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LUMBER

THE WESTERN CANADIAN

WORKER

38,000 copies printed in this issue,

Published twice monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOODWORKERS OF AMERICA

Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1

Affiliated with AFL-CIO-CLC

2859 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. Phone 874-5261

Editor — Pat Kerr Business Manager — Fred Fieber Forwarded to every member of the IWA in Weste

Advertising Representatives — Elizabeth Spencer Associates rn Canada in accordance with convention decisions.

Subscription rate for non-members $2.00 per year,

Authorized as Second Class Mail, Post. Office Department, and for payment of postage in cash.

5,2

EDITORIAL

BUSINESS IS GOOD!

[PRICES for B.C. lumber have risen dra- matically over the past few months.

Coupled with the mounting pressures for publicly-assisted housing programs, these factors and others ensure continued success for producers in the forest in- dustry.

Pat Carney, Vancouver Sun financial writer, reports the highest export price level in twenty years, with increases of 25% in less than six months for fir studs and hemlock logs.

Even more spectacular gains have been made on the local market, with prices jumping about 20% since January of this year.

Miss Carney reports further cause for optimism in the industry by citing the continuing strength of major markets: 1. In the U.S., housing starts are up al-

most 50% since February of ’66.

2. Japan almost doubled its imports of B.C. lumber last year, and is expected to take over from Britain as our sec- ond best customer.

3. Exports to Britain declined only 3%—

GUEST EDITORIAL

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much less than anticipated — as a result of devaluation.

4. Overall increase in waterborne ship- ments since last year is 42%.

There are long-term indicators of health, too. Over the past few years, in both Canada and the U.S., a terrific back- log of housing demand has accumulated.

This demand has reached such intensity that it will have to be satisfied irrespec- tive of general conditions — witness its

apparent unsensitivity to spiralling mort- gage costs.

But current relief in the monetary crisis plus hopeful signs in Vietnam will almost certainly release even more pent-up mar- kets for lumber.

These conditions are widely known and reported. Trade Journals like “Forest In- dustries” comment on the general enthu- siasm. Company brochures break long- standing records for confidence in the future.

Only when a discussion of wage in-

creases enters the picture do we find doubis.

BATTLE OF BILL 33

ITHDRAWAL of the British Columbia

Federation of Labour from the B.C. Government's Labour-Management Com- mittee last month was a natural outcome of that province's iniquitous Bill 33. This bill rejects free collective bargaining in favour of compulsory arbitration. It there- fore makes a mockery.of the Labour-Man- agement Committee’s avowed purpose of improving the collective bargaining sys- tem.

“We regret that the government has made this decision,” the federation stated, “since it makes further efforts at labour-management co-operation impos- sible. Co-operation and compulsion are incompatible.”

Bill 33 provides for the creation of an all-powerful “Mediation Commission” which will bring down final and binding decisions in labour disputes referred to it by the Bennett government. The govern- ment — or, specifically, the cabinet — is thus empowered to decide which groups of workers may or may not strike. This is an extreme and dangerous power to be conferred on itself by any government in a supposedly free society.

It is, moreover, a discriminatory meas- ure, in that it restricts the freedom and denies the rights of unions and workers, while exempting all. other groups, such as doctors, lawyers, real estate developers,

etc. These latter groups remain free to set the price of their labour, and businessmen free to set the prices of their products.

If the Bennett government thinks Bill 33 can be used to bludgeon unions into submission, to eliminate strikes and assure labour peace, it faces a rude awakening. The bill is much more likely to have the opposite effect. It will provoke unions into more illegal work stoppages, just as similar legislation has done in Australia. It will aggravate the already growing unrest among B.C.’s civil ser- vants and public service employees.

The B.C. Fed has issued this warning: “Bill 33 will increase unrest and turmoil in British Columbia. As a result, it will endanger investment in the province and adversely affect the economy. iegal

.strikes may cause apprehension on the

part of investors, but illegal strikes and civil strife go much further — they drive investors away. This has been evident in the experience of many countries. Further force does not solve this problem; it simply produces chaos.”

Organized labour all across Canada should throw its combined support behind the B.C. Fed in its battle against Bill 33. If such a vicious anti-labour law gains a foothold in one province, it may spread in

time all across the country. Canadian Transport

- AND QUIT CALLING MOTHER 18-19-33 ... SHE’S NO WHERE NEAR THAT SIZE.

WOMEN SUPPORT STRIKERS

The Editor:

The delegates of the ninth biennial Northwest Conven- tion of the ILWU Federated Auxiliaries, representing af- filiates in Oregon, Washing- ton and British Columbia, met in Portland, Oregon, on March 23 and 24, 1968, and went on record with the fol- lowing recommendation:

“That we morally support the lumberworkers of the In- terior of Canada who have

been on strike more than five months.”

We hope that negotiations will soon be reached that will benefit the workers in their struggle for better wages and working conditions.

Please convey our best wishes to the strikers.

Fraternally,

MRS. MARGE WISSER, Convention Secretary, MRS. VERA PHILLIPS,

Oregon Vice-President.

FED. DONATES $10,000

The B.C. Federation of La- bour has contributed a fur- ther $10,000 to the IWA strik- ers in the Interior. This is the second $10,000 donation made by the Federation to the IWA strikers who are now in their seventh month of strike.

In announcing the donation Federation secretary Ray Haynes stated:

“Tt now appears evident that the companies in the In- terior are hoping to starve the union members into giv- ing in, accepting sub-standard wages and returning to work. The trade union movement in B.C. is not going to let this happen. This is not the first financial assistance we have

given during this strike and we are quite prepared to cor- tinue with financial assistance to ensure that the employer: are unsuccessful in their ej- forts to impose an unjust settlement.

“The IWA has stood solid- ly behind their striking mem- bers and is continuing to do so. We want to make perfect- ly clear, however, that they are not alone in their strug- gle to improve the wages and conditions of thousands of In- terior woodworkers and to achieve parity with workers on the coast. We are ready to assist them in any way we can until a settlement can be reached.” f

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REAL ESTATE AGENTS

Two wealthy real estate agents were discussing outer space, moon shots, and var- ious planets. “Everyone is trying to get to the moon,” one said. “Why don’t you and I do something spectacular? Why don’t we build a space capsule and fly to the sun?

some good property.” « you crazy?” hi y Are “Don’t you ka

“You jerk,” said “we'll fly at night,”