2nd lesa, Fe bade

A THREAT

OW we know what to expect. js
Within a week of the LWA convention
and one month before negotiations are due to

commence, the newly-appointed Chairman of
MacMillan and Bloedel ‘‘makes his pitch’’
against any wage increases.

Apparently, now that he has signed his con-
tract for $75,000 a year, he is qualified to issue
decrees setting vastly lower contract standards
for the ‘‘great unwashed.”’

Mr. Clyne obviously has been grossly misin-
formed.

IWA contract demands are formulated in
the most democratic way possible and do not
originate anywhere except in the needs and de-
sires of the workers, as expressed by them
through their Local Unions and job organiza-
tion.

IWA members have acquired and utilize re-
searck facilities equal in efficiency to those
maintained by the employers’ representatives.
This year’s contract demands were not discussed
until all the facts had been placed before the
convention, relating to the economic position of
the lumber industry.

The IWA has repeatedly urged the Provin-
cial Government to modernize the conciliation
procedures and make available men of higher
calibre for mediation.

The IWA believes that settlements can be
worked out on the basis of honest fact-finding,
such as has never been possible due to the atti-
tude taken by the employers.

One sure method of inciting open rebellion on
the part of the trade union movement is to pro-
pose compulsory arbitration, as Mr. Clyne’s re-
marks seem to imply.

The trade union movement has the facts on
this subject. Compulsory arbitration has never
been made to work satisfactorily anywhere in
the world. It cannot be made to work here, un-
less he proposes that workers protesting injus-
tices should be forced to work at the point of the
bayonet.

The workers are fully aware of the real pur-
poses behind this proposal. It is intended to strip
the workers of any opportunity to withhold
their labour under unfair conditions, and to use
the iron heel of compulsion, that all their de-
mands may be rejected with impunity. It is not
the kind of dictatorship that Canadian citizens
will accept without fighting.

The remarks of the MacMillan and Bloedel
Chairman must be considered in conjunction
with representations already made by the organ-
izations with which he associated himself on the
occasion of his recent speech.

The Standing Committee on Labour only re-

cently heard big business representatives urge
that restrictions be placed on the freedom of

organized labour to bargain collectively for im--

proved living standards.

One business organization openly attacked
the basic freedom of association long established
as a civil right. In their view, democracy is in-
tended to work only for the man who lives by
owning, and not for the man who must live by
working.

Mr. Clyne urges that trade union members
do some fact-finding. In this matter we are en-
tirely in agreement with him. ;

We suggest some very thorough fact-finding,
during negotiations, on the profits earned by
the Corporation of which he is now the senior
executive. Compare the take-home profits of the
investors with the take-home pay of the workers,

We suggest some honest fact-finding on the
ability of the Corporation to forego some of the

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

profits earned to make

a contribution toward

higher levels of purchasing power so necessary
now for prosperity in British Columbia.
We suggest some honest fact-finding into the

circumstances of the average lumber worker,
taking into consideration his annual net income
after losses due to broken employment, and de-
ductions for expenses on account of transporta-
tion, and equipment.

Some honest fact-finding with the object of
serving human welfare as well as profit is ex-
actly what is needed.

If Mr. Clyne seriously contemplates a change ™

of policy likely to encourage better employer-
employee relations, we suggest that he abandon
the old attitude which his predecessors have fol-
lowed for years of making the workers fight for
everything they need in all justice in order to

live decently.

High compliment was paid
the IWA by Host-President,
Wm. Pierce, Local 1-252 IWA,
when he officially opened the
recent District Convention in
Vancouver, and presented the
District President with the
gavel.

“As you are all aware, Local
1-252 is the newest member of
that great family of Union Locals
of District Council No. 1 of the
International Woodworkers of
America. I think it would be fit-
ting to give you, as delegates from
all parts of the District, our first
impressions as new members of
the IWA.

“As you know, we were a Char-
tered Local of the Canadian Con-
gress of Labour. With the merger
it became apparent to us that we
had no real strength as a small
independent Local. A referendum
ballot was conducted and our
members voted by a clear majority
to apply for transfer to the Inter-
national Woodworkers of Amer-
ica,

“As new members it was natural
that we took critical note of how
the I.W.A. functioned, especially
so, when television, radio, and
press were full of reports of Sen-
ate Investigations in the United
States exposing corrupt money-
grabbing Labour Leaders.

Honesty Found

“The first thing we looked for
in the [WA was the degree of its
honesty.

“We were happy to find that
the militant spirit of the rank and
file members of the LWA as re-
gards to the internal function of

New Local Union
Likes IWA Policy

the Union, left no room for phony
labour leaders or dishonesty,
“We found that the delegates
from Local Unions throughout
District No. 1 sitting on the Dis-
trict Executive Board keep an
eagle eye on all financial trans-
actions involving Union funds,

Democracy Found
“The next point we looked for
was democracy. On this question,

we were agreeably surprised to
find confirmation of the boast of
IWA members that this is the
most democratic labour organiza-
tion in North America. This was
borne out by the fact that every
member working in our plants has
a vote on the election of Officers
at all levels. All assessments are
authorized by referendum ballot,

WM. PIERCE

Settlement of collective contracts
are also approved by referendum
ballots.

“T would say in all frankness
this is not empty flattery as our
members for years believed in a
purely Canadian Labour move-
ment and being of such an opinion
were critical to a greater degree
than most of an_ international
union.

“One more important factor
noted by us was the concrete af-
firmation of true trade union prin-
ciples.

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