LABOR AROUND THE PROVINCE

First strike of office workers
in country won by city local

First strike of office workers
in Canada ended in complete
victory Tuesday this week
when members of the Office
Employees _ International
Union, Local 15 reached a
satisfactory agreement with
National Paper Box Ltd., 194
West Third.

The 13 office workers won
the union shop, $25 across the
board retroactive to January
1, a 15-minute rest period and
increased’ sick leave.

Reporting on the settlement
to Tuesday’s meeting of Van-
Labor Council, Office
Workers delegate Mrs. Mac-
Donald paid tribttte to 140
plant workers who had honor-
ed the picket line and assisted
the strikers in every way.

tt $e Be

couver

Lifeguards who patrol city
beaches have rejected a wage
offer of 16 cents an hour, and
are holding out for 35 cents
across the board. Present rate
is $1.39.

Reg Clements, government
conciliation officet, failed to
bring the parties together and
agovernment conciliation
board will be set up shortly.
William Stewart, secretary-
treasurer of Marine Workers

Union, wil] represent the life-
guards on the board.

At the height of the summer
season some 50 lifeguards are
employed. They are members
of Vancouver Civic Employees
Union, Outside Workers.

$3 a 50

On strike since March 27
over wages and working con-
ditions, employees of Simmons
Ltd. have been notified by the
company that they have been
“discharged” and that their
pension plan has been cancel-
led effective May 1.

This latest move has hdd no
adverse effect on _ strikers’
merale and although the strike
is now in its tenth week, not
one employee has crossed the
line to return ‘to work.

The company early in the
strike issued an “ultimatum”
that everyone had to return
to work by April 30 or be
fired. <

Strikers are demanding a
25-cent hourly inerease on
present sub-standard rates of
85 cents an hour for women
and $1.20 an hour for men.
They also want a 40-hour work
week. ;

In addition to strong sup-
port from the trade union

movement, the public is back-
ing the strikers by refusing to
buy Simmons matresses or bed
furnishings, the strikers re-
port.

The strikers are members of
Retail Wholesale and Depart-
ment Store Union, Local 535.

x os 503

Some 1,000 pickers will be

required for a four-week per-
iod starting June 10 to harvest
an estimated 2,000-ton straw-
berry crop in the. Fraser
Valley.

All those interested should
register immediately at the
New Westminster Employment
Office or the Federal-Provin-
cial Farm Labor Office in Ab-
botsford.

x $e 503

Failure of a conciliation of-
ficer to settle wage talks for
6,000 Laborers Union members
means that a conciliation board
will have to be appointed.

Negotiations are in two sec-
tions between 2,500 laborers
in Vancouver and New West-
minster working for building
firms, and laborers seéking 4
new contract with the Heavy
Construction Association.
Workers in Victoria and Kiti-
mat are included in the 6,000
total.

Board against proposal to put
teachers under civil service

Opposition to a proposal to place B.C. schoo] teachers under the authority of the civil
service commission was voiced by Vancouver School Board this week.

“We disapprove of the idea, primarily because it would reduce local autonomy,

trustee,

If B.C. teachers became serv-
ants of the government their
salaries would be subject tc
regulations now covering civil
service employees. In addition,
Victoria would share respens-
ibility with the education of-

ficer of the district school

board in the placement, trans-

fer and diseharge of feachers.
$e xt x

At the present time B.C.
Government Employees’ Asso-

direction arrows).

ANNUAL PROVINCIAL PICNIC

SUNDAY, JUNE 16 at 11 a.m.
ai Ukrainian Children’s Camp at Haney

@ SPORTS e GAMES ®@ RACES @ UKRAINIAN FOOD

Buses Leave 805 E. Pender St. from 11 a.m.

(By car — go to” Haney, turn left on 8th Ave. turn right on
gld Dewdney Trunk Rd. Go to Webster Corner & watch for

Sponsored by: Ass’n of United Ukrainian Canadians

”

said one

The B.C. School Trustees Association had asked the school b6ard to study the question.

ciation is preparing to.conduct
a strike vote by secret ballot,
following refusal] by Premier
W. A. C. Bennett to consider
granting any wage increases.

