UFAWU, Guild Take Issue to Ottawa
Tuna Crew Talks Arranged
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• To Atlantic Sugar Refineries' boast that it would employ "200 local residents" might be added "and 80 foreign fishermen."
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TiTherman
Vol. XXX, No. 23 VANCOUVER, B.C., July 19, 1968
Co-op Removes Bye the Sea'Tuna
Canned tuna produced by Canadian Tuna Fishing Ltd., which recently replaced Canadians aboard its subsidized fleet with foreign nationals, was removed from shelves at Kaien Consumers Coop in Prince Rupert this week.
The action was taken after a meeting at which representatives of the UFAWU and Prince Rupert Labor Council drew Co-op
'St. Joseph' Hits Reef
All six men aboard the 62 foot Vancouver fishing vessel St. Joseph escaped injury after the seiner hit a reef near Addenbroke Light on July 16 while on her way to discharge the day's catch onto a packer.
Aboard the vessel were owner-skipper Tony Boroevich and UFAWU members Bill Robinson, Andjelko Loncar, Bill Drake, Ray Fitzpatrick and Oswald His-cock.
Reports indicate the St Joseph grounded hard on the reef and efforts to manoeuvre clear were unsuccessful. The mishap occurred two hours after high water and as the tide ebbed the vessel took on a pronounced list and slid down by the head.
When the tide flooded she filled rapidly through her damaged bow and at high water only her stern remained clear. Boroevich and the crew stood by in the skiff as other vessels put a line on the stricken craft and, without success, tried to haul her clear.
Crew members were later taken to Namu aboard the Royal City and from there flew back to Vancouver. At last report the St. Joseph was still fast on the reef and almost completely submerged at high water.
The mishap occurred during the vessel's second week on salmon. Robinson told The Fisherman on his return to Vancouver that fishing had been productive on July 16 and the St. Joseph had a good load to discharge onto the packer. Crew members lost all their belongings in the stranding, he said.
In past years the 27 year old vessel has operated predominantly as a dragger although she has gone into the salmon seine fishery during some seasons.
management's attention to the loss of Canadian jobs aboard the $11 million fleet at Panama in May and June.
Other major stores in the city were visited but only the Co-op had local authority to withdraw the product, Union northern organizer George Hewison said.
Prince Rupert citizens heard details of the scandal as Hewison discussed events in the tuna fleet over a local radio station with former Atlantic Gennis crew member Lawrence Quinn, currently working in the coast salmon seine fishery.
And in an interview with the Prince Rupert Daily News, Hewison said, Union spokesmen contended the federal government's attitude in the matter has been "particularly scandalous in view of the fact that some 100 experienced fishermen in Prince Rupert alone are looking for jobs."
Leaflets describing the sellout were distributed in Prince Rupert and steps are being taken also to raise the issue with local MP Frank Howard and MLA William Murray.
During a brief visit to Prince George, Quinn brought the matter to the attention of the local newspaper and radio station and was assured of full cooperation by officers of Prince George Labor Council.
Meet Minister
UFAWU representatives will hold their first meeting with newly appointed federal fisheries minister Jack Davis next week. Union acting president T. (Buck) Suzuki, business agent Jack Nichol and acting secretary Glenn McEachern meet the minister at the fisheries department's Vancouver office at 10:30 a.m. July 22.
UFAWU business agent Jack Nichol this week flew to Ottawa to join representatives of the Canadian Merchant Service Guild in discussions with federal government departments over manning of five subsidized tuna seiners owned by a subsidiary of Atlantic Sugar Refineries Ltd.
Arrangements for the July 18 meeting were finalized by the Ottawa office of the Guild, which earlier had joined with the UFAWU in protesting the sellout of Canadian jobs aboard five $2.2 million seiners.
Members of the two organizations were aboard the vessels at
Panama in May and June when Americans, Costa Ricans and other foreign nationals were hired by the company to replace Canadian licensed men and crew members.
The Guild has expressed particular concern over the federal transport department's waiving of regulations, on application by the company, requiring that licensed personnel hold appropriate Canadian certificates of competency.
At least two American skippers hired at Panama were involved previously with operation of the runaway tuna vessel Golden Scarab which dumped Canadians
on her maiden trip and failed to land a catch in this country during her three year career.
Another U.S. skipper recently was reported to have been hired to take out one of the company's vessels currently undergoing conversion in an East coast yard.
Slated to be represented at the Ottawa meetings were the federal departments of transport, fisheries and manpower.
The UFAWU is calling for restoration of all jobs aboard the five ships to Canadian residents.
