is
BS  \iee

|truggle For Union Principles
Pp Boilermakers Succeeding

The affairs of the Boilermakers and Iron Shipbuilders
-@on are absent from the newspaper headlines for the first

fi in months and that’s good
Bbiggest local union in Western

ie short-lived Henderson ad-
eptration has given-way to: a
jig) leadership. One of the worst
“pi des of disruption and at-
Wyeted- union = busting in local
union . annals: has. been
ied -up..

quninge agent for the welders
’Mest. Coast Shipbuilders. Ne-
“ons are under way with
nion Bridge for a closed
© #2reement, and agreements
ia number of other plants
jeimg renewed. The Boiler-
fs’ Union is once again free
ercise its prime function —
tion of the rights of its
sers and the organization of
@anized workers under its
iction.

» there was a period when
me on was not only unable to
we out its normal functions
}ospeared headed for disrup-
. 'nd disintegration. A fac-
@ hich made up for its lack of
rt and influence by plenty
wed mise had placed the un-
‘eputation at the mercy of
aper headline writers and
A\ sult was at times incom-
sea sible to the general pub-
si the men and women of
ae zed labor. _What informa-
Ne public did receive on the
=). atfairs came from the
# tess and the dailiés in sen-
ul style made the most of
merous legal suits of un-
- etings ending ni chaos of
charges about errors in
2 ancial audits.

JSNIZED DISRUPTION

f did not =come out—at
"ery clearly—during those
= and months of difficulty,
@ = tact that the Boilermak-
‘ion was facing an organ-
ttempt, amounting to a
| smash the union. It was
t0 So cripple the union by

® issension that it would be
#— to function. And when
@oint was reached, there
€n ready to take over the
nip for purposes haying

* to do with trade union

mf

it

é bles.
faction responsible for
istuptive attempt com-

e 2 hondescript grouping of
slals who found their basis
Fy on one point alone—at-
)\e leadership. There were
© Ssyndicalists opposed to
= up in any form. There
penly anti-union elements
tended meetings just to
aeise and disruption. And
"vasa small group “led”
idiculous Myron Kuzych,
»0used the open shop and
/600 from the union ina
tion.
TION

he core of this rag tag
t tail was a group of mem-
ith avowedly CCE sym-
§ who formed the “le&der-
JE the faction. This gang

ti

AND STUDIGC
hing With a Camera”

elastings St. PAc. 7644
© ANCOUVER, B.C.
j ~— —

-up-.-In-the..last. few days-
Meeinion has been certified as

news for the membership of
Canada-

had no policyisave the negative
one “of opposition. It opposed
everything—non-partisan politi-
eal action, trade union and labor
unity, labor’ partnership with
government and management in
Wanning the peace. It had no
interest in the economic advance-
ment of the union members.
Everything was centered on op-
posing the elected officers and
making it impossible for the un-
ion to carry out its job.

Tt was this unprincipled line.
up which elected C. A. Hender-
Son as president last December
end at the same time gave the
tipoff on what lengths the
Wrecking crew were prepared to
<0.

Henderson’s election Was in
fact one of the queerest on rec-
ord. Completely new to trade un-
ionism he had never attended a
general meeting of the local prior
to the night he was nominated
for the presideney. Yet the dis_
rupters not only supported his
nomination, but actively cam-
pPaigned for him despite their
knowledge of his incapability.
His election had its logical result.
Unable to handle the highly re-
sponsible job of leading thous-
ands of workers, he turned to
factionalism himself to cover up
his .weaknesses, joining ‘with
Kuzych and the other Opposition-
ists. :

For the next few weeks’ there
Was chaos in union affairs. In
meeting after meeting the wreck-
ing group provoked eontlicts,
keckled officers, challenged exe-
cutive decisions. They made it
impossible for the union execu-
tive to present its report to the
Iecal meeting, and the meetings
were broken up.in the midst of
indescribable noise and confusion.
The union’s participation in the
Labor Lobby to Victoria was di-
rectly and indirectly sabotaged.

