Page Four
THE FISHERMAN
The TiThf rm&n To° Much Mechanization
Friday, June 14, 1946
Representing The Organized Fishermen And Shoreu-'Orkers of British Columbia
6,100 Copies Printed This Issue '
Published Every Friday except the last Friday of each month by The Fisherman Publishing Society, 138 East Cordova St., Vancouver, B.C. Telephone MArine 1829 Advertising Rates on Application
Editor ............................. GEORGE NORTH
Subscaiption Rates: One Year, $1.50; Six Months, 80c. Make All Payments to THE FISHHERMAN PUBLISHING SOCIETY
Authorized at Second Class Mail, Postoffice Dep't, Ottawa
IWA Memb ers Firm---
Give Them Your Support
DESPITE frenzied attempts by the R. V. Stuart propaganda agency for the logging operators, to confuse and befuddle strikers and public, there is no break in the ranks of striking woodworkers. It must indeed be a disappointment particularly since tomorrow marks the beginning of their second month on the picket lines.
Why are the lumber workers so solidly united? Why is their no break in their ranks?
They are united, despite the unhappy cries from Mr. Stuart, simply because they need higher pay, they need shorter hours and they need union security. They won't go back without them.
The cost-of-living is soaring as the government releases more and more goods from price control. During the past few days alone, milk has risen from 16 2-3 percent to 20 percent, articles of clothing have gone up, as have vegetables and fruit. This jump in living costs alone justifies the strike of lumberworkers for 25 cents per hour across the board and taken together with the tremendous rise in living costs even during the war and certainly since V-J Day, their case is unquestionably just. It is made all the more just by the fact that figures show the major companies can pay the requested increase out of excess profits.
In the case of hours of work—the 40-hour week— there is again every reason for its institution. The union desires to provide greater employment to create jobs for vets, many thousands of whom have yet to return and many hundreds of whom are still unemployed.
Many fishermen well acquainted with logging know conditions in the woods. They know how the blacklist operated, how it still operates, and they know that by fighting for union security, they are fighting for job security and against vicious blacklist policies.
Thus there should be little wonder at the solidarity of the strikers. They are striking for conditions which mean bread and butter and their ranks will remain solid.
However, they will need assistance. Collection lists will be circulating within the next few days to all locals and branches of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union. Everyone able to, should contribute to the woodworkers' strike fund. If cash can't be supplied, fish, vegetables and food of any kind will be welcomed.
Remember, when you help the IWA, you help yourself even though you may never go near the logging industry. For it should be evident that conditions won by the IWA will form the basis for wages and conditions in industry across Canada. Give generously to the woodworkers !
Seamen Fight Against Reactionary Shipping Act
ORGANIZED labor through the Canadian Seamen's Union has for many years past been pointing to one particular piece of legislation which could well have been devised by Hitler himself. How justified labor was in attacking the Canada Shipping Act is now being made crystal clear by what has happened in the strike of Great Lakes' seamen against powerful shipping interests.
The Canadian Government recognizes the right of seamen to an eight-hour day, seven day week. It has granted this condition on all its own boats.
Yet, seamen striking for the eight-hour day in place of the present twelve-hour day, are arrested under the medieval, obsolete terms of the Canada Shipping Act, because they walk off their ships. And they don't walk off in the middle of the lake, they walk off in port where even the most biased viewpoint will not admit they are guilty of "desertion."
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Bring On King Arthur
I STOP PRESS: Seamen members of the CSU today endorsed m ,
H a government proposal to end the strike, operators have
B not yet given an answer on the plan.
By MEL COLBY
UJE are rapidly coming to the conclusion that this is not the world for the present government; this world is too highly mechanize^ for the men at Ottawa. We can only hope that in heaven there will be nothing more complicated than a harp, and that there are winged mechanics to make necessary repairs for Humphrey Mitchell.
It may be a secret to the government, but electricity has been harnessed. Science has progressed from the bed pan to the atomic bomb; even the oil furnace has a thermostat. The government may be confused about the matter, but the average citizen can start an automobile and run one; he can also turn right and left and can back up; he may not know exactly what is happening, but that's because the operation has never become more clear to him than the third law of thermodynamics; but he knows that the horseless carriage is here to stay.
The average citizen is also aware that King Arthur is dead; and if you ask any guy on the street if he believes in the eight-hour day he'll probably give you that same look of amazement that Cortez must have stared when he discovered the Pacific. As a matter of fact most of us assume that even Captain Bligh would be inclined to view the request of Canadian seamen for the Jeight-hour day with calm reasonableness.
