€ IOAG~ -FTRI It would appear that U.S. Pre- sident Richard M. Nixon’s best and only friend among top labor leaders in the USA, Frank Fitz- simmons, paid a visit to Toron- to last week. Fitz is the $125,- 000-a-year-plus president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. The occasion which brought Mr. Fitzsimmons to Canada was a conference of local presidents and _ business agents of the union representing some 70,000 members in this country, out of a total of some two million in the international union. Now, there is nothing un- usual in the fact that an inter- national union president comes here to attend -and participate in a meeting of Canadian mem- bers of his union. In fact, that is a fairly common thing in this country where many union mem- bers have organic ties with unions across the border in the USA. What makes this particular visit of Mr. Fitzsimmons note- worthy inarather unique way is a combination of factors having to do with autonomy of organ- ized labor in this country, union structure and policies, the de- mocratic rights of Canadians to decide what unions to belong to and what the policies of their unions should be. A CLC Charter Sometime this fall the Brew- ery Workers International Union held a convention and decided BY BRUCE MAGNUSON for brewery workers to merge with the Teamsters Union. However, Canadian mem- bers of the Brewery Workers Union did not agree with the decision to merge and are seek- ing to set up their own union in Canada. The logical thing in these circumstances would. be for the Canadian Labor Con- gress to issue a charter for such a union and, perhaps, also seek to include the distillery work- ers in this, since they too are dissatisfied with their interna- tional union and seek a new berth somewhere else. As it now stands, the Brewery Work- ers Union takes in cereal and soft drink workers, and even grain elevator workers in Van- couver. é It now appears that the Team- sters Union is preparing for a long and costly internecine war amongst. the brewery workers, including a legal battle over successor right to negotiated agreements, the use of the brewery workers union label, etc. It would also appear that a long period of fancy manoeuv- ring has preceded: this develop- ment. ’ Lawson Resigned First, Senator Edward Lawson resigned as Canadian director of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, ostensibly in pro- test over the lack of any author- ity in this capacity. But it made little difference to his position in the union since he is an in- ternational vice-president and “Nationalize Bell’ — CLC launches campaign TORONTO — The Canadian Labor Congress is continuing its fight for the nationalization of Bell Canada and the revamping of the Canadian Transportation. Commission to make the Com- mission more responsive to the interests of the Canadian con- sumer, CLC Secretary-Treasurer William Dodge said Nov. 27. A new CLC Bell Canada ad- visory committee was recently formed composed of officials from labor unions active in the telecommunications field, he said. “The committee met for the first time Friday (Nov. 23) and laid the ground rules for a cam- paign designed to expose the continuing exploitation of con- sumers by Bell Canada with the benevolent approval of the Com- mission,” Mr. Dodge said. The Congress opposed Bell Canada’s last application for an increase in rates made in No- vember, 1972. It is also opposing the company’s latest application for a further increase. In its previous brief the CLC described Bell Canada as. a “prime candidate for public ownership.” “There is no place in the Canadian economy for a private monopoly — either regulated or unregulated — for in either cir- cumstance it leads to the accu- mulation of economic power in private hands which in the end is responsible only to itself,” the Congress: brief stated. The brief also called for a _complete restructuring of the Commission to ensure effective protection of the public interest. ORPORATE REPORTS Bell's nine-month profit increases to $127,575,000 or $3.19 a share Profit (Loss) or Company Period Lotest Bell Canada, Montreal 9 mo Sep 30 PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 1973--PAGE 4 = wot ae? We Oe te ge MQ SB et J RIIMIVIG VACA ~-BKUBIRT SATAY Belence of Revenue Profit $000 $ Yeor Ago Lotest Year Ago Lotest 127,575 120,709 «=. 3.19 3.04 Share Revenue, Sales or income Note $000 Yeor Ago 937,412 828,138 TaweogGqa Of di sp94 4s deal Od Sg . Sistance todo so. ,; =) Bea remains active in that capacity. His resignation was obviously a ploy to meet the rapidly grow- ing sentiment for Canadian au- tonomy and sovereignty in union affairs. Second, there is the applica- tion to affiliate to the CLC, an application slated for discus- sion at the December meeting of the CLC executive council in Ottawa. Presently the teamsters union is not an affiliate of either the AFL-CIO, or the Canadian Labor Congress. There is also the matter of the role of the Teamsters in raiding the United Farm Work- ers Union, AFL-CIO in the let- tuce and grape fields of Califor- nia and which has resulted in great and growing solidarity ac- tions in the form of a boycott movement extending into Cana- da, and which the Lawson-Fitz- simmons visit to the Toronto City Hall sought to head off‘and kill. Union Restructuring : With Canadian elevator grain handlers organized in at least one Canadian and two different international unions there is obviously a need to reorganize and restructure this and other similar situations. It is also