12 THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Se + * Oy 2 ee THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER i WORKER 38,000 copies printed in this issue. Published once monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1 Affiliated with AFL-CIO-CLC 2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261 Editor — Pat Kerr Business Manager — Fred Fieber Forwarded to every member of the IWA Subscription rate for non-members Advertising Representatives — Elizabeth Spencer Associates in West¢rn Canada in accordance with convention decisions. $2.00 per year Authorized as Second Class Mail, ‘Post Office Dept., Ottawa, and for Payment of Postage in Cash E> : GUEST EDITORIAL THE WINDS OF CHANGE VERY time our taxes, or our auto- mobile insurance premiums, or housing costs are increased by $20.80 per year we lose one. cent per hour off our wages. More and more trade unionists are starting to realize just how big is the stake in provincial and federal governments. : This realization is not limited to trade union members but housewives, farmers and students are also be- coming more aware of the effect of governmental action on their daily lives. This is why the winds of political change are starting once again to blow across Canada. The Manitoba election victory of the New Democrats is a spectacular indication of its depth. It will have a profound effect on public opinion in Canada. The loss by the Liberals in the Kelvington by-election in Saskat- chewan on the same day as the Man- itoba NDP victory is a clear indication that the reactionary regime of Liberal Ross Thatcher is coming to an end. The NDP victory in the by-election was an affirmation that people want Medicare without deterrent fees and other hindrances to service and good health. In British Columbia the New Democratic Party has surged-forward with the election of a new young leader in Tom Berger. Memberships are at an all time high. The Social Credit administration of Premier Ben- nett has lost key Cabinet Ministers to private industry and others have re- tired in disgrace. In Ontario, Premier Robarts and his Conservatives finally decided to participate in Canada’s Medicare pro- gram. This delay has cost the Ontario taxpayer over $177 million. This is the amount the Federal Government would have paid Ontario if they had joined on July 1, 1968. The brilliant team of NDP members led by Donald MacDonald in the Provincial Legisla- ture have exposed the inaction of this tired administration. In all this the trade union move- ment has played a key role in helping build the New Democratic Party. The latest Gallup Poll shows the NDP up with 22 per cent of the people across Canada supporting it. The Liberals have dropped from their August high of 52 per cent to 41 per cent. The Conservatives have remained station- ary with 30 per cent. Victory is no longer an idle dream. The Machinist aH oe _" eS _—.. » ‘ao é est . .) iy o 4 Ve x ra \ eet eas THIS FAMOUS PICTURE shows RCMP beating one of the IWA loggers with their clubs during the 1959 Newfoundland strike. In this battle one of the RCMP constables was killed. This enabled Smallwood to dramatize the situation and get vigilante groups fight the union. YOU'RE NERVOUS . .. HOW'D YA LIKE TO FLY ONE OF THESE THINGS WITH A DANGED HANGOVER? IWA STRIKE IN NEWFIE MADE LABOUR HISTORY By JACK WILLIAMS Public Relations Director Canadian Labour Congress Few, if any, Canadian strikes have aroused the sup- port that was accorded the Newfoundland loggers’ strike of 1959. Trade unionists across Canada contributed a record- breaking $1,000,000. The strik- ers won the widest public sup- port and their cause became a public issue from one end of Canada to the other, as well as in the United States. The justice of their fight could not be questioned. They lived and worked under con- ditions reminiscent of the colo- nial days of the island prov- ince. When they worked — it was seasonal — they got $1.05 an hour for a 60-hour week. Conditions in the camps were unbelievable. They slept on double-decker bunks without sheets. There was no hot water and washing facilities were primitive. There was a stand- ard diet — beans three times a day. Organized by IWA It was to remedy these con- ditions that the International Woodworkers launched an or- ganizing campaign in 1956. They faced bitter opposition from the Anglo-Newfoundland Development Co. Organizers were denied access to the woods. They were flown in, as far as 150 miles from a high- way, and walked out, signing members as they went. By January, 1957, they had 87 per cent of the loggers as members; but the union’s ap- plication for certification was dismissed by the Newfound- land Board on a technicality. The organizers went back into the woods and in June anoth- er application was filed, back- ed by cards representing 92 per cent. A vote was ordered and won with more than 86 per cent. Finally the union was certified. Improve Conditions ‘A convention was called, and for the first time the log- gers had an opportunity to discuss together what they could do to improve their con- ditions. Negotiations dragged on from June to October with the company refusing to move on wages or: hours. A conricilia- tion Board finally proposed a five cent increase and reduced hours leading to a base rate of $1.22 in a two-year contract. The union accepted the re- port; the company turned it~ < down. On December 31, 1958, the strike was on. ; Loggers Arrested There were some minor pic- ket line incidents; but the weight of the government's in- fluence was soon felt. Some 200 loggers were arrested on various charges. On the direc- tion of the Attorney-General fines of $150 to $300 were im- posed with an alternative of three months in jail. The un- ion treasury ran low so the men decided to go to jail. The jails became crowded and the wheels of the judiciary slowed. Premier Smallwood brought all his demagogic skill into play, whipping up fear among the people of Newfoundland, talking about the “diabolical” IWA and using phrases like “God help the picket.” He pushed through special legis- lation decertifying the IW and giving the government complete dictatorial power over unions. A Dark Hour Then came the Badger inci- dent. A group of RCMP at- tacked some loggers in what Ray Timson, a Toronto Star reporter, described as “a dark hour for Canada’s finest.” In the scuffle a constable was killed. His death was dra- matized by Smallwood and his funeral staged to promote mass hysteria, resulting in the organization of vigilante groups. Meanwhile Smallwood had personally launched a new company union with which the company signed a contract with a five-cent increase. The strike was over; but im- provements had already been effected in the camps which had for the first time been ex- posed to public scrutiny; and ‘| today Newfoundland loggers _ enjoy better conditio cause of the sacri of Sea, he Parte A Se Dy —_ 7 aa 1