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November 15, 1963
THE FISHERMAN
Page 3
AT BCFL CONVENTION
UFAWU Praised In Unity Debate
PEACE DEMONSTRATION A group ot marchers gathered at Vancouver City Hall on Remembrance Day to hear a talk by Dr. James Endicott, head of the Canadian Peace Council, on the importance of continued efforts to achieve world peace. The group later marched to the Cenotaph in Victory Square where a wreath was laid in memory of the dead of two world wars.__M
IN 'WESTERN GIRL CASE
Formal Investigation Rejected by Minister
minister Georse rounding the running down of a was otherwise uninjured, but Bratth * 1 skiff from the herring seiner West- was fatally cut by the freighter's ern Girl by the US freighter propeller.
Transport J. Mcllraith does not "believe
that the holding of a formal [ Horace Luckenbach off Carmanah investigation under the Can- Point on August 20 arose from the ada Shipping Act would serve Endings olla coroner's jury.
r i • 11 _ „„„„ i FREIGn I tK fc5L.AiVlfc.lJ
any useful purpose ini the case From evidence given by witnesses, the jury found that the death of Asbjorn Brattli, 39 year old crewman on the Western Girl, was "unnatural and classified as accidental caused by the US freighter Horace Luckenbach fail-
of the Horace Luckenbach and the Western Girl.
His reason, as given to UFAWU secretary Homer Stevens in a letter dated November 5, is that "such a court has no power to institute disciplinary measures with regard I ing to keep clear."
to masters or officers holding certificates issued by foreign countries and, in any event, could not compel witnesses in the United States to appear before it."
The Union's request for an inquiry into the circumstances sur-
Brattli and another crewman, 41 year old Ray Bak. jumped into the water as the Horace Luckenbach bore down on the skiff, despite warning whistles and flashing lights from the Western Girl. Bak suffered from exposure, though he
Prefab Fishway Opens Alaskan Salmon Area
Completion of a fishway around Frazer Falls has opened up new .salmon rearing grounds in Frazer Lake on Kodiak Island, described by Alaska fish and game department as potentially one of the greatest sockeye producing areas in western Alaska.
The 33 foot falls constitute an impassable barrier for salmon, although the 72 square mile Frazer Lake watershed contains an estimated 5,000 acres considered to be ideal for salmon rearing.
To bypass the falls, Alaska fish and game department engineers-used their newly developed prefabricated aluminum fishway, designed to be flown into remote areas and bolted together on the spot. The Frazer project is the first on which it has been used.
Departmental biologists estimate that once they have built up the spawning runs over a period of years, the area can produce as
many as three million s-ockeye under the most favorable conditions, with an average annual run somewhat below this figure.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
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COLUMBIA
because we as Canadians need it," he said. "We want to reverse this treaty. Canada comes first."
In addition to calling for development of the Columbia under the McNaughton plan, the convention indicated support for a resolution which promised to fight 'for a review of the Columbia treaty if it is approved in its present form. AFFECTS GROWTH
"Without additional economic water supplies from the headwaters of the Kootenay River, the population, industry, and agrarian growth of southern Alberta and Saskatchewan will be restricted and controlled by the available water supply," the resolution stated.
"If control of the flow of the Columbia River system and the right to divert water which will be necessary for the welfare of British Columbia and Canada is not incorporated into the Columbia River treaty if and when it is approved, then labor must fight for a full review of the treaty in line with the established policy of the BC Federation of Labor."
The matter was referred back to the convention's natural resources committee with a proposal from the floor that the Federation set up a permanent committee to deal specifically with the Columbia River treaty.
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Mcllraith told Stevens his department had held a preliminary inquiry "and we have no reason to doubt that the events which occurred were, in general, as you described them."
He noted that the US Coast Guard, as the issuing authority for the certificate held by the master of the Horace Luckenbach, had held an investigation, saying he would inform the Union of the findings when he received them. NO LEGAL FORCE
"With regard to your request that the department take steps to see that notices to mariners are enforced, I must inform you that such notices have no legal force," he said.
"As was indicated by the wording of the notice in question, this was merely advice to masters of ships that concentrations of fishing vessels might be expected to be found in certain parts of the coastal waters.
"While the desirability was indicated of keeping clear of the areas mentioned, there is no prohibition of the entry of other vessels to these waters. Similarly, the fishing vessels themselves are not confined to these areas in their fishing operations.
