B.C.

LUMBER WORKER

CHICAGO: CONGR ESS GIVES LABOU

BIGGER SHARE IN NEW PLANS ‘

This year’s Congress of the NationalSafety Council, held in Chicago, October 22-26
proved to be a significant step forward for the safety movement, because of the direct
participation of organized labor, claimed IWA District Safety Director John T. Atkin-
son, in a radio report to the Union over the Green Gold radio program.

This year’s Congress of the
National Safety Council in Chi-
cago, was the most impressive as
well as the most significant on
record. It was impressive because
of its size. More than 14,000 per-
sons, from every occupational
group on this continent attended.
They overflowed the auditorium
accomodation provided by six of
the largest hotels in Chicago.
During the five days, October
22nd to the 26th, sessions of the
Congress were held in all six
hotels at the same time.

Throughout the week, a huge
Council Service exhibit was on
display in the lower lobby of the
Conrad Hilton Hotel. Everything
that has been proven of value in
the promotion of safety pro-
grammes was included in _ this
large exposition. One could learn
about the latest safety equip-
ment — how to establish an ade-
quate safety library, how to esta-
blish training courses, and how to
utilize the latest safety films.

Labor Participated

Although the size of the

Congress and Exposition was
impressive, a most significant
feature of the gathering this
year was the participation by
organized labor on a scale not
seen before. This was made
possible, of course, by the es-
tablishment last year of a La-
bour Section within the Coun-
cil, and by the sponsorship of a
Labour Conference on the day
preceding the Congress ses-
sions.

Still more significant was the
evidence provided by this huge
Congress, that people everywhere
on this continent are aware of the
alarming increase in accidents
and are determined to deal
effectively with known hazards.

“Back the Attack”

The campaign against accidents
in industry, on the highways, and
in the homes, will be developed
with greater vigour under the
slogan “Back the Attack”. We
were told that last year the nat-
ional death toll was 90,000 and
that those injured numbered 10
million. Still more dismaying
were the facts pointing to an in-
erease during the present year
over the tragic total reported for
last year.

The Congress was the rallying
point for men and women in the
North American countries who
are dedicated to a continent-wide
programme of accident preven-
tion. I might add, that observers

from other countries were pres-
ent, and that there are definite
prospects of the campaign assum-
ing world-wide proportions.
Trade unionists in this province
should know that the formation of
a Labour section in the National
Safety Council has met with the
unqualified support of the AFL-
CIO, with its membership of 17
million, At the Labour Confer-
ence, preceding the
sessions, 120 international and
national unions were represented.

Labor Conference Formed

We were reminded that the
First Constitutional AFL-CIO
convention last December, with
1487 delegates in attendance un-
animously endorsed co-operation
with the National Safety Council,
and the activation of a national
safety programme. It was said
then, and repeated at our Labour
Conference, that co-operation
rather than coercion offers the
best solution for the major part
of labour’s accident prevention
problem.

The delegates attending the
Labour Conference were required
to co-ordinate trade union par-
jticipation in a national safety
|programme. A concrete policy
;for the trade union movement in
the United States is in the
making. In many respects, the
IWA in this province is far in ad-
vance of the unions South of the
border, with respect to its safety
programme.

Inventory Pending

Apart from the decisions nec-
essary to place the Labour Con-
ference’ on a well-organized basis,
as an integral part of the Na-
tional Safety: Council, the dele-
gates made a number of import-
ant decisions. An inventory will
now be made of the safety
programmes undertaken by un-
ions across the continent.

Every union will receive a
questionnaire, which will ask for
information on every phase of its
activity regarding accident pre-
vention. The tabulation of the
results will provide the labor
Conference with an accurate pic-
ture of trade union activity in
this field.

In addition, a manual will be
prepared by safety experts, which
will serve as a guide for trade
unions when planning an expan-
sion of safety work.

It was interesting to hear that
labour must now give attention

WATEH YOUR

wear GOGGLES

WHILE CUTTING, DRILLING OR
BREAKING CONCRETE, ROCK
. OR SIMILAR MATERIALS. -

Congress |,

to a Nuclear Energy Safety Code.
It was reported that pulp manu-
factured in the Pacific North
West States was refused by the
Eastman Kodak Co. because of
radioactivity sufficient to spoil
film, The trade union delegates
recommended to the officials of
the National Safety Council that
all material issued should carry
the trade union label.

