Puen,

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 Westérn 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.

eS

Season's, Greetings

N behalf of the officers and members

of IWA Regional Council No. 1, the Western Canadian Lumber Worker -con- veys warm Christmas Greetings to the members of the Union and their families.

The members of the Editorial Board, and the staff join in the earnest wish that happiness and joy may abound in every lumber worker's home during the Yule-

tide Season. May Christmas, 1968, be the merriest ever for all who work in the lumber industry.

Fraternal greetings appropriate to the season are also extended to the members of affiliated unions within the Canadian Labour Congress. The IWA wishes for them a merry and bright festive season, with the full realization of their desires for happy living.

GUEST EDITORIAL

DUBIOUS VALUE

pustic OPINION polls have a dubious

value. Their accuracy is open to question, because their findings are based on such a small sampling. Never- theless, because every effort is made to reach a representative cross-section of the population, some attention must be given to the poll results.

Three Gallup Polls on labour matters in recent months are both puzzling and disturbing. One of them indicates that 62% of Canadians now believe unions are getting too strong, a jump of 22% in the past 16 years. What is most disquiet- ing about this figure, from a union view- point, is that this opinion is shared by almost half the nation’s unionists—46%.

Another poll revealed that “the Ca- nadian public places greatest blame for the current labour unrest on the high cost of living, the high cost of housing, and taxes.” Among the causes listed, in ad- dition to the high living costs (27%), were insufficient wages (11%), too big a gap between the upper and lower incomes (9%), and inefficient government (9%).

Only 15% cited excessive labour ~ strength as a cause of labour strife, al- though another 9% charged that unions were “too money-hungry.”

A third poll produced even more startling results. It posed the question: “Do you think labour unions are entitled or not to the higher wages they are de- manding?” A whopping 42% answered “Yes,’ and another 37% said, “Yes, some unions are entitled to higher wages.” Only 16% answered “No.”

Now, there is obviously a sharp con- tradiction between these various polls. If most Canadians believe that living costs are too high, and that unions are entitled to push for higher wages to meet those living costs, then how can they pos- sibly believe at the same time that unions are too strong? It just doesn’t make sense.

The main reason wages are too low is because unions are not strong enough. There is a distinct correlation between the size and strength of a union and the level of wages it is able to win for its members. Can it be that this elementary fact has escaped the notice of most Canadians?

We don’t think so. But we do think

that, in a time when the incidence of.

strikes is high, people are more con- cerned about the inconvenience caused to them than they are about whether the strikes are justified. They resent being discommoded by .a strike, so they put the blame on the union rather than on the employer whose refusal to raise wages precipitated the strike.

This attitude reflects the general ig- norance of the public — unionists as well as non-unionists — about the hard reali- ties of collective bargaining. In the last analysis, unions have no method of ob- taining higher wages other than use of the strike, or strike threat. When this fact becomes more generally understood, the ambivalence of the public toward unions as disclosed in the polls may

disappear. —Canadian Transport

LEADER CLAIMS BRIBES OFFERED

Martin Pederson, the re- cently resigned leader of the Saskatchewan Progres- sive Conservative Party has

erson said:

_ In an interview with The Regina Leader Post, Mr. Ped-

Mr. Pederson did not spec- ify at this time who had made the offers, but in the context of a Saskatchewan election

made a public charge that bribes not to run candidates in certain constituencies in Saskatchewan had been of-

fered to the Progressive Con- servative Party in provincial elections.

“T haven’t been through four provincial elections with- out proposals being made to me to accept deals — run a candidate here and not there, be willing to accept the dic- tates of where to run a can- didate and where not to.”

the Liberal party would be the only one that could bene- fit by such deals.

Mr. Pederson went on to say, “If I had been prepared to be accommodating, I would not personally be a poor man today.”

WHALEN

NOW DON’T THAT BEAT PUTTIN’ A TAIL HOLT TO TH’ WALL?

UNITED APPEAL THANKS

The Editor:

On behalf of the many thousands of Greater Vancou- ver citizens who will benefit because the United Appeal “hit the target,” we would like to thank your readers who gave so generously of their time, effort, and money. ’ When all pledges-and dona- tions are in, it is expected the drive will realize $3,651,884, just $1,884 over goal.

This represents a 9.4 per- cent increase in giving over 1967 figures, and is truly a

standard of which the entire community can be very proud.

And our grateful thanks al- so to the Lumber Worker for telling the United Appeal story in such an effective manner. Without your help this great volunteer effort could not have been brought to its successful conclusion.

Yours sincerely, NOREEN M.

FAIRWEATHER, Public Relations Asst.

GREATLY PLEASED

The Editor:

I’m greatly pleased with the use and play you give my “Memo from Mather.”

In case any readers’ con- sider that my picture occupies

ooo )

too much valuable space, I send you another.

Yours sincerely,

BARRY MATHER, MLP., Surrey, B.C.

THE KLM GUIDE

wish-you-were-here country

CONFESS ... Aren’t you Just a little tired of being on the receiving end of post cards from Europe? Isn't it your turn to send a few? Right now? After all, you probably haven’t had a real holliday for years—just tho two of you. And

that’s why we at KLM say:

We wish you were here. In Europe. Enjoying life. KLM has gone all out to make it easier than ever for you to be In Europe this falland winter. Apart from anything else, it's less crowded, but the welcome Is

as warm as summer ever was. It’s all there... .

unforgettable . . . and very

affordable. Because every KLM vacation package Is selected with a dofinite

budget In mind. A budget like yours.

SO, NOW THAT WE'VE GOT YOU THINKING EUROPE

See Your Travel Agent

AND ASK FOR KLM’s 1968 VACATION GUIDE

==

see S= KLM Vancouver 682-4606

—_—

KLM ROYAL DUTCH AIRLINES