B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Ist Issue, January

IN BRIEF

1957 News

Calendar
Features Labour's
Constant Activity

January

Canada’s population at Jan. 1 is 16,344,000, an increase of
263,000 in the year . . . Royal Commission on Canada’s Economic
Prospects predicts GNP will rise to $76 billion by 1976... BLF

and E strikes CPR Jan. 2... Labor Dept. reports nearly 40%
of all non-agricultural workers covered by collective agreements
in 1955 headed by 83.2% in transportation, storage and communi-
cations, 61.6% in forestry, 58.1% in mining, 57.7% in manufac-
turing, 49.6% in public utilities, less than 1% in finance, insurance,
real estate.

Speech from the Throne, swan song of Liberal govt., proposes
establishment of Canada Arts Council . . . E. E. Winch, veteran
CCF parliamentarian, died Jan. 11 at age 76. Was bricklayer by
trade... CLC annual cap-in-hand urges high priority for national
health insurance, old age pensions of $65 at age 65... DBS
reports slowdown in home building, minister of works announces
increase in NHA interest rates from 534% to 6% ... Ontario
Premier Frost announces prepaid hospital plan to take effect
Jan. 1, 1959 . . . CLC offers to forego right to strike for civil
service association in return for union recognition and collective
bargaining . . . Kalmen Kaplansky appointed Director of Inter-
national Affairs for CLC.

February

Vancouver Sun staff votes to join American Newspaper Guild,
Vancouver Guild, holding CLC charter No. 1, transfers to ANG-
AFL-CIO-CLC .,. QFL merger convention Feb, 15 in Montreal
. . . India announces nationalization of Canadian insurance
firms . . . Labor Minister Gregg reports Canadians lose 14 work-
ing days through sickness for every day lost through strikes . . .
Toronto firemen win arbitration award of 42-hour week .. -
Toronto Newspaper Guild votes all members $1,000 insurance
policy paid for out of dues... NHL hockey players form associa-
tion headed by Ted Lindsay . . . Cliff Scotton appointed PR for
TAM in Canada ... BCFL asks provincial government for $1.25
minimum wage ... OF Committee on Labor Relations submits
findings to Ont. govt. ... CCF MPs charge Trans-Canada Pipe-
line promoters making killing on common stock ... CCCL Presi-
dent Gerard Picard says average worker needs minimum of $68.25
a week for decent living. Half Canadian workers get below mini-
mum standard.

March

Prof, C. A. Ashley, U. of T., says 200 men dominate Canadian
industry . .. OCAWIU gets 20% wage boost for 16-month con-
tract at Polymer . . . Fed. govt. announces $6 old age pension
increase, dubbed “insult” by CCF Stan Knowles, MP . . . Royal
Commission opens hearings between CPR and BLFE on diesel
issue .. . CCF talks out bill to split Trans-Mountain Pipeline
‘stock five for one... OFL merger convention votes solid support
for CCF, elects Cleve Kidd president, Doug Hamilton secretary
. .. Gaspe miners strike March 10 . . . 597,000 applications for
employment on file as of March 14.

Ap!

Parliament prorogues April 12, election called for June 10...
CLC publishes study on automation prepared for Gordon Com-
mission; warns that increasing production is steadily outstripping
employment as result of increasing mechanization . . . trend will
have to be offset by higher wages, shorter hours, longer vacations,
re-training schemes, revised education system... CLC study on
labor mobility urges national health scheme, nationwide govt.
operated industrial pension scheme, including GAW ... OLRB
upholds Ontario Hydro Employees Union as bargaining agent

_ after OHEU affiliated with NUPSE (CLC).

May

Poll of public opinion shows
80% believing $6. increase in
OAP too low . . . CLC Presi-
dent Claude Jodoin turns down
senate seat... Brantford UAW
Local 397 burns mortgage on
their union hall . . . Chemical
Workers strike at Lever Bros.,
Toronto . . . First Ontario Con-
ference on Aging sponsored by
50 organizations, including CLC,
USA, UAW, CBRE and OFL
unions . . . William Mahoney
elected Canadian Director Steel-
workers ... Dept, of Labor re-
ports 56% of sales employees.
75% office workers, 61% others
in retail trade on five-day week

. . BRT affiliation with CLC
announced effective Sept. 1...
6,500 CCCL workers strike at
Arvida, P.Q. aluminum works.

June

Liberals swamped in fed. elec-
tion, minority Tory govt. takes
over, CCF gains seats in On-
tario, nine Liberal cabinet min-
isters defeated, including C. D.
Howe ... OCAWIU Canadian
Council votes for 36-hour week
effective Jan. 1, 1959... IWA
in B.C rejects conciliation board
award .. . Dept. of Citizenship
and Immigration reports over
million and a half immigrants
entered Canada since the war
... CLC research study sup-
ports “portable pensions”.

July

IWA votes to strike in B.C.
lumber industry dispute . . . two
striking Gaspe miners killed,
Herve Bernatchez and Edgar
Fortin 4s Murdochville becomes
“murderville” ... CLC’s Jodoin,
MacDonald, USA’s Mahoney
represent Canadian labor at
ICFTU meet in Tunis...
CBRE Education Director Bert
Hepworth awarded scholarship
from Fund for Adult Education
. . . Fed. labor minister Starr
promises new study of labor
laws . . . Miners’ Independent
Assn, in Labrador iron mines
votes to join Steelworkers . . .
10 railway labor organizations
set up Railway Unions Educa-
tional Council... A. H. Balch,
BRT, named to Canada Labor
Relations Board.

