B.C. LUMBER WORKER 2nd Issue, March CANADA'S UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES are the highest sinee the great depression of the 1930's, as an estimated 800,000 were jobless in February. Ur aa ONTARIO FEDERATION OF LABOUR has again declared support of the CCF in the March 31st Federal general election. oe . PUBLIC OWNERSHIP of Canadian airlines has been demanded by the Canadian Labour Congress, and strong opposition has been voiced to “indiscriminate issuance of charters or franchises to private carriers”. Ch eet aie INVESTIGATION OF WAGES, PRICES, AND PROFITS and their relationship has been requested by the Canadian Labour Con- gress in reply to the employers’ repeated statements that high wages are solely responsible for the present recession. erie # CANADA’S THIRD LARGEST UNION, the International As- sociation of Machinists, reports its membership has now climbed to the 50,000 mark. Soe ae FORTY-FIVE DELEGATES represented the Canadian Labour Congress at the Canadian Conference of Education recently. The Congress was one of 19 sponsoring organizations for an effort now declared to have been a complete success. ees. 3% RE-ELECTION OF ARNOLD PETERS, former member of the IWA staff in Eastern Canada, is now being energetically supported by District 2 now engaged in a fund-raising campaign. CROWN ZELLERBACH CORPORATION plans to establish operations in Newfoundland, and has been extended a welcome by President H. Landon Ladd, District 2, on the basis of reports of the Corporation’s labour relations with the IWA in B.C. Strike Forces Re-Hiring MONTREAL—Sixty employees of Rosita Hosiery Mills here have won a strike which was called to protest the firing of workers for union activity. The employees, members of a new CCL union, have won a contract featured by the checkoff and the closed shop. The fired employees will be re-hired without loss of seniovity. UNION PROTESTS BOARD APPOINTMENT MONTREAL—Canada’s non-operating rail unions have pro- tested the appointment of Charles P. McTague as chairman of a con- ciliation board for the current contract negotiations between the unions’ 140,000 members and Canada’s major railways. DOUBLE THE LIFE OF YOUR CHAIN SAW ....... Boost take-home pay with this easy-to-use FILE-N-JOINT Saw sharpener; your saw lasts longer, cuts faster, increases production for less time and effort. SEE and TEST it at your CHAIN SAW DEALER TODAY! NYGRAN INDUSTRIES LTD. 5935 E. Hastings, Burnaby, B.C. P.N.W. Conference Okays 2.5c Hike One hundred thirty-five delegates from the States of California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington attended the recent Broad Conference in Portland, Oregon, to determine points for 1958 negotiations with the lumber operators in this region. Attending in the capacity of observers from District 1 were District 2nd Vice-President S. M. Hodgson, and District Secretary- Treasurer George Mitchell, both of whom addressed the conference with reference to the bargaining tactics employed in the coastal re- gion of British Columbia. The delegates voted acceptance of the Northwest Regional Policy Committee recommendations as to points for 1958 negotiations: 1, Wage increase of 25 cents per hour, across-the-board. 2. A third week of paid vacation after five or more years seniority. 3. A completely Employer-paid pension plan to provide: (a) $75 per month, exclusive of Social Security. (b) $50 per month total Dis- ability payments exclusive of Workmen’s Compensation and/or any other insurance benefits the worker may be entitled to receive from other sources. (c) 30% vested interest in event of termination of employment due to no fault of the worker. (This has reference to 30% of the amount credited to the worker by the company at the time of his termination). “We'll Put America Back To Work Now” One thousand trade union leaders met with administration and Congressional leaders recently in a Washington, D.C., conference summoned by the AFL-CIO to “put America hack to work.” The conference was authorized by the AFL- CIO “to arouse the Federal Government, the Congress of the United States, and the country at large to the dangers of the Publication date of the next issue of the B.C, LUMBER WORKER is April 3rd. Deadline for ad copy is March 27th and for news copy March 28th, BC LuncestWorven Representing the Oreenized Loggers ond Mill Workers of BC PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY ON THE FIRST AND THIRD THURSDAYS BY. International Woodworkers of America (CIO-CCL) District Council No. 1 e President Ist, Vice-P DISTRICT OFFICERS: Joe Morris iden: foe Madden 2nd Vice-President .. ‘Stuart M. Hodgson rd Vice-President Fred Fieber Secretary-Treasurer orge H. Mitchell International Board ‘Walter F. Allen Address all communications to GEORGE H. MITCHELL, Secretary-Treasurer 45 Kingsway - Dickens 6261-2 ‘Vancouver, B.C, Subscription Rates...........