amilton labor does its thing

WILLIAM STEWART

labor unveiled its
weapon last Saturday
thousands of workers
unto the streets to de-
ite against the Ontario
ent’s Rand Report on
pgislation.

( than 4,000 workers, or-
zed by the Hamilton Build-

les Council stretched

for over a mile
the main street of that
city. A sea of banners
js, the like of which
been seen in Canada
rose and fell
ly as the jubilant
of the marchers meas-
ir opposition to the in-

famous Rand recommendations
and their rigid determination
that they would never be writ-
ten into the laws of this pro-
vince.

This was the membership in
action. This was the workers an-
swer to those who seek to hog
tie them with restrictive labor
legislation. It was also their an-
swer to those among their lead-
ers who lack confidence in their
understanding and think the
only way to defeat such legisla-
tion is with slick public rela-
tions campaigns. This was the
best public relations operation
in Hamilton since 1946 when
thousands of workers took to
the pavement to demonstrate
their solidarity with striking

Communist meet

‘By BERT WHYTE

jan open secret that there

ficulties in the world
it movement today,”

a said in its leading article

¢ ent meeting in Mos-

representatives of frater-

pr,” the Pravda article
” “preparation for the
ternational meeting on
ows that, given a sin-
for unity, given
r, cooperation, a solu-
the most complex prob-
be found. The objective
of the interests of
Mmunist Parties, all de-
of the world revolu-
jovement, are stronger
those factors which give
Bererences and divergen-

Pravda noted that proletarian
oialist internationalism de-
eect observance of the
epend , equality and sov-
‘ign | rights of each fraternal

Deter at the scientific ses-

ion devoted to the 50th anni-

ersary of the Comintern de-

ioted much attention to the

international parley.
Suslov said that the
ing of unity on the

| Of Marxism- Leninism was
d of our time.”

Principled unity
prime need

Boris Ponomarev_ character-
ized the June meeting as ‘‘the
“central link in the struggle for
the cohesion of the world Com-
munist movement at the present
stage.”

Jacques Duclos, veteran
French Communist leader, stres-
sed that cooperation between
Communist and Workers Parties
for joint struggle against impe-
rialism “can and must be ef-
fected despite existing  differ-
ences.”

The Communist Party of India
believes that world conferences
should be held periodically, said
S. J. Sarjesai. “This is necessary
not only for the strengthening
of our unity in the struggle
against imperialism, the com-
mon enemy, but also for over-
coming differences and misun-
derstandings between us on
various questions. Our mutual
relations and the unity of the
international communist move-
ment must be based on a‘strict
observance by each party of the
principals of Marxism-Leninism,
proletarian internationalism, the
independence and equality of
each Communist Party.

“It is our supreme duty to rally
our ranks and mobilize millions
of people in different countries
to frustrate imperialist aggres-
sion in any part of the world.”

“Darling, look here, I'm devalued two pounds and four
ounces!”

steelworkers, electrical workers
and rubber workers.

And everybody got the mes-
sage.

Mayor Victor Copps, speaking
to the demonstrators at the City
Hall said, “I am sure your mes-
Sage will be heard today by the
government at Queen’s Park and
your case for rejection of the
Rand Report will be strength-
ened.”

Stewart Cooke, President of
the Hamilton Labor Council,
which had turned thumbs down
on the demonstration, marched
at the head of the parade and in
a short speech to the crowd
said, “I am obsolutely pleased
and proud to be a part of this
group today. I congratulate the
Hamilton Building Trades Coun-
cil for organizing this demon-
stration. We have in the labor
movement the people and the
talent to run this country...
This demonstration today proves
we can doit...”

Pride of place however be-
longed to the Hamilton Building
Trades Council who conceived
and organized the show. And it
was Al Davidson, Secretary of
the HBTC who read a short brief
from the demonstration to the
provincial government, who
stole the show.

The brief opened up with a
mention of the anti-Rand pro-
gram adopted by the BT unions
and went on to say, “But more
than that we are also echoing
the feelings of the men and
women of the trade union
movement and their many sym-
pathetic friends, from the Ham-
ilton area and Toronto, Kitchen-
er, St. Catherines, Brantford and
Other areas who have marched
through the streets of Hamilton
and are meeting in front of our
City Hall demonstrating their
repugnance and _ resentment
against the proposals of Com-
missioner Rand in the full know-
ledge that they contain the
seeds of disaster for all work-
ing people who are endeavoring
for a better standard of living.”

“Yet from your seats so far
removed from the action you sit
back smugly and expect to be
accorded respect as honest ar-
biters of labor legislation. Men
in whom we should deposit our
trust.”

“That some trust you is evi-
dent. They believe that you are
bound to and will abide by
some vague tacit agreement be-
tween labor and government
which goes something like this:
If labor treads softly in respect
to the Rand Recommendations
then government might imple-
ment only part of the recom-
mendations, but if labor raises
its voice and speaks out loudly
against the recommendations
then the whole kit and caboodle
will end up being legislated”.

The brief goes on to warn
such people that “Mr. Justice
Rand was appointed by an irres-
ponsible government who carred
not for his credentials but only
for his philosophy,” and con-
cludes with this stirring appeal.

“We have more reason to pro-
test than we ever had before
and those of us who have march-
ed through the streets of the
City of Hamilton are the van-
guard of many more to come in
the short period ahead: when
they too become aware that
something is rotten in the state
of Denmark”.

The meeting was also addres-
sed by Ron Tippler, President of
Local 1005 United Steelworkers

eat SS A CT RS MANE We em te me o

Clad Ce ae 3

of America, John Ball, President
of Local 504 United Electrical
Radio and Machine Workers of
America, and Ray Taggart, On-
tario President of the Teamsters
Union. Reg Gibson, NDP MLA
brought greetings to the as-
sembly.

At the meeting drew to a
close, Chairman Terry Frazer,
International Brotherhood of
Electrical Workers Business
Agent asked the crowd, ‘Where
do we go from here’. They re-
plied in unison, “To Queen’s
Park.” “Turn in your posters
then,” he said, “we will use them
when we march on Queen’s
Park.”

And in came the signs and
banners, two truckloads of them.
Banners from _ Steelworkers,
Building Trades Councils, Unit-
ed Electrical Workers, Carpent-
ers, Steamfitterms, Ironworkers,
Southern Ontario Port Council,
St. Catharines and _ District
St. Catharines and District Labor
Council, Electricians. Posters
from Laborers, Auto Workers,
Transit Workers, University stu-
dents, NDP Riding Associations,

“Can Workers, Postmen, Printers,

:
H

_ABAY

a i Se

Bricklayers, Hoisting Engineers,
Longshoremen.

The crowd quickly dispersed,
and the workers, many of them
young men and women who
were experiencing their first
taste of labor solidarity, headed
back to their homes, or to toss
off a couple and relive the heady
epic they had just taken part in.

But standing there in the
empty square one had the feel-
ing that what had started there
that day was not finished. That
it would reverberate around the
province and that the finest
sons and daughters of Hamilton,
when they went back into the
shops on Monday would be a
foot taller with a message for
their workmates that would
come through loud and clear.

“On to Queen’s Park” and
away with Rand reports. Away
with governments who would tie
the hands of labor, and away
with leaders who do their bid-
ding.

That was the message from
Hamilton on March 29. A mes-
sage which will evoke a big
“than you” from all Canadian
workers.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 3, dtc debe. =]

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