ThefiJherm&n
Representing the Organized Fishermen of British Columbia
To Merge Means Unity— In Unity There is Strength
VOL. ID, No. 22
(108)
VANCOUVER, B.C., TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 1941
®
PRICE: 5 Cents
B.C. Electric Employees Demand Wage Increases
Provincial Board of Arbitration to Review Demands of Men; Affects Victoria, New Westminster and Vancouver Locals
The agreement between the B.C. Electric Railway Company Limited and Divisions 101 (Vancouver), 109 (Victoria) and 134 (New Westminster), Street Railwaymen, was reopened by the union, as the agreement stipulated, by their giving notice 60 days prior to March 1, 1941. The advisory board of these three
Divisions consists of the following: Chairman, R. K. Gervin, business agent, Division 101; T. Dunlop, president, Division 101; S. T. Wy-bourn, financial secretary, Division 101; R. Cormack, business agent, Division 134; Mr. Fox, president, Division 109. This advisory board is the wage scale committee.
On February 17, 1941, the following proposed changes in the agreement were submitted to Mr. Murrin of the B.C. Electric Railway Company Ltd.
(a) Six cents an hour general increase;
(b) New Westminster^ Point Grey garage employees and Victoria bus operators be covered in the agreement;
(c) That a 30 days' reopening clause should cover wages. The agreement now reads from year to year unless 60 days' notice for reopening is given.
Negotiations proved fruitless and on March 12, 1941, an application for a conciliation commissioner under the Provincial Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act was made. The company refused to grant the union's modest demands and on April 3 Conciliation Commissioner Thomson reported failure.
A provincial board of arbitration will now be set up and the union's representative on the board has not been determined as yet.
The Divisions have retained the services of John Wigdor of the Pacific Coast Labor Bureau as economic counsel.
It may be pointed out that at September 30, 1927, the Street Railwaymen's hourly rate was 63c and for 14 years there has been no change upwards, although in the interests of harmony on December 1, 1932, the union voluntarily accepted a reduction of five per cent, although their agreement had another ten months to run.
The union feels that with increased costs of living, with deductions that affect the basic rate of pay, with the tremendously increased company profits and the fact that the union has remained stationary for many years, that they are entitled to their modest demands.
There are approximately 1800 men affected and $300,000 in wage increases involved. The men involved are conductors, motormen, shop and barn employees, freight shed and track maintenance men.
VAN. FISH PRICES
Following wholesale fish prices obtained at Campbell Avenue Dock at Vancouver on Monday, April 7: Ling Cod
Large and Baby ..................6c lb.
Medium ........................6%c lb.
White Spring Salmon
Salt Water ............................8c lb.
Pink Spring Salmon ............13c lb.
Bed Spring Salmon
Salt Water ..........................16c lb.
Fraser Biver Salmon,
Bed (round) ........................14c lb.
White (round) ....................9/c lb.
Steelhead ...............-...............9c lb.
Soles .....................................5c lb.
Grey Cod ....................................3c lb.
Dogfish Livers ........................6c lb.
Grey Cod Livers ..................4c lb.
On Friday, April 4, the first boats carrying fresh halibut landed at Prince Rupert. They were the Northern Breeze and the Mae West. They carried 17,000 pounds and 14,000 pounds respectively.
Both catches were bought by the Royal Fish Company, which paid 14 and 7 cents a pound. The fish went to an eastern market.
Last Call For Questionaires
The questionnaires contained in the issue of March 11 must be turned in as soon as possible. Fishermen up coast are urged to realize the urgency of filling these questionnaires out and encourage everyone possible to get them in.
The Youth Assembly, at which the facts compiled by the survey conducted by the Vancouver Youth Council, is being held on Easter weekend, April 11-14, and it is essential that all the information possible should be in by that time.
Fill out the questionnaire and send it in immediately!
Negotiations Open On Salmon Agreement
A committee of the United Fishermen's Federal Union, Local 44, met all of the operators on Friday, April 4, to discuss working conditions aboard salmon boats and net work on seines.
The discussion was informal in character and an hour and a half was spent going over the various problems raised. It was agreed that the United Fishermen's Union would submit a written brief of their proposals to each individual operator, following which a further meeting will be held.
Garagemen's Strike Ends
Justice Smith Appointed By Labor Minister As Single Arbitrator
The five-day strike of the gar-agemen employed in the Cambie Street garage of the B.C. Transport company, ended Thursday, April 3, with the men accepting the suggestion of Mr. Murrin, president of the B.C. Elcetric Railway Company, that the dispute be submitted to an impartial arbitrator to be appointed by Hon. G. S. Pearson, minister of labor.
The men struck Sunday, March 30, after they found the award handed down by the arbitration board was not satisfactory. The award granted a 5 cents per hour increase to the higher paid garage-men but practically ignored the men in the lower paid brackets. The award was handed down in recognition of the increased cost of living but the men could not see how this recognized increase in living costs could affect the men in one pay bracket and not the others.
