a THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

_A vote to support ‘‘to the
hilt” the Canadian Merchant
Service Guild’s strike against
the B.C. towboat owners, was
passed unanimously by Local
1-71 delegates attending the
Local’s 20th Annual
Delegated Meeting May 16, in
Vancouver.

To show that they meant
business the delegates also
approved the policy of Local
officers instructing members
not to cross picket lines or
handle hot cargo.

The morning session of the
one-day conference was
devoted almost exclusively to
discussion of the towboat

dispute and its affect on the .

coast forest industry.

Local President Ernie
Freer in stressing the gravity
of the situation stated that
the Guild was fighting for its
survival and the IWA had no
other choice but to honour the
picket lines in the face of any
injunctions.

This position was
reiterated by guest speakers
Regional ist Vice-President
Jack MacKenzie, Local 1-217
President Syd Thompson and
Local 1-80 President Weldon
Jubenville. MacKenzie
pointed out that the B.C.
Federation of Labour had
already declared its policy in
a press release May 12, which
stated that ‘‘All equipment
owned or operated by B.C.
Towboat wners’
Association companies will
be declared ‘‘hot” and all
barges, floating equipment
or log booms normally towed
by Guild personnel will be
declared ‘‘hot”’.

Thompson stated that his
Local Union was determined
to honour the Guild picket
lines because there was no
doubt the forest companies —
spearheaded by MacMillan
Bloedel — were responsible
for the attempted crack down
on labour. He added that up
to May 16, over three
thousand of his Seven
thousand members were off
work through either
respecting the picket lines or
the mills running short of
logs.

CONSUMER
LEGISLATION
NEEDED

A Canadian Welfare Council
survey of 235 lower-income
families in Hamilton, Ontario,
points to the need for consumer
credit legislation.

The survey found one-
quarter of the families with
debts amounting to more than
25 per cent of gross income.
Another study, this one by a
York University professor,
found that federal laws in this
area are woefully inadequate.

The biggest burden of debt in
the Hamilton survey was in
families with the lowest in-
comes. One fifth were below
the official Canadian poverty-
line.

‘our

Jubenville reported that a
number of logging camps
were down and the Local was
keeping a close watch on hot
logs and chip barges. He
added like the others that
injunctions had been granted
against the Local and Guild
but so far no other action
had been taken.

Guild Policy Chairman
Arnie Davis gave a brief
history of the events leading
up to the strike. Manning,
accommodation and safety
were the key issues still. in
dispute, he stated, and the
Guild’s position was that
there would be no settlement

until these three points were ~

rectified.

During the afternoon
session the delegates dealt
with seventy-four
resolutions, seven By-Law
changes, Officers’, Financial
and Trustees’ Reports, and
nominated and_ elected
delegates to the next
Regional convention.

Included among _ the
resolutions were demands for
the Local to take a more
active part in supporting the
NDP; to increase the present
rates of compensation
covering both old and new
cases; to increase the basic

income tax exemption raised’

above $1,000—and such items
as: room and board, work
clothing and cost of tran-
sportation income tax
deductible.

The delegates also in-
dicated their views on the
recent attempted raiding of
the IWA by Canada Pulp by
approving a_ resolution
calling for the Regional
Council to continue its action
to prevent further raiding.

The Officers’ Report dealt
extensively with the problem
of how the Union can combat
the employers use of labour
legislation to hammer the
workers into line.

It stated in part:

Before leaving the subject
of Arbitration and Civil
Courts, we might do well to
pause briefly and consider a
sequence of events which
have taken place, not only in
Local Union, but
throughout the Coast Section
of the Regional Council.

b

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These events, when viewed
objectively, can lead to no
other conclusion than that the
major Coast Forest Products
Companies are determined to
use the provisions of various
pieces of Provincial Labour
Legislation already on_ the
statute books to make illegal

KEN DAVIDSON
PASSES AWAY

Brother Ken David-
son, age 63, passed away
on June 22 of a heart at-
tack while employed as
a boomman at Canadian
Forest Products” Ltd.,
Beaver Cove operation.

Brother Davidson was
a long time member of
Local 1-71 and will be
sadly missed up and
down the coast, as he
actively and consistently
fought for the better-
ment of his fellow work-
ers.

strikes so expensive for the
Union that this. means of
resolving problems cannot be

used by us.

Brief work stoppages were
the only way in which crews
could hope to correct many
camp problems in the 1940’s
and 1950’s, and many
examples could be given of
improvements in

bunkhouses, food in the

- ecookhouse, safety conditions

and working conditions
which were gained in this
way after all other methods
of peaceful persuasion and
negotiations had failed.
During the past few years

major companies provoked
work stoppages in all sec-
tions of the Industry through
inattention to pressing camp

or mill problems, and
through policies of at-
tempting to increase

production while decreasing
crew complements and wage
costs. During these years our
Industry complained bitterly
about the irresponsibility of
the Union, the cost to them of
work stoppages and the need
for even further legal con-
tract protection against this
type of pressure.

It appears quite evident
that the Industry policy
makers made a decision to
teach the Union a lesson
sometime last year, as work
stoppages which have oc-
curred during the past few
months and which have
lasted more than a day or so,
all show the same pattern or
reaction from the various
Companies concerned. This
pattern of countering work
stoppages is implemented by
the Companies as follows:

1.The Company does not
contact the Local Union
office informing them of a
work stoppage, and when
the Union learns of it from
other souces, refuses to
meet thelUnion tto discuss
the problem unless the
crew returns to work first.

iw)

.The Company applied to

the Supreme Court of
British Columbia for an
injunction against the
Union, claiming damages
and costs.

ow

. After an injunction has
been granted by the Court,
the Company may decide
to sue the officers, agents
or members of the Union to
recoverltthe damages
claimed by them.

Local 1-363 (Courtenay),
Local 1-85 (Port Alberni),
Local 1-217 (Vancouver), a
your own Local Union have all
been victims of this type of

Industry counter-attack in

retaliation for work stop- —

pages. In the case of your
own Local, Twinriver Timber
Ltd. of Terrace was suc-
cessful in obtaining a
restraining injunction, with
attached claims for cme
in excess of $30,000 per da
for the period of the wor
stoppage at Terrace and
their camps on the Nass
River. The reasons for the
work stoppage mentioned
above have appeared in the
pages of the ‘‘Lum-
ber worker’’ and will not be
repeated here, but your
Officers felt it advisable to
bring to the attention of the
membership at this meeting
the obvious industry strategy
of using the courts to teach us
a lesson whenever they are
faced with job action in the
form of work stoppages.

Other subjects contained in
the report included:

— The successful winning of
the Eurocan strike.

— The decision of the CLC’s
Impartial Umpire to award
the Eurocan Sawmill to Local
1-71.

—Names of the new
operations organized by the
Local Union during the past
year.

— A review of the progress
made in the field of accident
prevention.

The report concluded by
praising the work of the
Terrace IWA Ladies’
Auxiliary which the report
states: ‘‘has contributed
toward the creation of a
better public understanding
of the IWA in their com-
munity.”

S777) 7 pes

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a — lr! ll—EE ~~ i