These smiling pickets are patrolling the gates of the Northern Electric plant in Toronto in the strike that has closed down 16 Bell Telephone-controlled plants across the country. Pregnant women have right to Ul benefits — OTTAWA — Pregnancy is no reason for denying a wom- an jobless benefits. An important ruling regard- ing the right of pregnant wom- en to draw unemployment in- surance benefits has -been made here by Hon. Justice John D. Kearney. The judge- ment, ruled that Unemploy- ment Insurance Commission Howard widens lead in Skeena Final vote figures in Skeena released this week show that Frank Howard, MLA who won the seat from the Liberals in the 1957 fed- eral election, has increased his majority over both his Conser- vative. and Liberal opponents. Final figures in Skeena and Kootenay West. are: SKEENA: Frank Howard (CCF) 6,647; A. B. Vance (PC) 5,007; E. T. ‘Kennedy (Lib) 4,161; Rudolph Rapske (SC) 883. . KOOTENAY WEST: H. W. Herridge (CCF) 10,474; Peter Dewdney (PC) 9,192; W. J. McLoughlin (Lib.) 2,615; Harry Almack (SC) 1,910. Ges Installations FURNACES — STOVES WATER HEATERS Harry C. Weinstein GAS CONTRACTOR 692 East Hastings MUtual 3-5044 Res.: AL. 2991-L FREE ESTIMATES former CCF claims officers could not disqualify a woman because of pregnancy. It came in two appeals by members of the United Electrical Workers Un- ion. The two union members, em- ployed by Canadian General Electric had been laid off and applied for unemployment in- surance benefits. Both were denied benefits on the grounds of pregnancy. UIC claims officers ruled ‘the claimants were not considered as being generally acceptable to employers for work. . .” Ross Russell, UE director of organization, and Jack Betts- Jr,. business agtent, presented the union argument to Hon. Jutice Kearney, the © UIC umpire. “There is absolutely noth- ing in the Unemployment In- surance Act to support the ruling of the Claims Officer that pregnancy is grounds for denying benefits,” Russell said. It was established in union evidence that although one claimant had been denied benefits on August 29, 1957 on a claimant officer’s statement that “she was not considered as being generally acceptable to employers for work. in any occupation for which she was qualified” she had been recalled and went back toa work at her previous em- ployment on September 16, 1957. In the other case, Hon. Jus- tice Kearney ruled that “evi- dence (of Unemployment. In- surance Officers)does not sup- port the conclusion that lack of success in finding work was due to any reason other than because no employment was available.’ Bell wants higher rates, prot hut forces strike in 16 plan By MARK FRANK TORONTO — For the first time in Bell Telephone history, workers in 4 7 owned Bell enterprise are on strike for a 20-cent an hout wage increase. Sy: Repair workers, installers, office workers, most of them young men and we strike for the first time in their lives, have set up exemplary picket lines at 16 across Canada east of Vancouver. Phone exchanges in Toronto are being picketted Morale is high in the strike that started March 22, when the company offered a final seven-cents-an-hour, as against ihe union’s original demand for 20 cents. Workers are seek- ing a pension, medical and hospital plan, as well as union security. Total cost to the company would be $450,000 a year for the wage increase. The com- pany, 90 percent-owned by the monopolistic Bell empire made a $9 million net profit - in the last year it reported, 1956. This was after taxes and dividends were paid. Bell itself, has just come away from a brassy appearance at Board of Transport Com- misioner hearings where it was seeking a $24 million boost in revenues by charging high- er rates — just for its oper- ations in Ontario and Quebec. Northern Electric would get a good part of such increased revenues but none of it. would go to its workers. Bell profits have risen from $8%4 million in 1946 to $34,- $49,000 in 1956.. Profits in the last year’s report for 1957 were called ‘second class” by Bell’s president Thomas W. Eadie and they Te $36,037,000 — up a million. a The minority Tepe conciliation board ded a wage increase cents an hour. The union pared its down to 10 cents; t¥? aa) vacation after one year ig weeks after 10. yen fi weeks after 15; overt for office workers afte? i? week of 37% hours: — y company offered 5°” forced the strike. Election result demonstrates need for real alternativ® By WILLIAM KASHTAN TORONTO — If the federal election results prove any- thing, they emphasize the need for a serious re-exami- nation of labor political action. The majority of the working class obviously did not vote CCF but continued to vote in large numbers for Tory, or Liberal candidates, this des- pite the fact that a number of provincial federations, labor councils and unions threw their full weight behind CCF candidates, assigned staff to work for them and donated substantial sums of money for the campaign. What went wrong? Most important was that the CCF, while claiming to be the alternative to the old line parties of monopoly, in fact fell far short of its claim. The CCE leadership has thrown professed socialist ob- jectives overboard and moved to the right. However, the more it moved to the right, the more futile and impotent it became. This was best seen in this year’s CCF election platform, a platform -of reforms which ° did not differ in substance -with those advanced by the old-line parties. On the other hand it left the “fight” for peace to Lester B. Pearson and allowed John Diefenbaker to.appear as the man who would “stand up” to the U..S. In these circumstances the CCF’s attempt at appearing as an alternative to the old- line parties when in fact it had no real alternative policy to the policies of monopoly, fell flat. All through the post-war period the CCF has striven to become labor’s “political arm.” It was endorsed by the old Canadian Congress of Labor. It was more recently endorsed by the Ontario and B.C. Fed- erations of Labor. But the re- sults so far show that formal endorsation is not the answer to the involvement of the working class in genuine in- dependent and united labor political action. In fact, it often becomes a substitute for it. It is one thing to carry a majority of delegates at conventions, but it is still another to win the workers for that policy. The question presents itself then: what other form is best suited to the situation? There has been a continuous debate on this question in union’ ranks and the results of the election are likely to stimulate it further, raising. again the question of a Labor party or Farmer-Labor party based on the trade union movement, or a-work ing agreement between the trade union and farm movements, the CCF and LPP. One thing is clear. Only genuine united labor political action can help the working class to break from support of the old-line parties of mon- opoly and begin electing a substantial number of work-. ing men and women in par- liament. Therefore the question of form is not a secondary mat- ter because the form must make genuine unity possible, CCF leadership tends to do-at . ment not stand in its Way £ the present time. The overwhelming Toy tory may well strength’ y reactionary. currents © be found within ~ party, who will now” their pound of flesh expense of the wor There is no doubt © trade union movement # with a new ‘set of stances with a Tory“) ment in power that Tit quire the greatest M°° unity it is capable of One of the first ‘i ought to press for 12 © nection is that the iol undertake acl gy sos ee meet the seriou with | 4. situation, in line proposals of the Labor Congress. The election results™ tend to spread defeatiS™ sf some in the trade uniot O ment and the idea tha tical action is not D& The election results re “prove exactly the oppor i the existence of a T% ernment may well sty such political action 07” g/) not yet achieved in th§” try. From _ this viewpoitt ff forthcoming Canadia? py Congress Conference % Fi tical Education schedu! take, place in Winnipe 20, can perform an inV? gy service by soberly e%# ng? the results of the electi® | boldly striking a path that can lead to 4 4. measure of independ ioe united labor political # Av April 11, 1958 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE?