B.C. LUMBER WORKER

1st Issue, November

Impressions of
The Convention

BY THE IWA ROVING REPORTER

“MY REPORT”

When I left the hall, after listening to Dan Radford
and Vic Midgley wind up the merger convention of the
B.C. Federation of Labour, I began to wish that I had
been a delegate so that I could report to the Local Union
my feeling about happenings that were of vital importance
to me and every other worker in the province.

“Well, believe it or not, we’re
merged. We never thought we’d
see this happen,” was the most
common remark heard. It was as
though the old-timers were al-
most dazed by reason of the mag-
nitude of the work which they
had wrought. *

Not only was the job done, but
it was well done, It was well done
because the delegates acted in a
spirit of genuine ce-operation. I
hate to think of what would have
happened any one so rash as to
sneer at the idea of unity.

Sometimes TLC opinion was
defeated, and on other occasions
CCL views were swept aside. The
delegates took this in their stride
as though they had been sitting
check by jowl in conventions for
years.

One major job accomplished
was the final drafting and ap-
proval of the constitution. Evi-
dently, the constitution commit-
tee, with George Mitchell as
chairman, had been burning the
midnight oil, for their report in-
dicated that the document had
been worked over with a fine
tooth comb,

I think the resolutions commit-
tee also deserves a few orchids. I
don’t know what happened inside
the committee, but its spokesmen
before the convention conducted
themselves with superb tact un-
der the circumstances. -At this
point, their experience in trade
union problems rescued the con-
vention from situations that
might easily have proved awk-
ward,

A notable innovation was the
fact that the convention had two
chairmen, holding equal rank.
‘Their teamwork, as well as their
footwork, was remarkable and
above reproach. The new Rad-
ford-Midgley Rules of Order took
eare of every schemozzle, Quite
seriously, they were ideal chair-
men for the occasion, as they
could sense the desires of the

convention, and acted as a well-
co-ordinated team to steer the
delegates past snarls in proce-
dure, by the simple exercise of
common sense.

Four MLA’s and one member
of the House of Commons were
on the floor. With one exception
they discreetly kept debating
silence and listened attentively.
In this they did themselves no
harm as working-class political
representatives, for the conven-
tion in the main, was disposed’ to
suspect anything that looked like
political infiltration or interven-
tion.

Arthur Turner pulled a boner,
when he gave vent to his wra
against Local 378, OEIU. It was
an incident that might easily
have been blown up into disrup-
tive proportions, but it gave evi-
dence that the great_majority of
the delegates were more inter-
ested in resolving differences
than exaggerating them.

Just imagine! The delegates
at this convention tackled every
“hot” issue in the trade union
movement, and came out right
side up with amazing aplomb.

They put the Commies in their
place. They decided on the kind
of political action they wanted
without any too much trouble.
‘They thumbed their noses at the
BCER, as well as Mr. Bennett,
and Mr. St. Laurent. They really
walloped the Soviet Union for the
Hungarian massacres, They el-
ected a slate of officers, half and
half, TLC and CCL. Nice work
boys, and it sure spells united
action for the future.

YOUR UNION
MEETINGS /

A Real Union Shop
And No Mistake!

No less than TEN unions work in harmonious
association with the management of The Van-
couyer Sun to produce the daily issues of Western

Canada's leading newspaper that go Into two out

of three British Columbia homes. The Sun is happy
to be a real Union Shop throughout, with agreeable
relations with all its organized crafts and personnel,

e

PHONE TAtlow 7140
FOR DAILY HOME
CARRIER DELIVERY

THE

“CANDID (TLC) SHOTS

To assist former CCL
members to become better
acquainted with former
TLC members now elected
to office in the newly-
merged B.C. Federation of
Labour, some candid facts
and “shots” were hur-
viedly garnered by this
publication’s reporter dur-
ing lulls in the convention
proceedings.

WILLIAM BLACK
President

Bill Black, who won the post
of president over George Ben-
gough by a handsome majority,
has carved a place in the trade
union movement with the radical
crusading ‘spirit characteristic of
a Scot with an early upbringing
in the Glasgow labor unions. The
accent still creeps into his
speech, in moments of excite-
ment.

Bill looks young for his 49
years, a condition attributed by
many to the devotion of his very
capable wife and assistant, Mary.

It is claimed by some, that Bill
developed his present ardor for
trade union rights while suffer-
ing the distress of unemployment
in the “hungry thirties”. He was
then secretary of the well-known
Conference of the Unemployed,
and was the spokesman for the
unemployed on more than one
occasion before the late Premier
Pattullo.

