BERDUERE TREY:
Roguargg.
CBLvorIAeoeD
Uagounsegoaa
SOL Roo veRETE
;

ee

Harbour view of the Regional Council’s new headquarters in downtown Vancouver. A one-third owner of this multi-million
dollar building, the IWA will occupy the fifth floor.

This view of the building taken from the corner of Pender and Jervis Street shows the numerous shrubs planted on the

terraces.

“THE RIGHTS
OF LABOUR"

The Editor:

The rights of labour, as you all know, are
not freely given or guaranteed. Rather,
whatever gains working people have made
are won at the cost of long and hard struggle
in the face of determined resistance from
employers, governments, and sometimes
the courts.

In the House of Commons, the Conserva-
tive Party recently tried to take away one of
labour’s most important political freedoms:
the legal right of trade unions to contribute
to political parties of their choice.

The enclosed speech was made in opposi-
tion to a private member’s bill put forward
by Tory John Gamble, MP for North York.
That bill, had it been allowed to pass, would
have made it illegal for union dues collected
through check-off agreements to be contri-
buted to a political party. Of course, New
Democratic Party MPs ensured that the bill
was talked out on the floor of the House, a
fate it well deserved.

In fact, the NDP is the only party that
stands for this basic trade union right: a bill
identical to the one proposed by Mr. Gamble
has been put forward by a Liberal MP, Hal
Herbert of Vaudreuil. You can rest assured
that Mr. Herbert’s bill will also be talked out
by the NDP, if and when it reaches the floor
of the House.

As we know Liberals and Conservatives
do not receive contributions from trade
unions and therefore have nothing tolosein
supporting bills that would politically
handcuff the labour movement. They do,
however, collect millions of dollars annually

REGIONAL
COUNCIL
GETS NEW
HEADQUARTERS

New headquarters for IWA Regional
Council No. 1, is the magnificent new office
building designed by world-renowned archi-
tect Arthur Erickson.

The 10-storey structure, located on West
Pender Street in downtown Vancouver, has
a panoramic view of the harbour and North
Shore mountains.

The IWA will occupy the fifth floor of the
multi-million dollar building of which the
Union is a one-third owner. The other two
partners are lawyer John Laxton and
Henfrey, Kobin, McMahon and Company, a
firm of chartered accountants.

Erickson designed the unique building to
compliment the natural beauty of Stanley
Park and he accomplished this by giving the
structure a garden effect through a series of
terraces, patios and verandahs.

While the building is primarily an office
building, there are on the third floor six
luxurious suites completely self-contained
with a private elevator. These suites have
already been leased.

The YWCA has leased the balance of the
third floor and is using it for a co-ed fitness
centre for the downtown area.

As well as offices the regional council will
have on the fifth floor, a large boardroom for
executive board meetings plus a number of
small meeting rooms. Also included is a
pleasant coffee lounge complete with full
kitchen facilities.

All the offices will have one wall in wood
panel and fabric on the other. The other two
walls are in glass. The floors throughout are
in carpet.

The decision to relocate the Union’s
headquarters was made two years ago
because of the increase in staff. At present
the staff consisting of five regional officers,
three evaluators, two researchers, two
pension experts, one educational director,
the assistant director of organization, a
forester, a lawyer, an editor and eight
clerical workers, are housed in two separate
buildings on Commercial Drive.

The choice of moving downtown was
decided because the majority of the admin-
istrative work of the officers and appointed
staff is conducted there.

Because of the Regional Convention
September 29 to October 3, the move to the
new headquarters will be postponed until
October 15.

from Canadian and foreign multinational
corporations; this fact, coupled with their
support of anti-trade union measures like
the Gamble and Herbert bills, should amply
demonstrate just where these parties really
stand with respect to working Canadians.

The NDP, on the other hand, is the party
of labour and working people in Canada. As
an MP, I am always glad to receive the
comments and suggestions of the trade
union movement, which is the backbone of
the fight against injustice and domination
and for a better living and a better way of
life for all the working people of Canada.

Please feel free to contact me at any time
concerning anti-trade union legislation or
arfy other matter that might require my
attention. The fight for union rights is
ongoing, and labour and the NDP are in it
together.

Sincerely yours,
Svend J. Robinson, MP
Burnaby

Lumber Worker/September, 1980/3