es eras By MAURICE RUSH hts compulsion In an impressive united stand by B.C.’s mass labor movement against Bill 33, compulsory arbitration and the Mediation Commission, the workers of B.C. have demonstrated their opposition to forced labor and their determination to wi? against them. Facing threats of heavy fines and jail under Bill 33, B.C.’s 25,000 construction workers, backed by the B.C. Federation of Labor, refused to abide by an order-in-council of the Socred cabinet ordering them to return to work by Monday morning ‘‘or else.’’ They have refused to appear before the Mediation Commission. The mass refusal of workers to accept forced labor and to return to work under threat and with- out a contract, has revealed the bankrupcy of the governments anti-labor legislation, and demonstrated that the legis- lation is unworkable because B.C.’s workers will not accept forced labor. The mass refusal of construc- tion workers to return to work under compulsion, backed by City labor backs Fed’s A packed meeting of delegates to the Tuesday night meeting of the Vancouver Labor Council backed the ‘‘No Forced Labor”’ stance of the building trades unions and the B.C. Federation of Labor to the hilt. They applauded Carpenters’ Union . leader Larry Anderson’s state- ment that they would be going into Wednesday’s meeting with Premier Bennett with one theme in mind — We will not submit to compulsion in any shape or form! The meeting also endorsed the world-wide Indochina peace campaign, the Outnow petition, which will be sent to President Nixon. ~Ray Haynes, secretary of the B.C. Federation of Labor, dealt in some depth with the need to fight repressive legislation wherever it is found. He said the daily papers of Van- couver, with a halo over their heads, tell labor not to break the law. He asked how these news- papers would react to néws media censorship laws of fascist states? Would they bow down to compulsion by government decree? Bad laws are not changed by bowing down to them, he said. Laws which prohibit the freedom of man can only be changed by militant struggle against them. . He declared he had no reluc- tance in telling his children that laws which undermine the rights of man are wrong; that an infringement of freedom is wrong. Bill 33 is such a law and it must be fought, he said. Anderson told the delegates, ‘“‘the employers will not bargain so long as they have Bill 33 backing them up. The CLRA con- Labor body endorses OUTNOW petition Delegates to the Vancouver and District Labor Council Tuesday night endorsed the Outnow petition which is being circulated on a world-wide scale to bring an end to the wars in Indochina. Paddy Neale, secretary of the Council read letters from: the Peace Action League which described the project as a world- wide campaign to get messages from the people of the world to President Nixon, saying one word only: STOP. The executive of the labor body recommended all-out support of labor for the cam paign. Speaking to the motion, Dave Werlin, a CUPE delegate, said the campaign was a reminder that the survival of mankind was at stake. He said the war must be stopped, and B.C. labor would be part of the struggle of people around the world to put an end to it. The petitions will be circulated in a door-to-door campaign to get signatures. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JULY 24, 1970—Page 8 ‘No Compulsion’ stand tinuously tries to steer unions into the jaws of the compulsory sections of the mediation act.” In other union business it was announced that strike notice had been served on Leland Motors in Vancouver; that Super-Valu Stores have promised to handle only union-label grapes; that Tilden Car Rentals have refused to bargain with their employees although Hertz and Avis have settled a fair contract with the workers. American Standard- Crane Potteries is also on strike. The Longshoremen’s Union, (ILWU) have urged the Federal government to provide more coutainer facilities for Van- couver ports. They also urge that a Greater Port Authority be set up to take in all the ports in the area. The delegates supported a demand that Canadian seamen be used on ships out of Roberts Banks, asking for the direct inter- vention of Kaiser Co. on the question. A delegate from the Postal Unions said there had been no break in negotiations with the government in their dispute because the government does not want to lose face by talking wage terms over their 6 percent guideline. It appears, he said, they would rather see the postal service go down the drain than deal fairly with the postal employees. The VLC approved a cheque to the striking fishermen in Nova Scotia and urged their affiliates to do the same. Labor will nominate its candidates for the COPE-NDP- LABOR civic election slate by the time of the September meeting of