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HE recent woodworkers’ strike
holds many lessons, warnings
and dangers for British Colum-
bia’s trade union movement.
Events in the lumber industry
and the policies followed by the
International Woodworkers of
America, more than any other
union in B.C., seriously affect
the whole labor movement. Be-
cause of this it is necessary that
the recent strike and its final
settlement should be thoroughly
discussed by workers’ every-
where.

The strike settlement on the
basis of the Sloan formula can
by no stretch of the imagination
be hailed as a “‘decisive victory”
as did IWA president Stewart
Alsbury. It is quite obvious that
although the woodworkers voted
on the recommendation of the
IWA policy committee to accept.
the Sloan formula, they did not
like it. They voted for it be-
eause they could not see any fu-
ture for the strike after the kind
of leadership they had for sev-
en weks. But the Sloan formu-
la itself was and is unpopular
with woodworkers. t

What woodworkers® actually
got in take-home pay was 2%
cents. Three cents of the 5%
cents proposed by Sloan had al-
ready been paid last January in
the cost of living bonus. On -top
of the 2%* cents, woodworkers
got three statutory holidays.

But in return for these gains
the Sloan formula has opened
up two doors by which not only
these small advances can be tak-
en away—but the workers can
even end up with wage cuts.

One door left open by Which
the boss can whittle down the
2% cents isi the escalator clause”
which now stands at 11 cents,
The other door which has now
been opened by Sloan is a pro-

vision whereby the contract can
be re-opened on December 14
by either party for an imcrease
or cut in wages depending on
the then existing market and
price situation in lumber.

This formula is extremely
dangerous for the IWA and the
entire labor movement. The
trade union movement has al-
ways opposed tying wages to
capitalist markets and_ price
structures. Here, under the
Sloan proposals, this principle
has been established in the larg-
est industry of the province.
This threat can hot be wunder-
estimated.

e *

In the postwar years when the
MacMillans and other timber ty-
coons had unlimited markets
and were boosting lumber prices
to fantastic heights the bosses
never came forward with any
proposal to share their profits
with the workers. But now,
when the prospect is for falling
markets and levelling’ off of
prices, the boss wants the work-
er to share in this decline by
agreeing in advance to accept
wage cuts.

This, unfortunately, the Sloan
proposal sets out to do—and it
goes further when it committs
the union not to go on strike if
a wage cut is brought down in
six months because of the “‘mar-
ket and price situation.”

This re-opener clause is a
“booby. trap” for the workers
and it can have serious results
unless the rank and file adopt
a strong militant attitude which
would dissuade the bosses from
trying any monkey business.

A serious lesson which the en-
tire labor movement must draw
from the woodworkers’ strike

Pictures shown here are of the Pacific Veneer plant at New
Westminster, a city which is largely dependent on lumber payrolls.
Left, an interior view of the hardboard plant, and right, the plant
as it appears from the air. :

Hit ay it ed EY ed TT 0d dG dk kG TPT YT TDD DTM MEY OE OO MO TOT TOT TT TEE TTT ATT GT TG CTA

The gim

; a

ks

in the
Sloan formula

ee ae : By M A U RI CE RUSH ta areacanaaaaanauenacenace ate

and from the whole wage move-
ment this year, is that it is suici-
dal for the unions not to answer
the bosses’ arguments on mar-

kets. Particularly in lumber and’

fishing the employers made the
argument of “no markets” the
centre of their whole stand. It
was on this ground that they
attempted to justify proposals
for wage cuts.

The IWA leadership went com-
pletaly over to the defensive and
gave the upper hand to the em-
ployers once they failed to face

‘up to the market crisis and to

answer this propaganda. It
should be crystal clear now to

every worker that markets and-

foreign policy (on which mark-
ets depend) are closely tied up
with wages, and other bread
and butter questions,

The fact is that within the

limits of our present foreign pol-
icyi Canada, particularly. B.C., is
faced with an acute economic
crisis because of the loss of our
traditional markets. BOUL A.
change in our present cold-war-
made-in-USA national policies to
those of trade and friendship
with all countries, including
People’s’ China and the New De-
mocracies, could open vast new
markets for B.C. products.

The top leaders of the IWA
who have in the past supported
the present cold war policies of
the federal government have in
fact helped to maintain a policy
which is now being used to drive
down ‘workers conditions and
smash unions.

The rank-and-file need to
speak up more strongly than
ever before for policies of trade
and friendship with all countries
for barter trade with Common.
Wealth countries, for large-scale

housing projects in Canada, to
solve the housing problems and
at the sime time expand the do-
mestic market for lumber.

s

The woodworkers’ strike was
one of the poorest conducted
struggles in the history of the
industry. The theory on which
the leadership operated — that
all that was needed to win was
to ‘“‘withdraw the workers’ labor
power” and keep token picket
lines on the job, could only re-
sult in a weak strike.

The absence of militant poli-
cies by the leadership (even
though the rank-and-file showed
militancy when it had an oppor-
tunity) resulted in widespread
demoralization.

The membership was not acti-
vized in the strike with the re-
sult that the full weight of 30,-
000 woodworkers was not
brought to bear for victory. Few
meetings were held and there
was a general lack of informa-
tion for the strikers and the
public. The relief situation was
atrociously handled, leading to
serious divisions. Militants who
had most experience in strike
struggless but who had not been
admitted back in the union since
the 1948 split were refused per-
mission to help in strike activi-
ties.

_ In some logging centres the
strike was run from above, with
appointment of committees and
other undemoctfatice practices
which weakened the strike. No
effort was made for many weeks
to appeal to the labor movement
and general public for materia]
support. Significantly, the first
appeal of the B.C. Federation of
Labor for financial support to
the TWA came just a few days
before the end of the strike,

, after the struggle had already

gone on for six ‘weeks!

The leadership of the rwA
and the B.C. Federation of Labo!
also failed to utilize the favo™
able political situation to bring
maximum pressure on the new!¥-
elected MLA’s. For weeks the
seemed paralyzed by the idé
that the CCF would be elect ,
on the second count and ye
would automatically settle eve
thing, The important all a
which the IWA could ne
brought to its side in all w00
working communities were 2°
taken advantage of.

One of the more serious weak —
nesses in the IWA’s fight this
year was the decision made 4
the last convention of “no C0?
tract no work,’’ a slogan which
is out of date. This decisio?
placed the union in a_ strait
jacket, and narrowed its abilitY
to manoeuvre. It also gave th?
bosses months of advance noticé
when and where the blow would
be struck, and provided the®
with ample opportunity to work
out their counter measures' iy
take the union on,

Woodworkers are now faced
with some big dangers. it wae:
significant that the day afte!
the strike was settled one of ae
largest lumber concerns applie
for permission to extend
work week. There are ne
signs that the bosses will #”
tempt to follow up the settle
ment with attacks all the ie
down the line on union cond
tions. The extent to which they
succeed will determine how "
they will go in December it ®”
vancing proposals for wase qui

Ss .
The only answer to the no
is strong, militant organizat
on the job,

0
PACIFIC TRIBUNE — AUGUST 15, 1952 — PAGE !

LAX

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