10 B. Cc. LUMBER WORKER Ist Issue, May Salute! The Officers, Executive Board and members of District No, 2, stretching from Saskatchewan to the Atlantic Provinces, salute the officers and members of District No. 1, covering Alberta and British Columbia, on their 21st anniversary. No group in the trade union moyement anywhere in America has done a better job of promoting the interests of its members in terms of hours, wages and working conditions. The beginning was humble 21 years ago when the industry was vir- tually unorganized and with low depression wages, and open shop conditions. Discrimination and firings at will were the order of the day. It was then that a small group of people gathered to lay the foundations for the building of the IWA in Canada, Today, after 21 years, the IWA in British Columbia can look back to a fruitful journey along what was sometimes an arduous and rocky road, but one which has steadily lead their members to the highest wages and best working conditions prevailing anywhere in Canada. Taking on the arrogant lumber bosses and logging barrons of just those few years ago, the IWA pledged to itself and to its members that it would not rest until the job of building a strong industrial union coyering all the workers in the forest products industry had been achieved. That was when you could hire a man for 25 cents an hour in a sawmill and 40 cents an hour in the woods, and when a worker could be fired at will if the boss didn’t like the color of his hair or the way he looked on Monday morning. The IWA has won agreements covering its coastal opera- tions involving 270 logging, sawmilling and plywood companies with thirty thousand members represented under one agreement alone. Its base rate is $1.72 per hour. The vast majority get greatly in excess of this—loggers ayerage $30 per day. That’s progress! The basis of the strength of the IWA in the determination of its membership and the clearsighted views of the leadership which haye been hammered out in democratically controlled wage policy conferences and district conventions over the years, Perhaps one of the most turbulent sections of the trade union in America, it has been criticized for its super-democracy, but always the road has led steadily to improved conditions and benefits for the membership year after year. Again we salute our friends and colleagues and brothers in the great IWA in British Columbia on this its 21st anniversary! (From IWA News, District 2) Machinists Celebrate 70 Years MONTREAL (CPA) — Across Canada this month, members of nearly 180 local lodges of the International As- sociation of Machinists — lo- cated from Newfoundland to Vancouver Island, from Niagara Falls to Frobisher Bay — are celebrating the union’s 70th an- . ‘| niversary. The I.A.M., third ; »| largest affiliate of the Canadian « | Labor Congress, was founded May 5, 1888 by 19 machinists who met secretly in a locomo- tive pit at Atlanta, Georgia. BOB Ri ss newly elected Business Agent of Local 1-417, IWA, Sal- mon Arm, Canadian unionists soon made their mark in the organization and in 1890 the name of the union was changed to the International As- sociation of Machinists when lodge 103 was founded by railway work- ers at Stratford, Ontario. Just 18 years later one of Canada’s first union women’s auxiliaries was established by union wives in Moncton, N.B., and numbered Auxiliary 10, The B.C. LUMBER WORKER Today the LLA.M. has a mem- bership of more than 50,000 in Canada with lodges covering rail- way, shipyard, aircraft plant, gen- eral manufacturing, airline and office operations, Staff members of the union, led by Canadian gen- eral vice-president George P. Schollie, also a CLC regional vice- President from 1956-58, take an active part in the general life of the labor movement from the na- tional to the municipal level, LIMITED DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL charged with the respo y of designing and instituting an educa- tion programme which would meet the requirements of all Local Unions in District No. 1. Members are, left, standi ig—Jimmy Ray, Local 1-71; Bill Wilson, Local 1-357; Howard Webb, Local 1-424; Art Corey, Local 1-367; Sid Thompson, Local 1-217; John Squire, Local 1-85; Don West, Local 1-417; George Mitchell, Dis- trict Secretary Treasurer; seated left, Ross Davis, Local 1-80; Jack Moore, District Executive Assistant, .and Council Chairman; Joe Miyazawa, Director of Research & Education, and Council Secretary; Cliff Michael, Local 1-118. Correction It was erroneously reported in the Second issue of April of the B.C. Lumber Worker that Gilbert Schofield was elected Chairman of the Chemainus Sub-Local. This should have read Alex Mc- Ewan elected Chairman. Also the following Com- mittee are the Grievance Committe not the Balloting Committe as reported: Frank Wilson, Howard Delmage, Dave Aitken, Ross Davis, R. Roch. Results of the nominations for election of the Local Union’s officers of Local 1-80, IWA, Duncan, which were published in the first issue of April of the B.C. Lumber Worker, should have read: For President, George Smythe, Stan Abercombie; Ist Vice-President, J. Colwell, A. Butler; 2nd Vice-Presi- dent, Alex McEwan (unnop- posed); 3rd Vice-President, Albert Smith, Lorne Atchi- son; Financial Secretary, Ed- win Linder (unopposed); Re- cording Secretary, R. Bouch- ard, Ross Davis; Conductor, Jack All, Len Baker; Warden, Dave Aitken, Joe Reilly; Trustees, three-year term, H. Delmage, Ron Waugh. 