Wm. Schnitzler
During the sessions of the Con-
gress, one full day was given to
labour’s interest in safety. The
Labour Conference programme
on the Wednesday morning was
of the best attended sessions, and
heard outstanding speakers. In-
cluded among these speakers was
William F. Schnitzler, Secretary-
Treasurer of the AFL-CIO, who
in a very emphatic manner placed
the entire union movement in
North America behind a more
complete national safety pro-
gramme.

He spoke for 137 interna-
tional unions and 60,000 local
unions, when he said that there
is now an increased awareness
of the importance of labor’s
safety program. Out of the 137
international unions affiliated
with the AFL-CIO, 55 of them
are now developing their own
mechanisms to serve the cause
of safety.

At the AFL-CIO merger con-
vention last December, a consti-
tutional clause was adopted pro-
viding for a National Committee
on Safety and Occupational
Health. The chairman of this
committee is Richard Walsh also
president of the International Al-
liance of Theatrical Stage Em-
ployees and Motion Picture Op-
erators. The other members are
top officers of other large affili-
ated international unions,

AFL-CIO Co-ordinates

Secretary Schnitzler said: “It
is not the function of that com-
mittee to issue mandates or direc-
tives. One objective of the com-
mittee is to deal initially with the
accident prevention problem at
the national level. Another objec-
tive is to co-ordinate as far as
possible the activities of our affi-
liated international unions and
central labor bodies that are
functioning in every state, and in
many of the county and city re-
gional areas.

Without exception they believe
that co-operation at the plant and
community level is the best way
to get the job done. They know
that just about 90 percent of our
decisions in our country are ar-
rived at through voluntary action.
What we of labor seek is popular

CLEAN UP FoR SAFETY!

support behind a safety program
in which all the people may par-
ticipate.”

At another point, William
Schnitzler said: “We expect great
results from the Labor Confer-
ence of the National Safety Coun-
cil. The labor representatives
presently serving as members of
the conference have been selected
on a basis of proper qualification.
The chairman of the Labor Con-
ference is P. L. “Roy” Siemiller,
executive vice-president of the In-
ternational Association of Ma-
chinists. Roy Siemiller is also
vice-president for labor of the
National Safety Council, and is
also a member of the national
AFL-CIO committee on. safety
and occupational health.

“The director representing la-
bor on the council’s board of dir-
ectors are: Jesse Clark, president
of the Railroad Signalmen; Lloyd
Utter, safety director of the
United Automobile Workers, and
Harry Read, assistant to the Sec-
retary-treasurer of the national
AFL-CIO, and a member of the
American Newspaper Guild. All
of these union representatives
have been active in the cause of
safety over the years, and they
are typical of the labor represent-
atives who constitute the Labor
Conference. Our national AFL-
CIO committee on safety and oc-
cupational health has pledged its
full co-operation to’ the NSC la-
bor conference.”

Steel Magnate Speaks
Frankly

I would also like to quote the
words of Ben Moreell,. chair~
man of the board, Jones and
Laughlin Steel Corporation:
“Although the establishment of
safe and healthful working con-
ditions can be justified on a
cold dollar and cent basis, I
prefer to justify it on the basic
principle that it is the right
thing to do. In discussing
safety in industrial operations,
I have frequently heard it
stated that the cost of adequate
health and safety measures
would be prohibitive, and that
‘we can’t afford it’. My, answer
to that is quite simple and dir-
ect. If we can’t afford safety,
we can’t afford to be in busi-
ness,”

Church Represented

The church was represented .on
the occasion by the Very Rev.
Msgr. George G. Higgins, dir-
ector, social action department,
National Catholic Welfare Con-
ference, who stressed the moral
obligation to protect life and
limb. He said: “The over-all im-
portant method is to work to-
gether in a spirit of goodwill to
prevent accidents of all types. It
can be done. 4
“Working together down
through the decades, men have

GI70O KWOWGETTER ...

WILLIAM F, SCHNITZLER, Seeretary-1r¢

pe

at the 1956 Congress of the National Safe

. +. We are confronted with a national ¢

maiming of human beings that goes on jin

form of accidents,

Let us assume that {

great emergency session. Assume further (

day before, the last day of 1955, a tremen

our large population areas, leaving in‘its ¢

dead, and another 10 million of our titizens

e

would stun you. ... Everything you own, i

into the effort to repair the damage ani] pre,

ing up figures. At midnight last December,

the preceding fifty-two weeks actually too:
10 million. We shrugged them off and] tury

AZ /

4 YOU HAVE TO Fall, (
DONT STUFENW UP—GO LIMP-,
LESSEN YOUR CHANCE FOR

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