{ MAGAZINE SECTION

2

Il. No. 41.

5 Cents

Vancouver, B.C., Saturday, October 16, 1943

AAT TTT

In the Queen Charlotte Islands the logging oper-
ators are challenging the democratic right of
workers to organize into a trade union of their
own choice. For two years they have placed their
own selfish interests above those of the nation and
obstructed war production by their refusal to sign

a union agreement.

Why? Is it because they are afraid a strong union
of loggers and sawmill workers will demand a
voice in the building of a new Canada? Is this

their conception of the postwar period?

Here,.

NIGEL MORGAN, international member of the In-
ternational Woodworkers of America, explains
the issue as it affects the trade union movement.

AN AT

The Lumber Barons

| Obstruct Production

#31 Klondike had its red gold. The Oil States have their black gold. British Columbia has its green gold which has
provided more wealth from the 60,000 hands it keeps busy than any other industry in the provinee. In peacetime it
phe of our most important industries. In wartime, as a result of the development of the famous Mosquito bomber, the
pld’s fastest plane of its type, its spruce section, centered almost entirely in the Queen Charlotte Islands, supplies the
#; materials for our aircraft industry.
)-enturies before Columbus discovered America—before the Norman conquest of England, while the Roman Empire was
gitegratins—some of British Columbia’s biggest trees were starting to grow skyward. But even more antiquated than
srees is the system of industrial feudalism being imposed by the wealthy lumber barons throughout the province.

» their reactionary, open-shop
iy can be traced the responsi-
y for the current strike which
temporarily closed eight of
most important camps in the
fen Charlotte Islands. The
iscle for trade union organiza-
m and recognition in lumber, as
sil our basic industries, has
_ long and grim. Qperators,
understanding the strength
solidarity of the men they
5 try that strength time and
again to see if they can
& it.
day they are still fighting
in most instances, still los-
But the losing process is an
ation. though slow and pain-
The lesson the lumber opera-
are going to learn is this:
2 can’t beat the -union.” In
istry employers have been
ht that lesson. They will have
tarn it in lumber too, because
ic opinion will not permit
n to weaken the war effort to
atain a stand for which the
we have no sympathy, which
n fact, opposed to the aims
® which the people are fighting
war.
€

Nit Queen Charlotte Islands
Sdispute arises from the fact
| by “collective bargaining”
= companies mean dealing with
ir employees directly, and
Sling (if forced to) meaningless
Hoeorandums with them, while
“r employees mean dealing
Bi their union and signing an
Bsement on wages, hours and
king conditions with it. After
they are the reasons for which
1 form and built trade unions.
Tat is the real meaning of
fective bargaining’? An offi-
fovernment publication, Re-
rch Memo No. 2 of the Na-
ial Labor Relations Board, de-
*s it in this:
“Collective bargaining is a
rocess through which employ-
fs and organized employees
etermine conditions of em-

joyment and create machinery
or the amicable and business-
ike conduct of labor relations.
“Like all forms of free bar-

faining, it presupposes negotia-
tion in good faith. The terms
agreed upon are usually the re- -
sult of a give and take attitude
based upon a desire to arrive
at a settlement. A mere per-
functory meeting of both sides
is not genuine collective bar-
Gaining. Meeting to discuss
grievances, no matter how im-
portant, is not the prime char-
acteristic of collective bargain-
ing.

“The fundamental purpose of
collective bargaining is to es-
tablish a business-like under-.
standing between the two sides
for the determination of con-
ditions of employment and the
creation of a procedural mach-
inery through which the two
parties can function on an or-
derly and amicable basis. The
consummation of collective bar-
gaining is a written trade agree-
ment embodying the terms
agreed upon thereby indicating
a state of mutual confidence
and good wil.’

