Alberta, B.C. coal miners facing

CCL-boss ‘front’ |

In Wage

By SYD THOMPSON

fight

Contract for 10,000 Alberta and B.C. ‘miners, organized: in District 18 UMWA, expire on

February 16.
taking place.
held in November.

The union is not asking for a
general wage increase across the
board. Pursuing a policy adopted
by many nght wing trade union
leaders in the U.S. and Canada, the
district leadership stressed the
need for pensions, social security,
and improved working conditions.
It is true that these demands are
very important but they do not,
and must not, take precedence over
much needed wage increases.

It is reported that the issue, of
wage increases was. heatedly de-
bated at the November conven-
tion. The progressive delegates, at
that time. pointed out that due
to the increased cost of living a
wage increase was essential; and
that around this issue the member-

ship could best-be rallied to also
obtain the proposed demands.

Those opposed to the District pol-
icy further pointed out that not
asking for a wage increase would
be taken as a sign of weakness by
the hard-boiled coal operators and
would likely result in the com-
panies demanding a wage reduc-
tion. :

Only by a very small majority
was the district leadership able to
win the convention to its policies.

The main demands of the min-
ers are as follows:

1. To increase the W

Fund from 5e to 20e a ton.

2. Abolition of all contract
work and daily rates of $14.05
for all men working on the coal
face. Contract miners at present
average more than this; the daily
wage for miners working by the
day in the Drumheller domestic
fields is $10.74, and in the Bitu-
minous fields $10.95.

3. Holidays with pay at a flat
rate of $140.00 a year, after I
year of service. The present agree-
ment calls for 1 day holiday for
each month. However, if more
than 1 day work is missed during
the month the worker concerned
is disqualified for holiday pay
for that month. This results in
a continual loss of holiday pay.

4. The establishment of the
5-day week, from Monday to Fri-
day. The miners now have the
5-day week but should a break-
down occur or a shortage of box
cars create an idle day during
the week the men are then com-
pelled to work on Saturday. The
miners want to establish Satur-
day as a holiday, with time and

a half when requested to work

5. Supplies and services to be
free. At present, lamps, powder

_ for blasting, wash house, black-

smith, and, other services, are be-
ing paid for by the men.

: 6 The companies, in conjunc-
tion with the provincial and fed-
governments, to be respon-

eral
_ sible for improvements in the

Negotiations between union officials and coal operators for a new agreement are now
The wage demand of the miners were formulated at a five-day wage scale convention
The counter proposals of the overators have now been made public.

New deal means more lunch

10,000 coal miners in Alberta and British Columbia want a
new deal, insuring larger pay envelopes and greater social security.

The coal operators, with the aid

of CCL union bureaucrats, want

wages lowered and the United Mine Workers’ Union reduced to a
coal operators’ “labor front.” Negotiations to bridge the gap have

started.

7. If contract work is not
abolished, elimination of inequali-
ties as regards rates existing pe-
tween the different mines.

As predicted by those who at the

November convention opposed the

district leadership policys of no
wage increase at this time, the op-

erators in their counter proposals

have rejected all the union de-
mands. They are showing a cal-
loused unconcern for the welfare
of the miners reminiscent of pre-
war days. This is especially true of
the Domestic Operators; and these
profit hungry gentlemen are now
proposing the following:

e@ A reduction in wages for all
unskilled workers.

e@ Abolition of the Welfare ‘Fund.

e@ Further consolidation of the.
Contract System by incorpor-
ation of the flat wage portion
of the daily rate into the con-
tract rate.

e Return to the 6 day week dur-
ing the period from Septem-
ber 1 to March 1.

@ Certification of the UMWA un-
der the infamous Alberta anti-
labor Bill 91.

@ The UMWA to accept legal res-
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MEETINGS

under the Alberta Companies’
Act,

e Restrictions on the total
amount of Union dues, fees,
and assessments to be paid.

These proposals by the domestic
operators make it clear that not
only are they out to gouge more
profits out of the miners but also
to weaken and eventually smash
their militant union.

In talking with many miners in

of the domestic fields, employing
around 1,800 men) there is appar-
ent a strong feeling of resentment
against District 18 and the Nation-
al CCL leatiership. The miners feel
that the actions of certain trade
union leaders are partly respon-
sible for the belligerent attitude
now being shown by the operators.

At a public meeting in Drum-
heller last November, Pat Conroy,
national CCL secretary-treasurer,
and Bob Levitt, District 18 presi-
dent, speaking to 600 miners, never
mentioned the need for wage in-
creases nor for improving the gen-
eral welfare of the miners. In-
/stead, Dr. Conroy, with the endor-
sation of Levitt, in a red-baiting
“speech equal to anything ever pro-

|| duced by the Chamber of Com-

merce, threatened the miners with

all Communists. That the miners
}are aware of what, this boss-in-
spired poison will do their union
was shown when they verbally
forced this scab-herding red-baiter
to sit down in the midst of his
speech. The miners are well aware
that this disruptive work by trade
union leaders can only serve to
encourage the boss to seek a re-

| duction in wages and to lower the

general welfare of the worker, The

the Drumheller field (the largest,

‘a campaign of expulsion to oust}

to launch

Carr arrest utilized

War pact

—-TORONTO

Unreserved condemnation of espionage activities, coupled with a
blistering attack against the warmongers who have seized upon the
arrest of Sam Carr, onétime national organizer of the LPP, to drum
up greater war hysteria, and utilize this arrest to launch furthur attacks

against the labor movement, the
National Executive Committee of
the LPP has released the following
statement:

“The Carr case is being calcu-
latingly used for political black-
mail against peace by the ene-
mies of peace. The monied “hate-
Russia” gang the “fight-Russia”
warmongers have timed this op-
eration to make capital for Wall

Street’s war program out of an
alleged case of transmission of
unauthorized information to a
wartime ally.

