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EDITORIAL , e } 4

WHERE DO WE GO

HAT next? perversion

Battling trade unions have gained some advantages and in-
curred some risks. Having stepped into the ring with the employers,
thought must be given to ring strategy. Fights are won with skull
work as much as fast foot-work and slugging.

By showing its muscles, the trade union movement has scored
some points. The employers now know that strikebreaking under
cover of Social Credit laws spells Trouble with a capital T. If they
provoke a fight, they will get it. If they want industrial peace, they
must respect labour’s point of view and bargain in good faith.

The public has been made aware that labour is in a fighting
mood. Workers will not be herded to work with police dogs. Wrongs
must be righted if industrial peace is to prevail.

The most provocative element in the situation is the attitude taken
by the Attorney-General and some spokesmen for the employers.
They have shown that they hold the organized workers in contempt.
Their only answer to labour’s protest is <lubbing and still more
clubbing. They are blind to the lessons of history. When has labour
ever been pacified with clubs? When have men ever been persuaded
or cowed into working at industry’s tasks under such pressures as
they now propose?

Labour must prepare to meet the tactics now followed by the
spokesmen for the organized employers.

to demonstrate in order to protest wrongs.
Employers have made labour unrest a political issue. Events of
the recent weeks will be rehashed in the next session of the Legislature.

In the Vancouver-Point Grey by-election, the New Democratic P arty
is challenged to take a position either for or against labour. Politicians

seeking campaign fund support from the employing interests are

capitalizing on the situation. ;:
Political action can be met with political action. This was fore-

seen long ago, when the unions decided to form an independent po-

litical party. They are now ready for political action that protects their

interests. The next provincial election will prove this.

The New Democratic Party candidate in the Vancouver - Point Grey
by-election has taken his stand on the side of labour for the repeal of
unjustly restrictive labour laws. The by-election campaign thus pro-
vides good fighting ground for trade unionists in protest against
Social Credit legislation.

Without dropping its guard, labour will co-operate to secure
industrial peace with justice. The proposal made by IWA Regional

Attorney-General Bonner has joined with Howard T. Mitchell
of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce and Board of Trade tycoons
in an attempt to divide the trade union movement. They claim that
some trade unionists are meek and some are wild and irresponsible.
Their eyes are closed to the solidarity with which the workers have
protested steps to rob them of bread and butter rights. “Solidarity
Forever” is more than a song in our book.

Employers intend to use the laws they devise to strangle labour,

President Jack Moore should command attention, if the government
and the employers sincerely desire peace. He proposes that if the
Social Credit Government wants peace, it should call both sides to-'
gether in a proper endeavour to probe the root causes of existing
labour unrest. A frank exchange of views might clear the air. A
formula for peace is not beyond the reach of men acting with reason
and good will.

Where do we go from here?

as we always suspected. The action taken by MacMillan, Bloedel and
Powell River Ltd. against Local 1-85 IWA proves this intention. The
indiscriminate use of injunctions to stop legal picketing is more
proof. The calls for unnecessary police protection, with police dogs,
and charges of unlawful assembly are terrorist tactics to intimidate
workers and mislead the public into the belief that labour is resorting
to mob violence.

_ The facts show indisputably that labour was left no alternative
but to demonstrate in a peaceful manner, in order to make plain that

Labour's course is already plainly seen.

Maintain solidarity behind militant action! Labour cannot afford
to back down.

Enlist public support on the side of justice! Common sense will
prevail when the issue is clearly stated in the court of public opinion.

Match the employers’ political action with workers’ political
action! We live in a free democracy where free men may fight for
freedom. Only just laws with just enforcement will bring peace.

AULA

WANTED

SHOVEL OPERATOR AND HELPER

Barnetts Tax
Amendment

Ruled Out

An amendment to the In-
come Tax Act, moved by Tom
Barnett, M.P. (NDP-Comox-
Alberni) which would enable
loggers to deduct from their
taxable income expenses in-
curred for board and lodging

Congress Plans New
Organizational Drive

Organization of the unorganized is everywhere recognized
by Canadian trade unions as one of its most urgent require-
ments. Events in British Columbia have demonstrated that
the organized employers are unscrupulously recruiting scabs
from among the unorganized and unemployed to break strike
action. This has compelled attention to plans now being de-

veloped by the Canadian Labour Congress and the AFL-CIO
to revitalize organizational campaigns.

