BY OBSERVER

On November 2, 1966, dele-
gates to the convention of the
British Columbia Federation of

_ Labor paraded around the Van-
couver courthouse, They were
demanding the freedom of four
trade union leaders jailed. be-
cause they defied court injunc-
tions in the Lenkurt strike, They
were also demanding an end to
court injunctions in labor dis-
putes,

In 1966, C.P. Neale, Secretary
of the Vancouver Labor Council
and Tom Clarke of the Interna-
tional Woodworkers of America,
were sentenced to six months in
jail, Art O’Keeffe of Local 213
of the International Brotherhood
of Electrical Workers was sen-
tenced to four months and Jeff
Powers of the Marine and Boil-
ermakers Union got three
months, The Lenkurt strike,
which could have been won, ended
in a defeat, a defeat brought about
in large measure by the use of
ex parte injunctions,

As labor prepares for the 1967
convention of the B.C, Fed, which
opens in Vancouver on October
22, three top leaders of the United
Fishermen ahd Allied Workers
Union have been sentenced to one
year in jail, arising out of con-
tempt charges in respect to an
injunction designed to cripple the
strike of their Prince Rupert
membership, In addition, the
union has been fined $25,000
and still faces the possibility of
heavy damage suits, The jail
terms are being appealed and
organized labor has responded
generously to the financial ap-
peal of the Fishermen’s Defence
Fund,

In short, the use of ex parte
injunctions has been accelerated
and the penalties for non-com-
pliance sharply increased, What
is at stake is the right of labor
to use two of its tested and
traditional weapons during
strikes, the right to picket and
the right to label products or
services unfair if they are pro-
duced behind picket lines,

It is expected that the B,C,
Fed convention will pledge sup-

port to the Fishermen’s Defence

Fund, because in defending the
Fishermen’s Union they will be
defending organized labor, At
this moment in British Columbia,
the fight to free Homer Stevens,
Steve Stavenes and Jack Nichol
is the front line battle for every
sincere trade unionist.

_ The campaign launched by the
B.C. Fed executive to collect a
dollar per member to stamp out
injunctions should be endorsed by
the convention and carried to
every local and job in the
province, but all attempts to
counterpose this campaign to that
of the Fishermen’s Defence Fund
must be defeated, Both cam-
paigns deserve support,

UNITE RANKS

The convention should speak
up with a firm voice to demand
that the leadership of the Can-
adian Labor Congress admit the
United Fishermen and Allied
Workers’ Union into affiliation,
This union has already made an
application for a charter and its
admission into the CLC would
greatly strengthen the unity of
organized labor,

In the past year, we have seen
the Vancouver Civic Employees
Union (Outside Workers) join the
Canadian Union of Public Em-
ployees (CLC) and we have wit-
nessed the merger of the Steel
Workers Union (CLC) and the
Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers
of Canada, In both cases, and
as in the case of the Fisher-
men, these unions were ex-
pelled from the main labor
center because of cold war poli-
cies originating with the U.S,
State Department and with ex-
treme right-wing labor leaders
in the U.S.A.

If labor is to meet the chal-
lenge
changes, including automation
and cybernation, it must have
unity in defense of its vital in-
terests.

The suspension of four locals
of the International Woodworkers
of America by the B,C, Fed ex-
ecutive must be reversed and
their delegates seated on the

Richmond electric
workers choose UE

Federal Pacific Electric of
Canada employees in Richmond
have selected the United Elec-
trical workers as their bargain-
ing agent, The government super-
vised vote among the company’s
employees, conducted by thé
Labor Relations Board on August
22, resulted in 81 votes for the
UE and 52 for the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Wor-
kers. Only two employees did
not vote, The IBEW had previ-
ously represented the workers,

One of the issues in the seven
month jurisdictional dispute was
the action of U.S, top officers of
the IBEW in suspending about 30
of its members and removing
executive members of Local 213
for their support of strikers at
Lenkurt Electric last May, 1966,

In contrast to the IBEW which
is under the strict control of its
Washington headquarters, the UE
has its own Canadian autonomy
with all dues money staying in
Canada,

With 25,000 members in over
70 plants, the UE is the largest
and strongest union in electrical
manufacturing, Its contract rates
are the highest in the industry,

“The IBEW failed to service
its members here,” said Jim
Adam, president of UE Local 552
at Federal Pacific, “It did nothing
about correcting classifications,
ignored grievances and neglected
to enforce the contract. Appar-
ently its just not interested in
manufacturing; it only wanted our
dues, Our members became dis-
illusioned with the IBEW and de-
cided to join the UE which is a
Canadian union and has done an
outstanding job for its members
in electrical manufacturing,”

George Gee, National Repre-
sentative of the UE, criticized
officials of the Canadian Labor
Congress and the B,C, Feder-
ation of Labor for intervention
on behalf of the IBEW.

