4 be B.C, LUMBER WORKER Forging Ahead STEPS taken to submit the recommendation of the IWA District‘Policy Committee to a mem- bership referendum for acceptance or rejection of the proposed settlement, remoye any uncer- tainty regarding the fact that the membership will decide the issue. _ Critics of IWA strategy should keep this sim- ple fact in mind. A secret ballot cannot be man: ipulated. If the members consider that a better settlement can be obtained by other means, they are entirely free to order the necessary action. An affirmative vote will vindicate the view held by the District Policy Committee, that they had acted in accordance with the wishes of the membership as formerly expressed. Prestige Greater The Union has emerged from a strenuous and critical period of negotiations with an enhanced prestige. Contract negotiations in an industry which dominates the economy of the province in- Volve grave responsibilities. The Union met those responsibilities with credit, and without losing ground for the workers. : It stands to the credit of the Union that it emerged from negotiations with a substantial “package” of benefits. It may not be all that the Union desired, but it closely approximates the objectives in view at the Wages and Contract Conference. Z The “Hard Way” It should be said that the Union’s negotiators took the hard way to get this settlement, in order that every card might be played in the interests of the lumber workers. Three months of almost constant conferences in a strenuous verbal battle, backing up the argu- ment with carefully assembled facts, is a tough experience in any industry, and is especially tough under the bargaining arrangements for the B.C. lumber industry. It would have been easy, altogether too easy, at various stages to say, “let’s wrap it up, boys”, and take the issues to a strike vote and risk the consequences. By keeping this course in reserve, as a final alternative, the strategy gave added sipeniazee to the bargaining position held by the It takes skill, patience, and endurance to battle with the employers until a showdown can be reached at the bargaining table. The alternative course is at first the easier course, the one of least resistance for the negotiators, but one which _ transfers the burden and possible sacrifices to the membership. Progress Assured Utilization of the bargaining and conciliation procedures has brought the Union a substantial “package” of contract benefits. It is now the per- ogative of the members to decide whether they desixe to take further action in the hope that the value of the “package” may be increased. Whatever may be the decision, the Union has made greater progress this year than on any former occasion. This may safely be claimed, because in addition to benefits the value of which can be estimated, thereare included in the settle- ment new principles which may easily prove of inestimable value to the lumber workers in the future. Some Political Riddles By PEG STEWART We owe congratulations to the Canadian Association of Consumers this year. They seem to have succeeded ina battle they’ve been fighting since about 1948—eight years ago—the struggle to get red-striped cellophane off pack- aged bacon. You wouldn’t think it would take so long, would you? You’d think all the gals would need to do would be to say, “Look here— take a look at this bacon, The wrapping makes it appear very lean. It is very fat. The packers should not be allowed to deliber- ately deceive the public.” And that should be it. Because it’s |¢ true, it’s logical, and, we discover n@w, it’s simple. Legislation There Or maybe you didn’t notice a little item in the papers when the matter was brought up in the House of Commons. The govern- ment told E. D, Fulton, Kam- loops, that it wasn’t worthwhile for him to bring in a bill “because the legislation was already there” which makes those wrappers a violation of the Food and Drugs Act. How do you like that? CAC hammering away all those years just to get enforcement of a law that already existed. They're pa- tient people. I think they’re going to have to be patient awhile longer, too. I see by the Financial Post that “after a date to be set, the De- partment will take action against those selling bacon in Cellophane wrappers with red stripes. To determine that date, a check of stocks of striped wrappers now held by the trade is being made . when designing new wrap- pers the trade should keep in mind the full meaning of the Act, so that new packages are not de- ceptive to the purchasers.”. Any- body want to bet how long it’s going to take to use up the stocks of striped wrappers? Wife Nattering In a matter like bacon wrap- pings, or vitaminized apple juice, or high ovens on stoves, or stand- ard sizes in children’s clothing, you can eventually wear the gov- ernment—or the manufacturers— down, like a wife nattering till she gets her own way. Because in terms of policy, those things don’t matter much,-and the resistance weakens eventually, when public opinion seems aroused. But when it comes to some- thing vital, something like deal- ing with the unemployment situ- ation, or housing, or health in- surance, no amount of nattering is going to do a bit of good. Be- cause the only thing that matters there is the pressure of votes. And women generaly have not got together and used their yot- ing power, any more than the women in CAC got together and used political pressure in such things as milk prices and rent control. ‘They had to drop those projects because. without political action, they could get exactly nowhere, And the government is very well vare of the fact. They are re- d to power, election after election, smug and smiling, like conjurors who have fooled the public again—and got public ap- plause for doing it. Politics Bore Us Some of us can’t be bothered voting. Politics bore us, or make us uneasy—maybe we wouldn’t understand them if we tried, so want to try. Some of us ed about the way things are going—and we make up our minds to go out and express our- selves with that little cross beside a different name on the ballot this time. But then we hear our sitting Member’s campaign speeches, and he sounds so plausible. Or we see the big billboards beside the high- ways. Or we notice the huge ads in the papers. Maybe things are going to be different this time. Or maybe we’ve been worrying about nothing, and things are just dandy as they are. Public Affairs We haven’t made the connec- tion. We don’t see that sending good old Joe Zilch back -to Par- liament because he was so nice that time Cousin Minnie’s boy got in trouble, has anything to do with our husband pacing the floor when he reads about lay-offs, We don’t see any connection between our vote and Aunt Rose not being able to have her opera- tion because she can’t afford it, We haven’t learned that we won't get our kind of legislation till we elect our kind of legislators. When are we going to get the striped paper wrapping off public affairs? 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