FRANK WALDEN...acquittal
affects other CUPW leaders‘

Court rules Frank Walden ‘not guilty’

as postal workers’

The Canadian Union of Postal
Workers won what local. leaders
called a ‘‘victory for our union”’
as Justice George Murray in-
structed the jury in Assize Court
Monday to bring in a verdict of
not guilty in the trial of CUPW
western regional director Frank
Walden.

Walden was charged along with
other CUPW leaders across the
country with failure to instruct
CUPW members that their strike
was illegal following the passage
of the government’s strikebreak-
ing legislation on October 19 last
year.

But as Justice Murray stated,
the court had no jurisdiction to try
Walden as the alleged offence was
supposed to have taken place in
Vancouver while Walden was in
Ottawa at the time.

The jury read its decision in
court Monday. The trial had
opened May 7.

Outside the courthouse,
Walden said that he was happy
with the decision, adding that he
was confident that the verdict

- would still have been not guilty

even if the issue of jurisdiction
had not intervened.

“I feel we acted forthwith as

stipulated in Bill C-8 (the strike-

‘breaking legislation) and this was

proven in evidence that came out
in the Crown case,’’ he said in a
prepared statement.

“We did everything humanely
possible to achieve a collective
agreement in order to resolve the
dispute and restore the mail ser-
vice in Canada, despite legislation
imposed on us by the Liberal and
Conservative parties in Parlia-
ment.” :

The verdict was seen as impor-
tant for the trials of other officers,
scheduled to come up in August.

CUPW Vancouver Local presi-
dent Lloyd Ingram also emphasiz-

struggle continues

ed that point to Vancouver Labor
Council delegates and added that
the Walden trial was significantly
different from the trial of Parrot
in Ontario Supreme Court.

‘‘The overwhelming support of

the trade union movement in this
province has had its effect,’’ he
told the council. Z
In Ontario, CUPW president
Jean-Claude Parrot reaffirmed
the union’s intention to ‘‘continue
the struggle’’ following his release
on bail May 8, pending his appeal.
Parrot is scheduled to speak to

’ a CUPW support rally at the Van-

couver courthouse this Friday, |

May 18 at noon.

\ trials. .

Big business pushing Clark,

| Tories, CP’s Kashtan warns |

ed its suport to the Conservative
Party and Pierre Trudeau is out
“ike an old sock,’? Communist
Party leader William Kashtan de-
clared Tuesday in Vancouver.

Kashtan was speaking to about _|
400 Communist Party supporters at |
the CP’s election rally in the Bilt- |
more Hotel and he made the danger
of a shift to the right in Canada the
central theme of his address.

A recent poll by the Financial
Post, Kashtan cited, showed 71 per
cent support in. big business circles
for the Conservative Party and
other larger newspapers across the ~
country, including long-time Lib-
eral stalwarts like the Montreal

see HOUSES pg. 3

Strikers
vote ‘no’

at INCO ' e LABOR: There is_ con-

SUDBURY — Overriding their | troversy in CUPE Local 1004
bargaining committee’s recom- over the attempt of Local a
mendations, strikers at the INCO officers to gag activist Dave |
operations in Sudbury voted con- Werlin. Jack Phillips com- | @
vincingly to reject the latest con- ments, page 12. :
tract officer made by the giant mul-
tinational.

Some 90 per cent of the strikers
turned out for the vote and 5,463 of
them cast their ballots with a no
vote, giving the bargaining commit-
tee a 57.3 per cent majority in favor
of rejection.

reeanaeae =

eneceetneeent eerie

¢ B.C. ELECTION: Bill Ben-—
nett’s Socreds have narrow-

ly formed a government
again, but they owe their
win to their tacit agreement | _
with the Tories and to the |
gerrymandering of
Lawrence Eckardt, page 3.

Stan See nnn ae pe

cote
i mee

i
Wie WILSON
"omempegrene Se oe :

Vancouver East .

= pie cance

Earlier story
page 5

The vote was announced Satur-
day night after the committee had
spent most of the day counting
more than 9,500 ballots.

“The union members have told
INCO the same thing they told
: them a long time ago,” Steelwork-
as ers’ Local 6500 president Dave Pat-
terson said following the vote.
“They’ve told them the offer just

@ NUCLEAR PROTEST: ee |
More than 140,000 people | }
demonstrated against nuc- - 4

lear power and nuclear wea- |
pons in Washingbton, D.C. |
last week and in Rocky

w

days in this province campaigning before re-

I

COMMUNIST PARTY leader William Kashtan spent three
Urning to his home riding of Toronto-Trinity and the party's main election rally in Toronto Friday. Top:

~ Kashtan (right) and Vancouver Centre CP candidate Bert Ogden (left) talk to fishermen at the False isn’t enough.” Fists, Colorado April. 28; : - i
Creek fishermen’s wharf. Bottom: With Ogden and Vancouver East candidate Fred Wilson on Van- In turning the offer down the ma- page 11.
Souver’s Commercial Drive, Tuesday. — Sean Griffin photos see COUNCIL pg. 12 < oS :