PATENTS

The Morning Star, London

EDITORIAL

The fight must go on

; M onday of this week the Socred anti-labor Bill 33, passed
; at the last session of the B.C. Legislature, became the
“Jaw’’ in its entirety.
The first of its kind in Canada or the U.S., sections 18-19 of
Bill 33 provides for binding compulsory arbitration, if as and
when the government may decide that the strike weapon in-
support of free collective bargaining ‘‘is not in the public
interest”’.
To this end, a Mediation Commission has been established
under the Act, allegedly representing labor, management and
“neutral’” (?) opinion, with power to decreee what wages and
working conditions a worker must accept, with excessive fines
and prison terms imposed upon the individual member and/or
the unions, should the Mediation Commission’s decrees be
rejected.
This Socred concept of ‘‘master. and servant”
relationships, harking back to the days of chattel slavery with
its strong overtones. of violent compulsion, has been spurned
and condemned by all sections of labor which cherishes the
democratic right of free collective bargaining — and the right
to withhold their labor power in support of such bargaining.

On this point there are already numerous apologists, even
in the ranks of labor itself, suggesting. that the Bennett
government ‘‘will never abuse this power’, forgetful that the
same government acts as the ‘“‘honest broker’’ for U.S. and—
home-grown monopoly in stripping B.C. bare of its rich natural
resources — without regard to the well-being of this or future
generations.

With it only the “‘fast buck”? counts. Hence, such a
government will have no hesitation in deciding what is ‘‘in the .
public interest’ — or applying compulsory coercion when “‘the
public’’’ (read monopoly) it serves is threatened by strike
action in support of decent wages and working conditions.

Perhaps, however, the greatest tragedy labor faces on this
issue comes from another source— its own ranks— by socalled
labor leaders, some even with a reputation of being
progressive, accepting high-salaried positions in the Mediation
sellout machinery of Bill 33. ;

Bribery and corruption are strong words to use, but in the
method and process of filling its Mediation posts with socalled
trade union representatives, no other words suffice. With the
attractive bait of a high salary with no “‘hold the line”’ strings
attached, the government has managed, temporarily, to de-
fuse labor’s fight against Bill 33 and create the debilitating
atmosphere of ‘‘accommodation” in and with its vicious
provisions.

Yet despite the three labor defectors who have gone over
to the enemy (with probably others to follow) labor’s position
on Bill 33 remains unchanged. On April 7, 1968, the B.C.
Federation of Labor stated it at the Exhibition Forum — at
which time all three defectors, Baskin, Sims and Stewart were
doughty ‘‘supporters’’.

“Workers beware. Any man who purports to represent
labor by accepting an appointment to the Commission will be
someone who, for the sake of a political ‘appointment and
personal gain, is prepared to sell his principles and become a
tool of a government that has no understanding or sympathy
for labor’’.

That still holds good— as does labor’s fight against unjust
laws, with Bill 33.the most recent.

VOTE WED. DEC.

—_ Up

I]

Civic candidates should |

be judged by programs

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN
Civic political groups and
candidates should be judged by
their performance and _ the
programs they offer voters.. We
have no lack of variety to choose
from this year! f

The NPA has never adopted
any program, but of course its
members follow a definite
policy. Having dominated City
Hall for over 30 years, it can be
judged by its deeds.

TEAM has a policy but on
most questions it is quite
general. It calls for ‘‘an exciting
downtown”, ‘‘a quality civic
environment’’, and ‘‘a
development goal” but doesn’t
spell out clearly how these goals
will be achieved.

COPE, by contrast, has a
detailed program on every
major issue confronting voters,
so you can clearly see what it
stands for and make up your
mind accordingly.

Here is where these three
major groups stand on some
basic issues: ;

TAXES ON HOMES

NPA: No program, but under
its rule big commercial and
industrial properties have been
consistently under-assessed,
thus forcing homeowners and
small businesses to foot most of
the tax bill.

1

ALDERMAN HARRY RANKIN is joined on the City Hall st
and COPE. They are left to right, Dr. Joe Blumes, Dr.
Gomez, and Bruce Yorke.