DUT this country's shipowners ** were stunned at the request, although it is true that they feel themselves to be not entirely blameless for the way the present situation has developed; they admit, rather grimly it is true, that the demand for the eight-hour day was the next logical, mutinous step to be expected after shipowners were weak-kneed enough to agree to the abolition of galley slaves. Now, they say, we are cooking in our own juice.
But while galley slaves were abolished the Canada Shipping Act was retained as a safeguard. As far as can be ascertained this Act was made law on the same day that Joan of Arc left a cloistered convent in 17th Century Spain to eventually become a symbol in the fight against absolutism. There is a difference of opinion on this question, some historians holding that the act was first introduced during the, days of Good Queen Anne.
•THE reason for the difference * in viewpoint is because of the varied forms of punishment which were popular during past centuries. There are historians who are of the opinion that section four, paragraph three of the Canada Shipping Act, the section which reads that any sailor showing an obvious distaste for boll weevils shall be given 30 strokes with the knout, was written during Good Queen Anne's reign, since the knout was a favorite form of chastisement in those days.
But how is one to get around the argument that that part of the Canada Shipping Act which explicitly states that only first mates and captains have the right to insert hot needles under the nails of those sailors who ask for a raise, was written before Good Queen Anne's time. It is well known that she considered the use of hot needles as repulsive. <
THE act, of course, has been * slightly revised since it was first written. In 1934 when the tories were in power in Ottawa they made a few changes in an attempt to head off the organization of the seamen. The tories, taking into consideration that this is the 20th Century, made it a criminal offence to throw overboard any cabin boy under the age of 12 years. This revolutionary change is now being supported to the hilt by Prime Minister King. Mr. King is also said to be ser-
iously considering revising that section of the act which allows the captain of a ship to hang one of his sailors to a yardarm by his thumbs for a period not exceeding eight hours. The prime minister, so his advisers say, is firmly of the opinion that the time limit should be cut to four hours. But as far as the eight-hour day is concerned, the government is of the opinion that this demand must be made law, provided it can be conclusively proved that the combustion engine is here to stay.
Proposed Tender Rates
Salmon tendermen will be meeting this Saturday at three o'clock in the Fishermen's Hall at Vancouver to vote on wage scales and supplementary rates of the 1946 season. If they are approved, along with salmon price and cannery agreements by fishermen and shore-workers, the deadline of June 22 at which time all tendermen were to meet in Vancouver, regardless of where they were, would automatically be cancelled. The tendermen's agreement which is now being negotiated, covers all tenders except those engaged in pilchard or herring operations.
Here is the offer of the Salmon Canners' Operating Committee:
MONTHLY WAGE SCALES
Class A.. Class B Vessels I Vessels
Skipper ...... ..........................$315.00 $225.00
Engineer ................................ 187.50 197.50
Mate .................................... 158.00 168.00
Cook-Deckhand ......................... 147.00 157.00
Second Engineer ........................ 168.00
Board at $30 per month will be paid in addition.
ELEMENTARY RATES
SECTION 1—Tendermen who are specifically engaged in tending troll camps and/or halibut camps/or liver camps shall receive $10 per month in addition to the wages provided in this agreement. This additional wage shall be full compensation for all the duties required of tendermen while engaged in tending troll camps and/or liver camps, and/or halibut camps.
SECTION 2—Fish packers or tenders not covered in Section 1 are covered under the regular wage scale and no supplementary rate is payable for handling supplies necessary to operations being serviced, except if such boats carry groceries or general supplies, excluding ice, exceeding in weight one ton, then the crew shall be paid for such excess weight at the rate of $1 per ton for loading, and $1 for unloading. This amount is to be divided equally among the crew.
SECTION 3—Should any company utilize its packing vessels or tenders in freighting, the crew members of such vessels shall receive 75 cents per hour for all hours spent loading or discharging cargo. Freighting shall be defined as the transporting of such materials as box shooks, cooler trays, cans, nets, large quantities of salt, or other materials which are considered as general cannery or fishing station supplies.
SECTION 4—In instances where packers bring fish to any company plant and return with a load of general freight as defined in Section 3 above, or where packers are called upon to make one or two freight trips when fishing is slack, then such crew members are to receive 75 cents per hour for loading or discharging cargo during this period.
