eTi/herman
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LIFE ON THE BERING SEA
HALIBUT THE HARD WAY The photos above, taken by crewman Brian McLaughlin, show the Vancouver halibut vessel Chief Skugaid last month at or near Sand Point, Alaska, in various stages of icing, none of them pleasant The weather was about zero. She landed 60,000 pounds at Prince Rupert from the Bering Sea in mid-April and will be heading out this weekend for less wintry grounds. Skipper was William (Red) Anderson and crewmen on the Bering Sea trip included engineer Graham Smelzer, cook John Cranton, Brian McLaughlin, James Pongracz, Gordon Youngman, Art Hansen, and inbreaker Robert Anderson.
Vol. XXIX, No. 14 10 CENTS
VANCOUVER, B.C, MAY 6, 1966
Reject Economic Threat, House Committee Urged
Howard Warns of Alaskan Move to Postpone May 17 Canadian-US Negotiations
The House of Commons standing committee on fisheries will meet Tuesday to consider adoption of a statement presented by MP Frank Howard calling on the federal government to ignore economic threats posed by US Senator Warren Magnuson in the dispute between the two, Canada and the United States, over US interpretation of salmon bound for Canadian streams.
The statement backs the firm stand of the Canadian delegation in negotiations so far and warns that the pressure from Alaska is being exerted to postpone negotiations recommended for resumption May 17 in Seattle "to a time beyond the coming salmon season."
Howard, a member of the standing committee and New Democratic Party MP for Skeena, presented the statement to the standing committee Thursday morning for adoption but it was in effect accepted as a notice of motion to next Tuesday's session.
A few days earlier, following presentation of a Fisheries Council of Canada brief, committee members questioned Council representatives on their reaction to Magnuson's threat of economic sanctions against fisheries imports from Canada if the federal government persisted in its position that BC fisheries limits would have to be moved out to permit Canadians to catch salmon bound for northern BC streams which are now intercepted Americans.
The US view, reiterated by Magnuson Thursday this week, is that its operations on BC salmon constitute a historic fishery which it has a right to continue exposing.
NELSON'S ANSWER
R. I. (Dick) Nelson, president of Nelson Bros. Fisheries and a vice president of the Council, said there is some concern in the industry over statements by Magnuson's threat of economic action against Canadian fishery products if US fishermen face Canadian insistence on protecting its own salmon resources.
In reply to a question from Tom Barnett (NDP, Comox-Alberni) he said that a great deal of what Magnuson has been say-
Prince Rupert Dispute Settled by Compromise
Eleventh hour withdrawal of the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union from a joint agreement with the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union after it had been presented to Prince Rupert Fishing Vessel Owners Asociation threatened to provoke a jurisdictional clash this week.
FIRST STATEMENT
RELATIONS between the BC Deep Sea Fishermen's Union and the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union became a little strained during the week prior to the opening of the 1966 halibut season. The two unions, jointly representing halibut crews sailing out of the Prince Rupert area, narrowly averted a jurisdictional clash by agreeing to postpone differences of opinion until later in the year.
Central issue in the dispute is whether or not the UFAWU, representing  the majority   of the
See FIRST STATEMENT —Page 16
The clash was averted when the UFAWU agreed to sign a memorandum of understanding with the Vessel Owners identical with that signed last year, on the understanding the Vessel Owners would serve the required notice on the DSFU reopening its long-line and master agreements with that Union.
At the same time, as a condition set by the DSFU for its consent to renewal of the memorandum of understanding between the Vessel Owners and the UFAWU, Vessel Owners agreed to serve notice on the UFAWU of its intention to reopen net agreements with the UFAWU to allow for signing of net agreements with the DSFU.
Two UFAWU Prince Rupert halibut negotiating committee statements are carried here.
SECOND STATEMENT
ON JANUARY 11, 1966, the secretary of the Deep Sea Fishermen's Union sent a letter to the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union reopening a memorandum of agreement between the two unions "for the purpose of instituting changes and correcting anomalies that in our opinion presently exist, with particular reference to sub-section (a) and (b) of section 3."
In a meeting between the two unions on February 8, the DSFU secretary informed the UFAWU that "our big problem is Nova
ing is in error and there is no serious worry over his threats. It would be difficult to make a solid case for discrimination against Canadian fish products in US markets. (See Fisheries Association statement page 3.)
In the meantime, however, Magnuson has again wielded the
See REJECT THREAT —Page 15
A DOG'S LIFE Oyster strikers Bill Smillie, left, and 'Jimmy Joyce are pictured here on the picketline at Timothy Oyster Company with Joyce's dog joining them with a picket sign. The dog wasn't named in the injunction.
THETIS OYSTER COMPANY
Injunction Upheld In Spite of Strike
See SECOND STATEMENT —Page 16
An ex parte injunction granted April 14 to Thetis Island Oyster Company restraining representatives of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union from picketing the premises was upheld in Victoria court Thursday morning by Mr. Justice J. Brown despite a strong plea by Union counsel Harold Dean that it be set aside.
The workers employed at the plant, UFAWU members, have followed procedures set out under the Labor Relations Act and are now on a legal strike after voting by secret ballot for this course of action to back up their demands for a union agreement setting out wages and working conditions.
Similar action has been taken at Timothy Oyster Company and Marios-Falcos Oyster Company, all of the operations in the Lady-smith area, and picketlines have been set up outside the premises of both these firms.
Refusal of Judge Brown to set aside the injunction came as a surprise in view of the fact that the injunction was granted during a lockout and the workers are now on a legal strike.
"NOT A LOCKOUT"
The judge disagreed with the Union contention that in firing several employees, Thetis Island Oyster Company owner Peter Limberis had instituted a lockout.
He questioned whether the voting procedure by which the men decided to take strike action had been properly carried out. It was explained that the Union had followed all terms of BC labor legislation, the men had elected their balloting committee and the vote was conducted by secret ballot.
Union counsel Harold Dean contended that the injunction was improper since in applying for it, Limberis did not specify what was wrong — the cause of complaint — but simply asked for an injunction which was granted in chambers.
LIP SERVICE TO ORDER
Judge Brown contended that general organiser Bert Ogden, who is conducting the strike on behalf of the Union and in conjunction with the men involved, had only paid "lip service" to the court order.
He cited as an example the conversation Ogden had with the truck driver who had been taking oysters out of the plant in which he explained the situation to him. The driver has since refused to pick up oysters from the operation.
Limberis was unable to identify any of his employees or Ogden himself as having picketed the plant after the injunction was issued. But, in an apparent attempt to create the impression of possible violence, although he didn't elaborate on the point, Limberis said he saw a man walking up and down the road with a knife, whittling on a piece of wood.
See STRIKE—Page 16
Agreement Moratorium Up in House
The federal government submitted a bill in the House of Commons Thursday having the effect of exempting agreements in the fishing industry from combines legislation on an interim basis to December 31, 1967, the fourth such extension since 1958 when the director of investigations claimed certain contracts violated the Combines Act.
Current legislation on the books exempts agreements until June 30 this year.
The present bill differs from previous legislation in that it provides for the legislation to remain in effect after the end of next year unless a resolution presented by 10 members of parliament calls for its repeal.
In announcing the legislation, Privy Council president Guy Favreau said the government plans to take steps within the next 18 months to formalise bargaining procedures in the fishing industry.
He said he expected to make a statement on government decisions regarding Combines legislation within the next 10 days.