B.C. LUMBER WORKER

ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS

By JOE MIYAZAWA

Eastern IWA

Shows Growth

District President Joe Morris, as a featured speaker
before the Eastern IWA Convention, held in the King
Edward Hotel, Toronto, June 18-20, predicted that the
IWA was rapidly becoming one of the largest and most
influential unions in Canada.

His words were confirmed by

IWA International Secretary, | the national life.

Membership in labor unions increased by some 48,200
in 1953. As of January 1, 1954; according to the Depart-
ment of Labor’s annual survey of labor organization in
Canada, the aggregate union membership stood at 1,267,-
911. This compares with a figure of 1,219,714 from the

same source as of January 1, 1953.

The breakdown of union affilia-

tion according to this 1954 sur-!

vey shows that the “big three”
in Canadian organized labor are
the Trades and Labor Congress
of Canada (TLC) with 596,004
members, The Canadian Con-
gress of Labor (CCL) with 360,-
782 members and the Canadian
and Catholic Confederation of
Labor (CCCL) with 100,312
members,

Wage Rates Rise

Between October, 1952, and
October, 1953, the index wage
rates in Canada rose 3.6%. This
was silghtly less than half of the
8% rise recorded in the year end-
ing October, 1952.

But in 1954 the general level-
ling-off trend continued, prelim-
inary figures showing a rise of
only 1.2% in the six-month per-
iod from October, 1953, to April,
1954,

The six major divisions coyer-
ed by the Department’s survey
were logging, mining, manufac-
turing, construction, transporta-
tion and communication, and
services (laundries).

Cost of Living

May 1, 1954, saw the Consum-
er Price Index decline to 115.5,
a drop from the 115.6 level of
April 1, 1954. Again a decrease
in the food factor was the main
cause of the slight decline in the
Index. The shelter factor in the
Index advanced, the clothing fac-
tor remained unchanged, de-
ereases in the price of electrical
appliances, furniture and textiles |
brought the household operation |
factor down somewhat and the
“Other Commodities and Ser-
vices” factor increased slightly ,
due to higher prices for theatre |
admissions and beauty  treat- |
ments, 3

Unemployment

The National Employment Ser-
vices officer reported 549,000 ap-
plications for employment on file
as of April 15, 1954. This was a
decrease of 20,900 from the fig-
ure a month previously but was

still 176,500 higher than at the

corresponding date in 1953.

As of Mareh 1, 1954, the aver-
age weekly earnings in manufac-
turing were $57.69. This figure
was an increase of 1% over the
previous month and an increase
of 2% over the corresponding
month in 1953.

Labor Force

In the week end April 7, 1954,
the labor force in Canada totalled
5,257,000. This was a slight in-
erease over the March figure of
5,236,000. Of these 5,257,000,
2,890,000 (55%) worked full
time (35 hours or more); 1,955,-
000 (87.2%) worked less than 35
hours (Good Friday and Easter
accounted for a big part of this
short time group); 109,000
(2.1%) had jobs but did no work
during the survey week; and
303,000 (5.8%) had no jobs.

Strikes

The time lost through strikes
increased during April, 1954, to
24,661 man work-days from the |
13,945 man work-day loss re-|
ported in March. Thirty-three
strikes in existence involving
2,268 workers accounted for this
time loss.

Industrial Production

Canada’s industrial production
in March was lower than the
preceding month and consider-
ably lower than the correspond-
ing month last year. The indus-
trial production index figures
(based on 1985: 100) stood at
287.7 in March, 1954, 239.0 in
February, 1954, and 246.8 in
March, 1953.

She: “Which would you rather |.

give up—wine or women?”
He: “It depends on the vin-
tage.” :
ate Se
Jack: “How long have you
worked on this job?”
Jim: “Ever since the boss
threatened to fire me.”
eae ee
“T lost control of my car.”
“Have a wreck?”
“Nope—taught my wife and
son to drive.”

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Carl Winn, when the convention
reports revealed the tremendous
strides made in organization
throughout Eastern Canada.

Delegates were in attendance
from Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba,
and Saskatchewan, at the largest
gathering and most representa-
tive known in the history of the
Eastern section of the Union.

