t . i CA ' THE WESTERN co A N NADIAN } Incorporating The z.Z. Lumberworker Official Publication of the Jeternattonal Waedworkers. of sémertea Regional Council No. 1 VOL, XXVIII, No. 15 aera VANCOUVER, B.C. oc PER COPY 1st Issue, August, 1961 ss i x “Mike Pearson and Diefy are in for a fa’ for the cocky wee Douglas is the pride o’ them a’.” Beeler Be RIS ff Sem 2 NEWLY ELECTED LEADER of the New Democratic Party, T. C. (Tommy) Douglas, Premier of Saskatchewan, centre, stands on the speakers platform at the Founding Convention with his arms held high by Walter Pitman, left and Hazen Argue, right, in a victory salute to the wildly cheering delegates. IWA Scores Court Ruling A recent British Columbia Supreme Court ruling setting aside a majority arbitration board award is causing grave concern to labour officials. In a Supreme Court action, Mr. Justice Sullivan set aside an arbitra- tion board majority decision in favour of a discharged IWA plywood work- er. The dismissed employee, John Spencer, a jointer machine operator was accused by his employers, the S & K Plywood Company, Kelowna, of causing machinery breakdowns. Officials of Local 1-423, IWA, took the case to arbitration and were suc- cessful in winning a majority deci- sion. Spencer was ordered reinstated to his job with a partial loss of pay. The Company refused to accept the decision and took the case to court. Judge’s Statement In reversing the arbitration board’s decision, the judge said in part: “Surely the operator of a plywood plant in Canada has the right of ter- minating the engagement of an em- ployee whose mere presence at or near a piece of machinery results in abnormal breakdowns of it with con- sequent idleness of its crew and loss of operational return to the boss.” See “RULING” Page 2 WHAT'S INSIDE New Party's Pledged Programme The New Democratic Party in formulating the programme of the Party, pledged itself to place human rights above the pursuit of wealth and promised at the earliest opportunity to — @ Implement a programme of economic planning which will ensure full employment for all the people in Canada willing and able to work. @ See that any cases of temporary dislocation will be dealt with by a Guaranteed Employment Act which will enable them to claim a job as a social night by applying to the public local employment office. Pay full cost, including wages, where moving or retraining a worker is the best way to provide a job. Give priority to capital for such social needs as: houses, schools, hospi- tals, roads, parks and other recreational facilities. Undertake to create new means for the production of industrial power, to conserve our natural resources, build an integrated transport sys- tem, assist municipalities with their plans for development and to es- tablish new industries. A DYNAMIC FUTURE A New Democratic Party government will plan to achieve and maintain full employment of manpower and resources, natural and developed, by — Allocating these resources in a just and rational manner among the various public and private uses to which they might be put. Distributing the wealth produced by Canadians to assure to them all a decent standard of living, allowing every individual the opportunity to achieve his best. PLANNING IN ACTION A New Democratic Party government will spell out its plans clearly, This will be done by — Establishing a permanent Federal-Provincial Planning and Develop- ment Council. Placing plans before Parliament. Being responsive to changing needs and public wishes. Consulting all major economic groups in the planning process. INVESTMENT AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST The New Democratic Party believes that the investment of capital must be directed to serve public need. To this end it will — @ Establish a national Investment Board to promote a steady economic growth and full employment without inflation. @ Maintain a reasonable balance between public and private needs in the division of investment funds. See “PROGRAMME?” Page 2 NEW PARTY FORMED Delegates Formulate New Programme And Elect Party Leader Nearly eighteen hundred delegates to the New Party Founding Convention in Ottawa, July 31 - August 4, working in the ninety degree heat of the Coliseum, founded a truly democratic move- ment for the people, gave it a fresh name, and elected as leader, one of Canada’s few statesmen, to lead the movement to victory. The Convention, the largest and most spectacular ever held in Can- ada, exceeded in its success the wildest dreams of its planners. The election of T.C. (Tommy) Douglas over Hazen Argue, in a straight two-man race for the leader- ship, virtually guarantees the success of the new movement. The New Democratic Party name was chosen by the delegates on the only occasion during the Conven- tion where they rejected a recom- mendation of the party’s leaders. The new programme drafted by the convention delegates was dedic- ated to ending the rule of those who control the nation’s corporate wealth. The delegates came from every part of Canada and included the trade unions, the CCF, New Party clubs and the farmers. It was a relatively youthful convention. Average age of the delegates was probably a good ten years lower than the average at any old party convention held. Press, radio and TV coverage of the convention set new records for political conventions in this country. The decorations in the Coliseum were especially planned for TV. Premier Douglas’ victory by a delegate count of 1,391 to 380 was the climax of the convention. Amid a sea of “Douglas for Prime Minis- ter” banners and showers of con- fetti, Douglas told the New Demo- cratic Party founding convention See “NEW PARTY” Page 2 IWA Requests Suspension Of Carpenter's Union Suspension of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners Union from the Canadian Labour Congress, has_been requested by the IWA for raiding activities in Newfoundland. The raiding charge was filed against the Carpenters by IWA Region No. 2, at the last meeting of the Canadian Labour Congress Executive Council. The IWA charged the Carpenters, with the assistance of Premier Joey Smallwood, negotiated a deal with the officers of the Newfoundland Brotherhood Union for certification of the loggers there. They further charged prominent Carpenter officials Andy Cooper, George Bengough, Ed Larose and others with taking an active part in the raiding. This action of the Carpenters is a direct violation of the Congress decision made at the height of the bloody IWA strike in Newfoundland, in 1959, which denied any Congress affiliate from interfering there on the penalty of expulsion. At that time the IWA was the legal bargaining agency for the New- foundland loggers. During the bitter strike, Premier Smallwood had the IWA outlawed in Newfoundland. This action ended all bona fide un- ion activity in Newfoundland’s woods. For the next three years the log- gers were organized by the New- foundland Brotherhood Union, a com- pany union set up by Premier Small- wood. Early this year the Act outlawing the IWA was modified and the Un- ion was allowed to register in the Province. With the money provided by the IWA International and The Canadian Labour Congress, fresh plans were made to reorganize the loggers. It was at this point that the Carpenters moved in. The IWA immediately lodged a complaint over the Carpenters’ action with Congress. Attempts were made by Congress Officials to get the dis- puting parties together but the Car- enters ignored all requests to appear. Prior to this Congress had pro- posed to the parties that they both agree to the holding of a supervised vote of the Newfoundland loggers, to find which of the two Unions they preferred. This the Carpenters refused to do. Instead they held their own vote, with the aid of Newfoundland offi- cials, and allowed foreman, super- visors and other company officials, ° as well as loggers to ballot. Even under these ideal voting con- ditions they were only able to gain 54% of the ballots. At the present time. the matter is in the hands of the Congress Officers. If they are not successful in settling the problem it will be submitted to the Council of the Congress at which a full scale hearing will be held and the necessary action taken. Textile Strikers Gain Freedom The last three Textile Union leaders jailed during the strike at the Harriet-Henderson Mills in North Carolina, have been re- leased. The trio had received sentences ranging from six to ten years on the sole testimony of an under- cover informer who later was in- volved in a Virginia gun charge. uo) U.S. Unemployment Sets Second New Post War Record Unemployment in the United States climbed to its second highest peak in the post war years with the government reporting 6.9 percent of the labour force jobless in the month of July. The highest peak was 7.5 percent reached in the depths of the 1958 depression. In July 1960, the jobless rate was 5.5 percent. LISTEN TO Green Gold—CJ0 7:00 p.m. t Thursday 3 CKPG Ist and Last Thursday 6:00 p.m.