Bill is business manager of the
Hospital Employees’ Union, and
was formerly business agent for
the Vancouver City Hall Inside
Civic Employees. This has placed
him as an executive member of
the 30,000 - member National
Union of Public Employees,

Among other trade union acti-
vities he served for many years
on the executive committee of the
Vancouver Trades and Labour
Council. He is at present chair-
man of the Labour Council’s Poli-
tical Education Committee.

When he made his speech of
acceptance at the convention, Bill
made it explicit that he would
conduct his office with complete
impartiality to “both sides” be-
cause of his respect for those ele-
ments which joined to build the
Federation.

His burning ambition, apart
from achievement of the legisla-
tive aims of the Federation is to
take the “freeze” off the wage
income of hospital employees.

Printers of
The B.C.
LUMBER WORKER

“LIMITED

PRINTERS AND
LITHOGRAPHERS

An Employee Owned Co.

944 RICHARDS STREET
PAcific 6338-9

GORDON CUSHING

Executive Vice-President
- CLC

Gordon Cushing is a Calgarian,
a fact that he is fond of mention-
ing when his antecedents are
brought into the conversation.

He made his start in a success-
ful trade union career when he
joined the Calgary Local of the
Brewery Workers as an employee
in the Calgary plant of the Ca-
nada Malting Co.

Later he was made vice-presi-
dent of his Local and finally rose
to become the secretary-treas-
urer of the Calgary Trades and
Labour Council in 1941. He also
took on the job of secretary-
treasurer of the Alberta Federa-
tion of Labour (TLC).

His outstanding success in the
Alberta positions won for him
the responsibilities. of general
secretary-treasurer of the Trades
and Labour Congress in 1949, a
position he held until unanim-
ously selected to fill his present
top-ranking post.

The first impression to be
gained is that of unbending ad-
ministrative efficiency, but Gor-
don Cushing shows a more genial
amiability on closer acquaintance.
He’s the sort of chap that
pounces with quiet force and an
eagle eye, when an unwary scribe
happens to write Canadian Con-
gress of Labour instead of Cana-
dian Labour Congress.

VIC MIDGLEY
2nd Vice-President
Vie Midgley
is an unas-
suming young
. man with a re-
markable
trade union
background
for his years.
His full-
time jobis
that of inter-
national rep-
resentative for the Carpenters
and Joiners, and his base of op-
erations is Victoria. He has been
a trade union member since 1939
and has been a staff member of
his union since 1947.
He was active on the Victoria
Trades and Labour Council, hold-
ing various positions, and is now

a “stemwinder” on the merged
Council.

Vie will be remembered in
trade union circles as the man
who carried the fight for the Car-
penters when locked out for an
alleged secondary boycott, to the
Unemployment Insurance umpire
in Ottawa to establish decisions
that have attracted widespread
attention in the Dominion, and
which are frequently quoted to
this day.

An important part of his trade
union background was established
by his father, who prior to his
death, played a vital role in the
trade union history of the proy-
ince. Vie Midgley, Sr., was a force
in the OBU days of 1919, and
later became president of the
Victoria Labour Council.

Vic, Jr., in association with
Dan Radford, proved his ability
to chair a tense convention gath-
ering, with a cool and quick ap-
praisal of the mental processes
of fellow trade unionists. =

_PAT O'NEAL
4th Vice-President
B.C. Federation of Labour

When Pat
O’Neal ap-
peared on the
scene early in
the convention
sessions, he
was hailed as
“four fellow-
woodworker’”
by more, than
one IWA

is member.. This
was believed to be a prophecy of
future realignments until it was
discovered that he had once been
an IWA member.

Pat typifies the younger and
more tolerant type of trade
unionist. For his age, he has
risen rapidly in the trade union
movement.

He is president of the Prince
Rupert Labour Council, and in
that capacity attended the con-
vention. He works in the plant
of Columbia Cellulose, Prince Ru-
pert, and this caused his fellow-
employees to elect him president
of the Pulp and Sulphite Work-
ers Local.

He has the reputation of being
a militant trade unionist and this
was borne out recently in the
affairs of his own Local Union.
It is* rumored that he led his
union to take job action that
finally resulted in a major shift
of nearly all the executives of the
company located at Prince Ru-
pert. It all signifies that he un-
derstands job organization, and
the reasons for the existence of
trade unions.

This is not to say that he blus-
ters. All the way through the
convention he appeared to be a
very mild-mannered young man,
who was intent on getting busi-
ness done with the maximum ef-
ficiency.

Another rumor has it that he

will soon be transferred to Van-
ecouver on more important duties.
If so, he will be enabled to serve
the Federation with wider scope
for his exceptional abilities.

oy

ws Crown p

oe a

.__ This advertisement is not published or displayed by
the Liquor Control Board or by the Government of British Columbia,