B.C. LUMBER WORKER

gize for the results of our bar-j
gaining. I’m entitled to my

not be so favorably considered
by a Conciliation Board under
the present circumstances.

ment offhand. The membership
wotld have quite properly

VOTE “YES”

sistently taken by the operators
in the past.- It will enormously
strengthen our Local Unions

FROM PAGE 1

“CUT”’

camp and discussions are con-
tinuing in an effort to gain an
adjustment, which to date the
Company has refused.

Should the new proposed con-
tract settlement be ratified, the

opinion, for I had to test the | brought us to account. Instead |
_ operators’ attitude. I say that; we made arrangements imme-
we did remarkably well, taking | diately to consult the member-
all the circumstances into con- | ship and ask for a decisive vote
sideration. We gained some very | on the question, so that we may
" substantial contract improye- inform the Labor Relations
ments solely by means of nego- | Board without delay, that we are
tiation. We had done so without | prepared to settle the dispute or
incurring any risks for the Union | that we will require a Concilia-
and without placing any addi-/ tion Board.
tional burden on the membership.| It was our responsibility to
I would ask you now to try | make a definite recommendation.
and place yourselves in our shoes | In this respect, we had to use our

revised contract will protect the
fallers and buckers in negotia-
tions on this point.

where they have been handi-
capped in organization by a high
labor turnover.

Agreement on the principle, and
its partial application is a big
gain, in view of the attitude con-

Board Increase
Least Evil

Merger
Aids

99 cents to $1.25. They are
most determined to cut their

We have been most reluctant
to ask consideration of any

for a minute, as we reported to
the Policy Committee on the re-
sults of our bargaining. What |
would you have done? Clearly, |
the proposed settlement required |
consideratior by the general |
membership, with a recommen-
dation that would enable clari-
fication of opinion leading to the
necessary decision.

Suppose that we “had dodged
the issue, in fear of criticism,
and rejected the proposed settle-

| best judgment based on the known

increase in the loggers’ board
rates, but in spite of our oppo-
sition to this feature, it be-
came part of the ‘package’ as
a basis of settlement. Since
1952, the operators haye been
demanding a board rate of
$3.25. They produce the figures
for examination by our audi-

facts before us, and assessment
of all the probabilities of further
steps. We had to ask ourselves
the same questions that you must
now ask yourselves. Is the
‘package’ good enough to justify
a settlement now? We believe
that it is, We do not pretend

losses, and finally we deter-
mined to keep the increase
down to the lowest possible
sum. -Any increase is highly
objectionable, but the proposed
25-cent increase is much less
objectionable than a greater
increase which could be forced

that it is completely satisfactory.
All that we can say is that it is
the best obtainable through con-
ciliation.

Prospects Poor

With Board

We didn’t get all that we
asked, but we never do. In my
opinion, if we want more, we
will have to fight for it. Would
we get better terms out of the |
recommendations of a Con-
ciliation Board? All we can
say is that our experience with
Conciliation Boards has been
a sad one, and that based on
that experience we have no
good reason to hope for any
backing that would be worth-
while, If the Union now de-
cides to reject this proposed
settlement, we are prepared to
present our case to a Board
with the utmost vigor.

Actually the outcome will
depend on the operators. If
the majority of the Board
should recommend a cheaper

package, we may be certain
that the operators will accept.
We would haye no alternative
then but to reject and ask for
a strike vote, and would find
ourselyés in a fight to regain
the position we now hold by

upon us for consideration by a
Conciliation Board.

tors to prove that the cost of
the average meal ranges from

Shingle Workers
Saved Cut

| If the negotiations proposed in
this clause fail (and only nego-
tiations are proposed), the
shingle mill workers will be
able to maintain their present
rates. This clause opens up the
possibility, requested by the
workers themselves, fora re-
adjustment under present con-

There is no threat to the
earnings of the shingle mill |
workers in the clausé pro-
posing negotiation of their
piece work rates. It is a clause
designed to protect their earn-
ings against the insistence of
the operators that their rates
should be drastically cut, be-

cause they claim that the

negotiation. If the majority of a it 4
shingle market is collapsing.

the Board recommended some-

ditions, which can be followed
up to their advantage.

thing much better, it is reason-
able to assume that the opera-
tors would reject.

“Bird In 7

or Two in

Again we would need a strike
vote, and the outcome would de-

The Hand
the Bush”

pend on the militancy which the
members are prepared to fight.
This is a contingency which the
members must foresee, and for
which they must be prepared if
they reject this proposed .settle-
ment.

All these proposed changes in
the contract will prove of imme-

the industry. Of equal import-
ance is the fact that they form
the basis of continuing improve-
ment over a period of years.