September 1, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8

floor, There is a growing sus-
picion that the ousters were de-
signed to prevent the defeat of
Secretary-Treasurer Ray Hay-
nes and some of his close sup-
porters on the executive.

At last year’s convention, the
establishment circulated a
printed slate to the delegates,
with 16 names onit, onefor every
seat on the executive,

Outstanding trade union lead-
ers like Bill Stewart of the Marine
Workers, Charles Stewart of the
Amalgamated Transit and Roy
Smith of the Longshoremen were
defeated, It is ironic, looking
back at the slate, to note that
Pat O’ Neale was elected, O’ Neale
was soon forced to resign as a
result of his role in bugging
the convention rooms of the Can-
adian Pulp and Paper Workers
Union,

of rapid technological

The Longshoremen’s Union has
been a key union for many years
in the economic battles of organ-
ized labor in B.C., but they were
frozen out of the executive, That
same executive cannot undertake
any major confrontation with the
employers without soliciting the
support of the Longshoremen,

Some of those who were elec-
ted to the executive represent
very little, both in terms of the
role their unions play in de-
cisive economic struggles and in
terms of their personal contri-
butions to organized labor but
they were swept in by the ma-
chine vote, Unless elections
can produce an executive with
representation from the decisive
sectors of the labor movement,
and without discriminating
against individual leaders on po-
litical grounds, it will be a weak
executive,

The Carpenters and the Elec-
trical Workers, two key unions
in the Building Trades, are soon
going over to the 37}-hour work
week, Delegates to the conven-
tion should discuss what can be
done to assist other unions in
the Building Trades to win the
shorter work week and what can
be done to carrythe shorter work
week to basic, secondary and
service industries,

One of the best contributions
the B,C, Fed can make to labor
unity in this province is to con-
vene a co-ordinating conference
of all trade unions in the prov-

ince that will be going into col-
lective bargaining between the
67 and ’68 conventions, 1968
will be a big year in collective
bargaining, with many of the
pace-setting unions coming up
to bat,

AUTONOMY

The related questions of auton-
omy for Canadian branches of
International unions and inde-
pendence for Canadian labor will
be in much sharper focus at
this convention, In the course of
a year, the Pulpand Paper Work-
ers of Canada have made signifi-
can gains in British Columbia,
The idea of a Canadian trade
union movement, run for and by
Canadians, has won many new
supporters as a result of this
and other developments,

Approximately half the pulp

Ft

and paper workers of B.C, are
now represented by the Canadian
union, In the Building Trades,
we have seen division among
the iron workers, The desire of
the leadership of the National
Confederation of Trade Unions
(CNTU) to expand beyond the
province of Quebec has, in cer-
tain quarters, raised the per-
spective of a new center built
around the CNTU,

The fact that the CNTU has not
hesitated to raid purely Canadian
unions and that many of its lead-
ers are closely tied in with the
Liberal Party should indicate the
need for an objective study of
the picture as a whole, The
adventuristic and ultra-left line
of split and secession whenever
the opportunity for division pre-
sents itself must be fought and
defeated.

The objective of the left and
progressive forces must be for
a united labor movement in order
to meet the united strength of
big business andthe governments
they control, To achieve this, we
must have democracy within the
ranks of organized labor and the
fullest measure of Canadian
autonomy, The end product of
such democracy and autonomy
must be an independent trade
union movement, bound by fra-
ternal ties with the American
trade union movement,

The danger of attempting to
force the pace, artificially and

arbitrarily assuming that
perience of one union bie Ff
the pattern for all other ¢
has to be avoided. Si,
must protect, for examp') j
right of Canadian pul af re
to set up their own
distinct from the Inte ait
this cannot mean that we
cate secession aS 4 en ip tf
of advance and raise
level of a principle.

{0
It would be much vel!
advocate that all unto ai!
lumber and pulp industtY gor
joint bargaining COUne™ ie
next negotiations, 2” one
long-range perspective | sage
union for the industry ¥ We
plete Canadian autonon’ eal”
should also advance the const
of the Canadian Labor asi
extending its sora the
Canadian center bY
doors to all legitimale wy
unions, including woh the
CNTU, the Teamsters
Fishermen,

ty

In short, we must have wt if
the fight against monope Foil
and the governments w wil
them — and to achieve fight
we must step uP tm genet
autonomy and af
trade union movement.

d
A study of the proceell y
the last B.C. Fed Come git
also of the lest show
tion of the CLC,
in the main, good posit
adopted on foreign
policy, for example, on
against injunctions: soit
in Vietnam, natures,
and many other key ell

PEACE ACTION

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