Then in February the disrupt-
ers played what they thought
would be their trump card by de-
manding a new audit of the union
books, already certified by the
Pacific Coast Labor Bureau. To
add to the confusion Henderson
and the executive members sup-
porting him threatened to resign
if the new audit was not approv-
ed. But the issue was too phony.
The membership refused to sup-
port his demand, his resignation

Was acepted. and ney
called. ; :
FURTHER FACTIONALIISM -

Some indication of how far this
factionalism would have gone be-
came apparent toward the latter
part of February. The wreckers
began to level their attacks on
the Shipyard’ General Workers’
Federation. Garry Culhane, Red-
eration secretary, was howled
down by hoedlums when he at-
tempted to address the Boiler-
makers’ general meeting on Heb-
Yuary 27. It was evident that the
disruption was aimed not only at
smashing the local union but of
destroying the authority of the
Shipyard Federation and making
it inoperative.

The meeting of February 27,
which was again deliberately
broken up by the hoodlums, .
brought the affairs of the Boil-
ermakers to their most critical
Stage. Anothér few days of the
type of anarchy prevailing at that
meeting would likely have smash-
ed the union entirely and brought

aown with it the Shipyard Ped-
eration. :

But at this point the honest
union members began to take a
hand. Confused and disorganized
by the intensive campaien of dis-
ruption which had gone on for
months, the charge of mishandl-
ing of funds levelled by Hender-
son, together with the new at-
tack on the Shipyard General
Workers’ Federation, was never_
theless too phony to be supported.
A special general meeting early
in March saw the biggest turn-
out in years. The opposition fac-
tion, already weakened. by the
Henderson fiasco, was forced in-
te keeping quiet. The business
went through, new officers were
nominated and later elected,
among them the popular William
“Bill? White to replace Hender-
Son as president for the unexpired
term.

elections

Now the Boilermakers Union is
back in the main stream of: the
labor movement and again assum-
ing its logical position as the
leading unit of the Shipyard Fed-
eration. It has received a sharp
setback. Much valuable time
which could have been devoted to
genuine trade union activity was
I¢st. But the membership is still
united on basic policies. And so
long as they maintain that unity,
there is little danger of further
attacks on their union from any
source Al PARKIN.

| “Family Allowances”’

Minerva Cooper
Kayla Culhane

APR 11-1945. 9-30 Aim

_ -tdEAR ©.

CKWX-

April 14, 1945 — Page 7

security Organization to keep

Our armies, the Russian army,
the British army are heading to-
ward Berlin in the offensive that
will probably end the European
war. The representatives of all
the United Nations are on their
way to San Prancisco to set up
the world organization proposed
at Dumbarton Oaks to outlaw
war.

But the eyes of those millions
of people whose homes have been
destroyed and families killed in
the worst war in history are on
Washington, where Gongress by
its decision on the Bretton Woods
Plan may decide whether or not
they can hope for lasting peace.

Without the international jeco-
nemic agreement that will make
it possible for nations to trade
on the world market without de-
claring economic war on each
other, and make it possible to
borrow money and buy American
machinery without Signing their

Bretton Woods Plan
Vital To World Peace

NEW YORK (FP)—People who attack Bretton Woods
may not know it but they’re also firing guns at the world

the peace.

lives away to Wall Street banks,
be agreement to outlaw war ‘s
worth the ink it?s written with.
The rest of the world is well
aware of that. They know why
they’ve gone to war in the past,
and that the Bretton Woods
agreement may take away the
main reason for goine to war in
the future.

ff the U.S. takes the advice
of a few big bankers and wipes
cut the international monetary
fund—the most important half of
the first non-war agreement of
the United Nations—the other na_
tions will be thinking in terms
of combining to compete with our
imperialist ambitions after this
war. They ll have to.

Tt will mean that the U.S. talks
big about international principles
but when these principles get
down to dollars and cents we

‘won't lay it on the line.

cratic coalition of all.

coming Federal elections.

33 ADELAIDE ST. W.

THE KEY TO CANADA'S
POSTWAR PROSPERITY

Jobs, social secunty and peace for Canadians in the
Postwar can only be gained if organized Labor is a ae
ner Nn government, not in the opposition. A victory for
the Tories would be a death blow: to the hopes of organ-
ized labor for real collective bargaining, jobs and security.
E.abor can be a partner in government through a demo-

assistance in our Campaign for a

Federal Election Fund of

$250,000

i ition to assist Canada’s great
te supply us with the ammuni L i naar at
lalys: ent to win jobs, social security e2ce
ee the postwar. s

Bilection Compaign Manager

LABOR-PROGRESSIVE PARTY

As its part in labors fight against the Tories, the Labor-
Progressive Party is running 70 candidates in the forth-

That is why we ask your

Send
TIM BUCK
and Colleagues
to Parliament

Maii your Contribution
today to

SAM CARR

TORONTO