-THE WESTERN CANADIAN WORKER. AUTHORIZED AS SECOND CLASS MAIL, POST OFFICE DEPARTMENT, OTTAWA, AND FOR PAYMENT OF POSTAGE IN CASH. VANCOUVER, B.C. _5c PER COPY ¢ Vol, XXXVI, No. 6 SS" 2nd Issue March, 1967 At an emergency session March 29, the IWA Regional Executive Board unanimous- ly decided to place the full resources of the Union behind the application of Local 1-85, ance of certification to include all employees of Tahsis Co. Ltd. in the Tahsis-Gold River area. If the application is granted by the Labour Rela- tions Board at a hearing sche- duled for an early date, the existing IWA certification for Tahsis Co. employees will be broadened to include the em- ployees of the new pulp mill at Gold River. The decision followed a review of all the f BACK YOUR UNION! Long-time member of Local 1-85 IWA Port Alberni, Frank Bogdanski, from Sproat Lake Camp, is shown telling those in attendance at the Local’s 30th Annual Meeting March 12, that the labour movement is the best friend the working man has and he should do his utmost to support and promote its aims. See Annual < Meeting story, page 3. A number of East Indian employees of the Sooke For- est Products Ltd., Victoria, have been forced to make fi- nancial contributions to cer- tain company personnel to re- tain their jobs, it is alleged by officers of Local 1-118 IWA. The Sooke Forest Products firm is owned jointly by the CPR and the Hershal Smith Cedar Products Ltd., and em- ploys approximately two hun- dred workers of which forty DARSHAN SINGH GILL, who was beaten up after he swore out an affidavit that he and other East Indian a employees of the Sooke Forest Products Limited, Victoria, - had been forced to make financial contributions to certain of on ore East Indians. h 4 individuals in the company to retain their jobs. Gill is Affidavits sworn out in the E shown here discussing the case with Local 1-118 IWA Local Union office by two of president Murray Drew. EXPIRY DATE BATTLE - WON BY HANEY LOCAL ~ President Cy Godfrey of ~ Local 1-367 IWA Haney, re- ~ ports that the Local Union - been successful in its ef- ” forts to bring the contract ex- ~ piry date of the Whonnock oho Company’s Shake Shingle operation into line with the expiry date of the Coast Master Agreement. The operations original con- tract, first negotiated in 1959, set September 1st as the ex- piry date. No real effort was made to change this date until the new officers of the Local attempted to negotiate a new termination date with the company last December. The company refused to consider the proposal which forced the Local to apply for the services of a conciliation officer. After meeting with both parties, the conciliation officer recommended only that no conciliation board be held. The employees, who are also shareholders in the com- pany, immediately took a strike vote to back up their demand. The company then attempted to starve the em- BILL SCHUMAKER Local 1-423 president Bill Schumaker and financial sec- retary S. A. “Bill” Muir were both automatically re-elected to another two-year term of annual meet- IWA, Port Alberni, for vari- . circumstances and the com- peting claims of the two Pulp- Sulphite Unions. IWA Regional Ist Vice- President, Jack MacKenzie, explained, “The Regional Ex- ecutive Board held the view that, in this closely-integrated and isolated industrial com- plex the interests of all the workers concerned could be adequately served only by one Union. The IWA, now representing the employees of the Company, 800 in num- ber, has already established the necessary facilities for such service in the area. The significance of this decision is the victims state that this vic- ious shakedown racket has been going on at the company since 1963. The affidavits accuse the company’s foreman (whose father is the manager), an East Indian employee and other company personnel, with being the ring leaders in the extortion racket. Following the swearing out of the affidavits by the two men late last month, one of them was badly beaten up and the other has been in- formed that his family, which he was bringing out from In- S. A. “BILL” MUIR 1-423 OFFICERS RE-ELECTED ing April 1, in Kelowna. Schumaker was also elected to the positions of regional executive board member and safety director of the Local Union. A full report of the meeting will be carried in the next issue of the Lumber Worker. REGION SUPPORTS LOCAL 1-85's TAHSIS-GOLD RIVER APPLICATION that the [WA-Regional Council again emphasized its convic- tion that present-day trends in the forest products indus- try demand one union for all ‘those engaged in harvesting and processing wood from the stump to the finished product. Fragmentation perpetuates chaos and invites ultimate disaster at the bargaining table. “The IWA deplores inter- union conflict but regards the Gold River situation as the place to exemplify the neces- sary coalition of bargaining by all groups of workers in the industry.” LOCAL 1-118 OFFICERS ALLEGE CREW FORCED TO PAY FOR JOBS dia, would not be permitted to come. When the two men were questioned by Local officers as to how the family~ could be prevented from entering Canada, one of them claimed that the person who did the interpreting for their race with the immigration author- ities was the uncle of the East Indian implicated in the mill racket. He stated that he was given to understand that the uncle’s knowledge of immigration af- fairs made it easy for him to block the entry into the coun- try of anyone he desired. The informant went on to say that the uncle ran a travel agency in Victoria and it was this agency that prepared the ticket for a $1400 world tour taken by the foreman in 1963, and which was paid for by some of the East Indian crew after being threatened with the loss of their jobs if they didn’t contribute. ’ Another example of extor- . tion was cited in one of the affidavits which stated that four members of the East In- dian crew were forced to con- tribute to the purchase of a new engine for a motor. boat owned by a mill employee. One had a $120 cheque taken from him and his signa- ture forged when he balked at paying. : Local officers stated that when they appealed to the mill manager to investigate the charges, they were told the management did not wish to do anything about the situ- ation. Due to the manager’s irre- sponsible attitude the Union officers had no alternative but to launch their own investiga- tion into the matter. because of the management’s apparent indifference to the welfare of their employees.