PLAIN TALK ROME plain speaking is necessary to stop wrong-way policies advocated for our Union. It is said that the Regional Council has failed the membership. Take a look at the record! The organization has gained its highest membership strength, This is mainly due to the vigorous. organiza- tional drive in the Interior and all the Western provinces. In the coast settlement the Regional Council gained one of the best settlements of the year in Canada. As Joe Morris said, when the score is tallied for the year, it will probably be the best of the year, taking the value of all the contract improvements negotiated into consideration. It is the best settlement yet ne- gofiated by the IWA, and brought no risk or sacrifice to the membership. The Millwrights’ Apprenticeship Training Program is operating in the Northern Interior with further substan- tial increases for the tradesmen. In both the Northern and Southern Interior, the Union is about to accomplish the biggest advances yet made for the Interior membership by reason of pain- staking planning. Spot strikes have been fought with vigor, urgent grievances have been resolved and the master agree- ment has been effectively policed. Those who speak of failure have their own dark reasons for not desiring to credit our Union with its successes. The Regional Council has no apology for the record. IWA members should consider the outstanding questions on the Union’s agenda and then ask why the Union’s most urgent work should be retarded by those who scheme for personal political advantages. The immediate introduction of tradesmen’s training programs are urgently required to protect the job secur- ity of tradesmen generally. In operation after operation, tradesmen with seniority are being elbowed aside be- cause they have not had the opportunity to learn the skills required by new methods of production, except at their own expense. The Regional Executive Board is still pressing the issue. Why should the way to progress in this field be blocked by the self-seeking interests of a few? The way should now be cleared for category rate revision, especially for jobs demanding new qualifica- tions. This can be done most successfully on an industry- wide basis with the full force of the Regional member- ship behind the final adjustments. Why should a minority demand conditions which can only stall some real progress? We ask why should our Union be torn asunder be- tween now and the Regional Convention by personal feuding on the part of those who aspire to office. We believe that the Union’s members are “sick and tired” not of the delegates from the Interior, all good Union members, but of the persistent disruption “full of sound and fury” and meaning nothing. We state without fear of contradiction, that the real test of worthiness for office, is a union member's ability to place the good of the membership above his own personal ambitions. The record of achievement, the great need for united action on urgent probleris makes intrigue which discredits or impedes the work of the Union, a treacherous conspiracy against membership welfare. A AAPA SMTEREUORNED Published twice monthly as the official publication of the .c7>.? INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA, Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1: Affiliated with AFL-C1O-CLC [as9 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-526 BRT nae cet oO ron ee . Grant MacNeil bon Sie 1 OS REINS SS ESS Ra Scelatalil Pat Kerr Business Manager sere one ..... Fred_Fieber Advertising Representative ....- anit G. A. Spencer to every member of the IWA in Western Canada in akatnes with convention decisions. Subscription rate for non-members OM Ehotized as Second Class Mail, Post Office Department, Ottawa, tage in cash. and for payment of pooicopies printed in this issue. THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER 2nd Issue ‘ July, 1964 it PRESIDENT'S DESK By JACK MOORE ITH a court restraining order against all and sundry, covering an area from Vancouver to the Arctic Circle, I can say little about recent incidents at operations of Canadian Forest Products Ltd. The roving pickets are said to have sinned against our labour laws. I find it quite proper to say that the whole union is proud of the solidarity displayed by-the crews when suddenly faced with a picket line. The purpose of the pickets in visiting B.C. was immediately recognized and honored with an unanimity that speaks well for the spirit of our Union. * * * LOYALTY TO TRADE UNION PRIN- CIPLES, shown at Port Alberni and more recently at New Westminster, Harrison Lake and Chetwynd sets an example to be followed at all levels of our Union’s activity. At the Regional level we must strive to serve the in- terests of the entire membership and the working class as a whole, rather than any special group. The successful struggle at Port Alberni demonstrated that the interests of every unit in our organization are inter- woven and cannot be separated. It is highly improper for one coast Local to say that it has no interest in the welfare of the Interior membership and that it resents the Interior members’ interest in the welfare of the Coast membership. This is one Union, with one purpose. Only as we remain united can we exercise strength in the fulfillment of our purpose. Whatever affects the Interior members, affects the Coast membership and vice versa. Let us not allow self-seeking or selfishness to destroy our strength or obscure our objectives. * * * THE REGIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD stands charged, in effect, with malfeasance in office. The decisions of the Board were at first said to be illegal, and now are said to be unconstitutional. The charges made by Local 1-217 officers invoked a provision of the In- ternational Constitution which required in- vestigation by the International President and TH’ WHOLE SHEBANG IS ONE MAN OPERATED .. . THERE HE GOES NOW! consideration of procedures suggesting the serious possibility of trusteeship for Region I. When we met with President Hartung, as requested, the charges were shown to be groundless. We invited our International President to examine all our records as thor-. oughly as he might desire. Nevertheless the charges have not been withdrawn and are being circulated to undermine membership confidence in the financial integrity of the. Regional Executive Board. It is my duty to provide IWA members‘ with every assurance that there has been no illegality or wrong-doing. We will take the sensible and proper course to. clarify the situation. The International Executive Board is now being asked by our Regional Board to hold a special meeting and consider the:situa- | tion and. any evidence on which the charges |; claim to be based. By this procedure IWA members in Region I will have the considered and im- | partial judgment of the second highest trib- unal in our Union. f I now invite Syd Thompson, President of — Local 1-217, to appear before this special | meeting of the International Board to state | and prove his charges and refute, if he can, / Vj the conclusive evidence upholding the integ- |. rity of the Regional Executive Board. * * * THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE MOTIVE for charges which cannot be substantiated. The announced intention is to so discredit the Regional Officers as to accomplish their de- ; feat at the Regional Convention. _ A contest for office-is always a healthy sign in our Union. No one can possibly object to legitimate criticism of our decisions. \ I must point out that the Union must now face urgent problems which .fully oc- cupy our time and energy. These problems, demanding solution, concern the welfare of j our members. I ask the members to judge whether the campaign of disruption for political advantage to impede the Union’s work, serves their best interests.