Sane st Daily News, — TO END DIVISION IN ITS RANKS Labor needs new unity progras LABOR COMMITTEE, B.C. Communist Party | The hard won gains and high level of militancy shown by the B.C: labor movement in the past two years are being threat- ened because of internal divisions, ’ The advances made by labor have precipitated a concerted attack by the employers, govern- ments, courts, RCMP, CIA agents, and in some known in- stances with assistance from the right-wing and the ultra-left in the labor movement, In this setting, the current internal warfare, the jurisdic- tional battles between craft and industrial unions, and between different craft unions themselves, these splits and divisions all play directly into the hands of big business, and aid its attack, Unless these problems are “quickly resolved, the whole labor movement of this province faces very serious setbacks, What is the cause of the attacks on the unions? It is to be found in the policies, both foreign and domestic, of big business. Al- though there is a growing aware- ness that Canada’s subservience to American foreign policy, and our loss of independence to U.S, economic domination are against the interests of labor, it is on issues that-are of direct concern to unions that the main battles have taken place. In 1965 and 1966 the unions Tribune FRIDAY, JUNE 16, 1967 Federation suspensions disservice to all labor Four big locals of the Inter- national Woodworkers of Ameri- ca, strongly critical of Canadian Labor Congress vice-president Joe Morris and his interference in what is contended to be strict- ly IWA affairs, have been sus- pended from the B,C, Federation of Labor until the presidents of these four IWA locals offer an apology to Morris, During the Gold River juris- dictional dispute the four IWA local presidents had character- ized Morris as ‘‘a nickel organ- _izer”, and that his ‘‘deals’’ in the inter-union dispute at Gold River ‘*stinks like a pig sty on a hot July day’’, The BCFL Executive Council ruling suspends IWA locals in Vancouver, Duncan, Victoria and the Lumber Inspector’s local from the BCFL until an apology is tormmcoming, contending that **internal union matiers oe aoe std = not be discussed in public”, On this flimsy pretext, the BCFL splitting tactics, accor- ding to many trade unionists, are designed to exclude thou- sands of lumberworkers from the BCFL, and its affiliated Labor Couneils, especially in centers like Vancouver, Victoria, Nanai- mo, etc.,. where IWA members have been elected to executive positions, Moreover, this BCFL suspen- sion ruling has _ precipitated another hot question in trade union circles, Since CLC vice- president Joe Morris and CLC secretary Donald McDonald hold union membership in the suse pended Vancouver and Duncan IWA Locals, and having con- curred in the BCFL suspension of their own home locals, are they themselves suspended? While this constitutional wran- Union fights gang-up ,Cont'd from pg. 1 is interpreted in union circles as a deliberate intervention in the Rupert dispute against the UFAWU, The union has withstood a fan- tastic gang-up launched by the press and radio monopoly in Rupert and semi-hysterical ate tacks by so-called “marching mothers”, who in reality are wives of the vessel owners, Exposing the gang-up by the Rupert ‘‘Establishment” to break the UFAWU in B,C.’s northern fishing centre, the UFAWU re- leased a statement last week which shows that Mayor P, Lester and MLA W. Murray are big shareholders in radio station CHTK which has been inthe fore- front of the attack on the union, Murray resigned as a directorof the station March 14, It points out that the Rupert which has been carrying on a big campaign against ‘‘southern domination” is owned outright by a Vancouver millionaire who is transferring his investments to the Bahamas, The UFAWU has charged that the ‘Big 10’ who control Rupert, and station CHTK, backed by the “Daily News” is out to get the UFAWU, It also charges that **Mayor P, Lester and MLA W, Murray are obviously part of the machine, They are using CHTK to smash the UFAWU by twisted reporting, deliberate falsehoods, and slander,” Union leaders have charged that the attack on the UFAWU is essentially an attempt by the big fishing companies, through their financial influence on the vessel owners, to resist the ef- fort of the union to secure a trawl share contract, They have their eye both on the East Coast fishery, where trawling is domi- nant and presently unorganized, and the West Coast where it is about to become a major fishery, gle promises to be interesting, the BCFL ruling on the IWA lo- cals involved strikes a severe blow at labor unity in B.C.; and especially at atime when govern- ment and industry, through the media of court injunctions, mounting police provocation on picket lines, and right-wing en- gineered raiding and jurisdic- tional disputes can only be effec- tively met by the widest trade unity and solidarity, In that setting, the BCFL, in suspending the IWA locals, has rendered adisservice to the cause of labor unity. Another angle in this BCFL apology move is the coming BCFL convention and the election of its leading executive, According to the Barker, official organ of [WA Local 1-217, ‘‘all four Locals’ have indicated dissatisfaction _ with Federation policies, The Federation secretary posi- _ tion now occupied by Ray Haynes was decided by only 60 votes in ‘last year’s Federation conven- tion. A change of thirty votes, a number less than what would be sent by these Locals to the con- vention