12

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER

THE WESTERN CANADIAN

LUMBER

WORKER

38,000 copies
printed in this issue.

Published twice monthly as the official publication of the INTERNATIONAL WOQDWORKERS 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

Advertising Representatives — Elizabeth Spencer Associates

Forwarded to every member of the IWA in Western 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. >?

EDITORIAL

THE GANDY

pws members have given the Coast

Negotiating Committee and Regional
President Jack Moore a strong vote of
confidence by accepting, by a vote of
~ more than two to one, settlement terms
to end the coast forest industry contract
dispute.

The vote is a signal victory for Moore
who, as Committee Chairman, has been
repeatedly accused by his politically am-
bitious opponents of inept leadership
during the Coast and Interior negotia-
tions.

The fact that these opponents publicly
admitted the coast settlement was a good
one, has not deterred them from con-
demning the contract terms and question-
ing Moore’s ability to head up the
Regional Council.

To settle the issue, Moore openly
challenged his most vocal opponent,
Local 1-217 President Syd Thompson, to
run against him for Regional President
at the forthcoming Regional Convention
in September.

Until recently, Thompson skirted the
challenge by refusing to signify his in-

DANCER

tentions. Now, however, his answer has
been given in an editorial in the latest

issue of the Barker, the official organ of
Local 1-217.

This states:

“Nominations for the Regional Presi-
dency take place at this fall’s Regional
Convention. The officers of the Vancouver
IWA Local are openly soliciting, will sup-
port and will campaign for an alternative
to the present IWA mismanagement.”

Once again Syd Thompson has dis-
played remarkable footwork. Over the
past half dozen years he has constantly
threatened to take Moore on for the
Regional Presidency and then adroitly
‘gandy danced’ his way out of the pit
his big mouth talked him into.

There is little question that Thompson
would suffer certain defeat in a leader-
ship contest with Moore. And this is as
it should be. A union leader irresponsible
enough to advocate pulling 26,000 mem-
bers off the job over an issue that he
himself admits is not a strike issue, cer-
tainly does not warrant the loyalty or
support of IWA members.

OPEN LETTER ON CIVIC STRIKE

TO NEW WESTMINSTER MAYOR

Sirs:

The Executive of this Asso-
ciation is greatly concerned
with the prolonged dispute be-
tween Council and Civic Em-
ployees. New Westminster is
a city — a part of a great
metropolitan area — and the
latest manifestation of Coun-
cil’s refusal to recognize that
Council’s attitude in these ne-
gotiations, from the time of
their refusal of the Concilia-
tion Board recommendations,
has been utterly absurd. To
maintain that the Council’s

position is to keep taxes down
at absolutely any cost makes
the episode tragic in that the
action of Council will not
even accomplish that. This ex-
planation may have been ac-
ceptable had there not been a
substantial increase in indem-
nities to aldermen and wage
increases to other city em-

ployees in February and

March, 1968.

Statements. attributed to
you, Mr. Mayor, that the
Council is too inexperienced
to negotiate a contract, could

MEMBERS OF LOCAL 1-424 IWA Prince George attending
the Local’s July Quarterly Membership Meeting in the
Local’s Hall in Prince George.

raise doubts in the minds of
citizens as to their ability to
administer a multi - million
dollar corporation or to ad-
judicate the value of a nego-
tiator’s recommendations.

The onus for prolonging
this strike clearly lies with
the Council, for you have the
authority to settle this dispute
and with authority goes re-
sponsibility.

This Association demands
that the Council accept their
responsibility and undertake
immediate action to énd this
strike by accepting the ma-
jority award of the Concilia-
tion Board, and in future as-
sume an attitude which will
make recurrence of such a
crisis impossible.

Sincerely,

A. D. SMITH, President,
Queensborough
Ratepayers’ Association,
and IWA Regional Safety
Director.

[=e EE)

LIGHTER SIDE

CHURCH BULLETIN SAID:

Thursday at 7 p.m. there
will be a meeting of the Little
Mothers’ Club. All those wish-
ing to become Little Mothers
will meet the Minister in his
study,

WHALES

WILL YA QUIT WORRYIN’ ABOUT CROSSIN’
THEM BRIDGES... TILL WE COME TO ’EM!

PRICE OF INFLATION

. .- Inflation — Viet Nam was responsible for one-third of the

consumer price increase in the U.S. last year .
over into Canada.”

And down goes the same great beer.

Now you have the convenience of fast chilling, £

go-anywhere, full 12 ounce cans.
Carling Pil. You only have to taste it
to find out why it’s so popular.

bottle or cans, the choice is yours

. . This carried

“42022

This advertisement is not published or displayed by the Liquor Control Board

or by the Government of British Columbia,