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REJECT MAJORITY AWARD

Vol. XXIV, No.11 B®? tot ISSUE, JUNE 1957° - VANCOUVER, ae S 5c PER COPY

Reject Report!
Vote For Strike!

E MAJORITY report of the Conciliation Board

contains nothing for the workers in the coast lum-
ber industry. It accepts the employers’ claims about a
depressed industry, and makes no reference to the
Union’s demands, nor the evidence supplied by the
Union.

It is a report that makes a farce of the effort to
conciliate the dispute.

Acceptance will set a trap for the Union’s member-
Ship. For this reason the employers hurried to accept
the report. The purpose of the trap is obvious. It is in-
tended to force the Union into renewal of the present
contract terms for an indefinite period, by tricking the
Union out of either the opportunity or the right to
strike. The trap may he sprung’ in two ways.

If the Union consents to a renewal of conciliation
proceedings in October, the timing of a strike vote
could then be delayed until too late to be effective, pos-
sibly until the Christmas season.

The recommendation to extend the life of the Con-
ciliation Board was issued by the Department, as a re-
port within the meaning of the Act. It is stipulated in
the Act, that if both parties accept a report, neither
shall cause a strike or lock-out.

This spells out the fact that if further conciliation
proceedings are authorized with reference to a dispute

" already reported upon with acceptance, these proceed-
ings will be in the nature of compulsory arbitration,
for the decisions reached will be handed to the Union
under conditions: which prohibit legal strike action.

BOARD
EVADES
ISSUE

Rejection of the majority
report of the Conciliation
Board has been recommend-
ed by the District Policy
Committee. Immediate com-
mencement of the member-
ship voting on the question
was ordered, with the fur-
ther recommendation that
authorization be given
strike action, as may be
deemed advisable.

Balloting on rejection and
strike authorization must be com-
pleted by June 13, and returns
must be made to the District Of-
fice not later than June 14th.

The report of the Board, which
is regarded as completely unsat-
isfactory by the Union, reads as

follows:
BOARD OF
CONCILIATION REPORT

“We beg to report that the
Board hearing convened at the
Labor Relations Board Office,
411 Dunsmuir Street, Vancou-

See “BOARD” Page 2

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URGES POLICY COMMITTEE

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Union To Vote For: Early
Strike Authorization

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Protest made to the Minister of Labour by Robert
Smeal, [WA nominee on the Conciliation Board, regarding
the extraordinary action taken by the Chairman, Gordon .
Wismer, Q.C., and George Robson, employers’ nominee,
set in motion a train of events of tremendous significance
to the IWA and all its affiliates in the Canadian Labour

Congress.

In sequence,
ments followed.
@ The Minister indicated that
the Departmental reply consti-
tuted his reply. The letter from
the Chief Executive Officer, La-
bour Relations Branch, in-effect,
dealt with the protested docu-
ment as a report within the
meaning of the Act.

@ The IWA District Policy
Committee, thereupon, recom-
mended rejection in a member-
ship referendum.

@ The IWA District Policy
Committee called upon the
Union’s members to authorize
strike action.

@ The employers hurriedly in-
dicated that they would accept
the report, although, they had
hoped to renew the master agree-
ment on the existing terms.

@ District President Joe Morris,
reported to the Vancouver Labour
Council, outlining the dangerous
possibilities for all unions in the
precedent set by the majority re-
port, and was unanimously voted
support by the Council’s dele-
gates.

@ Meetings held under IWA
auspices revealed a seething in-
dignation as the trickery employ-
ed to deprive the Union of the
right or opportunity to strike be-
came apparent.

these develop-

@ Officials of the Union freely
predicted that the rejection vote
as well as the strike authoriza-
tion vote would be the largest
and most nearly unanimous on
record, °
@ Board member, Robert Smeal,
at the outset refused to file his
minority report pending consid-
eration by the Minister of his
protest. When advised that the
Department regarded the major- _
ity statement as a report within
the meaning of the Act, he for-
warded his report, dissenting,
and again stating his reasons for
the illegality of the action taken
by the Chairman and Mr. Robson.

Protest made to the Minister
was expressed as follows:

Hon. Lyle Wicks,

Minister of Labour,

Victoria, B.C.

“As a member of the Concili-
ation Board appointed to deal
with the dispute between the
coast lumber operators and the
IWA, I hereby lodge a protest
with you respecting the action
taken by Mr. Gordon Wismer,
Q.C., Chairman’ of the Board,
and Mr. George Robson, Board
member. I submit that their
action contravenes the intent
of the Labour Relations Act,

See “REJECT” Page 3

Se oe
INCOME
OKAYED

REGINA (CPA) — Aged,
blind and disabled persons in
Saskatehewan will receive, in
full, proposed increases in al-
Jowances and the maximum al-
Jowable income, the provincial
government recently announced.
Agreements signed with the
federal government a short
time age will assure the in-
creases,

The recipients will not be re-

Welfare and Rehabilitation has
taken steps to review all records
make the maximum benefits
increases are

TO

STEN

fold-CJOR

7°00 p.m.
Thursday

t CJAV - 6:30 p.m. Thursday
o CKPG - Ist and 3rd Thursday - 6 p.m.