SECTION 5—The unloading of fish shall not be considered as part of the regular work of tendermen, but should a packer or tender crew be called upon to unload salmon, dressed or round, and/or halibut, the crew shall receive $1.50 per ton for unloading such cargo, the total amount to be divided equally among the crew. If a packer or tender crew is called upon to unload drums or cans of liver at liver prcessing plants, the crew members shall be paid 75 cents per hour for all hours spent unloading such drums of liver cans.
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Despite this, several hundred of these seamen have been arrested under this section of the act and charged with "desertion."
The fact that the Canadian Government has not laid a hand on one man walking off their own vessels even though the act allows them to, should indeed serve to indicate the fascist nature of this legislation. The government refuses to arrest these seamen because it could not justify its action to the voters of this country.
To expect men to work an 84-hour week in this present age, is nothing short of ridiculous. It is an intolerable condition, particularly in view of the tremendous profits netted by shipping companies. Witness Canada Steamship lines which last year made a net profit of $3,841,715. The place for a share of that profit, made from the sweat of Canada's seamen, is in their pockets and in the pockets of the additional seamen who will win employment as a result of shortening the hours of labor.
These seamen should be backed by demands that they be granted the eight-hour day, that the shipping act be junked and a new one written to comply with our concept of democracy, and that all arrested seamen be released and charges against them dropped. Their cause is just, support them well!
in Urgent Appeal
The Canadian Seamen appeal to all trade unionists to give financial support to our union In its struggle against the
84-hour week.
We are fighting for the 56-hour week-Mail your donations to:
National Strike Committee Canadian Seamen's Union 6 Wellington St. East Toronto, Ont.
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By
FRED OLSEN
THE 1946 struggle for fish prices * and wages has rallied hundreds of workers in the industry to the union. The increase in membership during the past several months has been phenomenal, and, if this is a forecast of things to come, we can begin looking forward to the fulfillment of our long-deferred goal — 100% organization of the industry.
To date, the newly organized members have been recruited chiefly from the shoreworkers, halibut, trawlers and tendermen. The gillnetters and seiners have yet to be heard from, but from all indications, we can expect an avalanche of applications when these boys get out on the grounds and begin reaping the benefits of organization.
At this point, we cannot speak too highly of the men and women workers in the industry without whose excellent cooperation this organizationl acceleration would have been impossible. Potential leaders by the dozen have come to the forefront and are performing a remarkable job of knitting closer the organization.
All this, of course, goes to prove that the union has pursued a correct policy in this year's price and wage struggle. The course has been stormy in spots, but victories have been chalked up all along the line.
But this is no time to relax. If anything, the tempo must be increased. The only answer that workers can give to the barrage of anti-union propaganda being spewed out daily through the press and radio is BIGGER AND BETTER UNIONS.
"FORWARD IN '46."
IEWIS Bromfield, celebrated Ohio farmer, was boasting of the rich soil of his native state. "It hasn't got a patch on Georgia soil," Nunnally Johnson assured rim. "Georgia soil is so rich that when we throw corn to the chickens, they have to catch it on the fly or eat it off the stalk"
* • *
THE house guest noticed that * Johnny eyed his asparagus longingly, but made no move to eat it. "What's the matter?" asked the guest. "Dont you like asparagus?"
"I love it," Johnny assured him, "but I have to wait for Papa to eat off the green tips!"
• • *
1 FAMOUS efficiency expert " died and was accorded a magnificent funeral. The palM bearers were carrying the casket down the steps of the church when suddenly the lid popped open and the deceased sat uprgiht to explain, "If you'd put this casket on wheels, you could lay off four men."
Canadians Ahead In Area 2 Catch
Results of halibut fishing during May reveal that the Canadian fleet topped Americans in landings from Area 2 by almost one and one-half million pounds.
Figures compiled by the International Fisheries Commission show that Canadian fishermen landed 9,535,000 pounds during May from area 2, while Americans brought in 8,149,000 pounds from the same area. Total amount landed during this time was 17,684,000 pounds.
The tables were turned from '45, when during May Canadians were 246,000 pounds below the Americans in halibut landed from area 2.
Catch to May 31 from area 3 this season totals only 5308,000 pounds, 101,000 brought in by Canadians and the remaining 5,207,000 pounds by American fishermen.
Last year's figures were 68,000 Canadian, 567,000 American, with a total of 5,235,000 pounds.