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THE LUMBERWORKER - 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION/FROM SEPT. 1937 to SEPT. 1987

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Official Organ B.C. Coast Dist. Council, a Section of International Woodworkers of America, Affiliated with Committee for Industrial Organization

VOL. VI., No. 4 Published Weekly

VANCOUVER, B.C., SEPTEMBER 30, 1936

Price: 5c —_> No. 78

FEDERATION SET UP BY CONVENTION

All Sections Of Lumber Union To Be Centralized Through New Federation

Harold Pritchett Elected President of New Central Body; Support Industrial Unionism Within American Federation of Labor

ORTLAND, Ore.—Completing three days of deliberations, the Port- land Convention of lumber unions adjourned at midnight on Septem- ber 20, having set up the Federation of Wood Working Industries, through which all unions in the lumbering and wood-working industries of the U.S. and Canadian Northwest will be centralized. _ ‘

The Federation will have a similar set-up to the District Councils of .the Lumber and Sawmill Workers’ Union, except that it will be the central body for the entire industry of both the United States and Canada, giving the union its own central executive for the first time since it was organized. EXECUTIVE OF

FOURTEEN ELECTED.

An executive board of fourteen 'mem- bers was elected for the Federation, -with Harold Pritchett, of the B.C. Coast Dis- trict Council, as president. Henry Morris, of the Plywood Workers’ Local in Aber- deen, is vice-president, and E, B. Weber, of Portland, secretary. The executive board is composed of members represent- ing every section of the industry.

Taking over its duties immediately, the executive met the first day after the con- vention adjourned, setting up a press committee and arranging a press confer- ence for September 27 and 28 in Aber- deen, Washington. The convention will discuss plans for the publishing of a paper as the Federation's official organ and the organizing of a press néws service which will include British Columbia within its scope,

A special conference will also be ar- ranged to discuss a more satisfactory sys- tem of transfers for migratory lumber workers,

Although going on record as being defi- nitely in support of the Committee for Industrial Organization, both morally and financially, the convention decided to

affiliation with the of Carpenters and

maintain its present United Brotherhood Joiners of America and the American Federation of Labor. The delegates came to this decision after hearing a represent- ative of the C.1.0., William Dalrymple, speak, Dalrymple urged the convention not to sever its connections with the A.F. of L-, at the same time pointing out the importance of joining the fight for the industrial union principle as an A.F.ofL. policy.

STILL LARGE

NUMBER UNORGANIZED.

Listening to D. Helmick, delegate from the U-S. pine belt, the convention learned that there are still a large number of lum- ber workers unorganized in the United States, although there are more organized there than have ever belonged to a union at one time in the past. Helmick declared that in the pine belt there are even more workers employed in lumbering than there are within the union in the Douglas fir regions of the Northwest, and very few of these are organized so far, The pine belt takes in part. of Idaho and Oregon. LARGE NUMBER OF DELEGATES.

The convention opened with more than 600 delegates being. seated, representing every district in the Northwest where logging and lumber is: carriel on. This is probably the latgest number of dele- gates that have ever met in convention in the Pacific Northwest.

lumbering

Johnson Appeal In September

Lumber Workers! Response to the appeal for funds to fight the Arne Johnson case is not sq good. It may be that there has not been sufficient time since our appeal was sent out in which to take up col- lections and forward moneys to the office. There is no time to lose as the case will come up in September, and legal and court fees must be guaranteed.

The outcome of this case is vital to the loggers and all trade unionists of British Columbia. Johnson was convicted for no other reason than for contracting legitimate union business in a-logging camp. If this decision stands, it means that it is unlawful for any union organizer or delegate to enter any logging camp or operation, or for any person to advocate unionism on the job. Coupled with this decision, the recent ruling handed down by Justice Manson in the Scott Cafe case, sustain- ing the injunction against the Hotel and Restaurant Employees’ right to picket the Scott’s Cafe, shows unmistakably that a concerted move is on to outlaw the legitimate trade union movement of this province.

The conviction of Arne Johnson must be upset. Every nickel you donate to the fund now will mean dollars in return later on; tranaversely, if this case is lost, you will pay dearly in lost wages and conditions,

Harold Pritchett

Popular President of the Woodworkers of America “The workers in the industry of the coast want C.I.0.,” Pritchett

said, despite the opposition of a few of the leaders of the Puget Sound Council.”

The action ofa Tacoma local in voting 6 to 1 for C.I.0. after the District Council had “repudiated” the convention proceedings, bears out Pritchett’s statement.

Convention Of District Council Maps Out Plans For Organizing Drive

Courtenay Chosen As Point Of Concentration In Drive To Organize Industry; Resolutions Deal With Many and Varied Subjects

PANS for concentrating on the Courtenay district and to throw all of the union’s resources into that area in a drive to organize the key camps there, was one of the outstanding decisions of the second annual convention of the B.C. Coast District Council, Lumber and Saw- mill Workers’ Union, held last Saturday and Sunday in Vancouver.

A second point of concentration will be decided on by the new execu- tive committee of the council.

A plan to establish a union hiring system also received the endorsation of the convention, when a resolution from the crew of Morgan's Camp came up for consideration. Several delegates took the floor to explain that a system of union hiring on a small scale was quite

feasible, certain operators having no ob- jection to union men in their camps. Attempts will be made to secure the privilege of hiring for these operators. SECRETARY REPORTS

The report on the council's activities for the past year was delivered by T. J.

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