SRE

s, ,Pacitic Iribune

‘West Coast edition, Canadian Tribune

Editor—TOM McEWEN Associate Editor—MAURICE RUSH
Published weekly at Ford Bldg., Mezzanine No. 3, 193 E. Hastings St.,
Vancouver 4, B.C. Phone 685-5288.

Subscription Rate: Canada, $5.00 one year; $2.75 for six months.
North and South America and Commonwealth countries, $6.00 one year.
All other countries, $7.00. one year. Authorized as second class mail by the
Post Office Department, Ottawa, and for payment of postage in cash.
Pace RSS ee
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DECEMBER 6, 1968—Page 2

ree

TEAM’s program calls for
higher provincial grants for
education and for senior
governments to take over the
costs of services to people
(welfare, etc. ) :

COPE: In addition to calling
for greater provincial grants,
proposes to redistribute the tax
burden by a $4000 tax exemption
on all homes and by imposing a
graduated business tax of 8 to 20
per cent to compel big industries
(banks,
plants, etc.) to pay more.

HOUSING

NPA: No program. Under its
administration about 1700 low
rental housing units have been
built in 15 years. ‘

TEAM: Opposes our public
low rental housing projects,
calling them ‘‘ghettoes’’.

COPE: Proposes that public
low rental housing units should
be made available to all lower
income groups by building 2500 a
year for their dispersal
throughout the city and building
community centres and other
recreational facilities to serve
the needs of the people in them,
also low interest loans to enable
people to build their own homes
on land leased from the city.

TENANTS
NPA: No program and is

insurance companies,”

eps by the aldermanic candidates endorsed by labor
Harry Winrob, Harry Rankin, Alice MacKenzie,

partial to big apartment owners:

TEAM: Proposes to protect
tenants from landlords and 10
protect landlords from tenants
at the same time! d

COPE: Proposes a Tenant Bill
of Rights to protect tenants
against unjustified and excessive
rent increases and other unfall
practices.

RAPID TRANSIT AND FREEWAYS
NPA favors freeways through
the downtown area as demande
by the CPR for its Project 200.
About rapid transit it has talked
for 30 years but done nothing.

TEAM opposes freeways

through the downtown area al
supports rapid transit.

COPE insists that no freeways
should be allowed downtown 10
cause still more traffic
congestion, and calls for action

on a low fare rapid transl

system now.

AREA REPRESENTATION (Ward
system)

NPA is completely opposed.

TEAM favors partial are@
representation.

COPE calls for all elected
officials to be elected from
wards rather than at large as We
do today.

There you have it— make your
choice.

Ron

Labor says: ‘Vote COPE slate’

Bais

A colorful leaflet being widely circulated by the
Vancouver and District Labor Council
announcing a civic election rally in the Pender
Auditorium, Sun., Dec. 8 at 8 p.m. calls on trade
unionists to vote for the COPE candidates.

The circular has a message by Frank Kennedy,
one of the founders of COPE, which says: ‘‘This
year vancouver trade unionists have a good slate
of labor and progressive candidates to vote for in
the December 11 civic election.

“COPE, the Committee of Progressive
Electors, was initiated by the Vancouver and
District Labor Council. . . it has a fine, clear-cut
program based on the needs of labor and the

ti oobigs <2 reed

people. A COPE majority at City Hall will ope?

up a new exciting chapter in Vancouver §
history.”

Labor-backed candidates on the COPE slaté
are:

ALDERMAN: Ald. Harry Rankin, Joe Blumes:
Ronald Gomez, Alice MacKenzie, Bruce Yorke,
and Dr. Harry Winrob.

SCHOOL BOARD: Trustee James Mac’
Farlan, Margaret D. Ennenberg, Mrs. Irene
Foulks, and John Stanton.

PARKS BOARD: Donald Greenwell, Carol-an®
Power, Louis H. Crippen, and Edward Leong. ,

49 Leds 58 2.3 iis S2u