Tragedy
remembered

Continued from page seven

admitted to the CLC Hall of Fame
during its second year of operation
at the Labourer’s International
Union Hall Local 183 in Toronto.

Brother McIntyre says that it is
appropriate “to recognize our broth-
ers and sisters that have put their
lives on the line for the welfare of
all of us.”

Don Hutsul, president of the
Thunder Bay and District Labour
Council presented the nomination
papers to the officials of the Hall of

‘ame earlier this year in January.

He says it is an honour for the
people of Thunder Bay.

“Together we acknowledge what

these men fought for and what they
were fighting for,” says Brother
Hutsul, who is a member of the
Transportation and Communication
Union Local 650 (Grain Handlers)
in Thunder Bay. “They gave their
lives to better the living standards
of thousands of people in this area
and across the province and coun-
try.”
Brother Hutsul says that another
future objective of the TBDLC is to
erect proper tombstones at the bur-
ial sites of the two men in Riverside
Cemetery, Thunder Bay.

For union members today it’s
hard to imagine what working con-
ditions were like in the days of
Rosvall and Voutilainen. Unions
fought tooth and nail for the basics
that we take for granted today.

In the bush camps, which could
only be reached by foot or by rail,
employers used thugs and police to
suppress union activity.

In 1926 a general strike by the
International Workers of the World
and LWIUC successfully achieved
higher pay rates for pulp cutters.

But by the 1929 strike, workers
had their previous gains taken
away and were faced with paying
scalper costs for room and board,
travel, mitts, shoes, clothing and
medical bills.

Police report

Continued from page eight

Says the report: “Equally prob-
lematic for the police are the per-
ceptions of management groups and
the general public that police can
do anything necessary to stop pick-
eters from preventing access to
businesses to public buildings.
Police must act within legal author-
ity even when exceeding legal
authority appears morally accept-
able and has the support of the gen-
eral public. This problem is magni-
fied because some members of the
Edmonton police service also hold

these perceptions.”
Whether or not the police back off

and stay within legal limits in the
future remains to be seen. Alberta
cops have a redneck reputation.
Local 1-207 president, Mike Pisak
says that he hopes the Edmonton
recommendations will filter out to
the RCMP all over the provinces.
The RCMP have been notorious for
provoking and beating up strikers
and helping out.strike breaking
employers.

Brother Pisak met with Edmonton
police after the report was released
and expressed scepticism openly.

“T hope they study what’s in the
report,” says Pisak. “Their actions
in the future will speak for them-
selves.”

Pisak says it could be a great step
forward if the police commit to real
change in their picket line policy.

18/LUMBERWORKER/JUNE, 1992

¢ In the spring of 1930, bodies of Rosvall and Vouitilainen were removed from Onion Lake. Union men kept a
vigil near the lake all winter to ensure that the men would be found.

During the “Shabaqua” strike of
1929, the unions tried to organize a
strike in camps along the Mattawin
and Shebandowin Rivers, 50 miles
west of Prince Albert.

The strike was conducted in spite
of physical threats of violence
against union men and local new
blackouts by the media establish-
ment who sided with the timber
barons from American Pidgeon
River Timber Company, which
herded scabs into the logging
camps.

In the early 1900’s and through
the Depression, Finnish-Canadians
were the largest group of bushwork-
ers in the camps.

From Finland they brought their
hard work ethic and ability to work
in the harsh climates of northern
Ontario. With them also came the
socialist traditions of organizing the
working class and other trade union
principles.

The timber barons of the day
tried countless times to split the
Finnish Community into factions.

Fortunately, the militancy of union-
ists and their supporters won major
gains for working people against
incredible odds.

“Union bushworkers were really
Up against some terrible eniployer
who passed around black lists
amongst themselves to keep the
union out,” says Brother McIntyre.
“We owe a great debt of gratitude
for their tenacity and dedication.
It’s quite a piece of history for our
union.”

¢ Edmonton cops are notorious for their unwarranted strike breaking tactics, as are the RCMP in the rest of the

province.