B.C. LUM BER WORKER LABOR CODE ENDORSED Trade unionists presenting the case for organized labor before the CCF Provincial Convention last week won approval of labor’s demand that the new Labor Re- lations Acts be given an indefinite hoist by the Social Credit Government. CCF M.L.A.’s were required to work for the repeal of the Act. When labor legislation was un- der review the political party agreed to enact a labor code de- signed to halt and avoid the trend of labor-management pro- blems being referred to the courts, and to restore the tradi- tional freedom of collective bar- gaining, This code wilt include: 1. Full freedom of organiza- tion for all workers into trade unions of their own choice. 2. Effective outlawing of company unions. 3. Protection of the right of workers to withhold their labor. power. 4. Provisions for industry- wide bargaining and industry- wide job action. 5. Union Security by law, when requested by a majority of workers, 6. Right to representation yote when 25% (twenty-five percent) of employees join a union. 7. Restriction of injunction applications-by employers. 8, A Labor Relations Board, representative of organized labor and organized employers, under the Chairmanship of a Deputy Minister of Labor; such a Board to be directly Fesponsible to the Minister of Labor, and to have power to deal realistically with labor problems with a minimum of delay. Further resolutions of interest to labor, as introduced by trade unionists at the convention and | endorsed, included the following: | Workmen’s Compensation Act BE IT RESOLVED: That the CCF will immediately amend the Workmen’s Compensation | Act to provide for payment of; 80 percent of wages and salaries of claimants, based on a maxi- mum earning of $5,000 per year, | while working toward full cover- age of all industrial injuries and djseases, with no loss of earn- ings: immediately adjust all pen- sions being paid for injuries or diseases contracted prior to De- cember, 1953 to the present schedule of payments, making the appropriate allowance for the change in wage structure; the costs of such adjustments to be paid from Consolidated Revenue. Hours of Work and Minimum Wages BE IT RESOLVED: That the. CCF advocates the 40-hour 5- day work week and a complete revision of the Minimum Wage Act to provide a base wage rate in line with today’s wage struc- ture. Annual Vacations and Statutory Holidays BE IT RESOLVED: The CCF pledges support to the demand for legislation to provide for a minimum of two weeks annual holiday with pay for all workers and pay for all Statutory Holi- days. T.B. Shots Compulsory HELSINKI, FINLAND — (CPA) —A few nationwide attack on tuberculosis has been opened in Finland through compulsory Cal- mette inoculations for every Finnish citizen reaching the age of 19 this year. ‘A government decision provides for such inocula- tions of 19-year-olds every year from 1954 to 1958. The campaign marks the latest step in efforts to ‘mop up’ the dread enemy in Fin- land. Once the most: serious health problem in the Nor- thern countries, tuberculosis is on the run. ‘HANEY BUSINESS GUIDE “ESQUIRE” MEN’S WEAR (Graham Mowatt) Complete Stock of Work and Dress Clothing “THE STORE WITH THE POPULAR BRANDS” | HANEY BRITISH COLUMBIA Duncan 481 Jubilee St. DUNCAN BUSINESS GUIDE J. LINDSAY LOUTET (C. Bradshaw & Co.) INSURANCE AND REAL ESTATE Lake Cowichan Branch: Old Post Office Building MacGREGOR’S MEN’S WEAR For Everything a Man Wears WORK, SPORT or DRESS We Can Afford to Sell the BEST for LESS! PORT ALBERNI BUSINESS GUIDE MacDONALD’S PHARMACY Prescriptions, Drug Sundries, First Aid Supplies Registered Optometrist Argyle Street Port Alberni Phone 1600 WOODWARD STORES (PORT ALBERNI) LTD. “Your Family Shopping Centre” “Closed Wednesdays All Day” Hours: 9 - 5:30 Act’s Penalties Alarm Unions_ Trade unionists who have been apathetic to the gen-| eral protest against the introduction of the new Labor Relations Act are now taking a “second look” of their! own at the Act, of which copies are now available, and: realizing just what may be in store for them: The sections 0f the Act, now causing the most comment in trade union circles are the following—54, 55 and 60—as they disclose the real intentions of the authors of the Act. Section 54 () Any strike is illegal where the trade union, party to the dispute, has not complied with section 40 and sections 45 to 50 inclusive. (2) Any lockout is illegal where the employer or employers’ organization, party to the dispute, has not complied with sections 40, 45, 46, 47, 48 ,49, and 51. (3) In any case where there is or has been a strike or lockout, the Minister may refer the matter to a Judge of the Supreme Court for an adjudication as to the legality or illegality of the strike or lockout, and as to whether an employer or employers’ organization is or was involved in'the lockout, and as to whether a trade union is or was involved in the strike or the employees belonging to or represerited by a trade union are participating or have participated in the strike. (4) The Judge may fix a time for the hearing upon such} notice to the employer and to the employees, or to any trade union or person representing the employees, as he may deem proper: (5) The employer and the employees may be represented at the hearing, and may procure the attendance of witnesses before the Judge in the manner provided by the rules of the Supreme Court. (6) The Judge may