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Representing The Organized Fishermen And Shoreworkers of Brit ish Columbia
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In THIS ISSUE
1 SPECIAL STORIES AND PICTURES OF THE
SECOND ANNUAL CONVENTION ____ PAGES 4 and 5 jj
I SOCKEYE SALMON CONSERVATION .......... PAGE 2 1
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VOL VIII, NO. 10
(329)
VANCOUVER, B.C., FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1946
Eajt End Printed.
230} E. Ha.ting. St. PRICE: 5c
ALL NET WORK STOPS
Guy Williams, left, seems to be thinking deeply as he listens to fellow Brotherhood fraternal delegate Percy Gladstone during a lull in convention proceedings.
In the photo below, taken just before the convention got underway Monday, everyone looks pleased about the prospects. From left to right, the delegates are, Bill Rigby, secretary-treasurer UFAWU; George Andersen, secretary of the Rupert Deep Sea Fishermen; Lillian Greening and Stan Boshier of the Prince Rupert Local, and George Miller, UFAWU president.
Netmen Halt Work Thursday; Demand Signed Agreement
All work on nets stopped Thursday night following unanimous vote of a special networkers' meeting Tuesday night in the Fishermen's Hall. Held while the second annual convention of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union was in session, the
meeting decided that "no further net work will be done
Convention Adopts Program On Agreements, Sets Special Assessment On Membership
A statement of policy, calling for signing of all salmon agreements by June 1, and laying down a general policy in regard to all 1946 agreements, at the same time setting a basic one dollar emergency reserve fund assessment on all members, was unanimously endorsed this week at the second annual Unit ed Fishermen and Allied Workers' Unionconvention. The policy statement, which
until an agreement is signed with the companies and approved by the Regional War Labor Board."
Operators were informed of the stand taken by special delivery letter sent Wednesday, March 20.
Netmen were meeting this morning in Vancouver's Beatty Street Labor Temple to discuss further plans.
This crisis in the net section of the fishing industry developed as the direct result of the attitude displayed by operators at a special negotiating meeting held on Tuesday with a large committee of netmen present These ipclud-ed Harry Stegavig, Bob Bailey, Jan Munro, William Ross, Jim Woods, Jim Skinner, Alex Ross and Bill Ross.
The special net meeting was called owing to the emergency of having an agreement for net workers this year to avoid a repetition of the past two years' negotiations which led to a situation in which no agreement was signed.
The statement made by operators during negotiations that no net agreement was possible until fish prices and all other agreements affecting salmon costs were settled and the unfounded allegation that union officers had agreed to this procedure were, as one committee member put it, "the last straws."
Once again netmen were confronted with the vision of long delays in settlement of justified grievances and demands commensurate with the skill involved in net work, being dragged out by the Regional War Labor Board indefinitely till the year's network is done.
The information as to the decision taken by the netmen's meeting in Vancouver, was conveyed by wire to those union members at outside points. Replies acknowledging receipt of the wires and endorsing the stoppage have been received from many points includ-
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| Union Re-elects | I Main Officers
All table officers of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union were reelected as delegates to the union convention on Thursday night chose their executive for the coming year. Two of the officers. Bill Rig-by and Alex Gordon, were returned to their respective position of general secretary-treasurer and business agent without opposition. President George Miller, with only a handful of opposing votes, retained the position of president.
Homer Stevens, secretary of the Ladner local and last year an executive member, now assumes the post of first vice - president, while Jack Maxwell, who is employed at North Shore packing, will take over as second vice-president.
Several new faces will appear on the 1946 executive board. Members elected to the board include: Mark Galway, Steve Stavenes, Angus Neish, George Moon, Bob Hannah and "Pop" Foster. Shoreworker board members are: Lydia Rankin, Christine Laird, Frank Parker, Joe Sally, Ruth Breger, and Melba Strom.
Trustees for 1946 are: Alex Eyton, of Port Mann; Jim Read, of Ladner; and Elgin "Scotty" Neish, of Victoria local.
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also agrees with establishing a joint B.C. Maritime Council, and favors a joint provincial trade union wage conference, came in for thorough discussion when presented by the agreemnts committee Wednesday.
In view of the importance of this policy statement, the complete text is published below:
Statement of Policy
This union was founded and exists for the protection and advancement of the welfare of its members. Over a period of years it has grown to its present strength, bringing together into a single united body, all types of fishermen and shoreworkers who, regardless of type of gear used, or the operation in which they are engaged, confront a common problem of gaining a decent livelihood as the fruit of their labor in the fishing industry.
From a situation with many small unions in the industry, whilst the majority of fishermen and shoreworkers were unorganized, our union has grown to its present strength by improving wages, prices and conditions for its members. Conditions in the industry were for many years notoriously bad. In many instances the fishing industry is excluded in whole or in part from even the benefits of existing social legislation, such as the Compensation Act, Unemployment Insurance, Hours of Work Act, etc.
The seasonal nature of operations in the industry and the variety of organizational problems to be solved made the job of organization by no means an easy one. In
spite of all difficulties, trade union organization has been extended to cover the major sections of the industry and has brought in its wake, immeasurable benefits to those engaged in the Industry and to the community as a whole.
Today in common with other, unions we are confronted with the problem of shaping the pattern of the postwar world- Though there are still existing in the industry long standing grievances and bad conditions such as low wages, long hours, and deplorable housing conditions in outside canneries, the attitude of big business as expressed by the Canadian Manufacturers' Association is that labor must abandon its effort to improve wages and working conditions and accept the idea that the lower the living standard of the people the more we will be able to export.
