10

B.C. LUMBER WORKER

2nd Issue, March

Congress Outlines
Back To Work Plan

Statement released by District President Joe Morris
following his attendance at the recent meeting of the Ex-
cutive Council of the Canadian Labour Congress discloses

that all political parties have

with a demand for immediate action to remedy a critical
unemployment situation by measures calculated to intro-

duce full employment.
Congress has called upon goy-

ernments at all levels, manage-
ment, and organized labor to
play a part in a national effort
to avert the drift toward cat-
astrophe.

The statement points out the
fact that Canada “is now ex-
periencing its most serious un-
employment crisis since the
depression days of the thirties.

“No amount of political ping-
pong playing with various sets
of figures can change the fact
that at least one out of every
eight workers is without a job.”

The CLC calls for “immediate
and courageous action”, charg-
ing that it is “treasonable to
adopt a pollyanna attitude and
pretend that if people stop talk-
ing about unemployment it will
go away.”

The Executive Council accuses
employers of “social irresponsi-
bility” because they have “caused
unemployment and failed to do
anything about it”.

The’ Executive Council is the
governing body of the 1,100,000-
member Congress between con-
ventions. Following is the text
of the program outlined by the
Council statement:

Governments’
Responsibilities

NATIONAL—Further relaxa-
tion of the tight money policy by
the Bank of Canada.

—An unequivocal pledge by
leaders of political parties that
they will summon Parliament at
the earliest possible moment af-
ter the March 31 election and
put before Parliament in con-
erete legislative form the pro-
posals they are now making in
general terms on election plat-
forms. In addition to implement-
ing election promises, legislative
action on this CLC program will
inspire new confidence and help
to solve unemployment—Canada’s
major problem. With Parliament
in session, the government can:
—Immediately vote money for

public works.

—Provide funds to subsidize
housing and so enable National
Housing Act interest rates to
be lowered.

—Bring down a budget which
will reduce taxes to provide in-

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been served by the Congress

creased purchasing power.

—Increase benefits and lengthen
benefit periods for unemploy-
ment insurance.

—Increase the federal share of
Unemployment Assistance
from 50 percent to at least 75
percent.

—Increase old age pensions, fam-
ily allowances, and other social
security payments.

—Raise farm purchasing power.

—Adopt a generous program of
aid to under-developed coun-
tries.

PROVINCIAL — Provincial leg-

islatures now in session can im-

mediately:

—Authorize public works pro-
grams, including highway ex-
tensions and improvements,
schools, hospitals, and other
provincial works.

—Take advantage of the provi-
sions of the Unemployment As-
sistance Act in provinces where
this has not already been done.

—Raise minimum wages and so
increase purchasing power.

—Every province should enact
legislation providing for a
maximum 40-hour standard
work-week. Such legislation
should be rigidly enforced.

MUNICIPAL — Make immediate

use of existing and available pro-

visions of the National Housing

Act to Jaunch slum clearance and

low-rental housing programs.

—Start now on public works —
street paving, sidewalks, sew-
ers, and extension of municipal
services.

Employers’
Responsibilities

Employers have taken advant-
age of the recssion to understaff
their operations and increase
their profits when they should be
taking effective action to main-
tain and create employment dur-
ing this serious unemployment
period.

Employers can also:

—Reduce hours where they are
now more than the standard
40-hour week, maintaining
take-home pay.

—Share with workers the fruits
of technological change by in-
troducing them without reduc-
ing employment.

Unions’ Responsibilities

Unions have a social responsi-
bility to:

—Press for shorter hours with
the same take-home pay.

—Discourage unnecessary over-
time.

—Discourage ‘workers employed
for a standard work-week from
taking extra jobs.

—Seek higher wages to increase
consumer purchasing power.

—Bargain for employment stab-
ilization measures such as
supplementary unemployment
benefits and guaranteed an-
nual wages.

District 2
Waging
Fight

District 2 IWA is still em-
broiled in one of the nation’s
toughest labor disputes as the
battle rages for the right to
bargain for Newfoundland’s
thousands of loggers.

Loggers in the employ of the
large pulp and paper company,
Anglo- Newfoundland Develop-
ment Co. Ltd. will complete their
voting prior to April 12 in order
to exercise their choice between
the IWA and the Carpenters.

The IWA has been rebuffed in
a number of applications for cer-
tification on the island for rea-
sons that are obscure under
standards observed in other pro-
vinces.

The two. independent unions
involved, the Newfoundland
Lumbermen’s Association and
Newfoundland Laborers’ Union
claim memberships of 7000, and
5000 respectively. A recent move
of the NLA officials was to seek
affiliation with the Carpenters.

