5 i 4 - closed shop illegal if it finds that The 7-year battle to deport Pres. Harry Bridges of Inter- national Longshoremen’s %&% Warehousémen’s Union (CIO) ended when the U.S. supreme court ruled, 5-3, that the jde- portation order was illegal. Top: Bridges. Bottom-left: author of the majority opinion, Justice William O. Douglas. Bottom right: Francis Biddle the witch-hunt against Bridges. who, as attorney general. led U.S. Labor Opposes SF Proposed Labor Law NEW YORK. — U.S. labor strongly denounced -a proposed new labor law introduced into the Senate which would modify many of the laws passed in re- cent years to protect labor, in- cluding the National Labor Re- lations Act. Patterned after the Railway Labor Act, the suggest- ed legislation is based on the assumption that labor and indus- try are equal parties when en- gaged in a dispute. In recent years, labor legisla- tion has been based on the theory that. labor was the weaker of the two parties and that protection from the government was neces- sary to preserve its rights in col- lective bargaining. The bill radically alters the closed shop provisions of thé NLRA and pro- vides that a new Federal Labor Relations Board could make: the the union hus not fulfilled the following requirements: 1. That it does not represent 75 per’ cent of those employed; 2. that the closed shop was not ra- tified by 60 per cent of the work- ers employed; 8. that union membership was not open to all qualified persons; and 4. that written charges and a fair hear- ing were not provided: before the- expulsion of any: union member. The proposed. law, introduced by Senators Ball and Burton, Re- Democrat, would eliminate the National Labor Relations Board and the War Labor Board. ‘The function of these boards would be taken over by the new board, which “would also’ absorb ‘the con- ciliation service of the Depart- ment of Labor. The bill was pre- pared tor the senators by the Committee to Promote Industrial Peace, «CIO President Philip Murray said that the bill ‘would enslave labor and characterized’ it’'as a “bald-faced ..attempt~ to destroy labor unions and nullify the basic constitutional tights. of work- ers,” adding: “Under the | :guise of affording equality: of protec- tion to employers, the rights now guaranteed to workers by the Wagner Act (NLRA) are practi- cally eliminated. Labor can do nothing to protect itself against the most arbitrary and’ destruc- tive actions of the employers.” Terming the proposed legisla- tion a “straitjacket” which would lead to the regimentation’ of labor and industry and under- mine collective bargaining, AFL President William Green said: “Organized labor has fought compulsory arbitration since its earliest days as the first step to- ward involuntary servitude.” Re- publican Senator Wayne Morse, apparently agreeing with labor criticism, termed the legislation publicans, and Senator Hatch, an “industry-slanted” measure. PAGE 2 — PACIFIC ADVOCATE than anything else. ' The question right now is what can be done to cushion the shock of war contract cancellations. How are we going to not only provide:jobs for those at present employed, but put every man and woman in the.service back on the job at good wages? The critical nature of this question is sharpened by the news that at least 160,000 serv- icemen would be receiving their discharges in B.C. during the coming year. Now that is double the number of men and women who first enlisted from the prov- ince. It indicates that B.C. with its generally higher wage and social standards and its more favorable climate, is going to be- come the ‘‘mecea” of additional thousands of Canadians exercis- by their service to their country, te live and work where they choose. . From the so-called practical and hard-headed business point of view, this mass influx of new workers into a province which before the war provided relative- ly limited employment in three primary industries only —lum- bering, mining and fishing — might be termed far from eco- nomically sound. It is, in fact, the official view of many Ot- tawa government heads ‘ex- pressed . to delegations from B.C. which have visited the na- tion’s capital recently seeking ideas and assistance on recon- version and related problems’ The Coast province is not only the “hot spot” so far as housing is concerned but is de- finitely the number one problem for reconversion, Ottawa offi- cials admit. And there is much doleful shaking of heads among them as they contemplate the problem. of “overpopulation” in a province with greater poten- tial wealth than any other area in Canada. But’ is the expected popula- CCL Moves In Union Dispute A further move to settle the dispute at Western Bridge and Steel Fabricators Ltd. between the Boilermakers’ Union and a group branded by the Boilermak- ers’ executive as “disruptive” was made this week with the announcement that the Nationa] War. Labor Board has suspended hearing pending an attempt by the Canadian Congress of Labor to settle the dispute. Although the Boilermakers’ Union at present holds an agree- ment in the plant, a group has lodged an appeal with the War Labor Board protesting the right of the Union to act as bargain 7 ing agent. The hearings. have been proceeding, but have been adjourned until’ August 14 -pend- ing Congress action. W. L. White, Boilermakers’ President, recently returned from Ottawa, informed the press: that the Board is leaving the question temporarily for settlement by the Congress. It is felt that*the Congress will affect a settlement before August 14. ing their rights, doubly justified | Should be studied closely now War Industry Must Be Speedil Converted To Avoid Job Crisis | Ifthe establishment of a steel industry in British Columbia is recognized as” basic the future progress of British Columbia, it is also true that in the immediate Situatio where wartime industry must be converted quickly ‘to provide the maximum: number” jobs, plans for producing steel must be considered as more of a long-range PFopositic ily tion increase just another ob- stacle? Majority opinion in- lines to the opposite view. Manpower must be considered in this case an asset that will be immediately put to good use. This point of view has already been put forward by the lead- ing industrialist, H. R. MacMil- lan, in his policy speech before the Vancouver Board of Trade several months ago. Among other things, MacMillan advo- cated as a basic prerequisite to a prosperous B.C. the creation of a whole number .of new man- ufacturing enterprises. This | would be possible, in his opin-| ion, with the following steps: - Vast extension of hydro-elec- tric power projects and the es-| tablishment of a steel industry. | Maintenance of a high wage scale, and the raising of wage | standards in Eastern Canada to a level more closely ing those of B.C. | Equalization of freight rates | with those of Eastern Canada, | such as has already been done | for haulage rates in the Uni- | ted States. : { Such developments would | necessitate, in his opinion, an expansion in’ population whieh would be drawn here in the first place by the promise - of jobs | and would in turn. create: a greater domestic . market... So: approach- afraid of our lation. #3 But again, the proposals are mainly based