Association president George
Horridge met the premier on
May 23 in Victoria and was
told it would be impossible
for the government to consider
wage increases. before the next
session of the legislature at
the earliest.

This is the first time in his-
tory that Canadian civil serv-
ants have considered strike ac-
tion. They are not recognized
as holding any collective bar-
gaining rights under the labor
law, but there is nothing to
prevent them going on strike.

Monthly wage of the B.C.
civil servant has fallen $37.99
or 13.8 percent behind workers
in industry in this province.

x

NANAIMO, B.C.

Liberals, Conservatives and
Soéial Credit parties alike
were assailed by Nige] Morgan
as “serving the interests of the
monopolies” in a number. of
public meetings addressed by
the LPP provincial leader on
Vancouver Island.

“The Liberal government
has betrayed the people’s in-
terests by committing this
country to U.S. cold war
policies with all their conse-
quences at home and abroad,”
Morgan said. “But the possibil-
ity of a Conservative - Social
Credit alliance supported in
Quebec by Premier Duplessis’
Union Nationale offers no al-
ternative.

“The only answer progres-
sives of all shades of opinion

_can give, CCF and LPP, labor

and farmer, is to vote on June
10 for that candidate, CCF or
LPP, who will be most res-
ponsive to their needs and
so ensure the election of a
strong group at Ottawa to
represent their real interests.”

With the exception of LPP
candidates who had carried
into the election campaign
their party’s consistent fight
for ending the H-tests and
banning-nuclear weapons, and
some CCF candidates, the big
issue of nuclear power, “whe-
ther it is to be used for war
or peace,” had been evaded by
Liberal, Conservative and So-

cial Credit parties, Morgan
charged.
“The St. Laurent govern-—

ment, by refusing to give moral
leadership for ending the H-
tests, is exposing every Cana-
dian to unnecessary dangers,”
he declared, appealing to his
listeners, whatever
come of the election, to con-
tinue their pressure on the
next government “to halt this
unseen but no less deadly rain
of death from the skies.”

Questioned in several meet-
ings about the prospect of a
strike in the l&mber industry,
Morgan said:

‘The woodworkers’ demands
are fully justified. Market con-
ditions are being used by oper-

Liberals, Tories, SC
all serve monopoly

tence of

the out-

PATRONIZE —

CARNEL’S
COFFEE SHOP
410 Main Street
Under New Management
Robbie & Grace Robertson

NEW ZENITH
CAFE
105 E. Hastings St.

For the Finest in Good
Eating

,

ators as an excuse to force
loggers’ and millworkers to
accept’sub-standard conditions.

“There is no lack of demand
for B.C. wood products in, Asia
and it is reported that opera-
tors have been assured it is
just a matter of time before

the huge China market is _

cpened to them. This has an
important bearing on their
desire to tie) the IWA down to
prevailing wage rates.

“In my opinion, the union
should stick to its demands.
Woodworkers should have the
support of the united labor
movement as well as the busi-
nessmen in their communities.”

(In Vancouver this week,
the LPP provincial executive
sent a sharp protest to prov-
incial Labor Minister Lyle
Wicks, denouncing the pro-
posal-to stall settlement of the
IWA demands until September
as threatening “the very exis-
collective bargain-
ing.”)

Jones welcomes
every support

At an election meeting in
Kennedy last Friday, W. J

(Jack) Jones, CCF candidate’

for New Westminster, dealt
with a previous statement. he
had made on labor unity fol-
lowing withdrawal * of -LP

candidate. Alf Dewhurst, 12 ~

which he had charged.the LPP
with “trying to embarass” the
CCE

“Maybe I was wrong and 4

bit hasty,” said Jones. “I am
convinced the rank and file

of the LPP are sincere.

“I reject all official support
from any party, whether Lib-
eral, Social Credit, or others:

I welcome all
of the

con-

“However,
support, regardless
views of the persons
cerned.”

SIMONSON’S
JEWELERS

711 East Hastings St.

Vancouver 4, B.C.

FOR

A real workingman’s

watch

® ZENITH ®

Since 1865
< pre

JUNE 7, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE *

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