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IN THE HEAD!

The Oil, Chemical and Atomic
Workers Union in B.C. this week
served a 72-hour strike notice on
six of the big oil companies,
following a deadlock in wage
negotiations,

The Oil Union's negotiating
committee rejected a company
offer of a 42-cents wage increase
in a two year contract. The union
is demanding a $1-per hour hike,
little enough compared to
fabulous oil company profits and
soaring living costs.

Some 600 workers are involved
in the dispute with the oil
distributors affected; these are
Gulf Oil, Imperial,

Shell,

Behind other trades

PLUMBERS DEMANDS

_ By Construction Worker
‘The Pipefitters and Plumbers
Local 170 strike against
Mechanical Industrial Relations

Association (MIRA) and other.

independent contractors
continued: this week, with all
unions having respected Local
170 picket lines posted
throughout the province.

The contract demands of Local
170 are justified in view of the
tremendous financial losses
incurred, plus the belated
implementation of the 72-hour
work day, following a disastrous
5-year agreement recommended
by their then business-manager
Russ St. Eloi (now western
Canadian International
representative), and ratified by
a narrow majority in 1965.

Local 170 members, prior to
the unfortunate signing of this 5-
year agreement, were among
the highest paid workers in the
construction industry. Today
they find themselves working an
8-hour day at $4.80 per hour
(basic), compared to
construction laborers who now
receive $3.89 per hour (basic)
and a 7%-hour day. The
electricians also working a 7%2-
hour day earn $5.80 per hour. ,

The contractors have agreed
to wage increases which would
return Pipefitters and Plumbers
to: their 1965 position vis-a-vis

JUSTIFIED

attention, will be the relative
value of signing longer than one-
year agreements. This has been
brought about by unparalleled
and unchecked rise in living
costs, deliberately promoted by
the employers and their lackeys
in ruling government circles, to
rob workers of their hard-earned
gains on the picket lines and at
the bargaining table.

electricians and other skilled
tradesmen in the industry.

A membership meeting of
striking pipefitters and plumbers
has been called for Saturday,
May 17 at Exhibition Gardens to
vote on new proposals.

Since all major unions in the
construction industry, such as
Ironworkers, Electricians,
Carpenters, Operating
Engineers, etc. will shortly be
negotiating new agreements for
1970, a great deal of attention is
focussed on the outcome of Local
170 negotiations. ‘It is generally
accepted that the 7-hour day will
be the key issue in the 1970 round
of negotiations in the industry.

It is worth noting the serious
situation that has developed in
the woodworking industry in this
regard, The excessive rise in the
cost of living, coupled with the
mad quest for super-profits by
the lumber barons, has forced
the IWA to demand the re-
opening of their 2-year
2 agreement, signed less than one

: : year ago.
Due to ever-increasing

unemployment, as a direct result
of new methods and
technological advance
constantly being introduced into
construction, the 7-hour day
objective must of necessity be of
the highest priority. The 7-hour
day can be achieved in 1970 by all
construction workers, but it will
require the utmost degree of
unity and understanding’, with
the fullest cooperation and
coordination of the various
negotiating committees and rank-
and-file members on the job. -
Another major question that is
already receiving wide

This reasonable and absolutely
necessary demand was
unanimously supported at the
last meeting of the Vancouver
Labor Council by delegates
representing 65,000 workers in
the municipal, industrial and
construction fields. The B.C.
Federation should also be urged
to take action to have all wage
agreements reopened for
substantial wage increases.

There is every indication that
all unions in the construction
industry will celebrate May Day
of 1970 with the winning of the 7-
hour day.

This will be a timely historic

MORE AID TO VIETNAM

The 17th and 18th shipments from the Children’s Committee of
Canadian Aid for Vietnam Civilians, valued at $8,500 left Vancouver

for Vietnam on Tuesday, May 13.

step forward in the workers
relentless struggle to receive
their fair share of the goods and
services which they produce,

The magnificent support and
solidarity displayed by all

Texaco, Home and Standard Oil
of B.C. Should strike action
become necessary to win the Oil
Union’s demands, the tie-up
could affect considerably more
than the 600 workers
immediately involved.

Specualtion is keen at the
pgssibility of the Socred
government stepping into the
dispute with its Bill 33 mediation
machinery.

Just recently the B.C.
Federation of Labor advised all
its affiliate unions not to appear
before the Mediation
Commission or to cooperate in
any way with that body. Should
the Oil Workers Union adhere
strictly to the BCFL collective
decision, a broadening of labor
solidarity in support of their
wage demands could speedily
result.

. Late in 1965 when the Oil,

Chemical and Atomic Union
struck the British-American Oil
on a national scale, the Socred
government and the B-A oil
monopoly were quickly brought
to the realization that oil and
other workers also had a
‘stake’ in society.