@

| Pe aves substantiation of this
interpretation of what collec-
tive bargaining really is can be
found in the decision of the Su-
preme Court of the United States,—
which on Jannuary.6, 1941, in a
test case involving the H. J. Heinz
Gompany, ruled:

“To the effect that the re-
fusal of the H. J. Heinz Com-
pany to join with representa-
tives of a labor organization au-
thorized to represent its em-
ployees in collective bargain-
ing in signing a written agree-
ment embodying conditions
concerning wages, hours and
other matters affecting employ-
ment, constituted a refusal to
bargain collectively in violation
of the National Labor Relations
Act.” : :
Order-in-Council PC 2685, is-

sued by the Dominion govern-
ment on June 20, 1940, in the in-
ferests of avoiding industrial
strife and accelerating produc-
tion, ruled in Section 7:

“That employees, through the
officers of their trade union, or
through other representatives

chosen by them, should be free
to negotiate with employers or
the representatives of employ-
ers’ associations concerning
rates of pay, hours of labor and
other working conditions, with
a view to the conclusion of a
collective agreement.”

The meaning of that order-in-
council, and its interpretation of
collective bargaining, is quite
clear. This is further substantiat-
ed by established procedure in in-
dustrial relations in relation to
the development and principles

of the trade union movement of
Canada.

There can be no question as
to whether Local 1-71 of the In-
ternational Woodworkers of Am-
erica properly represents the
company’s employees, because
that union has been officially cer-
tified by the Department of Labor
at Victoria for that purpose in all
camps in which the union is de-
manding a contract.

The principles outlined in PC
2685, and the fact that the union
is the official bargaining agency,

was further upheld in the award
of the government-appointed Har-
per Conciliation Board which
ruled:

“Collective bargaining and
written agreements with demo-
eratie unions under their own
selected leadership is the best
machinery for producing and
maintaining a condition of har-
mony in industry, while at the
Same time providing a means
of expression of opinion and
protection for the employees.

“We might here quote Hon.
Norman McLarty, minister of
labor in 1941, and now secretary
of state, who, when explaining
the government’s policy on la=
bor stated:

“Might I suggest that we can
defeat totalitarianism at home
and abroad only if we really
put our trust in the democratic
process, not only in our politi-
cal life, but in our industrial
life. I believe this is the es-
sence of industrial democracy
and that it must be woven even
more firmly into the fabrie of
industrial relations” And fur-
ther, ‘Employees should be free
to organize in trade unions free
from any control by employers
or their agents. .. . Employees
should be free to negotiate with
employers through representa-
tives of their own choosing with
a view to the conclusion of a
collective agreement”

“Qur conclusicn is that the
fears the employers entertain
of what would happen if they
dealt with the officials of this
union are unfounded and we
are of the opinion that the em-
ployers should enter into an
agreement with the lLocal
Union 1-71 International Wood-
workers of America, for a peri-
od of one year with the right to
abrogate such agreement after
the expiration of the said period
of one year, on thirty days’ no-
tice.” (July 1943, Labor Gazette,
Page 927-8.)

@
EGOTIATIONS have been
proceeding for over two years

for an agreement, which is an
all-time record for patience in
Canadian industrial relations, and
one which has been possible only
because of the sincere desire of
the leaders and membership of
our union to avoid any action
that might in any way impair
our war effort.

After ten months of attempted
negotiations, Local 1-71 was
forced to apply for conciliation
in June, 1942. One year later on
June 7, 1943, the goyvyernment-ap-

pointed Harper~ Conciliation
Béard brought down its award,
declaring:

“The employers should enter
into an agreement with the Local
Union 1-71, I1WA, for a period of
one year.”

Even before that award was of-
ficially announced, the operators
stated that if it included a union
agreement they would not accept
it. Since that time TWA leaders
have been patiently attempting to
reach an agreement with the op-
erators around the conference
table, but their adamant refusal
to bargain in good faith, as em-
ployers are doing in other in-
dustries, has resulted in a com-
plete brealtdown of negotiations.

The Queen Charlotte Island
loggers, and as a matter of fact,
employees everywhere through-
out the lumbering industry, are
thoroughly fed up with the log-
ging operators’ attitude to collec-
tive bargaining, whichis serious-
ly impeding production and un-
dermining the morale of the
workers.

e@

HE International Woodwork-

ers of America has loyally
supported Canada’s war effort.
It has generously contributed to
Victory loan, Red Cross and other
war drives. It has sincerely en-
deayored to establish efficient
management - labor production
committees in the interests of a
greater war effort, despite the
lukewarm and at times hostile at-
titude of the employers. And it
has accepted its responsibilities to
the nation as a whole by refrain-
ing from strike action in face of

—Continued on Page Six

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