§2.00 per annum Ayan Representative............G. A. Spencer ‘ized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Dept., Ottawa ms 7,500 COPIES PRINTED IN THIS ISSUE a President George Meany ad- dressing the legislative conference of the AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Department said that the time had come for the country to “do something about the situation on the basis of action—not words.” 5 Million Unemployed He pointed to the fact that un- employment in the United States, now approaching the five-million mark, is the “No. 1 concern” of all Americans. He outlined a program of govern- ment action to put purchasing power in the hands of the work- ing people “who spend their money in the market places, and who do not disburse their money as dividends for high-paid execu- tives.” Benefits Exhausted One distressing feature in the United States is that the unem- ployed workers are using up their unemployment insurance benefits at the rate of 40,000 a week. Those whose benefit rights are exhausted are compelled to seek aid from welfare rolls or other forms of local relief. Steelworkers’ D. J. MacDonald warned the Administration not to repeat the mistake made by Presi- dent Hoover and delay too long in deepening recession and the need for prompt action.” scored the business leaders who taking the necessary action. He have misled the American people by trying to blame wage increases for price boosts. Al Whitehouse, Director of the AFL-CIO Industrial Union De- partment, called on Democrats in Congress to take the initiative in combatting the recession and charged that the Administration was endangering the nation by its wait and see polie: Democratic leaders touched off a “crash program” based on a $2 billion dollar housing program, stepped-up road building, and a public works schedule. The Ad- ministration has introduced a $1,350,000,000 housing program covering much of the same ground, including funds for slum clearance and urban renewal. The persuasive insurance sales- man had sold a policy to the father of an uneducated backwoods fam- ily. The payments came through the mail for seven years then sud- denly stopped. The company, sent several formal notices then re- ceived an explanation: “Dere sirs: Please excuse the stoppage of payments on Ben. We can’t pay his insurance because he died last September.” Crash Program Urged TORONTO (CPA) — The Ontario Federation of Labor in a brief to the Ontario goy- ernment has asked for a “crash program” to provide jobs and offset the current economic recession. The brief urged immediate starts on schools, low-rental housing, urban development, convalescent and active treat- ment hospitals, transportation facilities and municipal services. “Direct welfare services” should also be improved “in seales of benefit and adminis- trative efficiency — to relieve personal hardship until suffi- cient jobs are. available”, the submission declared. The brief said that “govern- ment action to relieve the present recession is too urgently needed to await the formation of a broad national plan of the kind we feel is essential. However, there is no reason why a large part of the immediate program cannot be geared to the longer-term needs of the economy ... Many of the projects we have in mind are al- ready past the planning stage and need only the financing.” “Severe Setback” “For a great many people,” the submission continued, “the present period is no pause—it is a severe setback. Those whom we represent simply cannot take lightly recessions such as we are now experiencing, nor regard the prospect of further xecessions every three, four or five years as necessary or inevitable.” The brief made many other re- commendations to the provincial cabinet. Among them were: —Annual review of the Lab- or Relations Act by the Stand- ing Committee on Labor; —Abolition of ex parte in- junctions from labor disputes. (Ex parte injunctions are those granted to the employer, with- out the presence in court of the union or representatives of the employees) ; —Establishment of a Fair Wages branch to ensure that government work is being done at union wages under union conditions; —A minimum wage of $1.25 hourly based on the 40 hour week, for men and women in all industries; and mandatory time and one half for time worked in excess of eight hours daily or 40 hours weekly; Tatele Arie i For your convenience in sending money out of town or abroad, use our money orders and foreign remittances. For details, call at our nearest branch — we have more thant 700 to serve you. THE CANADIAN BANK OF COMMERCE 100 Branches In British Columbia SENDING MONEY out of town? RW-196 eee