deeply rooted sense of free-
dom possessed by trade union-
ists, can easily foresee, that, if
justice is denied them under the
law, ways and means will be
found to have the law corrected.

This government will find, as
other governments have found,
that Canadian workers do not
work willingly or efficiently, by
virtue of threat or compulsion.”

ROSS
WINS
PRAISE

The Loggers’ Navy returned
to Vancouver this week after

of the program were the Van-
couver Co-ordinating Council of
Citizenship and the Canadian
Citizenship Branch of the De-
partment of Citizenship and

Immigration.

Opening session, chaired by
Emmett Holmes, Local 1-217,
IWA, was addressed by Mrs.

Maisie Hurley on the topic “Our
Native Indians”, and Professor
William G. Dixon, UBC, on “The
Doukhobor Report”.

were “Canadian Immigration
Policy and Procedure”, Tom Als-
bury; “Community Attitudes and
Responsibility”, Mrs. Ethel Al-
lardice; “The Place of Work and
the Employer’s Attitude”, Knute
Buttedahl;

Immigration
tice”, J. F. Maguire.

Session was Dean G. C. Andrew,
Deputy to the President of the
University of British Columbia.

Labor Fosters
Race Harmony

Annual Institute under the auspices of the Joint Labor

Assisting in the presentation

Workshop sessions and leaders

and “Trade Union
Policy and Prac-

Guest speaker at the Dinner

APOLOGY

Publication of ‘the names
of firms on the “We Do Not
Patronize List” in the 2nd
March issue, of The B.C. |}
Lumber Worker included the
name of the Stolberg Con-
struction Co. Ltd. inadvert-
ently.

The editorial staff of this
publication hereby tenders an |!
apology to this firm for a
regrettable oversight in deal-
ing with these reports.

The Stolberg Construction
Co. Ltd. holds an agreement
with Local 1-217, IWA, and
has observed the terms of
this agreement in good faith.

Committee to Combat Racial Discrimination attracted an
attendance of 80 persons, who participated in an inter-
esting and varied program at the YMCA, April 25.

CIVIC
PAC
FORMS

Tentative plans were laid at
the April 27th meeting of the
Greater Vancouver and Lower
Mainland Labor Council 5 to
participate in Vancouver civic
elections.

This decision was reached fol-
lowing the announcement that
the CCF had withdrawn from
the field on the understanding
that organized labor desired
direct civic representation.

‘At the next meeting of the
Council, a committee of five will
be elected to work out the neces-
sary plans.

Unemployment
Conference
Vancouver's top labor officials
will meet with leaders of other
groups early next month to see
if they can come up with anys
solution to the unemployment

problem.

Vie Forster, secretary of the
Vancouver Labor Council, told
delegates at the council meet-
ing Tuesday night that’ he and
president Lloyd Whalen and Tom
Alsbury and R. K. Gervin, presi-
dent and secretary respectively
of the Vancouver, New Westmin-
ster. and District Trades and
Labor Council, would attend a
meeting, May 5.

an extended cruise to all iso-
lated Coast logging camps,
which commenced early in

March, with a report of record-
breaking activity among the
camp committees.

The accomplishments of Orga-
nizer Bob Ross, who now con-
ducts his work from the decks
of the Local Union’s flagship,
were praised by the Local Union
officials as outstanding. His en-
thusiastie loyalty to the IWA,
against his background of ex-
perienée as a logger, has won
the confidence of the camp orga-
nizations, they stated.

A full program has been
planned for the ship and the
ship’s crew for the next few
months, in the servicing of all
camps in the Local Union juris-
diction.

LOGGERS’
ORGANIZER

BOB ROSS, International Orga-
nizer, and active crew member

of the Loggers’ Navy, Local 1-71,

Ne:
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