Said the B.C. representative
in part:

‘Tt is our duty to assist in
cementing together the segments
of our Union in Canada, that in
turn the contribution from lum-
ber workers in Canada toward
our International Union might
be expanded and strengthened.

As we succeed in linking to-
gether the workers in all sec-
tions of the forest products
industry and its subsidiaries—a
great and basic industry in all
Canadian provinces — we speed
the day when the woodworkers
may gain their rightful status in

In British Columbia, we desire
to join hands more firmly with
our brothers in Eastern Canada,
that we may do this job with
despatch and worthwhile results.

At the present time we are
bridging over areas,
British Columbia and Quebec,
where our organizational struc-
ture is not yet complete. We
must drive down the foundations
of unionism into all wood-pro-
cessing centres in every province,
that our objectives may have
national scope and significance.

The better we serve the pur-
poses of our Union in Canada,
the better will we serve these
purposes on the North American
continent.

We should not allow any arti-
ficial differences to creep into
this outlook, In all fundamental
respects, our problems in B.C.
are exactly the same as the
problems of the woodworkers in
the Eastern provinces.”

between

CREDIT UNIONS
NOW 3,548

OTTAWA (CNS)—The num-
ber of’ Credit Unions in Canada
has increased from 100 to
3,548 in the last 32 years, ac-
cording to figures given in the
Credit Union Yearbook recent-
ly published.

Growth in Canada has reflect-
ed the rapid development of
Credit Unions in the United
States, where there has been a
steady upward climb from a
start of 190 Credit Unions in
1921, to a total of 14,152 last
year.

Credit Unions have been start-
ed by people in many occupations
and many income classes. An an-
alysis of different types reveals:

Manufacturing (industrial
employees) 32.8%
Government (National,
provineial, local, govern-
ment employees) ........11.9%
Labor (members of the
same union) 10.3%
Residential (people in the

same community) 8.1%
Transportation and Com-

munication employees.. 7.8%
Church (members of the

same congregation) .... 5.2%
Food Processing

employees ... .. 5.2%
Educational (teachers &

school employees) ...... 4.1%
Trade (wholesale and re-

tail bus. employees) .. 4.1%

Other associations ... 0.5%

Commons Debates Price Cut
OTTAWA—The announcement by the Canadian Wheat Board

of -a reduction in the price of No. 1 Northern wheat by 10% cents
a bushel touched off the most fiery debate to take place in the Com-
mons this session, Both the CCF and Conservatives sought to have
the business of the House set aside for a discussion of the wheat
situation, in the light of the price cut, but Speaker Beaudoin ruled
that the matter should be raised when a “supply” motion was before
the Commons,  ’

labor

always gets

a square deal...
in

The Province

Union
Wins
37%Hours

Vancouver Local Union of
the Amalgamated Lithograph-
ers of America, CIO-CCL, is
about to pioneer the introduc-
tion of the 37%-hour work
week for their- industry in
Canada, it was reported this
week in Vancouver.

Recent dispute with the em-
ployers in Vancouver centred
around the demand for the 3744-
hour work week, already enjoyed
by the Allied” Printing Trades
for four years. In many plants
the lithographers work side by
side with the AFL craftsmen,
and have deeply resented the
discrimination shown them.

Settlement is pending on the .
basis of a majority award recom-
mended by a Conciliation Board,
which will give the Vancouver
Local Union the 37%4-hour week
progressively, before the expira-
tion of the contract term, with-
out reduction in take-home pay.
Lithographers in the United
States have aready estabished
the shorter work week but the
Vancouver Local Union has bro-
ken the ice in this respect for
the Canadian industry in their
most recent victory.

Pickets
Take To
Plane

MIAMI BEACH, FLA.
(CPA)—Everything that is
done at Miami Beach is done
in style. This even applies
to picketing.

When members of Local
133 of the Hotel and Res-
taurant Employees’ Interna-
tional Union (AFL) went on
strike at “Bonfire”, a. cock-
tail bar and restaurant here,
the management secured an
ex parte injunction prohibit-
cing the union from picket-
-ing.

Enterprising members of
the Local took to the air
with a plane towing a
streamer which read: “Bon-
fire Restaurant Unfair —
Picketed by Local 133 AFL”.
Management is trying to

figure out the answer to
that.

“What'll 1 do now? He
surrendered!”

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