The UFAWU rejects this policy. Labor in all industries must go ahead together in establishing a 40-hour week, a higher minimum wage and higher living standards. Full employment and the prosperity of our people depends on this path being followed. Either we go forward to the establishment of higher living standards for all, or we will go back to the conditions of the vicious circle of unemployment, wage cutting and under-nour-ishment which prevailed in the thirties. (
The basic issues in our negotiations this year common to all our agreements are:
(1) To gain a greater and a fairer share of the product of our la-—Continued on Page 8
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| Convention Qives Rebuke | To Warmongering Antics
The second annual convention of the United Fishermen and H Allied Workers' Union this week registered its emphatic condemnation of procedure being followed by the Dominion Government in conducting the present probe into alleged espionage activities. The convention sent copies of the resolution stating the union's position to members of both Federal and Provincial Houses, and urged opposition to the conclusion of military alliances, warning that such alliances can only provide the basis for World War III. The special resolution was unanimously adopted in convention, and is printed below in full.
WHEREAS: During the past month the daily press and radio, encouraged and instigated by government sources, have indulged in an unprecedented orgy of hysterical propoganda injurious to the maintenance of friendly or even normal diplomatic relations with our wartime ally, the Soviet Union, and
WHEREAS: Under a secret Order-in-Council passed last October Canadian citizens, including prominent scientists, have been recently arrested, held incommunicado, denied the right of consultation with legal council and deprived of the safeguards of habeus corpus, and
WHEREAS: During their- detention under these shameful circumstances, press, radio, so-called unimpeachable sources and unnamed government spokesmen have been creating an atmosphere th,at renders almost impossible an unprejudiced trial by a jury uninfluenced by outside sources;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED: That this Convention of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union publicly protests against the parody of traditional British justice we are witnessing and are being asked to condone, and
BE IT RESOLVED: That we emphatically condemn the methods adopted by the government to conduct its alleged espionage probe; and ' BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: That we re-affirm our support for a policy of continued friendship, cooperation and trade between our country and the Soviet Union and with all of our allies; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED: That we oppose the conclusion of any military alliances that would divide the United Nations into opposing blocs, preparing the way for World War III.
mi
ing the following: Alert Bay, Port Edwards, Namu, Sunnyside, North Pacific, Carlisle, Deep Bay, Klem-tu, Port Albion, Cee Pee Cee, and Kildonan.
Johnson Russ, on behalf of Bill Beynan who happened to be at Aiyansh at the time the wire was received at Port Edward, has given his assurance to business agent Alex Gordon that all network will cease on the Skeena.
Guy Williams, southern business agent of the Native Brotherhood of B.C., was present at all meetings of the networkers and pledged full support of the action taken. Their members will work with the union netmen in stopping work until a satisfactory agreement is obtained.
Increased wage rates are the main demand of the netmen who are also seeking time and half for hourly paid employees and straight time for monthly paid employees for hours worked in excess of eight, per day.
Wage rates sought are for a basic monthly scale of $204 per month for qualified netmen employed out of town, and of $188 for qualified netmen employed in Vancouver and district. Rates now paid are $179 and $165 for these respective classifications.
Rates of $184 to $204 for out-of-town qualified net women, and $168 to $188 for qualified net women in town are being sought for inclusion in the new agreement.
The union is seeking for seasonal net bosses, a minimum wage of $290 monthly instead of the present $250, yearly net bosses, $222 to $260 instead of $184 to $229; and assistant net boss, $222 instead of, at present, $194. Wages sought for camp netmen are $224 per month.
Hourly rates asked by the union are 80 cents for semi-skilled net-workers; 72 cents for inexperienced networkers (both men and women) and one dollar per hour for qualified netmen.
Convention Pledges Support To Netmen
Full support for the demands of netmen was unanimously given in a resolution passed Wednesday at the second annual United Fishermen and Allied Workers' Union convention.
Delegates also agreed to send a committee to see the Edward Lip-sett Co., asking the firm as a gesture of goodwill toward its fishermen clients to voluntarily cease all work on all nets on which work has been stopped at other plants.
It was pointed out at the convention that net workers have been very patient during the past, but this time were intent upon gaining the wage increases sought. Net workers had gone on since 1943 with no agreement and as one speaker stated the case: "This time we intend to get an agreement with our demands incorporated."
The agreement proposed by the companies, it was pointed out by business agent Alex Gordon, was the same as that signed in 1943 the only change suggested being the granting of May 24 and Boxing Day. This concessions, it was said, made little difference since most netmen do not work on these two days-
The netmen, it was made clear will not work after March 21, until a net agreement has been signed with the companies and approved by the Regional Board.
Business Agent Gordon charged
Milo Moore Named To Fisheries Commission
Mlo Moore has been appointed to the International Pacific Fisheries Commission. Moore was appointed March 19, and will replace C. E. Jackson, who is retiring after eight years service with the commission. Moore is an ex-commercial fisherman
that the companies have an access to the board and even influence the decision after a joint application has been made. This charge was backed up later by fraternal delegate Heard, business agent of the marine engineers, who said he not only shared Gordon's opinioa but also stated that: "I am certain they have a back door arrangement"
Business Agent Gordon pointed to the greatly increased cost of living and asked for action in removing the wage freezing Order-in-Council, PC 9384.
NEW NORTH SHORE FISHERIES OFFICER
Lloyd Gudewell of Vancouver, a returned RCAF veteran replaces T. K. Lightly, as fisheries officer for the North Shore area and West Vancouver. Lightly is leaving the fisheries department on superannuation. Gudewell, who was stationed overseas with the air force has a wife and child in England who are expected to arrive in Canada within a short tme.
MOORING BUOY FOR BLUBBER BAY
A mooring buoy is to be established in Blubber Bay, Texada Island by the B.C. Cement Company, for the purpose of mooring scows. This mooring buoy will be in 13 fathoms of water, bearing southwest by south one quarter or 210 degrees distant, approximately five hundred and fifty feet from the cement company wharf.