de- sirable that this be done within the Canadian house of labor, which must be united and free from outside interference of any kind. No single international union or group of unions can be allowed any vetO power over such restructuring, which must also been done exclusively on a voluntary and completely de- mocratic basis. There is ample reason, there- fore, to look with some suspi- cion and considerable apprehen- sion upon the policy and organ- izational manoeuvrings of Mr. Fitzsimmons and his union in Canada, particularly so in view of Frank Fitzsimmons’ close tie- up with the corrupt image of a Richard Nixon administration south of the border. As stated by one Rev. Mrs. Willie Barrows, Program direc- tor of PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) in the USA: “The government and big busi- ness are on the Offensive against all working and poor people. This is a time when all of us must unite to fight for our com- mon needs. We Cannot_ afford to have community versus the trade unions, Black against white, and certainly not one labor group against another.” Teamsters in Canada, partic- ularly in Southern Ontario, have always been a force for unity and solidarity. It is to be hoped they will continue to play such a role, now and in the future. The Canadian Labor Congress must make it abundantly clear to Mr. Frank Fitzsimmons and his U.S. lieutenants, that the matter of Canadian identity and structure on this side of the Teese Congress charter need ae, ae % When a poor man came in sight, | Gathering winter fuel. Labor IN] BRIEF’ ¢ 49th parallel ifs @ matter for Canadians to decide. The Canadian Labor Congress must not allow itself to become an accomplice tO raiding of any Canadian workers by any inter- national union. On the contrary, Canadian workers who desire to establish independent and sovereign unions 1n this coun- try within the framework of a united trade union movement should be given every organiza- tional, material and moral as- Sno “2OS1RAOD 195590 & 4j Miptsors L SHB “35 5 “ > esgnad: aus Viboay P2079 yao CANADIAN RESOURCES FOR CANADIANS The “following telegram was sent last week to Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, by C. S- Jack. son, National President of the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers Union (UE), in protest over the fact that U.S. multinational petroleum Corpor- ations are causing much Of the cil shortage threatening Eastern Canada; while the government does* nothing to protect Cana- dian interests and needs: “Why must Canadians accept dictates multinational oil com- panies re destination ofl! con- tracted for Camada?. ‘Force Majeur’ should be exercised for Canada, your government does not lack legislative powers Or muscle to direct the Canadian sections of these multinationals to meet Canadian needs while you muddle through on aftange- ments for supplying Eastern Canada from Western Canadian sources. Obvious Course 4n gov- erning in interests of Canada is to nationalize oil and energy production and distribution put- ting people ahead of profits. Our union has been consistent ad- vocate of Canadian resources for Canadian people in briefs, delegations, etc., to successive Canadian governments warning of potential disaster if decisions on energy are based on profits, national or multinational, in- stead of on peoples’ needs.” "ADMIT CHILEANS' The Canadian Labor Congress last week again urged the fede- ral government to give political asylum to Chilean political re- fugees and criticized the govern- ment for its ‘“‘calJous” policy in this matter. “The best traditions of Can- ada’s open door policy to those suffering political persecution have been slammed shut in Chile,” CLC Executive Vice- President Joseph Morris said in a letter to External Affairs Min- ister Mitchell Sharp. Why is our policy on these re- fugees so,callaus and lacking in a +” 5971" (best 2i eeetgaoD 194 ant. .zsuga¢ ios : whio sdf mo apid. qui generosity? Why is it that Sweden, Mexico and other gov- ernments accept refugees and that Canada will not even admit there is a refugee problem, the letter asked. “We urge the federal govern ment to hear the voice of the people, of Chile suffering undet the boot: of totalitarianism and open the door of our embassy to all those who want to com to Canada. “A return to an open-doot policy in this situation would re furbish the tattered flag of Can ada’s traditional policy of being a haven for all those that are persecuted,” the letter stated. - “The CLC thinks the people of Canada deserve better from their government,” Mr, Morris suggested. JOB BIAS CLAIMED BY WOMEN An inquiry will be launched into discrimination charges le velled by seven women eft ployees at Hydro-Quebec, Claire Kirkland Casgrain, president of the Minimum Wage Commission in Quebec has announced. STRIKE CONTINUES AT ARTISTIC The issue of terms of a return to work still remained unre solved as the strike continued at Artistic Woodwork Company: New arrests on the picket line occurred when the police Task Force which had been absent for a week returned. According to David Monie of the UE who has been on the picket line every day, “They came to provoke violence.” Madelaine Parent, for thé union of the striking workers announced at a press conferencé that all other issues have bee! resolved but that the jobs of 20 workers were at stake becausé the company’s stand that 4 ~ number of workers have fe — signed when in reality all they had done is seek temporary work or unemployment insu! ANCE. tot + VI riof ipa I