4 B.C. LUMBER WORKER Mitchell Flays | Canning Firm — Strong plea for support of the striking members of the United Packinghouse Workers of America, at Canadian Canners (Western) Ltd., was made by IWA District Sec- retary-Treasurer George Mitchell when speaking on the Green Gold radio program this week. He said: “Before preparing this broad- cast, I visited the offices of the United Packinghouse Workers, to Jearn all I could with regard to the strike at Canadian Canners (Western) Ltd., canners of Ayl- mer Products. Because of the circumstances which provoked this strike, now in its seventh week, I feel it to be my duty to place the facts again before Green Gold listeners. The evidence in’ this matter was carefully considered by the IWA, District Executive Board, with'the result that a resolution of the Board expressed support of the strike, and: recommended to the membership that all pos- sible aid be extended to the strikers, From my personal knowledge, I swould express the opinion, that in the history of the labor move- ment few strikes have been more deserving of support from the organized workers in other unions, throughout the province. I sincerely hope that they con- ~ tinue to receive this support until their victory is assured. Low Wages Paid The facts disclosed before the Conciliation Board speak for themselves, and show, in our opinion, that management of the plants producing Aylmer Pro- duets, has consistently paid wages far below the wage pattern estab- lished for the province. This has been done by a company which has had the lion’s share of the profits derived from fruit and vegetable canning in the Domin- ion, and which has yielded rich dividends to the shareholders. Despite the great wealth ac- cumulated by this Company, and which enabled it to build a mod- ern multi-million dollar plant in Vancouver recently, the living standards of the workers employ- ed in these plants have been shamefully and unreasonably de- pressed. We ask all trade unionists and the general public to note that Aylmer Products are pro- duced by men and women re- ceiving a base wage rate of only 76 cents an hour for the women and 98 cents an hour for the men. It is true that clas- sifications of experienced work- ers are slightly higher, but in all classifications the rates are far below those paid in our own and other industries for com- parable work. Callous Treatment Lumber workers will sympa- thize with these striking cannery workers all the more, when I mention that their work is highly seasonal. The consequence is that IRA BECKER & SON Vancouver Island Distributors LE. L. POWER CHAIN SAWS * PARTS Nanaimo Phone 1515 SERVICE Campbell River Phone 94H HANEY BUSINESS GUIDE HANEY “ESQUIRE” MEN’S WEAR (Graham Mowatt) Complete Stock of Work and Dress Clothing “THE STORE WITH THE POPULAR BRANDS” BRITISH COLUMBIA Duncan 131 Jubilee St. DUNCAN BUSINESS GUIDE z 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 F. ‘amily Shopping Centre” “Closed Wednesdays All Day” Hours: 9 - 5:30 SRE SES “WE'RE RIGHT BEHIND YOU,” says District President Joe Morris, whein he visits the strike headquarters of the United Packinghouse Workers at the “home of Aylmer Products”, Vancouver, and congratulates the Strike Committee Chairman on the splendid fight of the cannery workers. the annual earnings in the aver- age home are pitifully low. It seems well nigh incredible that a wealthy company, such as Ca- nadian Canners, would treat em- ployees having long service, with such gross neglect of serious pri- vation evident in their homes. The unkindest cut of all was the proposal made by the Com- pany’s representative when ap- pearing before the Conciliation Board, for a settlement of the dispute on the basis of a 15-cent- an-hour eut in wages. We can readily understand that if this is typical of the attitude taken by this Company in its relations with its employees, that the workers’ patience was taxed beyond endur- ance. The almost solid strike vote gave a clear indication of the dis- trust of the Company held among its employees. 54-hour Week ‘An extremely bad situation in the plants of this Company re- sults from its insistence upon a 54-hour work week during the canning season. Through a spe- cial arrangement, secured by the eanners, these workers are ex- cluded from the protection of the Hours of Work Act, as extended to other workers. I’m glad to say that groups-of workers all over the province are now proving their sympathy in the fight now being waged by the cannery workers in a practical manner. They are also express- ing their views of the conditions under which Aylmer Products*are canned. They are not likely to forget for some time that these canned fruits, and vegetables, as well as frozen foods, are pro- duced in a manner that threatens their own standard of living. We regard the action of Ca- nadian Canners as a calculated attempt to lower wage levels in the province, and to force workers to subsidize the lavish expenditures of management and their huge profits out of the workers’ sub-standard earn- ings.” LOANS TORONTO (CPA) — An ap- peal against an Ontario Labor Relations Board decision which awarded certification as bar- gaining agent for employees at Canadian Westinghouse ‘T.V. plant at Brantford to the Inter- national Union of Electrical Workers (CIO-CCL) and re- jected the application of the communist - dominated United Electrical Workers, ‘has been dismissed by Chief Justice Mc- MEN .. . You Will Need CLOTHES for XMAS Buy them from THE HUB with the guarantee that’ they are union-made and of first quality. Use our Free Credit. It means you pay absolutely nothing extra than if you paid cash. SUITS— from $45 to $75 TOPCOATS— from $29.50 to $79.50 Men’s Furnishings - Work Clothes rHES Hu GALS B 45 EAST HASTINGS MADE TO JOIN Ruer of the Ontario Supreme Court. - The OLRB awarded certifica- tion to the IUEW following a charge that UE canvassers had made loans:to workers they were trying to induce to join the union. The money was to be paid back to the canvassers as union initia- tion fees. The Board stated that no reliance could be placed “on any of the documentary evidence filed” in support of the United Electrical Workers’ application for certification. Mr. Justice MeRuer denied UE’s motion that the OLRB had exceeded its jurisdiction by deny- ing the common law right to bor- row money. He found that the Board had not exceeded its juris- diction in rendering its decision in favor of the IUEW. He said it would be improper for him to decide whether the OLRB’s certification decision was right or wrong since there is no appeal from decisions of the Board, The decision upholding IUEW as bargaining agent for the Brantford employees of Westing- house registers the first craek in the hold of UE as bargaining agent in the company’s plants. “What kind of pie you got?” asked the man in the restaurant. “Abble and cherry,” replied the husky-voiced waitress. “You got laryngitis?” “No, dust abble and cherry.” HEADS LIGHT CRUISER Champion of All Lightweight e@ Caulked Boots © Featuring High Carbon Steel Oil Tempered Boot Caulks FOR SURE GRIP Another Favorite 21 East Hastings St. HEAD’S famous “SAFETY TOE BOOTS”’ for Mill Workers W. J. HEAD BOOT FACTORY LIMITED (PA. 4844) “HEADS YOU WIN”