Vol. XXXII, No. 12 AUTHORIZED AS ‘SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH. VANCOUVER, B.C. 5c PER COPY WORKER 2nd Issue June, 1965 Oe ae a a STRIKEBREAKERS at Frolek Sawmills Limited, North Kamloops, are shown with IWA strikers after they left the Mill to join the IWA picket line. On the left is Bob Ross, the IW.A’s special strike representative in the area. CAUSE FOR WONDER By JACK MOORE The strange reasoning of the Immigration Minister, Hon, John Nicholson, gives Canadian labour cause for wonder, and even alarm. While the trade unions frantically strive to secure the jobs of workers now employed, Mr. Nicholson is as diligently striving to undermine their security. The latest statistics show almost 300,000 Canadian workers seeking jobs. Many of these have been displaced from industry by mechanization and the lack of adequate manpower adjustment policies. Many of them are from among the younger generation who have had no oppor- tunity to acquire the skills now demanded by new production methods. Mr. Nicholson has now mounted a campaign to double the number of immigrants from the British Isles and European countries. Last year Canada received 112,606 immigrants, up from 93,151 the year before. Of this number 56,190 entered the work force, 56,146 were dependents. A breakdown of these figures includes, 17,476 work- ers for manufacturing and construction, 5,737 laborers, and 1,216 others. Clerical workers were 7,931, service and recreational 6,420, 2,234 agricultural. Next year it is proposed to double these figures on the pretext that Canada is crying for skilled workers. For this purpose Canada will spend $13,898,000 on im- migration. Recruiting on a mammoth scale is already under way in Britain. One out of two British immigrants receive an interest- free loan, repayable in two years. It is now proposed that Canada should match the Australian scheme, under which for £10 a desired immigrant can get from his home in Britain to anywhere in Australia. Mr. Nicholson, acting no doubt under pressure from the employers, is merrily promoting his scheme, al- though a recent survey has shown that one out of every three eventually return to Britain. They have discov- ered that much of the work here is seasonal and without the rosy prospects painted when they were induced to migrate. Many of them admit that they merely want the op- to travel. A large proportion of them migrate make it a stepping stone to the more of the United States. is told, the recruiting of skilled is little better than pouring water employment conditions in entice workers from a country with a lower rate is akin to a revival of the earlier efforts to it misinformed British workers wage levels. by trade unions is the cor- NEW CONTRACT Wage increases amounting to 53 cents an hour have been negotiated by Local 1-80 IWA, for its truck driver members employed by Doman’s Trans- port Ltd. The new one-year agreement will, in two steps, bring the wages of the thirty- five drivers in line with the balance of the industry. DEL PRATT Other benefits negotiated in- clude: coffee breaks, pay days every second week, changes in the hours of work and increas- es in the wages of chip and log truck drivers to the industry level of $2.99. The first wage increase of 29 cents per hour is retroact- ive to June 15, and will raise the rates from $2.26 to $2.55 per hour. The second increase of 24 cents becomes effective January 1, 1966. The new contract brings the expiry date in line with all other contracts in the Local Union and permits the Local to negotiate with all truck firms under its contract at the same time. Conducting the negotiations for the Local were Del Pratt, 3rd Vice-President and Ed. Linder, Financial Secretary. STRIKEBREAKERS _ JOIN IWA Wholesale conversion of strikebreakers to trade union- ism has again halted produc- tion in the strikebound Fro- lek’s Sawmill, North Kam- loops. The majority of the strike- breakers, who have for seven months kept the mill in oper- ation behind an IWA picket line, walked out of the plant last week and have now join- ed the picket line which they had formerly defied. A spokesman for the IWA converts said, “after being given a chance to see the union side of the picture, we decided that we belong on the IWA picket line.” IWA Regional President Jack Moore and the local union strike committee wel- comed the move made by the former strikebreakers and prepared to discourage the further recruiting of strike- breakers as now announced by the plant management. Moore stated, “It is highly unlikely that Frolek will be able to entice more young men from Kamloops or points outside the city to join his war against trade unions. We expect that potential recruits for Frolek’s strikebreaking will heed the warning issued by those who were previously misinformed about the strike situation. A legal strike is still in progress and any further misrepresentation about it will be countered by action under the Deceived Work- men’s Act.” . The people of Kamloops city are opposed to the importa- tion of transient workers to form a floating corps of strike- breakers. The IWA stands behind the honorable settlement already proposed, to which Frolek has agreed but with impossible discriminatory conditions. JOINT BRIEF The IWA Regional Council and the B.C. Federation of Labour will present a joint brief to the Board of Indust- rial Relations supporting a 40- hour work week and a $1.50 per hour minimum wage in the logging, sawmill and mill- work sections of the forest in- dustry. The Board must decide two important questions of policy before examining the propos- als for revision made by the interested parties: 1. In the light of the pattern established by the Federal Government of a forty- hour week and a mini- mum of $1.25 per hour will B.C. retain its place in the forefront of social legislation or will it be content to place itself with the Maritimes and New- foundland? 2. Will the Provincial Gov- ernment, through the Board have the courage to set minimums which will have an effect on wages paid and hours worked in B.C. or will it merely fol- low far behind real wage and hour patterns and proclaim Wage Orders that have no real func- tion? A major effort will be made to clarify the employee status of owner operators of vehicles and equipment working under the direction and control of the employer in logging camps. ‘1-71 ELECTIONS E. L. Freer has been elected the new President of Local 1-71 IWA, and W. H. Wilson, the new Secretary-Treasurer in the recent referendum bal- lot held by the Local. Other officers elected are as follows: 1st Vice-President, 2nd_ Vice- Ben Thompson; BILL WILSON President, Walter Kozij; 3rd Vice-President, R. B. Picker- ing; Conductor, Gordon Dav- is; Warden, James Lehman; Trustee, W. McMath. Board Members elected were: E. Ollenberger, Tom Walsh, Waldermar Penner, F. Millar, Glen Phillips, Ron Jowsey. ERNIE FREER