The bus drivers of the Pacific Stages, whose buses are serviced by the Cambie Garage, would not cross the picket line of the garage-men, which also caused a tie-up of the bus service to Seattle and other points.
It is understood that the arbitrator to be appointed is Judge Sidney Smith, who is a junior judge in the Supreme Court of the Province. His decision will be binding on both the company and the men involved.
Mr. Gervin, business manager of the union, and Mr. Dunlop, president, will represent the men at the hearings before the judge, the date for which has not as yet been set.
Court Upholds
Company's
Claim
Crew of 'Good Partner' Were Not Dismissed Claims Judge
The case of the crew of the "Good Partner" versus S. B. Nordhus Fisheries Ltd., was up in court Monday, April 3. The crew were suing the company for damages brought about by the wrongful dismissal at the beginning of the herring season.
The judgment handed down by Judge Murphy was to the effect that he did not believe the men were dismissed but rather that they walked off the boat, thus breaking their contract. As the company had put in a counterclaim that the men had walked off the boat at the beginning of the season, the judge upheld this claim and the company was granted damages to the extent of $20 per man.
However, the crew also claimed that they had about $100 worth of groceries which they had purchased and which were left on the boat and used up by S. B. Nordhus. This claim was upheld by the judge and the crew granted $20 per man for the groceries. Thus the two claims offset each other.
It is significant that the judge did not explain why the men should walk off the boat at the beginning of what had all appearances of being a very profitable herring season.
In view of the attitude of the court in this action the lawyers, John Stanton and E. A. Lucas, advised the union men involved in a similar suit against the Nootka-Banfield Company to drop their action as it was evident that the judge would bring down a similar decision in favor of the company, although in both actions the men had an excellent case.
Fish Packers
Must
Register
New Regulations Covering Packers Passed by Halibut Marketing Board
Notices have been posted by the Halibut Marketing Board of B.C. this week, to the effect that fish packers, or any persons operating a boat, camp or scows, engaged in the buying, handling or transportation of halibut have to be registered with the board.
The regulations covering this notice are contained in Section 6, subsections b, c, d and e of Order No. 5 and are as follows:
"(b) No person shall operate as a fish packer without having first registered with the board.
"(c) Every fish packer shall keep a manifest showing • the origin (name of boat and license number of captain and men) of all fresh halibut purchased, handled or transported, a copy of such manifest, signed by such fish packer or his agent, shall be filed with the agent of the board before any halibut is landed at any port in British Columbia.
"(d) No fish packer shall buy, handle or transport halibut except from a duly registered producer.
"(e) In addition to the penalties provided by the Natural Products Marketing (British Columbia) Act and Amendments, the board may seize and dispose of any halibut kept, transported or marketed by such fish packer who does not comply with the provisions of (b), (cj and (d) hereof."
Copies of the Order No. 5 may be obtained from the Collector of Customs or the Halibut Marketing Board.
'Unity' Is Keynote For May Day Conference
James Thompson, Chairman, and Mrs. J. Monrufet, Treasurer, of the Provisional May Day Committee, have issued a call to a May Day Conference to be held in the United Fishermen's Union Hall, 138 East Cordova Street, Wednesday, April 9, at 8 p.m.
The call reads in part as follows:
May 1st—the day of unity and'?' "
dards; against profiteering, and for
solidarity of the working people— will soon be here. At no time in the history of our country has May Day taken on such importance as this year.
Since last May Day the people of Canada have observed many distasteful developments:
The civil liberties of the people— freedom of the press, of speech and assembly — have been almost completely obliterated by the arbitrary powers established under the Defense of Canada Regulations.
The economic position of the working class grows steadily worse. Profiteering, the rising ccst of living, and the growing burden of taxation falls heavily upon the people.
The civil rights of labor are being curtailed and in some instances taken away by the undemocratic procedure of Orders-in-Council. Meanwhile scores of labor leaders have been interned without trial or public hearing, and, in most cases, without charges having been laid against them.
No Canadian who is truly concerned with the welfare of our country and its people, can permit this state of affairs to continue without protest. Our rights can only prevail when championed by the people.
May Day, 1941, must mark the greatest demonstration of the unity and solidarity of the working people for restoration of civil liberties; for the defense of our living stan-
defense of labor's rights.
Our slogan must be: 'Unity of all Trade Unionists, CCF Workers, Women, Youth and Farmers for the Greatest May Day Vancouver Has Ever Seen!"
The Provisional May Day Committee has secured the following guest speakers for the Conference:
(1) George Miller, U.F.F.U.: "The History of May Day."
(2) Harold J. Pritchett: "Labor and May Day, 1941."
UFFU, Vessel Owners' Ass'n Sign Halibut Agreement With Canadian Fishing Co.