hear such evidence as he thinks proper, either by affidavit or orally, and may dispose of the matter sum- marily. : (7) The Judge shall, upon making his adjudication, certify the same to the Minister.” Section 55 “Where a Judge certifies to the Minister that a strike was illegal, and that a trade union is or was inyolyed in the strike, or that employees belonging to or represented by the trade unions are participating or have participated in the strike, the Judge may. declare that: (a) The existing collective agreement made by the trade union shall be null and yoid; and (b) The written assignment of wages made to an employer in favor of such trade union under section 9 shall be null and void; and (c) The certification of the trade union shall be null and void; Or may make any one of the said declarations.” Trade Union Opinion These two sections are a new concept of labor legislation. The experts in Labor Legislation have attempted to ayoid haying courts and the legal profession involved in labor disputes, but with this section it is placed squarely in the courts. It is noticeable that both strikes and lockouts can be referred to a Judge of the Supreme Court, but the Judge is limited to punishing the workers. Under Section 55 (a) he can deny the worker of the rights and conditions he has under his agreement, he can deny him of his protection he had by his union with his fellow employees, and the Judge can also deny him of his rights to have the employer deduct from his pay his union dues. It can put the worker’s union out of business, but there is no similar penalty for the employer. The words in Section 55 can be interpreted to mean that any union or worker that participated in a strike can be subject to the penalties. For example, when a worker respects the picket line of any worker who is on strike, then he is participating and although the strike may be legal, the worker who respects the picket line can be ruled to be illegally on strike because he refuses to cross the picket line. (B.C. Federation of Labor.) Section 60 ~“Gyery trade-union, employers’ organization, or person who does anything prohibited by this Act, or who refuses or neglects to do anything required by this Act to be*done by him, is guilty of an offence and, except where some other penalty is by this Act provided for the act, refusal, or neglect, is liable, on summary conviction: e (a) If an individual, to fine not exceeding fifty dollars; or (b) If a corporation, trade union, or employers’ organization, to a fine not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.” IRA BECKER & SON Vancouver Island Distributors LE. L. POWER CHAIN SAWS PARTS * SERVICE Nanaimo Campbell River Phone 1515 TORONTO (CPA)—A ‘first’ ~ in Ontario labor history was recorded recently when a To! onto City Magistrate found an employer guilty of interfering with union administration. The interference charge was | one of five counts on which Man- | ager Stinson of the Daily Com- | mercial News, a weekly news- paper of the Construction Trades, was found guilty. The prosecu- | tion, launched by Mr. John Osler | of Jolliffe, Lewis and Osler, with the permission of the Ontario Labor Relations Board, included one charge of changing wage rates during negotiations and | conciliation, two charges of seck- | ing to compel people to cease to be members of a union and two charges of interfering with the administration of the union, Found Guilty Stinson was found guilty on all five charges by Magistrate Prentice and he was fined $100 on each charge, placed on sus- pended sentence and ordered to pay costs to the Office and Pro- fessional Workers Organizing Committee (OPWOC), the union involved. The Manager did not appeal his conviction. OPWOC had organized the 15 to 18 office workers of the news- paper into Local 9 in January 1958. In the course of evidence during the case, it was estab- lished that the Manager unilater- ally put into effect a wage in- crease between the time the Conciliation Officer had attempt- ed to settle a dispute between the union members and Daily Commercial News and the time the hearing was held. In addition, it was established that the Manager had held mect- ings at which time he had co- erced employees into signing petitions resigning from the Union. These petitions were sub- sequently submitted to the On- tario Labor Relations Board for the purpose of having the Union decertified as bargaining agent for the employees. LOW-RENT HOMES ERECTED OTTAWA (CPA)—The Ot- tawa and District Trades and Labor Council (TLC) is mak- ing tentative plans for the construction of 50 low-rental homes in the city. An approach has been made to the municipal Board of Control, by the ODTLC, to sound out the pos- sibilities for co-operation be- tween the city and the labor body in the construction of these homes. An option and a quotation on a plot of land, close to the fed- eral government Experimental Farm in the west end of Ottawa, is being sought by the labor council, as the site for a’ pilot scheme of 50 homes. _ The city has agreed to enter into discussions on the subject and Mayor Whitton noted that “St sounds like a very interesting and helpful development.” Increase Reported BRUSSELS (CPA) — The Swedish Trade Union Feder- ation (LO) reported a 12,030 increase in membership in 1953, according to the ICFTU. Total membership of its 44 affiliated unions Was 1,350,856, inelud 274,426 women, at the of the year, e"