"On the other hand, evidence as to the existence of the notice to mariners and its dissemination both by radio and otherwise would no doubt assist any civil suit for damages in such a case as that in question."
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Herring Catch 103,158 Tons
Production from British Columbia's reduction herring operation reached a total of 103,158 tons as of November 9, the fisheries department reported this week.
Meal production was 18,189 tons and oil yield was 2,887,007 gallons.
By districts, the catch was: lower east coast, 56,9% tons; middle east coast, 10,291 tons; upper east coast 14,844 tons; west coast, 12,852 tons-northern, 2,732 tons; central, 5 273 tons; Queen Charlotte Islands 170 tons.
United Kingdom To Leave Treaty
Britain has given notice to end her participation in the North Sea Fisheries Convention and the Fishery Convention of 1839.
This would give her freedom of action over fishery limits from June, 1964.
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The United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union was praised for its part in assisting other unions during a lively and protracted debate Thursday at the BC Federation of Labor convention in Hotel Vancouver.
The 350 delegates from all parts of British Columbia were discussing a resolution that urged the parent Canadian Labor Congress "to set up a trade union committee that would have before it the objective of striving to bring into | the Canadian Labor Congress all trade unions outside the Congress that are willing to abide by its constitution and policies . . ."
The resolution, backed by a large 1 majority, called on the officers of the Federation to "continue to use their influence to promote the maximum degree of unity within the labor movement of British Col- | umbia in pursuit of labor's goals in line with CLC policy."
Charles Stewart. Street Railway-men's Union, said the United Fish- I ermen and Allied Workers Union "does a better job of following BC Federation of Labor policy in supporting strikes backed by the Federation than a great many unions which are in the Federation."
Earlier in the debate, Nick Cher-noff, IWA, Port Alberni, also lauded the work of the Union and praised its democratic methods.
"I never saw the Fishermen's Union putting any of its locals under trusteeship the way my union has," he remarked. OFFICERS ELECTED
Jerry LeBourdais, Oil and Chemical Workers Union, said that the officers of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union are democratically elected by their members "and a lot of people speaking at the mikes today won't be able to say the same thing."
Nick Smith, Steelworkers, referred to the fisheries discussion earlier in the convention. "What an ironic situation that the Union fully familiar with these problems is not among us to present its viewpoint," he declared.
Most of the more than a score of delegates who spoke on the resolution condemned raiding and based their criticism of the resolution on the grounds that it did not go far enough in this respect.
The substitute, it was pointed out, replaced three resolutions submitted to the convention by the Street Railwaymen and Machinists unions STRONGER RESOLUTIONS These resolutions called for:
• Opposition to raiding by all unions, be they CLC affiliates or non-affiliates;
• Condemnation of the granting of one union's jurisdiction to another and establishment of a "trust" into which groups in dispute would be placed pending a convention decision as to their proper allocation;
• Support for reentry of the Teamsters and ILWU Into the AFL-CIO and calling on the CLC to set up a trade union unity committee "that would have before it the objective of striving to bring into the CLC all the trade unions that are outside of Canada's principal trade union centre." CONFLICT AIRED
One of the submerged conflicts within the BC Federation of Labor was brought out into the open by several speakers from such unions as the Carpenters, Painters, and Electrical Workers who are part of the Building Trades Council.
Also on the Council are the Teamsters in spite of their expulsion by the Canadian Labor Congress and the AFL-CIO.
The building trades unions depend on Teamster support in their struggles with employers and delegates from these unions made it clear that they will continue to work with the Teamsters in spite of their expulsion and in spite of jurisdictional disputes between them and the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway and Transport Workers.
Lome Robson, Carpenters, pointed out that the constitutions of the BC Federation of Labor and the Building Trades Council were in conflict on the matter of the Teamsters.
"Raiding is wrong and should be condemned wherever it takes place," he declared.
"We've got to get everybody into the house of labor. I believe that a policy of organising the unorganised and shorter working hours would be the answer to most of our problems." STICK TOGETHER
J. W. Fradley, Painters, warned that the "building trades are going to stick together and if they can't protect their jurisdiction on the inside, they may have to do it on the outside."
He said that "a resolution that doesn't condemn raiding doesn't grapple with the problem."
Nick Smith, Steelworkers, said i he was "not happy and steelwork- | ers aren't happy with the position OUT union has taken on raiding."
He said it was true that the Mine ; Mill and Smelter Workers Union had signed poor contracts "but our union has done the same thing." The reason, he said, was raiding.
