B.C. LUMBER WORKER

Report of the Investigating Committee appointed by the IWA International Executive Board to hear complaints regarding the conduct of the election for officers of the B. C. District Council was released this week, and upholds the results announced by the District Balloting Committee

earlier in the year.

In a statement issued to The B,C. Lumber Worker, District President Joe Morris said: “It will prove gratifying to the IWA membership at large to have this yeassurance that the final tabu- lation of votes cast in the District elections, as announced, was un- deniably a correct interpretation of the majority will. It will be a matter of pride to all concerned that no evidence was found of corrupt practices in the conduct of our Union’s balloting.

On behalf of those who were installed in office, I desire to ex- press pleasure that we may con- tinue our service to the IWA without question as to our cligi- bility to perform the duties as- signed to us, We now may ac- cept the report as paving the way for the maintenance of good will and mutual confidence which would have been threatened had the charges beeni proven true.”

The report reads as follows:

THE REPORT

“In compliance with the direc- tions of the International Execu- tive Board, the Committee arriv- ed in Vancouver, B.C., late in the day of August 5, 1953. The following day we began gathe ing all the election material i cluding notes and tabulations of the District Tabulating Com- mittee.

Brother Joe Morris, at our re- quest, notified Locals involved that the International Investigat- ing Committee would be available on Monday, August 10, 1953, to hear further presentations or discussion if they so desired. The District Tabulating Committee was notified that we would meet them on Tuesday, August 11, 1958, concerning this matter.

Up until Monday, August 10, 1958, we spent our time gather- ing, assembling and studying the

; aforementioned election material.

The Committee decided that after concluding its investigation that a report would be prepared in the Portland Office, Friday, Aug- ust 14, 1958,

4 Local 1-417 and 1-423. All the

election material including the tally sheets were received prior to the deadline, April 24, 1953, except the certification sheets which were postmarked April 28 and April 80, 1953.

On the basis that the tally sheets and other material were in order and on time, and because elsewhere in the tabulations of the ballot the official certification sheet was replaced by certifica- tion sheets designed by Local Unions, the District Balloting Committee allowed these ballots to be included in the count. For example, Local 1-357 made up and used their own certification sheet showing operation by op- eration results, rather than use the official certification sheet sent out by the Balloting Committee.

The District Balloting Com- mittee stated that the certifica- tion sheet designed and used in Local 1-357 warranted use in the future as the official certification sheet of the District,

Local 1-217 balloting material

was in disorder when turned in to the District Tabulating Committee. The original certifi- cation sheet was not correct be- cause of incorrect addition. One operation had placed their bal- lots in another operation’s ballot box.

The District and Local Union Tabulating Committee met rela- tive to the ballot of Local 1-217. The Committee, upon written re- quest of the Local Union, ac- cepted the corrected Certification

Sheet and tallied it. The Inter-

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national Committee noted that approximately 30% of the Local Union’s ballot was disqualified because of improperly sealed bal- lot boxes. 3, Local 1-405, Cranbrook, was disqualified by the District Balloting Committee. The disal- lowance of this ballot was based on various letters of protest from Cranbrook as to the conduct of the election. These letters were received by the District Commit- tee while the vote was being taken. The District ‘Committee kept a fileof the letters, which were furnished for our investiga- tion.

Most of the letters were from Fred Lieberg, who was apparent- ly watching the balloting pro- cedure personally and was talk- ing to members in different op- erations. Some of the people contacted by Lieberg knew of no errors, while others did. Some members also wrote to the Dis- trict Committee verifying Lie- berg’s statements.

The District Committee, when questioned in regard to this Lo- cal, stated that their reasons for disqualifying 1-405 was because they had voted in open envelopes and boxes which were not sealed. They further stated that inas- much as no verbal or written denial was forthcoming, except a statement issued at the Dis- trict Board Meeting following the tabulation “That is the way we have always done it”, the Committee felt duty-bound to disqualify this Local’s ballots, rather than overrule the Ballot- ing Committee of 1-217 of Van- couver, B.G., who had disquali- fied about 30% of their Local Union ballots for improper sealed ballot boxes,

