AT UAW_ CONVENTION

End witch hunts and racism —

By GEORGE MORRIS

ATLANTIC CITY

A comprehensive resolution
calling for elimination of all
vestiges of McCarthyism and
racism was approved by the de-
legates to the convention of the
United Auto Workers here. The
resolution is a section of a long
document detailing programs on
domestic and foreign affairs
under the general title, “Agenda
for action in a troubled nation.”

Under civil liberties it listed:

e Repeal of the ‘anti-demo-
cratic Smith Act.”

e Abolition of the House un-
American Activities Committee,
the Senate Internal Security
sub-committee and the Subver-
sive Activities Control Board, “a
vestige of the era of the late
Senator Joseph McCarthy.”

e Abolition of all loyalty
oaths.

e Protection of the right of
U.S. citizens to travel abroad.

e Strict bans against wiretap-
ping, illegal searches and seiz-

By WILLIAM ALLAN
DETROIT

Profits by the millions of dol-
lars are pouring into the coffers
of the Big Three of auto, Gen-
eral Motors, Ford and Chrysler
as the first three months profits
are reported. The headlines tell
the story:

“GM Profits Rose 17 percent.”
“Ford Net Gain in Ist Quarter
84 percent”. “Chrysler - Profits
for First Quarter, 1968, up 280.8
percent”.

GM in the first quarter of
1968 made,  $456,6666,000;
Chrysler, $69,300,000; Ford
$224,400,000. :

For the next three years, 750,-
000 workers in these three great
corporations will get approxim-
ately 98 cents per hour more
money, maximum, following the
signing of the recent 3-year con-
tract with the companies by the
United Auto Workers Union,
AFL-CIO.

In 1966, the Ford Motor Com-
pany made in profits after taxes,
$621,02300 and in 1967, when
their plants were closed for two
months by a strike, they still
made $84,000,000. Ford Motor of
of Canada, made $31,000,000 in
1967 and 16,000,000 so far in
1968.

Chrysler in 1967 made $200,-
430,000 and in ’66, made $189,-
223,000. GM in 1967 made
$1,627,276,000 and in ’66 made
$1,793,392,000.

The drive to maintain these
tremendous profits by the Big
_ Three of U.S. auto industry now
carries them far from the shops
they have in the U.S. and Can-
ada. GM and Ford now have
shops in over 30 countries, with
Chrysler having in less than a
dozen. At least 25 percent of
their net profits. now comes from
_ their operations abroad. :

ures, and for new legislation to
protect an individual’s right to
privacy.

e “Re-emphasis on the protec-
tion of the right of individuals
and groups to dissent on great
and small issues of the day.”

A section of the program, on
organization of the unorganized,
came in for considerable discus-
sion.

The convention greeted with
a standing ovation Delores
Huerta of the Delano, Calif.
grape strikers, who brought
greetings from Cesar Chavez
and thanks to the UAW for the
help it gave the strikers—more
than from all other sources to-
gether. She asked for continued
help. Reuther assured her the
UAW would stand with the
strikers until victory, as the de-
legates gave strong applause.

The resolution spoke of the
need to expand organization, es-
pecially in the South, in the
UAW’s own field. It also empha-
sized continuation of the UAW’s
policy of helping all other unions
engaged in organizing.

find themselves

engaged in
fierce competition for sales in all

the capitalist countries and
sometimes in doing business
with socialist countries.

The U.S. no longer is the
leader in car production. Back
in 1950 the U.S. produced nine
out of every ten vehicles. Today,
it’s different. In 1967 some 24
million cars and trucks were
produced throughout the world,
with the U.S. producing 8,996,-
658 assemblies.

Among these global auto lead-
ers Japan was big gainer, boost-
ing its 1967 production 36 per-
cent ahead of its 1966 output:
Italy’s output climbed 14 per-
cent last year, while France’s
rose 6 percent.

The U.S. declined 13 percent,
and West Germany dropped 15
percent, Great Britain 5 percent.
General output in the capitalist
countries showed a decline of
about 5 percent.

In the socialist countries a
rise of 5 percent in auto produc-
tion was registered. A total of
1,188,342 cars and trucks were
built in Eastern Europe during
1967, compared to 1,122,119 in
1966. With the construction of
new plants in the Soviet Union
and other socialist countries
output is expected to be double
that of 1967.

&

While the U.S. auto produc-
tion was showing a decline, Can-
ada registered a second succes-
sive vehicle production increase.
Canada’s production was up 4
percent in 1967 and 5 percent in
1966. The reason for this was
the Canadian-U.S. auto trade
pact, which allows Canadian cars
to come into the U.S. without
paying tariffs. Also wages in 1967
were about 41 cents an hour less
for production workers and $1
an hour less for skilled men
than that paid by U.S. auto com-
pani ‘or the same ~ work‘ by

One of the final acts of the
convention was approval of a
long document on international
affairs. The general approach
still retains coldwar influence,
but some partial steps away
away from the old rabid anti-
Sovietism. Much stress is put on
what the resolution calls “winds
of freedom” and “declining dis-
cipline” in certain east European
lands undergoing reforms. The
union criticizes U.S. policy for
not going farther for an im-
provement of relations with the
U.S.S.R. and other socialist
countries, and for not broaden-
ing trade possibilities.