The following item submitted by Local 1-85, IWA, Port
Alberni, appeared in the October issue of Truck Logger in an &
article on logging road construction. The author, Mr. A. C. =
McEachern, President of A. C. McEachern Limited, listed six =
of the most pertinent factors in reducing road costs but sug- =
gested that the most important requisite was:

“A knowledgeable, determined crew headed up by a real
good, fearless-type shovel operator who is also a good mechanic, &
a good bookkeeper, and preferably a first aid man too. Besides 3
all this it is preferable that he should have a wife who can &
cook for a small crew.”

The percentage of workers or-
ganized in Canada has slipped
from 33.8% to 30%. Last Janu-
ary’s survey indicated a loss of
9,000 members since the previous
year. The present strength of
unionized workers is approxi-
mately 1,423,000 in Canada.

The Congress is now conduct-
ing a survey of the organizational
requirements of white collar work-
ers. This includes a broad range
of technical and office employees
as well as women and retail work-
ers. It has already been found
that these workers are as deeply
concerned with job security aS
the blue collar workers.

Test programs of community

Publication date of the next issue of the WESTERN CANADIAN
_LUMBER WORKER is December 6. Deadline for ad copy is
November 29, and for news copy November 30.

PUBLISHED TWICE MONTHLY ON THE FIRST
AND THIRD THURSDAYS BY
‘International Woodworkers of America

organizing by labour are under
experimentation in Canada and
the United States. These drives
call for the assembling of a pool
of voluntary organizers, ideally
600 in number in metropolitan
areas. All the trade unions con-
cerned meet in advance and agree
to apportion among themselves
the sectors of. the working popu-
lation to be organized by the
respective organizations.

Such plans have been found
necessary to counteract the prac-
tice of sub-contracting.

A similar organizing campaign
is under consideration in British
Columbia.

2859 Commercial

Subscription Rates

RED FIEBER, Secretary-Treasurer
ae Drive, Vancouver, B.C.

TR 4-5261 -2

Advertising Representative.

$2.00 per annum
.G. A. Spencer

Office Dept., Ottawa,

away from home, by reason
of the nature of their employ-
ment, was ruled out of order

in the House of Commons,
November 16.

The member’s plea that the
Government should adopt
this proposal met with no res-
ponse. Tom Barnett proposes
to continue his endeavour to
secure justice for loggers in
this respect.

The present subsection 5(2) of
the Income Tax Act provides that
construction workers may deduct
expenses for board and lodging
while maintaining a home away
from where they are working and
travel expenses between their
home and their place of work
when they have to be absent for
extended periods.

The effect of the amendment
proposed :by the Comox-Aiberni
member is to delete all reference
to construction workers, as such,
and make these provisions appli-
cable to every one in the same
situation.

As is well known, this discrim-
ination is one which is of par-
ticular concern to the loggers of
British Columbia.

in buying and replacing small
tools and equipment.

It also suggests that, where spe-
cial clothing is required in the

EU

LC AIB LIMES...

-CIO-CLC) Regional Council No. 1 LES? 40.

we Editor . . . Grant MacNeil In addition, the amendment pro-

: posed by Tom Barnett provides

ident eens Lacie ae eas Alera cae __. Jack Moore that tradesmen who are working

Tet Vice-President ae SE « Jack pene for salaries or wages should be

and Vee ae ester ee jack Holst allowed to deduct a reasonable

ae etary-Treasurer si ene ret veins amount from their taxable income
International Board M Tack Holst for the expenses they incur dur- c
Address all communications to ing the course of making a living For SCHEDULED or CHARTER Fli

Information

ght

Contact Your Nearest B.C.A.L. Agent

i d Class Mail,
Authorized ae Pt eecot of Postage in Cash

27.500 COPIES PRINTED IN THIS ISSUE

performance of a workers’ duties,
this also should be allowed as a
deductible item.

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