See TUNA — Page 2
Labor Blasts New Stevens Penalty
Vancouver Labor Council delegates this week voted to protest to attorney general Leslie Peterson against penalizing of UFAWU secretary Homer Stevens for interceding on behalf of another prisoner at Mount Thurston prison camp where he and Union president H. Steve Stavenes are serving one year jail terms as a result of injunctions issued in last year's trawl-longline dispute.
Council secretary C. P. (Paddy) Neale told delegates that information received indicated the penalty—loss of 15 days' remission of his sentence — was imposed by prison authorities in the absence of the warden who is on holiday.
Stevens is already reported to have lost two days' remission for an earlier unwitting infraction of regulations.
The alleged violation reportedly occurred when Stevens tried to get permission for another prisoner to phone a hospital and inquire about his wife's condition after she was hurt in a fall.
UFAWU PROTEST
"The man was frantic with concern for his wife and small daughter because prison regulations allowed him to make only collect calls and neither the hospital nor the doctor would accept collect calls," the UFAWU said in a statement issued July 16.
"Stevens offered to pay for the calls himself and subsequently was brought up on a charge of having interfered with prison discipline.
"Although he pleaded not guilty, denying certain statements attributed to him by the guard laying the charge, he was informed that he was reported have pleaded guilty in a preliminary interview and could not change his plea."
The UFAWU has protested the punitive measures to both Peterson and provincial corrections director S. Roxborough Smith.
In a telegram to Peterson this week, UFAWU acting secretary Glenn McEachern called for an immediate investigation into the penalization of Stevens "for interceding on behalf of another inmate."
Peterson was also urged to investigate the health of UFAWU president H. Steve Stavenes who, the Union has learned, is suffering from impaired hearing and has been unable to receive adequate medical attention.
'VENGEFUL ACT'
Neale told Council delegates he thought it important that labor speak out strongly against "this type of activity by the staff of
See STEVENS — Page 2
• B.C. postal union members, 3,500 strong, joined nationwide strike at 2 a.m., Vancouver time, July 18. Across the country, 24,000 post office employees are seeking first collective agreement from federal government Pickets seen here are on duty outside Vancouver's main post office building.
Central Areas Again Top Catch Averages
Rivers and Smith inlets, Areas 9 and 10, were spotlighted again this week in early recorded fishing averages and fair to good returns also were reported on the north coast and some sections of Area 12.
In Area 9 on July 15, a fleet of 1,200 gillnetters averaged 190 sockeye and three pinks while 112 seiners averaged 1,923 sock-eye, 329 pinks and 16 chums.
On July 16 in the same area, 928 gillnetters averaged 138 sock-eye and nine pinks and 126 seiners recorded averages of 1,227 sockeye and 905 pinks.
Area 10 on July 16 saw a total of 273 gillnetters average 171 sockeye, 14 pinks and four chums.
Support Postal Workers' Strike
Emergency Distribution Arranged
rpHIS issue of The Fisherman ■*■ is produced under difficulties arising from the postal workers' strike which already has curtailed news services normally sent by mail.
We consider this a small inconvenience to suffer in support of the Council of Postal Unions'
fully justified wage and other demands. The Trudeau government's offer of 10 cents on August 1 and a further five cents on March 1 next year—15 cents over a 14 month contract—left the postal workers no alternative. The Council's rejection of the offer as "totally inadequate"
reflected the fact that it would not even compensate for increased living costs in the past 14 months, let alone the next 14 months.
In an effort to get this issue to as many readers as possible, The Fisherman has made these arrangements:
See ISSUE — Page 8
On the northern coast, Area 3X, saw 46 gillnetters average 142 sockeye, 28 pinks and 11 chums on July 16, with five seiners averaging 222 sockeye, 92 pinks and 24 chums.
In Area 3Y, 22 gillnetters recorded average catches of 163 sockeye, 20 pinks and 27 chums on the same date while a fleet of 63 gillnetters in Area 3Z averaged 70 sockeye, 32 pinks and 64 chums. Some 14 seiners in Area 3Z had averages of 169 sockeye, 1,419 pinks and 285 chums.
On July 16 in Area 4, 508 gillnetters averaged 132 sockeye, two pinks and one chum while on the following day a smaller fleet of 460 boats netted averages of 155 sockeye, one pink and one chum.
AREA 12 SOCKEYE
Dixon Entrance, Area 1, on July 17 had 49 gillnetters averaging 48 sockeye, six pinks and eight chums. In Fisher-Fitzhugh, Area 8, nine gillnetters had averages of 67 sockeye, 130 pinks and 16 chums on July 17 while 154 seiners averaged 394 sockeye, 1,370 pinks and 16 chums.
Broughton Strait - Malcolm Island section of Area 12 on July 17 saw 16 gillnetters averaging 150 sockeye, 22 pinks and two chums. In Johnstone Strait two See CATCH — Page 8