"Having put a union out of the Congress because of raiding, we declare dpen season on its members and give everybody a hunting ■ licence . . .
"If raiding continues," he declared, "it will be the suicide of the labor movement. Unless the rank and file does something about it, I don't know where it will end." OUTSIDE INFLUENCE
Orville Braaten, Pulp and Sulphite Workers, ascribed much of the difficulties Canadian unions are having to outside influence.
"So long as we allow ourselves as Canadians to be told by some-
See BCFL CONVENTION—Page 6
Membership Drop Alarms Delegates
One of the liveliest debates I during this week's annual convention of the BC Federation of Labor concerned itself with the question of trade union organisation,
Figures reported to the gathering showed that in spite of an increase of 45.000 in the total BC work force between 1958 and 1962. the number of organised workers declined by 17,287. This represents an 8.7 percent drop in the percentage of organised workers from 53.9 percent of the work force to 45.2 percent.
This general situation was viewed with some alarm by the organising committee and the delegates. DANGEROUS SITUATION
The Committee described it as a "dangerous situation which must be faced and faced soon, unless we are prepared to stand by and watch the labor movement gradually strangled."
It proposed a meeting of all unions willing to assist in pooling their resources for an organisational campaign.
"Targets and priorities could be established at this meeting and . . . such a plan could prove more effective than the present piecemeal organisation efforts which are stymied by restrictive legislation." i the committee stated.
The committee, headed by E. T. Staley, Carpenters Union, Victoria, laid heavy stress on Bill 43 as one of the chief factors in cutting trade union organisation.
"Bill 43 has seriously curtailed trade union organisation not only among building trades unions but indeed throughout the entire labor movement," it stated.
"Employers are inclined to the opinion that they can get tough with employees who are trying to organise, knowing that the union is limited in the scope of retaliatory action it can take." SOME DISSENT
Not all delegates agreed with tihs view.
Charles Stewart, Street Railway-men's Union, said, "We can't onlv blame Bills 42 and 43 ... We should look to the weaknesses in our own movement. Raiding and jurisdictional disputes are destroying our image with the public and making appeals for membership a hundred times more difficult."
Stewart said there was less trade union unity now than a few years ago.
"If we get down to the real principles of trade unionism — all for one and one for all, and condemn raiding — we can organise the unorganised," he declared.
George Johnston, Amalgamated Meat Cutters, said the decline in
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part could be attributed to the growth of service industries, an area where trade union organisation is weakest.
He called on delegates to stay out of anti-union firms, naming Zeller's. Woolworth's, the White Lunch, and urged them to stop buying Clancy's bakery products.
All these firms have broken employee strikes in order to maintain substandard wage scales. .
MOST IMPORTANT
Ray Haynes, a Federation vice president and a delegate from the Retail Clerks, described the organisation report as the "most important that will come before this convention. All other policies will be meaningless if that percentage figure continues to decline."
He said something had to be done about merging some of the unions, particularly in the food industry.
One of the biggest problems he encountered in organising, Haynes said, was the charge of racketeering in the labor movement.
"We'd better quit supporting some of those phony, fink unions," he declared.
"Instead of going out and organising the unorganised, we attack other unions," delegate Walter Jacobs, the Marine Workers Union, said.
He said the workers get nothing out of raiding, noting that International Nickel Company was showing increased profits as a result of the dispute at Sudbury.
"As long as the workers are fighting among themselves, the employers are sitting back laughing."
TOO MUCH FIGHTING
Lang Mackie, International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union, conceded that Bills 42 and 43 were "great handicaps but labor itself is partly responsible" for the decline in membership.
"Labor has spent too much time fighting over who was going to organise this group or that group."
He said that the ILWU and Teamsters i n California had worked out a joint organising campaign. After the workers in an operation are organised, they vote on which union they want to represent them.
"That's what we should do here," he said.
Another delegate reported that the AFL-CIO had undertaken a joint organising drive in the Los Angeles area which had resulted in "a remarkable increase in members."
Federation secretary Pat O'Neal said, "We must do everything we can to get out on an organising campaign," particularly in the food and department store field.
"We have to change our tactics and change our approach," he said.
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That as many as six aircraft a minute, from all the world's major airlines land or take off at London's International Airport. Things are not quite that brisk at Ocean Falls, B.C. As a matter of fact, one scheduled flight a day is the normal traffic, and that one is by B.C. Air Lines.
To or from Ocean Falls, or any point on British Columbia's coast, fly B.C. Air Lines regular schedule or charter flight.
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