“Behind all the melodramatic
ballyhoo of the big business press
and radio—which are busily pre-
judging the present case—lies a
sinister fact: The rich men who
rule Canada are themselves con-
spiring to commit this country to a
foreign-inspired and dictated pact
for war-to Wall Street’s- war
against the Socialist Soviet Union.
It is more than significant that
Prime Minister St. Laurent is at
this moment reported preparing to
leave for Washington to receive
his orders regarding the North At-
lantic Pact, just as his predecessor,
Mr. Mackenzie King, received in
Washington the orders which led
to the launching of the “spy scare.”

“The LPP has made plain its
position, in its reply to the Roy-

al Commission’s frame-up char-
ges, in July, 1946. We condemn
the use‘of espionage and disasso-
ciate ourselves unreservedly from
any who engage therein. We con-
‘demn unhesitatingly the criminal,
hypocritical commotion of war
hysteria by the engineers of the
“spy scare.”

“As we made clear in our state-
ment of April, 1946, Sam Carr was
at that time excluded from ail
office in our party, and has not
been a member of the LPP since
that time.

“The Canadian people, with
sound good sense, refused to be
stampeded by the hair-raising in-
citements to a new war, which ac-
companied the publication of the
Royal Commission report. Today,
three years later, they are fed to
the teeth with synthetic witch
hunts, devised to distract them
from the real urgent issues of
homes and jobs and health and

unity for peace. They will not al-
low themselves now to be tricked
into acceptance of the North At-
lantic suicide pact by prefabricat-
ed ballyhoo about a “spy menace.’
The true friends of peace will fight
for peace the harder from now on.”

Shipowners seek return
to days of Capt. Bligh

—MONTREAL

Wage cuts of $30 to $50 per month and a return to the good
old days of Capt. Bligh were offered seamen last week upon re-

opening of public conciliation hearings.

Claiming that ithe increases

in the cost of living only affected shipowners, and that the seamen

were the best paid in the world,
J: A. Mathewson, spokesman of
the Shipping Federation proposed
that the seamen take $30 to $50
wage cuts per month. He com-
plained because the Canadian Sea-
men’s Union had raised a skilled
seamen’s wage from $55 a month
to $170 a month (56 hours a week).

The shipowners attempted to cut
the heart out of the agreement by
proposing that seamen give up
many of the working conditions
they won many years ago. They

objected io paying seamen their

wages while in foreign ports, They

preferred to hold the men’s wages

and if the seamen were nice boys,
the captain might let them have
a few dollars!

“I don’t think,” said CSU presi-

dent Harry Davis in reply to the
shipowners’ proposals, “that the
companies are serious in offering
$30 to $50 wage cuts, unless they
are seeking to force a strike and
then build up a terrific propaganda
campaign like they did last year
when the officers went on strike

proposals of the operators amply
bear this out.

The Alberta daily press is active-

ly campaigning on behalf of the
companies with statements by
company managers that mines
may have to shut down due to
high operating costs; and that the
demands of the miners, if grant-
ed, will mean further increased
costs to the consumer. Profits of
coal operators show that substan-
tial wage increases can be grant-
ed without increasing the price of
coal.

and were accused of sabotaging the .

Marshall Plan.”

The seamen’s leader went on to
point out that, “It is a strange

and alien philosophy that Mr. Mat-
hewson has propounded. It is the
philosophy of feudalism rather than
modern industrial democracy, Not
the relationship of employer and
free worker but of master and
serf. The companies are dreaming
of going back to the” days of Cap-
tain Bligh and a policy which re-
sulted in mutinies.”

Failing to ram his ideas down
the throats of CSU representatives,
the Shipping Federation spokes-
man has returned to the “red her-
ring” gag, arguing that he won't
deal with the CSU as long as it has
Communists in its ranks!

Quinn pledges fight
against Sales Tax

—ROSSLAND.

Spearheaded by the Rossland-
Trail LPP clubs the campaign for
the repeal of the Sales Tax at the
coming session of the Legislature
is gaining wide support in this key
B.C, mining area. CCF-MLA elect
J. O. Quinn has advised the LPP
that he will fight for the repeal of
this burdensome tax, and support
taxation policies calculated to make
the big monopolists pay their, full
share of taxation.

Resolutions and wires have been —

sent Premier Johnson from Trail
and Rossland demanding repeal,
and a petition campaign sponsored
by the LPP is receiving wide sup-
port in the West Kootenays.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 4, 1949 — PAGE 2

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