Halibut Liver Price Set at 40£ Cents per Pound; Black Cod 27 \, Ling Cod 60 Cents
Following a joint meeting between the United Fishermen's Federal Union, Local 44, and the Vessel Owners' Association, called to receive bids on the part of Vancouver halibut liver production for the 1941 season, an agreement was signed by both parties with the Canadian Fishing Company Ltd. Terms of the agreement appear below.
Halibut Season's Here Again!
Working
Agreement
Recommended
At a joint meeting of the executive boards of the Pacific Coast Fishermen's Union and the United Fishermen's Federal Union, the following resolution was passed:
"That the joint meeting of the two executive boards recommend to their respective membership that a working agreement be concluded between the two organizations pending word from the Trades and Labor Congress as to jurisdiction."
1941 Fishing Licenses Issued
The provincial government, on Friday, April 4, authorized eighty-six shore plant fishery licenses for the 1941-42 fishing season. The number included 41 salmon cannery licenses, 16 herring cannery licenses, four pilchard canneries, eight pilchard reduction plants, ten cold storage plants handling fish, five salmon plants and two whaling stations, which will be located at Rose and Naden Harbors.
No herring reduction plant licenses were authorized but these licenses are usually issued toward the end of the season.
Textile Workers' Dispute Goes Before Federal Conciliation Board
Union Recognition; Increased Wages; Improved Working Conditions, Sought
The.first meeting of the Federal Board of Conciliation to hear the dispute between the West Coast Woollen Mills Ltd. and its employees will take place at 11 a.m. Monday, April 7, in Judge Harper's jury room, Vancouver Court House. Sessions are open to the public. Government - appointed Chairman Arthur M. Whiteside, K.C., employee representative John Stanton and employer representative R. L. Norman  of  the  Canadian Manu-
facturers' Association, comprise the board. The employees are represented before the board by President J. Barnott, Textile Workers' Union, National Organizer A. Mc-Auslane, Canadian Congress of Labor, and John Wigdor.
The employees, the majority of whom are members of the Pacific Textile Workers' Union, a Federal local of the Canadian Congress of Labor, and affiliated to the Vancouver District Labor Council, have the following demands:
(a) Union recognition.
(b) Increased wages. The av-
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' Two bids were received, one from the Canadian Fishing Company and one from Blaine Myers. The bid from Blaine Myers was for 35c a pound for halibut livers; 30c lb. for black cod; and 57c lb. for ling cod; viscera 7%c lb. to August 1 and 10c lb. after August 1; payment to be made on delivery f.o.b. dock Vancouver.
After the bids had been opened the bidders left the meeting to allow discussion on the bids. The fishermen had the alternative of accepting the cash offers made or of trying to arrange for the processing of their own livers. The Prince Rupert fishermen are processing their own livers this year through arrangements with the Prince Rupert Cooperative Association and have turned over their overage fund and 1 per cent to the cooperative to administer this proposition.
Because of the circumstances prevalent with the Vancouver fleet, the lack of funds and the difficulties involved in becoming a party to the arrangements either in Prince Rupert or in Seattle, which are similar, Vancouver fishermen decided to accept the cash offer of the Canadian Fishing Company for one year and will watch the developments and the results obtained by Prince Rupert fishermen.
Word has just been received that the Alaskan halibut fleet have sold their production of halibut livers to the Atlantic Coast Fisheries, presumably also on a cash basis.
The price for halibut livers last year was 50c per pound U.S. funds.
TERMS OF AGBEEMENT IN PART:
Price: Livers. Buyer agrees to pay the following prices, Canadian funds, per pound, net weight for all livers delivered and accepted in accordance with the terms hereof:
Halibut Livers ......................iOV2c
Black Cod Livers ....................27^c
Ling Cod Livers......................60c
Price: Viscera. Buyer agrees to pay the following prices, Canadian funds, per pound, net weight Tor all halibut viscera and black cod viscera delivered and accepted in accordance with the terms hereof:
Halibut Viscera ............................10c
Black Cod Viscera ......................10c
Payment: Payment will be made by cheque, promptly after delivery, inspection and acceptance at the price and in the manner herein specified. Cheques ^vill be signed either by the Buyer or by the Buyer's Agent, and if signed by an agent, the cheque will be guaranteed by the buyer.
Place of Delivery: Livers and Viscera shall be delivered at any of the following docks:
Prince Rupert, B.C.: Atlin Fisheries Limited.
Butedale,   B. C.:   The Canadian Fishing Co'. Limited.
Vancouver, B.C.: The Canadian Fishing Co. Limited. With respect to deliveries at ports and docks other than those designated above, the buyer will endeavor to make arrangements for the handling of such deliveries, the net prices to the seller to be the same as specified in the above schedules. If, however, the buyer cannot make satisfactory or economical arrangements covering such out-ports, deliveries will be accepted at the ports designated, the seller to arrange delivery of the livers and viscera in good condition acceptable to the buyer.