x THE WESTERN be) WP ES i i ” CANADIAN Incorporating The z.2. Lumberworker Official Publication of the Jeteraatéonal Woodworkers of rpbmertca Regional Council No. 1 VOL. XXVIH, No. 11 a> = => VANCOUVER, B.C. ye TRIB (COVENT Ist Issue June, 1961 SE oes en = the IWA Hall, Prince George. TI TRADE UNION PROBLEMS were discussed by these delegates TTLEMEN attending the seminar held by Local 1-424, IWA, June 11, in he delegates came from as far away as Williams Lake and Quesnel to participate in the ey discussions which included a general outline on the restrictive legislative Bills 42 and 43. Grant MacNeil, Public Relations Director for the Regional Council -was the Seminar’s discussion le Chairman, ader and Jack Holst, President of the Local was the Seminar Annual ept. 6 Call has been issued by the Meet -7-8 IWA Regional Officers to the Twenty-fourth Annual Convention of Regional Council No. 1, to be held at Woodworkers’ House, 2859 Commercial Drive, Van- couver, Wednesday, September 6, and continuing through Friday, September 8, 1961. § The convention call states in part: “The Twenty-fourth Annual._Re- gional Convention of the Interna- tional Woodworkers of America will be held in the Auditorium, 2859 Com- mercial Drive, Vancouver 12, B.C., commencing at 10:30 a.m., Wednes- day, September 6th, and continuing through Friday, September 8th, 1961. Representation: Your representation shall be based on Article IV of the Constitution, which reads as follows: - The delegates to the Regional Convention shall be elected by and from the Local Unions with the ex- ception that all Regional Officers and Regional Executive Board Members shall be duly accredited delegates to the convention. Representation to the Convention shall be on the following basis: Local Unions shall have one (1) delegate for the first one-hundred (100) members or less and one (1) additional delegate for each three hundred (300) members or major fraction thereof. There shall be: no voting by proxy. The basis of voting of Regional Officers and Regional Executive Board Members shall be one single vote. Representation shall be based upon the per capita membership of the Local Union computed upon an aver- age taken of the twelve (12) months’ period, ending two (2) months prior to the date on which the Convention Call is issued; provided that the aver- age for Local Unions in existence less than twelve (12) months shall be based upon the membership reported WHAT'S INSIDE 1-80 Pix ..... 2 President ..... 3 Editorial ...... 4 for the period that they have been in existence”. There shall be no voting by proxy. All newly organized Locals must be organized at least one (1) month See “MEET” Page 2 Commons To Drop Bill 70 Trade union pressure has per- suaded the Federal Government to abandon Bill 70, a measure intended to harass the activities of international unions in Can- 9 oO. National Vice-President Joe Morris, Canadian Labour Congress, stated this week that the Minister of Justice has agreed not to proceed with sec- ond reading of the Bill during the resent session of Parliament. The terms of the Bill were designed to compel international trade unions operating in Canada to disclose financial and other information re- garding their activities. Hon. Mr. Fulton had stated that it would “compel the disclosure of cer- tain important essentials as to the details of their operations by trade unions carrying on activities in Can- ada and which are controlled from outside Canada”, An objectionable feature was the requirement that the nationality of the Union’s officers be disclosed, and that the details of all collective agree- ments’ be filed with the Government. It was protested by the Canadian Labour Congress largely because of its nuisance value, and its discrimina- tory nature, also because it gave vent to an anti-union bias among govern- ment supporters. The Bill provides for fines of fifty dollars per day for failure to comply with its provisions. New Party Delegates Prepared Consideration of the conven- tion call for the First Constitu- tional Convention of the New Party by IWA Local Unions now shows the prospect of a large and representative IWA delegation in attendance, when the proceedings open July 31 in the Ottawa Coliseum. The call outlines the business of the convention as being the formal establishment of a New Party, the selection of a name, the adoption of a constitution and a program, the election of a National Leader and National Officers, and the considera- tion of resolutions from participating units. 2500 Delegates Expected Latest estimates are that more than 2500 delegates will be in atten- dance. Special billeting arrangements have been undertaken under the auspices of the National Committee for the New Party. Advice on such billeting is transmitted as credentials are filed. Advice regarding special transportation arrangements can be secured by application to the Com- mittee. Qualified trade union locals are entitled to one delegate for each 1000 members or major fraction thereof, with a minimum of one delegate. Advance consideration of conven- tion business has been made possible by- the circulation of draft copies of a national constitution and program. Suggested changes will be re-printed and re-circulated if received prior to June 16. Founding Fund It is estimated that the New Party Founding’ Fund will approximate $200,000 within a few weeks. A por- tion of the share allotted to British Columbia will apply toward delegates expenses as may be provided by the B.C. Federation of Labour, it is re- ported. Discussions on program heard in British Columbia indicate that a lively interest is focussed on the constitu- | tional terms of affiliation and sections of the program dealing with full em- ployment and Canada’s seat on NATO. Huge Majority Endorses Negotiated Proposals In Coast Referendum WO I RG eS * * Settlement recommended by the IWA Regional Policy Com- mittee in the 1961 negotiations with the coast lumber operators has been approved by an overwhelming majority of the member- ship*in the coast IWA Local Unions. 