the Labor Council. Satisfactory settlements despite the gangup of the big employers and government nae the overwhelming majority of the trade union movement, has created a crisis for the govern- ment’s anti-labor policy. This crisis is shown in the fact that in each instance the government has had to bypass the Mediation Commission and the machinery set up under Bill 33. As the PT went to press Wednesday Premier W.A.C. Bennett had called a meeting in Victoria of representatives of the unions and CLRA to discuss the dispute in the construction industry, after the building unions refused to appear before the Mediation Commission Monday, rendering that body completely impotent and useless in the present crisis. The crisis in B.C. is the sharpest since employer and government attacks on labor brought on a general strike after World War 1. The present confrontation in B.C. was brought about as a result of a determined drive by the big monopolies and government to crush the unions, and impose poor wage settlements on B.C.’s workers, using the threat of Bill 33 to accomplish that aim. After months of endless negotiation in B.C.’s basic indus- tries, with employers refusing - to enter into serious bargaining while they sat back and waited for the government to impose compulsory arbitration under Bill 33, has brought on the present confrontation. ‘NO TO FORCE After more than three months of an employer lockout of about 25,000 construction workers, the government ordered the unions back to work under threat of Bill 33. All unions except the Team- sters and Laborers (ordered back by U.S. International Head- quarters) refused to return until a new contract was signed. In a half page advertisement in the daily press, 25 locals of the United Brotherhood of Carpen- ters and Joiners declared that Labor Minister Peterson’s edict-to ‘‘get back to work in ten days or get fines and impris- onment,’’ along with his demand that they accept the contractors offer or work under compulsion — “is the first step to forced labor.” “No contractor would start work without an agreement spelling out terms of work and payment. Why should we?”’ the advertisement pointedly asked. Last Friday, when the govern- ment-set deadline arrived, a special conference called by the B.C. Federation of Labor voted unanimously to back the ‘‘no contract, no work’’ stand of the B.C.-Yukon Building Trades Council and affiliated unions. Called Wednesday by the BCFL executive, the conference, on two days notice, brought together 300 union delegates from all parts of B.C. — more than double the number expected. : After a full days discussion, which showed a high degree ° unity, delegates rose an applauded the adoption” statement of policy. B.C. FED STAND “We reiterate our policy of refusing to appear before the Mediation Commission, ° refusing to accept compulsory arbitration, and refusing 10 - pe work under compulsion,” the Federation statement declared. “In the event that an attempt is made to compel any affiliated P union or its members to return 10 work, we advise that 1? accordance with Federation policy they refuse. If legal action is taken against any affiliate OF its members, other Building Trades Unions working under contract will take appropriate action. If fines are levied We recomment that those fine refuse to pay. We pledge full support to any affiliate and its members who carry out this policy. “We recognize legal action. seeking to compel men and women to work under imposed conditions means the end of free collective bargaining and Wé will take appropriate action to support any union resisting com pulsion. We believe that negotla- tions can resolve differences, but point out that compulsio? - through legal action in the con- struction industry could jeopat dize continued negotiations 19 the forest industry and coul lead to mass action which would affect the major resources indus- tries of the province. ‘‘We urge government ani employers to cooperate with us in avoiding that danger.” : Despite the Federation $ warning, the Socred govern: ment the next day invoked Section 18 of Bill 33 ordering a2 immediate return to work an compulsory binding arb!- tration. Other than some Team ster-manned cement trucks few workers reported on Monday and all major construction projects remain closed down at press time. BUILDING PACT Cont’d from pg. 1 . The unions agree t0 recommend to their member- ships that they return to work no later than next Monday at 8 a.m. . Proceedings before the Mediation Commission, launched last Saturday by cabinet order-in-council ordering the workers back to the job under threat of compulsion and without a contract, are postponed indefinitely and will not be reinstated ‘‘except on the recommendation of the minister of labor after consultation with the parties.” Olde e OF.