Voice of action. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1933-1936, 1934-09-28
NLwU ORGANIZES AGAINST
OPERATORS WARTIME
LIKE ADVANTAGES

~ are for the workers the worst
in the history of the industry.
Never before have the operat-
ors enjoyed such huge profits.
The Lumber Code Authority
has been turned over to the Ma
tional Lumber Manufacturers
Assn, the biggest corporations
in the industry. It grants them
war time privileges.
The code itself, organized in
order to create a monopoly for
the largest operators, is begin
ming to bear fruit more bOunti-
full than year ago.
The immediate war plans of
the government are being carried
out feverishly by increasing the
speed up in the production of
lumber. Orders of trench timber
are being shipped daily to the
Orient from Weyerhauser mills
In LOngyiew.
During the lOngshOre strike
the operators were frantic and
tried to incite the lumber work
ers to scab in order to keep this
material moving to the Japan
csc war mongers.
Since the crisis started in
1923 the number of workers en-
gagged In the lumber industry
and its by products have been
reduced from over 100000 to
around at present $3.50 100000
thus the operators have dou-
bled the production per man
and have reduced payrolls
from $4,000, 900 to 100000.
Prices of lumber are going up
ward and the operators are hold
ing on for a still sharper in
crease. The smaller operators
can not compete with the larger
and are fighting the Code so as
to sell when they can for what
they can. II do not wish to con.
vey the idea to the workers that
we are bemoaning the fate of
the small lumber operator, but
use this fact so as to show what
trends the industry is following
and who are reaping the bene-
fits. Even the capitalists will cut
each others throats for profits,
but are united together against
the struggling lumber workers
Ed
Everything easing Except
Workers Wages
The capitalist trade journals
have been printing articles that
conditions are on the up grade,
everything is going to be okay.
etc. After a years experience the
lumber workers have seen just
what vicious machine the NRA
has turned out to be. Instead of
higher wages, they face starva-
ton conditions on the job. In
stead of organizing any union
they so desire, they are being
fired and Disseminated against
unless they join the company Al
(LOngview) union.
After taking their grievances
to the NRA board they have
found out in bitter experience
that the NRA board is another
machine set up for the protec-
ton of the operators interests.
Sentiment for NLWU
With these miserable condi-
tiOns existing In the industry, the
lumber workers are beginning to
realize they must organize into
the NLWU, which has the only
class struggle program in the
field. Last week % wood cutters
in the Hood Canal district or
ganized a branch of the NLWU.
Although in this part of the Can
al the Ku Klux Khan, Vigilantes,
and such other boss supporting
patriots, have been carrying on
campaign of intimidation
against the workers, raising the
Red Scare" these militant
workers refuse to be side-track-
ed from their course of struggle
for better wages and working
conditions.
Pulp Wood Cutters Organizing
For Struggle
While the majority of the
mills and camps have been shut
down for the past two months,
many hundred lOggers and mill
workers have gone to cutting
pulp wood for a living. Their ex-
perience has been that after a
hard days work their wages am
cunt to a little better than the
relief that is being handed out
to the unemployed workers.
The paper mill companies are
reaping as high as $50 per ton for
their products, but wages and
conditions in these mills are on
q starvation level.
The pulp wod cutters in Forks,
Aberdeen, Bellingham are organ
izing into the NLWU. Confer
ences are taking place in Aber-
deem and Forks the first of Octo-
Der where a standard wage will
be devised for wood cutting.
Plans will be devised to involve
the pulp mill workers in strur-
gle for their demands.
This tactic is essential at pres
ent, as the pulp wood cutters are
organizing to better their living