THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ~ 41 CONVENTION committee which included three independent CIO officials to end the widespread suspicion of corrupt practices in previous elections. An independent observer, with an intimate knowl- edge of the Union’s affairs, Dr. Vernon H. Jensen, author of “Lumber and Labor” paid the following tribute to Lowery: “There is no doubt, however, that it was fort- unate that such a person as Worth Lowery was available as the leader because he commanded respect from tim- ber workers everywhere. It was fortunate too that he could rise above the bitterness which had developed during the long struggle and the bitter convention argu- ments. Under his leadership the organization achieved a unity that it had never experienced before.” Important steps were taken to assure the members and the public that the IWA would henceforth function as an honest union. Guarantees were provided for finan- cial honesty. Standard auditing practices were adopted and officials entrusted with funds were bonded. Audited statements were to be furnished the members at regular intervals. Honesty was insisted upon not only in reports to the membership but also in relations with the em- ployers and in evaluations made of the Union’s pro- gram. Although under the circumstances, this involved @ cleansing process it resulted in the high standard of union administration since maintained by the IWA. A good union, the delegates said, must be a union with sound ethical principles. Organization of the unorganized woodworkers was imperative. The organizing campaign, subsidized by the ClO, and directed by Adolph Germer had faltered under - heavy pro-communist attack. Adolph Germer was con- firmed in the post of Director of Organization and given -afree hand. The agreement with the CIO was sustained. The membership was thus encouraged to approve an increased per capita tax, out of which 25 cents a month was earmarked for organizational purposes. Within a year, membership in the local unions increased 30 to 300 per cent. The well-founded complaint that subsidized dele- gates from “paper” local unions: provided the oppor- tunity for an improper influence of convention decisions led to corrective constitutional amendments. The basis of representation at conventions was revised to ensure a genuine expression of membership opinion. Proxy vot- ing was abolished. Fuller protection was given to local union autonomy. The integrity of all election procedures was safeguarded. A major reform was the institution of a convention roll call vote to provide that each delegate could cast a number of votes equal to the proportionate share of the membership of the local union represented. Formerly, convention roll call votes only recorded the votes of individual delegates. The new system, made effective for the 1941 convention ensured that convention de- cisions on major issues would more accurately reflect membership opinion. General dissatisfaction with arbitrary decisions of the International Executive Board caused the demand that a similar system of roll call votes be made possible in the proceedings of the Board. This gave the large District Councils the balance of power. At the same time, Al local union delegations were allowed the right to attend the meetings of the board. These provisions were de- manded because of what was called the “star chamber” methods of the previous boards. By decision of the membership, the International Office was moved from Seattle to Portland. It was con- sidered that Portland was more nearly the center of the organization’s activities in the lumber industry. Previous conventions had debated vigorously the proposal that known Communists should be barred from membership in the Union. The Everett convention settled the issue by referring the recommendation to a member- ship referendum. By a membership vote of 13,231 to 6,243, the members decided that “no member of the Communist Party shall have membership in our Union unless they withdraw from the Communist Party and forfeit their membership therein.” Fascists and Nazis were excluded from membership on the same basis. Under the new charter of membership rights, the Union made remarkable headway in the United States. But it was a different story in British Columbia, where the pro-communists managed to retain control until 1948. This period was climaxed by openly attempted secession and a thorough-going reconstruction of the District organization. The overthrow of Communist dom- ination in the United States was misrepresented by the B.C. district officers to the Canadian membership as a reactionary move. Every possible pretext was seized upon fo weaken the ties with the International Union. The pro-communist District officers grew boldly ar- rogant with a measure of success. Consequently, rumb- lings of rebellion were heard on all sides among the membership. This rebellious mood grew more pro- nounced during World War Il and the post-war period. The policy of the District was made to shift with the shifting policies of the Communist Party. Grave devia- tions from trade union principles threatened the Cana- dian section of the Union with expulsion from the ClO Canadian Congress of Labor. Matters came to a head with the passage of the Taft-Hartley Act which required non-communist affidavits from the International officers. A Canadian trustee re- fused to sign any such affidavit and was removed from See “’41 CONVENTION” — Page 7 Union Losse $ Blamed on Joh Shift Heavy union mem hin losses in the U.S. are blamed by the American labour de. partment on a shift in the na. tion’s job pattern toward more white collar workers, The department added it has seen no evidence of worker disaffection with the labour movement. However, it has also failed to see any resurgence of organizing spirit comparable to that of the late ’30s or early ’40s. The membership loss fig- ures based on the depart- ment’s own survey shows a drop of 222,000 members from 1960 to 1962. It reports the same downward trend in 1963. Most unions are reluctant to talk about membership losses but the B.C. Federation stated at it’s recent conven- tion that unions here dropped by two percent in the past five years. Federation officials blamed the losses on the Pro- vincial labour laws. A spokesman for the AFL- CIO stated the U.S. labour department figures are high. The AFL-CIO estimates the losses at 74,000 in two years. The American labour movement hopes to arrest this downward trend with a new surge of organizing. The plan is in the pilot stage at the moment. Labour admits future or- ganizing success depends greatly on how well it can persuade white collar work- ers to join unions. AH... OF A FINE SAW! BIG $22.00 Price Reduction off List THE NEW CANADIEN 275 on All Model 275 This new beauty has more USABLE Publication date of the next issue of the WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER is January 2. Deadline for ad copy is December 27, and for news copy December 28. é Published Twice Monthly on the First and Third Thursdays by TERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA (AFL-CIO-CLC) Regional Council No. 1 Editor . . . Grant MacNeil REGIONAL OFFICERS: Jack Moor: President e st Vice-President Jack MacKenzie 2nd Vice-President —................ ... 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