Observing that other countries
are taking advantage of the
“great resurgence of the East-
West trade” the resolution went
on:
“We urge in consequence re-
newed effort to widen trade be-
tween the U.S. and countries of
the Soviet bloc. We commend
those unions, business organiza-
tions and cultural groups which
have established direct contact
and systems of regular inter-

U.S. workers. The UAW in re-
cent negotiations won wage
parity. by 1970. GM, Ford,
Chrysler, dominate auto produc-
tion in Canada.

Among the countries besides
Canada showing production
gains in 1967 were Hungary (up
93 percent), Rumania (up 91
percent), Czechoslovakia (up, 19
percent), German Democratic
Republic (up 9 percent), Soviet
Union (up 7 percent). Poland
showed a decline of 2 percent,
as did Yugoslavia (down 40 per-
cent) .

During 1967, non-U.S, output
soared to 14,924,689, which was

67. percent more than the
vehicles built in the U.S.
®

These developments are the
subject of great study and con-
cern to the leaders of the United
Auto Workers Union, AFL-CIO
with their 1,600,000 members in
the U.S. and Canada. Actually
half of the UAW membership
work in the auto plants, turning
out cars, trucks and_ buses.
About 250,000 work in parts
and supplier shops, the rest are
in farm equipment and aircraft.

Vast amount of capital has
been exported by the Big Three
to establish not just assembly
plants but manufacturing plants
in 32 countries outside the U.S.
Now UAW president, Walter
Reuther, has discovered that in
these countries, unionizing of
the workers is necessary in
some cases. In other cases his
International Affairs Depart-
ment chairman, Vic Reuther, his
brother, discovered, left wing
forces were indispensable in
working with, if plants were to
be unionized. Vic Reuther now
is an advocate of unity with all
forces and has visited many of
the countries, including some
socialist countries (Soviet

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change of information with re-
lated organizations of the east
European countries in order to
build bridges of understanding,
strengthen the sinews of peace
and widen economic interchange
of universal benefit.”

This is the first time the UAW
called specifically for relation
with unions of the socialist
lands.

On Vietnam, the resolution re-

states the past position of opp0-
sition to both “escalation and
unilateral withdrawal,” and that
there can be “no military solu-
tion.” Pledging to continue t0
urge “all constructive efforts
aimed towards achieving a nego”
tiated peace,” the resolution

“applauds” Johnson’s move 10
“de-escalate the bombing” and
“prays” for the success of the
Paris talks.

“If you’re going to ask for a raise the answer is ‘no’ — If

you want a day off I can’t spare you — If it’s about com-

pany matters see the Superintendent — now what do you
want?” :

A world auto council has been
established by the Reuther
brothers of representatives from

. 18 nations, but doesn’t include

socialist countries. The purpose
is to establish a world wide
minimum wage for auto work-
ers, pensions, fight against
speedup, and exchange on con-
tract negotiations. A meeting
will be held in Italy early sum-
mer of ’68, also in West Ger-
many, later, with a delegation of
auto workers to some socialist
countries this summer. This has
aroused the ire of AFL-CIO pre-
sident George Meany, who sees
in this development a blow
against his anti-communism.

The meeting this summer in
Italy and West Germany of auto
workers, held under the auspices
of the International Metal Work-
ers Federation, of which Walter
Reuther is President, and under
the auspices of the World Auto
Councils, which he is also pre-
sident of, will mark an effort
to speed up world unity of auto
workers in face of growing
world production of cars. The
Big Three of U.S. auto seek cheap
labor (South Africa, 15 cents
an hour for African auto work-
ers) in order to maintain maxi-
mum profits at the expense of
the workers. More and more the
imports of cars into the U.S.
made by workers whose wages
are far below the U.S. worker
who gets $3.80 an hour, is grow-
ing. In 1968, it’s predicted that
over one million cars sold this
year will have been imported,
or one.out of every eight cars

sold. in, they U.S 7... 195,

orisis situ-.

2Alréady, a. growing

ation on sales has hit the U.S:
Automobile News, _ industry
newspaper, reports 1,440,000 un
sold 1968 cars in the dealers
hands. This is a record. Layoffs
loom. Despite this, the compa-
nies say they will again increasé
car prices for the 1969 cars, a§
they did on the 1968s. Mean:

while auto workers are down tO —

40 hours a week, layoffs are be
ginning, some are down to foul

‘days, and the model changeovel

period is expected to take threé
months. But, the companies
combine to roll up vast profits
as reported here.

U.S. Scene

“paorel”
_. Fred Wright in
- WE, News Service (U,>:
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