THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER CANADA ONLY NATION : TO TOLERATE STRIKEBREAKERS By JOHN RAVEY Canada is the only nation of importance in the world which - ¢ontinues to tolerate the ac- tivities of professional strike- i bed Ce a & a % q - 5 agent, _ breaking companies. Strikebreaking firms and anti-union spying are con- demned in a comprehensive report of a committee set up by the Ontario Federation of Labor and the Labor Council of Metropolitan Toronto. Six months of research in 1972 culminated in the publica- tion of the 300 page document. Findings of the study revealed employers were successful in smashing 50 unions picked by their em- ployees since 1965 in Ontario. Locals of international unions were crushed in 48 of the inci- dents. Mare Zwelling, a former reporter with the Toronto Tele- gram, was assigned the task of writing the committee’s report. The study relies heavily on data taken from the American labor scene in order to give it the necessary historical per- spective. Historians in Canada, the committee discovered, have been deficient in their coverage of strikebreaking in the nation’s labor history. Anti-union espionage is cited as the most insidious practice widely evident in Canadian industry. “Anti-labor spying is con- ducted by two means: with paid operatives sent among the workers to spy on union sympathizers and sabotage their organizing efforts by dis- closing the leaders to manage- ment; and with employees who are ‘‘hooked’’ cloak-and- dagger fashion by professional unionbusters who pay their worker agents for regular reports on daily behaviour of their fellow employees.’’ Upon disclosing their report, the OF L and the Labor Council held a conference among labor leaders from across the province. The purpose of the conference was to distribute the strikebreaking study as widely as possible and discuss future action aimed at eliminating strikebreaking companies. The Canadian Driver Pool, a union busting firm operating in Ontario, came under the closest scrutiny of the com- mittee. A number of Driver Pool employees, the report dis- closed, have a history of criminal activity. “The exploits of some Driver Pool personnel have included theft, armed robbery, counter- feiting, stolen cars, break-and- enter, cheque forging, con- spiracy, assault, wiretapping . . . arson and connections with reputed members of the organized crime world com- monly called the Mafia.” Sources mentioned in the study revealed Richard Grange president of Canadian Driver Pool had close connec- tions with the Canadian Manu- facturers Association. LATION NEEDED relationship with the RCMP. “Grange renewed his CMA contacts and met in 1972 with CMA officials in Montreal and British Columbia. Grange is known to be anxious to get into Quebec, which he considers a ripe market for his services. The industrialized West Coast IS another fertile area in his mind.” Brian Gallagher, a former Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, is shown to be one of the most active indi- Viduals participating in anti- union espionage. “The RCMP claims Gallagher resigned. Many le in the union movement teat Gallagher as if he is still an RCMP agent. They believe that if he isn’t actually an he has a_ special The resolution stated in part: “Professional strikebreak- ing and anti-union spying at- the civil liberties of ployee, constitute a threat the safety of all citizens and on constructive and har- us relations between management. The RCMP deny it — vigorously. McDougall, the spy agency president, says Gallag- her did “‘recruiting’’ for him. McDougall says he hired Gallagher because the former RCMP officer had vast con- tacts.” During the one-day confer- ence on strikebreaking, held at OFL building, labor leaders called on affiliates to begin political lobbying at the local level to bring about legislation to ban strikebreaking. Affiliates were directed to lobby their City councils to pass a resolution urging On- tario’s Provincial government to outlaw professional strike- breaking and anti-union espionage. “Strikebreaking and _ anti- union espionage are threats to stated public policy of the province, which in the Labor Relations Act has declared it is in the public interest to en- courage collective bargaining between wnions and em- ployers.”’ Political lobbying was. only one tactic recommended by the committee to destroy the effec- tiveness of strikebreaking companies. The OFL and Labor Council report put forth 15 recommendations to in- tensify a prolonged campaign against anti-union espionage and the activities of profes- sional strikebreaking com- panies. A few of the committee’s re- commendations included: “Endorse mass picketing to fight strikebreaking.”’ “Urge affiliates to negotiate “union-truck-only”’ clauses in contracts to curtail the growth of non-union cartage com- panies that supply and aid strikebreakers.”’ “Lobby for improved relations between strikers and police by encouraging labor education programs for police forces, by promoting citizens’ review boards, by demanding upgraded police qualifications and by encouraging effective collective bargaining and organization of police.” In terms of the United States labor legislation, government legislators have failed miserably to recognize the need for action against strike- breaking operations. “Even in the United States of America, where the profes- sional strikebreaking racket began and flourished to a multi-million-dollar business, it has almost vanished. In 40 states there are controls of some kind on professional strikebreakers and anti-union spies. But anti-labor rackets operate openly and lucratively in Canada.”’ An‘ they kick about seagulls and pidgeons! RECLAIMING THE CAN- ADIAN ECONOMY, by Gun- nar Alder-Karlson with intro- duction by Abraham Rotstein. Published by Anansi. 98 pp. $1.75. This book contains an ex- cellent account of the opera- tions of the economic system in Sweden which has been governed for over 35 years by a labor-oriented social democratic government. It offers sane answers to the Waffle group—the “rhetorical . revolutionaries” —but more. particularly it tells how a so- cialist government can retain control over its economy and its resources without formal nationalization. Professor Rotstein believes that the author offers a way to safeguard and restore “our independent powers of deci- sion” without adding “need- less risks to this task”. nn ee SO SAYS REPORT UNEMPLOYMENT HERE TO STAY A report by the National Council on Welfare suggests unemployment is here to stay and says a new concept of work is needed. The report says a program of guaranteed jobs could eliminate what we now call poverty, but all socially useful activities, including child raising, would be included in. the new definition of job. The council is an advisory body to the federal govern- ment. Its report says the existing shortage of conventional kinds of work is not a temporary aberration but an emerging and inevitably expanding reality. The council says the Op- portunities for Youth and Local Initiatives Programs are only ad-hoc and _— short-term responses to the problem. “Instead of building new permanent concepts of work in terms of community service, these programs have created only insecure, short-term filler jobs.’ The Council claims its program of guaranteed “‘jobs,”’ under the new concept would eliminate what now is called poverty. The program could reach almost everyone, with the exception of the very old and the infirm. But no one should be forced to work. It was unlikely many would choose not to do so. The council says Canada “offers neither secure forms of employment nor alternate sources of income to those who see the rising tide of technology about to engulf them, their skills and their livelihoods.” And it criticizes the idea that to provide services to the elderly and improving the quality of neighbourhood life somehow are unproductive forms of employment, ‘while putting the caps on bottles of underarm deodorant instead of letting a machine do it represents a contribution tr the nation’s economic growth.’ The council also says that if motherhood were considered an eceupation and mothers paid accordingly, two million members would be added to the labor force and there would be a spectacular drop in welfare costs.” EE eS LIGHTER SIDE A diplomat says Kamloops Katie, is a guy who remembers a woman’s birthday but forgets her age. @ An Interior lumberman friend is so rich he always goes to drive-in movies in a taxi. @ A Vancouver Island mill manager recently had a big argument with his wife. She wanted twin beds. He didn’t. He claimed he commuted five days a week and he was darned if he’d do the same thing at night! i @ Sam, the machinery sales- man, cals en a Prince George logging contractor who tells him that he’d really like to drown his treubles but he can’t get his wife inte the pool.