August

CLC Pres. Jodoin, CCCL
Pres. Picard march on picket
lines at Murdochville . . . Que-
bec labor organizes for march
on Quebec legislature . . . Im-
partial umpire orders payment
of unemployment insurance to
textile workers in struck plant in
Brantford . . . Railways receive
authority from transport board
to increase passenger fares by
10% . . . Bell Telephone applies
for 7% rate increase . .. Toronto
plumbers strike for pay boost of
56 cents an hour,

September

Four thousand Quebec trade
unionists march on Quebec City
to protest Murdochville out-
rages, anti-labor government ...
Trade unionists from 33 coun-
tries attend international labor
seminar at Banff... St. Laurent
announces retirement as Liberal
party leader, leadership conven-
tion set for Jan., ’58... Housing
in bad slump, down 15% to 20%
in first six months . . . Arvida
aluminum strike settled after
four months retroactive to Nov.,
’56. . . CCCL convention votes
to join CLC by narrow margin,
amends merger proposals . . .
Canadian ICFTU Director of
Organization C. H. Millard
makes first major report since
election to office ... Andy An-
dras appointed CLC Director of
Legislation, Govt. Employees
... Only Standard Oil of N.J.
refinery in the world, Imperial’s
at Toco, B.C. is struck by
OCAWIU ... Steelworkers sign
first agreement with Alcan at
Kitimat ... CCL Research Di-
rector Forsey forecasts 675,000
unemployed by March, 1958...
DBS reports industrial employ-
ment at record high at August 1
with index at 127.5... Average
weekly wage at $68.38 from
$64.77 a year ago.

October

Oct. 4, Sputnik 1 launched by
USSR... UAW raps “nazi-
like” attitude of Volkswagen in
Canada as VW resists organiza-
tion . . . Murdochville strike
called off, Lever strike settled
... Federal govt. sets up Royal
Commission on energy with cor-
poration lawyer as chairman . . .
CCF MP Stan Knowles declines
offer of H. of C. speakership « ..
CBRE wins demands covering
16 CNR ships in Newfoundland
service . . . Steel gets contract
for 1.900 workers at Shefferville
and Sept Iles iron company...
Toronto plumbers end strike
with 70 cents an hour boost for
2%4-year contract... E. P. Tay-
lor’s Canadian Breweries to be
prosecuted on combines charge
... Toronto Maple Leafs vote
to have NHL Players Assn. as
bargaining agent .. . CLC pre-
sents first brief to new Tory
govt. .. . B.C. Federation of
Labor votes to support CCF.

November

Non-operating rail unions ask
wage boost of 11% plus 17 cents
an hour plus fringe benefits ...
CP Airlines applies for full fly-
ing rights across Canada...
Toronto Star advt. employees
vote to join Toronto Newspaper
Guild . . . Fed. Govt. extends
unemployment to meet unem-
ployment threat . Open
OLRB hearings on Murdoch-
ville certification applied for by
Steelworkers,

December

Auto industry lays off thou-
sands in squeeze play for tax
cuts . . . Tax cut on cars only
234% plus small income tax cuts
announced in federal “pseudo-
budget” ... . OFL President
Cleve Kidd named to Royal
Commission on price spreads
+. . Canadian Packinghouse
Worker wins ILPA annual labor
Press contest award . .. Unem-
ployment figures for Nov. an-
nounced as 4.9% of labor force
compared with 2.3% in 1956,
2.9% in 1955 and 4% in 1954... .
Quebec Chemical Fed. leaves
CCCL for OCAWIU but syndi-
cates balk move.

Union's
Warning
Repeated

“From thoroughly reliable sources

we have learned that employers
have told some Local Union offi-
cials that a full-scale attack is soon
to be made on the trade unions of
this province. It has been said that
for the first time in years, the
employers of this province have
combined to support a common
policy in regard to relations with
the Unions, The employers, so we
are told, are determined to ad-
minister a drastic lesson to unions
which, in their opinion, have made
unreasonable contract demands
this last year. They express them-
selves as especially vengeful in
their intentions toward the build-
ing trades. They allege that these
unions have been responsible for
too many illegal work stoppages
during the past 12 months over
jurisdictional matters of a trivial
nature,

They have evidently determined
to launch their attack during the
present period of unemployment.
As a matter of fact, it has been
suggested more than once that
some of the employers would pre-
fer_continued unemployment to
any measures to provide work, as
a large army of jobless men would
aid their scheme to crush the
unions. \ * :

The employers intend, it is re-
ported, to continue the policy fol-
lowed in recent months of pro-
voking strikes at points where the
unions concerned will be acting
against corporations wealthy
enough to stand a prolonged ces-
sation of production. I ask trade
unionists to note the recent strikes
in this area, and decide whether or
not this has been so. Certainly, in
the current strike in the pulp and
Paper industry, the strikers face
corporations that have made un-
usually high profits iin recent
years.”

"Publication date of the next issue of the B.C. LUMBER WORKER
Jonuery 23rd. Deadline for ad copy is January 16th and for news
Jonuery 17th.

Representing the Organived Loggers ond Mill Workers of eee
t TWICE MONTHLY ON THE
THIRD. THURSDAYS BY.
orkers of Ameriea, (C1O-CCL) >>
"District Council No. t

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