1-80 Meets May 11 Membership meeting of Local 1-80, IWA, will be held Sunday, May 11th, commenc- ing at 10 am, in the IWA Hall, Duncan. Business will include installation of officers and a proposed merger of certifications, USA Wins Mine Vote TORONTO (CPA) — The United Steelworkers of America (CLC): have won a representa- tion vote conducted by the Can- ada Labor Relations Board among employees of Stanleigh Uranium Mines, Blind River, Ontario. The Steelworkers received 201 votes, while 38 cast ballots against the union, according to District 6 director Larry Sefton. Certification is expected to follow shortly. The Steelworkers are now certified for over 40 mining and non-ferrous operations in Ontario. PRINTERS AND LITHOGRAPHERS An Employee Owned Co. 944 RICHARDS STREET ‘MUtual 1-6338 - 6339 INSTRUCTION IN INDUSTRIAL FIRST AID available through Correspondence Courses leading to Industrial First Aid Certificates approved by the Workmen’s Compensation Also Correspondence Course in Timekeeping and Board of B.C. Basic Accident Prevention. THE INDUSTRIAL FIRST AID ATTENDANTS ASSN. OF B.C. 130 West Hastings Street nee Vancouver 8, B.C. LABOUR FACTS 1958 NEGOTIATIONS The year 1958 is going to be one of important negotiations. A number of contracts which are regarded as pattern-setting will be open. There is clear evidence of strong employer resistance and, in addition, unions can expect to face considerable criticism in the press. The position being taken by many unions is that not only are employers in a position to give increases but the economy of the country needs such increases to add to purchasing power and so provide employment. ECONOMIC FACTS Labour Research, published by the CLC Department of Research, devotes the latest issue to wages and inflation and neatly punctures some of the arguments that are being presented in opposition to wage increases. Detailed figures are given to back up the CLC position. WAGES AND PRICES ‘The CLC research department shows that wage increases are not inevitably followed by price increases, From 1946 to 1956 wage rates rose 95.9%. In the same period retail prices went up only 50.7% and wholesale prices 60.3%. This shows workers gained at least 30% in real wages. PRODUCTIVITY The suggestion that wage increases have been far outstrip- ping productivity is knocked for a loop with figures showing that while productivity has been going up about 2.5% a year, real wages have been increasing at only slightly over 3%. 1957 GAINS The federal labour department in a survey covering 279,316 employees reports 40% got increases ranging from 5 to 9.9 cents an hour in 1957. In the 10 to 14.9 cént bracket were 32%. (Labour Gazette, Jan. 1958, Page 6.) COST OF LIVING The consumers price index at the start of January moved back up to the record set last October—123.4, This was an increase of three-tenths of a point over the December figure. MORE UNIONIZED The federal labour department reports that in 1956 the num- ber of workers employed under collective agreements increased 4.9 per cent to a total of 1,638,017. This represents 38.7 per cent of the average number of non-agricultural paid workers in Canada in 1956. $620 MILLION IN DUES A recent survey on union dues, published by the National In- dustrial Conference Board in New York City, is being used to provide anti-union ammunition to editorial writers. Emphasis is being placed on the fact that union members in the U.S. and Canada paid $620,000,000 in dues in 1957. There is nothing here for union members to be ashamed of. The dues were paid by 18,400,000 members and so represented less than $34 per member for the year. Most of this was retained in local union treasuries. This information is being used by the pro-management people who want international union ties wiped out. Those who are so vocally concerned about other people’s money going to the U.S. show no interest in the benefits Cana- dian workers gain from their international associations, * * * A Canadian Gallup Poll survey shows that 25 per cent of the Canadian people believe high wages are the cause of high prices; 31 per cent put the blame on high profits; and 27 per cent blame both. The Perfect Sack Quote Charlotte Whitton on New Look Liberalism: “It’s the New Look all right — the perfect sack, Covers everything; touches nothing closely and doesn’t display a single exciting feature,”