of tiié B,C, Federation, could bring about a significant change in the Federation Execu- tive Council”, Other trade unionists have also voiced the opinion that the BCFL apology demand is merely a diversion from the real issue, _Pinpointed by the Barker, worked out a plan to gain a greater share. of the benefits from the economic boom and in- creased productivity due to tech- nological advances, They went out to get substantial wage in- creases, to get cutbacks inhours of work, and to get freedom to wage their battles without the anti-labor obstacles of Bills 42 and 48, and court injunctions, Conversely, the employers proceeded to organize their forces to deny labor’s demands, In addition to their use of the government and the courts, the main section of finance-capital got together and formed Com- mercial ~ Industrial Research Foundation (CIRF) to assist them in their assault on the unions, The labor movement was suc- cessful in defeating the plans of big business, obtaining substan- tial wage increases and break- through to the 73-hour day in - the electrical and carpentry trades, But few battles are with- out casualties. The employers’ provocation at Lenkurt, which resulted in dismissal of a large number of workers, the jailing of four leading trade unionists, and the International’s subversion of democracy within the IBEW, had serious effects, “But the overall results were important economic and social gains. Moreover, it laid the base for strengthening the electoral position of the NDP both federal- ly and provincially, as well as for important breakthroughs in civic politics, In the course of the struggle, a number of actions were taken by reactionary forces both in- side and outside the labor move- ment to block further advance and split it. A special conference called by the CLC for a legal, rather than a militant approach in the struggle against injunc- tions contributed greatly to erode the militancy of the workers, On the day prior to the last B.C, Federation of Labor Convention, a conference was called osten- sibly to fight injunctions, In fact what took place was the same kind of approach advocated at the CLC conference: capitula- tion to court ee through a eh to injunctions, legalistic appiv Se This was the line of the B.C, Federation of Labor lawyers in . the Lenkurt contempt case, and was diligently fought for in the BCFL convention, In addition, right-wing leaders including P, Haynes for the B.C, Federation, R, St. Eloi for the Plumbers for the Internationals, Pat O’Neal for the “buggers”, and others, ganged up and managed to elect a near-complete slate ©! people that advocated a policy of class , collaboration instead of a policy of struggle, CUPE urges B.C. Fed to call wages parley ~ The wage policy conference of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (B.C. Division) meeting in New West- minster last Sunday unanimously passed a resolution calling _on the B.C. Federation of Labor to organize a conference ‘of all B.C. unions going into negotiations in 1968. Purpose of the conference, said the CUPE resolution, should be to establish cooperation and co-ordination be- tween all unions in their upcoming contract negotiations. From the employers’ ath every conceivable means # disposal is used to erin the Labor Relations Boa systematically abrogatine right of workers to be cet by a union of their choice, ' injunctions are widely in" ais and various governmentase® ssi such as the Rand Commis “Inquiry into Labor Dis? ult are being used to do a pu relations job against Jabor. ett The adoption by the ee NDP convention of 2 oe pt new labor act that woul pot vide the Labor Relations ins with the audhority to end? with “cease and desist” a i does not help matters at Ae is essentially the same injunctions, fac ss is The working cla net with mounting problem cit ployment is growing due tors backs in a number of net d of the economy; displacem? uot labor because of the intl trodl of automation, the increae ig ‘ danger of war, the extens foreign control over our @ Ss rising prices, increase® in res and a host of other a remain unresolved. 08 hallmark of the B.C. rest since the last convention oft? been a complete abdicatio on 0 p responsibility for leaders these questions. The vacuum created eee of lack of leadership Nast snot! the labor unions on the tht ent of disaster, Instead of av mot plan to meet the mountin Hf ee poly offensive, labor with a divided house. A number of union real a adopted a policy of “EMP” gif -ing” instead of coopera! nol” unity in struggle agains onc? oo poly, The recent CO ere ie Building Trade Unions ctiom adopted a call to juris nl! war, and retaliation in ws vein by a conference Unions, can only con assistance to monopoly: If labor continues t0 fight tl itself, it cannot figh nt mo a interests, The silent , pod action of the main ee rp 4 while the Fishermen'® yet being attacked by the &™ ‘a courts, and right wit gal te pat -gne tragic HI" Seige ,w We need. to ask: we happen in the next ru oo tiations? How will Me 10 oi with the problem of tee por” I changes? How canthe la ener C ment consolidate 2” the io electoral gains, j division now existiné* f d 1 ne There must be 2 o op pH kind of irresponsibil ‘a yo ‘ part of certain 1} leade of oo around a militant pla ish gt be quickly fag - os eh any furthey nk and He ys sets in, The Te ee that the unions must insi>. is done, Sa on Rush to speak Mideast crisis i PT associate edito! wit Rush will speak oF RY East crisis af m cer people's picnic un Park this coming . June 18.