Corporate body

Lumber Inspectors' Union, I.W.A. Local 1-288

• International Woodworkers of America Local #1-288
• International Woodworkers of America Local 1-288

• Pacific Lumber Inspectors Bureau Union
• Lumber Inspectors' Union, I.W.A. Local 1-288

1945-1980

The Lumber Inspectors' Union, B .C . Division, was incorporated under the Societies Act on March 7th, 1945. On April 11th, 1949, upon the recommendation of its executive officers, members agreed to transfer to the Canadian Congress of Labour (CCL) and become the Lumber Inspectors' Union, B .C . Division, Local 1, CCL. Following the receipt of its charter from the CCL on May 5th, 1949, this title was officially certified. In 1956, the Union became a charter local of the new Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) . On May 1st, 1961, it joined the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) to become the sole member organization of Local 1-288, which was a local chapter of IWA's Western Canadian Regional Council No . 1 .

The Lumber Inspectors' Union's mandated objectives of 1945 were to organize and unionize lumber inspectors in British Columbia , to promote lumber inspectors within the industry, to increase their knowledge and efficiency, to create and distribute opportunities in lumber inspection, to further the enactment of legislation which would benefit the Union members, and to secure compensation and pay comparable to that of similarly skilled workmen . As well, the Union was to promote cooperation and friendship among its members, to encourage members and their families to achieve a high level of citizenship, and to make provisions for misfortune or death benefits for the members and/or their dependents . These last three objectives were expunged in the 1949 Constitution . In the 1961 Constitution, only the first four objectives of the Societies Act remained, while the responsibility for the payment of benefits was jointly assumed by the Welfare Fund (1951), the Lumber Inspectors' Mutual Benefit Association (1953), the Lumber Inspectors' Credit Union (1955), and the Benevolent Society (1955). In reality, the functions the Union carried out were supporting on the job concerns (including safety, working conditions and promoting the availability of job positions), assuring general job satisfaction (through negotiations, arbitrations, grievances, and conciliations), and maintaining the members' financial security (by administering benevolent funds, pensions, and workers' compensation) . The Union's primary responsibility was to its members, although it was subordinate to the CLC and later the IWA . The Union was organized on a province-wide basis, with sub-locals in Victoria, Duncan, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, 100 Mile House, Haney-Mission, Tahsis, and Vancouver . Its records were kept in the Vancouver sub-local's office . The Union's membership's primary employer was the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB), although any inspector in British Columbia, regardless of his or her employer , could be a member of the Union . In 1980, the Lumber Inspectors' Union was disbanded and its members transferred to other IWA locals .

Canadian Labour Congress

International Woodworkers of America. Western Canadian Regional Council No. 1

International Woodworkers of America. Local 1-288 (1943-1981)

Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau Association

Administrative history prepared by Johanna Smith and Jason Eamer-Goult, 1992, updated by Claire Williams, 2017.

Records within the fonds
Finding aid prepared by RBSC staff in 1992 (see attached PDF)