11,760 members voted to accept, 5,265 voted for rejection. This 69.07 per cent majority gives the Union a clear-cut mandate to execute a master agree- ment for one year in the coast area on the terms submitted. Local 1-217 IWA, Vancouver voted for rejection of the settlement, 2,357 to 1,994, As a result of the settlement, coast woodworkers will have for the first time an industry-wide health and wel- fare plan. In addition, Boxing Day will become a paid statutory holiday in manufacturing plants, and the log- ging section will gain an extra holi- day at Easter. Category rates for power-house employees. will be revised upward in amounts ranging from 4% cents an hour to 10 cents an hour. Other changes in the master agree- ment will improve clauses dealing with seniority, job posting, finaliza- tion of category rates, and arbitration. It was announced by the Regional Officers that immediate steps would be taken to give effect to plans for medical coverage and insurance now agreed upon. In a statement released to this pub- lication, Regional President Morris. said: “This decisive vote, registered by the members of eight Local Unions, fully vindicates the position taken by the Regional Policy Committee in its recommendation of the settlement. The recommendation was made in the belief that the majority favoured this type of settlement this year. The Policy Committee has been fully sus- tained in this opinion. “A most gratifying result of the settlement is that our Union will be able to proceed with plans to provide all its members in the coast area with medical coverage, transferable within Operations, and applicable during periods of unemployment. The insur- ance features will likewise be a great boon for workers and their families.’ Fuller Explanation Now Required: Say Unions Controversy over the dismissal of J. E. Coyne, Governor of the Bank of Canada, has triggered widespread interest among the trade unions. Representations to the Canadian Labour Congress urge that the situation be fully aired in the House of Commons. Organized labour wants to know who is responsible for fiscal and monetary policies that have resulted in more serious unemploy- ment in Canada than in European countries. Mr. Coyne has attempted to draw a distinction between monetary and fiscal policies. Monetary policies are those which relate to the operation of the financial system, while fiscal policies deal with tax revenue and ex- penditure. , Apart from the clash of personali- ties, and Coyne’s economic views, public concern centres on the rela- tionship between the Bank of Canada and the Federal Government. Has it been made just another Government Department, or will it be allowed to function as originally intended) with a*measure of independence, but re- sponsible to Parliament? The Bank’s Functions The Bank of Canada was estab- lished when the depression of the thirties had almost destroyed confi- dence in the financial system. Its charter stated that it would “regulate credit and currency in the best in- terest of the economic life of the nation”. The Bank of Canada does not make loans to or accept deposits from in- dividuals or private companies. Its main duty is to make certain that there is the right amount of money in circulation for the requirements of the economy at any given time. It has the responsibility of managing Canada’s money supply. , Changes in the volume of money supply, currency and credit, is’: accom- plished by control of the funds that See “EXPLANATION” Page 2 Free Unions Build Free Nations. - - - Knowles “It is of fundamental importance that trade unions be free and independent,” declared Executive Vice-President Stanley Knowles addressing the annual session of the International Labour Or- ganization in Geneva last week. He was attending as a trade union member of the Canadian delegation. The Canadian labour delegate took strong exception to remarks which he interpreted as a suggestion that, in the developing countries at least, the ability of trade unions to develop along their own lines or along the tra- ditional lines of unions elsewhere should be curtailed and the unions be subordinated to national objectives. “Are the developing countries to go through the same stages of ruthless exploitation that marked the begin- nings of the industrial revolution in some of our economically developed countries?” asked Mr. Knowles. Avoid Old Mistakes! And he added: “Surely, if free societies are to be established in the newer countries of Africa and Asia, let us hope that the mistakes made in some of the now more developed countries will be avoided.” See “KNOWLES” Page 2 LISTEN TO Green Gold—CJ0 7:00 p.m. tisay = OK PG A Ist and Last Thursday - 6:00 p.m.