Alaska Pine Local 1-357 al- leged that a spoiled ballot in a sealed and plainly marked en- velope was included in the ma- terial from Alaska Pine. In answer, the District Tabulating Committee stated that the Com- mittee had no knowledge of a spoiled ballot and had not seen one—that there were two stubs in question and that asman had signed twice and one stub had not been signed for, therefore, they disqualified this operation in 1-357’s jurisdiction. The District Committee stated that the Har- vey operation checked out O0.K. 5 In the written protest, Local 1-357 included the late report of the District Balloting Commit- tee. The District Balloting Com- mittee stated that when they ap- peared in the District Office to start the tabulation on April 24, they were told that a letter had been sent to the Local Unions notifying them that the ballot count would start on April 28; therefore, the Committee was not to count ballots before this time, and one member was sent home until April 28. They further stated that the counting of ballots was continu- ously interrupted, because two members of the Balloting Com: mittee were required to sit in on negotiations. According to the Balloting Committee, it was im- possible for them to complete the count at an earlier date. Reference was made before the International Executive Board and during our investiga- tion that a preliminary total of the various Local Unions’ certi- fication sheets was run by the District Tabulating Committee. The District Tabulating Commit. tee emphatically denied this and stated that they started to do

realized it would be of no value to them, as they had to check all the election material to determine whether or not the balloting ma- terial was acceptable and correct. The Investigating Committee on examining the beeen: oH ‘terial, tally sheets Bia could find no figures to verify

this, but stopped because they |

or reconcile the figures record- ed in the protest submitted to the Board

The International Committee found and called to the attention of the District Tabulating Com- mittee that a typographical error of 700 votes was made in trans- ferring the totals from the typed copy of the Tabulation Commit- tee findings to the report made to the District Executive Board and Quarterly Council Meeting. Mitchell should have received 6815 votes instead of 6115 votes as reported. The International Investigating Committee checked and ascertained that this was the only error in the various posi- tions.

The second part of the protest relative to the seating of dele- gates at the Quarterly Council regards action taken at an official meeting of the District Council. This meeting and other factors dealing with-this subject are a matter of record; therefore, the International Committee could see no point in delving into it.

* COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS

‘Phe International Investigating Committee recommends that the District Balloting Committee in the future keep a detailed record of their proceedings, Local by Local, stating clearly and in de- tail their reasching for including or excluding an operation or Lo- cal and the rule or rules under which each decision is made.

We recommend that the Dis- trict Balloting Committee should be allowed to tabulate ballots as scheduled by balloting rules with no delay or interference of any kind. Otherwise, they are bound to exceed the set deadline for announcing their findings.

We recommend that Local Unions be notified as to the date on which the Tabulating Commit- tee has determined to start count- ing ballots in time for them to send observers if they desire.

We feel and recommend that a more equitable method of report- ing results of referendum votes would be for District No. 1 to follow International procedure which provides time between an- nouneing of the results by the Tabulating Committee and the certifying of those findings by the Executive Board for inter- ested parties to register protests, ete, This recommendation, if fol-

lowed, would necessitate a change in the District By-laws.

‘We further recommend that a verbatim record be kept of the District Executive Board Meet- ing certifying the Balloting Com- mittee’s findings in District elec- tions.

Respectfully submitted, (Signed) Burk Christie Ronald Roley J.D. Jolly.”

Mission Classes Popular

First IWA-CCL Union Insti- tute held in the Fraser Valley was successfully staged under the auspices of Local 1-367, IWA, in Mission, September 26-27, and won the unqualified appreciation of the forty stu- dents who attended.

All sections of the Local Union were represented in the attend- ance at classes on “The Job of a Steward”, conducted by Joe Miya- zawa; “Contract Analysis”, Ed Kenney, instructor; “Understand- ing Our Economy”, Pen Baskin, instructor,

An interesting sequel to the Institute reported by the Local . Union is that job stewards re- turning to their operations imme- diately secured more favorable interpretations of contract clauses, which had been previous- ly overlooked.

Inspiring Occasion

The banquet held on the Satur- day night, during the Institute sessions, heard local and visiting speakers as introduced by the Master of Ceremonies, President Warren Lowery. The list includ- ed Reeve Percy Hill, Mission; Chairman Ball of the Mission City Commissioners; and Mr, Nicholson, President of the F.V.M.P.A.

Featured speaker was Interna- tional 2nd Vice-President Claude Ballard, who made an eloquent plea for the sanctity of human rights in labor-management rela-

tions.

*& THE

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