The IWA now has seven ap-
plications before the provincial
labor board, one for each con-
tractor.

Employing interests in East-
ern Canada have attempted to
block IWA plans because of their
belief that the IWA is seeking
a spring-board for the organiza-
tion of the 292,000 non-unionized
loggers in the Maritime pro-

vinces and Quebec.

ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

ne

Ray Mills, president of the Iowa State Federation of Labor, was
the first labor leader to receive the Achievement Award, presented
annually by the Fraternal Order of Bagles to an individual for “the
inspiration he has given others by surmounting a disabling handicap
and demonstrating that courage and determination can overcome

any obstacle”.

The presentation ceremony was made at the Des

Moines Eagles Club on Sunday, January 19 by William G. Watson,
Grand Secretary of the F.0.E, Judge Robert W. Hansen was the

principal speaker.

“Every Single Worker Should
Use Right To Vote Mar. 31"

Attitude of the daily press in giving labour news the
“slant” dictated by the employers has compelled the trade
unions to places more reliance on the development of media

owned and controlled by

themselves,

declared District

Secretary George Mitchell in a recent radio address.

Unemployment remains the
top issue in labor circles, and the
Union is asking that all candid-
ates in the election be questioned
as to their intentions on this
score.

Secretary Mitchell said in
part:

“During the past week, the
trade unions have been featured
in the news. I think it is fair to
say that the facts about labor’s
aims have been unfavorably slan-
ted in the news. The spokesmen
for management have shown a
decided disposition to arouse
prejudice based on conflicting
economic interests, rather than
encourage conciliatory attitudes
in both camps. To a great extent
the press, because of ownership
considerations, have sided with
management, and the financial
leaders.

This makes it necessary for
organized labor to develop and
rely upon media of information
controlled by themselves. At the
same time we ask members of
trade unions to examine the mo-
tives, very clearly exposed in the
employers’ press, radio and TV

propaganda but take the precau-

Before You Buy .. . Investigate the Features of the

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tion to examine labor’s point of
view as officially expressed, to
protect themselves against ac-
ceptance of misleading state-
ments damaging to their own
interests.

Now Is the Time to Act

Our country is. now in thé
midst of a Federal general elec-
tion campaign. To a large extent
policies which directly affect or-
ganized labor are before the
electorate. All political parties
are asking for the support of
labor. These parties are at the
present time more responsive
than at any other time to trends
of public opinion. Since the work-
ers have more at stake in this
election than any other section
of the community, it is proper
for the trade unions to ask that
all political parties should de-
clare themselves, clearly and de-
finitely, on those issues in which
labor is directly interested.

The preesnt unemployment sit-
uation is a case in point for it is
not only causing hardship to
those who are out of work but it
is also menacing the security of
many employed workers. Worst
of all the organized employing
interests whose financial contri-
butions toward campaign funds
enable them to dominate the
policies of the parties relying on
this support, are trying to capit-
alize on the unemployment situa-
tion to destroy all confidence in
trade unionism, and trade union
purposes. »

We Should Know Now

If any political party is com-
mitted to outright support of the
anti-union campaign now instit-
uted by the employers, we should
mow it now. I suggest that it

to support a party bent upon the
destruction of their rights. In
April, the Canadian Labor Con-
gress Convention will give fur-
ther consideration to a satisfac-
tory program of political action
for the organized workers.

It is an open secret, that from
all sides, workers are suggesting
that working-class interests
should further develop a political
instrument, closely parallel to
their economic organization,
along lines similar to those adop-
ted in the United Kingdom. I
cannot forecast what Congress
policy is likely to be, but I do
know that if the parties which
have enjoyed political power in
Canada, continue to fail us as
miserably in the future as they
have in the past, the workers will
assert themselves politically with
greater independence than*in the
past. .

- +. and Vote

However, our major concern at
this time is that every worker
should seek an opportunity to
understand the policies of all
political parties toward labor’s
aims, and then exercise his fran-
chise at the polls. The right to
vote by secret ballot is a right,
which labor fought for and won,
during the years that labor was
at the same time fighting for
the right to organize and bar-
gain collectively. We now know
that both rights are bound to-
gether. Much depends on labor’s
action in this election, whether
the future policies of the party
gaining power will give adequate
consideration to labor’s interests.
If the workers show indifference
at the polls the government will
be equally indifferent to their
welfare in making laws and ad-
ministering the affairs of our
country. Because of the nature
of the issues before us, not one
single worker should remain at

would be rank folly for workers

home on polling day,