Big Gain In

These

We recommend that the mem-
bers of the Union approve of a
settlement on the basis of these
terms. We point out that we
have reached the limit of pos-
sible gains under conciliation.

The choice to be made is a

Items

It is to be regretted that some |
of our members have seen fit to
attack the proposed settlement
as valueless, or because it has
features which they dislike. I
have told them, as I tell you now,
that the best interests of the
Union are not served by either
belittling or exaggerating its
value. We should consider the
terms offered as a ‘package’ in
its entirety, and then weigh the
benefits for the whole Union and
not any particular section,

The addition of three paid sta-
tutory holidays is a gain long

Fallers and Buckers

Protected

simple one. “A bird in the hand
is worth two in the bush.” On
one hand we can settle now on
the basis of gains in our grasp,

desired by the membership. The
holidays named are those which
will benefit the maximum num-
ber of workers. We'll have to

diate benefit to the workers in|

hopes on the unlikely chance that
a Conciliation Board will do bet-
ter, we face the risk of losing
what we already have. If we
reject this proposed settlement,
we must be ready to go the
whole route to ‘get the better deal
that we believe we must have.
It’s not a question of liking or
disliking the proposed package.
It is a question of deciding how
far we are prepared to go this
year in a fight for a better pack-
age, in which we have included
no wage increase. For the sake
of our Union and the welfare of
its members, I ask only that the
decision be made with a clear

fight to get any more. on the other hand if we pin our

understanding of this choice.”

The retention of seniority dur-

ing lay-off is a provision which
should have been clinched for the
Union long ago. Approximately
1000 cases are outstanding in
which after a brief lay-off the
workers were treated as new
employees. This is a matter of

Basic Accident Prevention.

130 West Hastings Street

INSTRUCTION IN INDUSTRIAL FIRST AID
available through Correspondence Courses leading to Industrial

First Aid Certificates approved by the Workmen's Compensation
Board of B.C. Also Correspondence Course in Timekeeping and

THE INDUSTRIAL FIRST AID ATTENDANTS ASSN. OF B.C.

Vancouver 3, B.C.

urgent importance to ensure job
security, and the enjoyment of
seniority rights.

ditions may require,

The proposal to complete the
shift extending into the morning
of a statutory holiday is a ra-
tional solution, on a District
basis, of a vexing problem. The
employees are protected against
any earlier start of the shift
following a holiday.

The demand for a greater
measure of union security has
been on our bargaining agenda
since 1942. The clause in the pro-
posed settlement is the first ap- :

Four-hour Horse Show

Four Comedy Acts

Midway, Chicken Barbecue

Loggers’ Sports & Hi-Baller Revue

Will Feature July 1st Celebration
At DUNCAN, VANCOUVER ISLAND

Seven loggers’ events will include $100 tree climb, $75 open
sawing, and $50 log burling, all first awards, other prizes in ad-
dition. Novice chopping, chopping on springboards and one-man
power-saw bucking also competitive.

Also Doug Hepburn, World’s Strongest Man,
. in Person

Daring Madisons’ Aerial Act
Special Evening Hi-Baller Non-Stop Show
Vancouver Girls’ Orchestra for Dance at Night

ALL AT AGRICULTURAL GROUNDS IN CENTRE OF DUNCAN!
Grandstand Seating for over 3,000
General Admission 50¢ — Kids under 12 Free

Clerks

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ. —
(CPA) — Three Congress of -
Industrial Organizations unions
operating in the distributive
field, haye merged to form,
what the new. President has
described as, “one of the larg-
est, and potentially the largest,
union in the U.S.”

At a merger convention held
at the Chelsea Hotel here, the
70,000-member Retail, Wholesale
and Department Store Union, the
50,000-member Distributive, Pro-
cessing and Office Workers of
America and the 20,000-member
Playthings, Jewelry and Novelty
Workers International Union
were re-organized into a bigger
and more powerful RWDSU.

Elected Officers

The slate of six top officers,
elected unanimously by the 850
delegates, includes President-Max
Greenberg, Secretary -Treasurer
Martin Kyne and Executive Vice-
President Alvin Heaps, all form-
er officers of the old RWDSU.
Also elected were Executive
Secretary Jack Paley and Execu-
tive Vice-President Arthur Os-
man, formerly of DPOWA, and
Executive Vice-President Alex

Bail, former President of the
PJNWIU.
Leaders of the CIO have

pledged their full and unquali-
fied support to the new Inter-
national Union.

Membership of the new union
is most concentrated in the New
York area where some 60,000 out
of the total 140,000 members are
employed. Canadian-locals of the
union, from coast-to-coast, have
a membership of 14,000.

UB HUMOR

“Have you got one that doesn’t
come up when I go down?”

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Summer in Suits, Slacks, Sport
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