Thus when the B.C. Federation
of Labor, the VLC and other
central labor bodies throughout
B.C. began to evolve a general
work stoppage or general strike
in support of and in solidarity
with the oil workers. ‘‘That
unity,’’ an oil worker told the
Pacific Tribune, ‘‘won us a big
victory in 1965, and can do so
again in 1969,"’

Should strike action become
necessary to back up the wage
demands of the oil workers and
the refineries and supply depots
of the big six oil monopoly close
down, the overall B.C. economy
could be brought to a complete
halt.

*_**

Wage negotiations between
municipal civic workers in
Vancouver, Burnaby and
Richmond, conducted jointly
between the Canadian Union of
Public Employees, (CUPE) and
the Municipal Labor Relations
Board (MLRB) have reached a
stalemate.

Vancouver Local 1004 (Outside
Workers) voted 88-percent in

&° Oil union may strike to
win new wage contract

favor of strike action to back up
their wage demands, while
Richmond workers turned in a
unanimous strike vote and has
served a 72-hours strike notice.
Also some 1,000 or more
University of, British Columbia
janitors, maintenance personnel,
etc.. members of Local 116
CUPE have turned in a
unanimous strike vote to back up
their wage demands.

The big Vancouver local has
already served a 72-hour strike
notice on the Pacific National
Exhibition (PNE), where some
80 employees are involved. PNE

While the wage increases put
forward by CUPE covering the
three municipalities
approximate a 13-percent wage
increase (aside from other
fringe benefits) the (MLRB)
spokesmen for the three
municipalities are holding to
their original offer of a 6.25
percent. Local 1004 secretary
Dave Werlin has blamed the
inflexible, arrogant bargaining
tactics of MLRB’”’ as the cause of

negotiations breakdown.
*_* *

Now in its first week with little

indication of an early
settlement, the Vancouver
Island Coach Lines drivers’
strike, taken together with the
“work to rule’ decision of
workers on B.C. Ferries is
putting something of a crimp on
V.I. and Mainland travel.

Ferries affected by the work-
to-rule slowdown operate
between Victoria - Vancouver,
Nanaimo - Horseshoe Bay, and
Kelsey Bay - Prince Rupert.
Premier Bennett's famous film
“The Good Life’’ boasts of his
government’s ferry service, but
omits mention of wages, working
conditions, etc.

Meantime the VICL drivers
strike, through the media of
their Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway, Transport and General
Workers Union (CBRT)
indicated this week through its
spokesmen ‘‘that it looks like a
long strike, and that it will
continue until the company is
ready to bargain in good faith.”’

US. scientist to speak
here on chemical warfare

A leading U.S. scientist, Dr. E.W. Pfeiffer, will speak on
“The Silent Killers of Vietnam — the Menace of Chemical and
Biological Warfare,” in the Kitsilano High School Auditorium

The 20 crates contained a gift of one thousand dollars to the
children of Vietnam from the Unitarian Medical Aid Committee to
Vietnam of Port Credit, Ont., which purchased surgical and school
supplies, bolts of fabric for clothing and knitting wool.

Mrs. Sheila Young of the Children’s Committee in Vancouver
said the shipment contained 3,362 garments and bed covers made by
concerned women and Valued at $6,735; $150 worth of knitting wool
from members of the Ontario Voice on Women; $100 worth of school
supplies, donated by the B.C. Peace Council.

Also included in the shipment were 495 first aid compresses
made by Vancouver members, $104 worth of surgical supplies from
the Children’s Committee, CAVC, medical journals and other
incidentals. : must be to throw out of office for

The Children’s Committee Special Appeal for funds to provide all time, the reactionary
artificial limbs for amputees under fifteen years of age has raised ™onopoly-dominated Socred
$11,627.92, while the aggregate contributions of cash since Feb. 1966 government — a_ government
are now $80,321.97. i responsible for the many serious

, Contributions to the Canadian Aid for Vietnam Civilians can be ‘
sent to P.O. Box 2543, Vancouver 3,B.C...., ., | ) “yyy today. vaio

a A Fa a PREM R S Se EOIN

workers during this strike must
now be broadened to include all
progressive forces in B.C., in
order to wipe from the statute
books forever the vicious anti-
labor Bills 33, 42 and 43, designed
to hamstring labor, and be
replaced by a genuine ‘‘Labor
Bill of Rights’.

The common goal for all
decent citizens in our province

on Wed. May 28.

Professor of Zoology at the University of Montana, Dr.
Pfeiffer has just returned from a tour of South Vietnam where
he had the opportunity of observing at first hand the effects of
chemical warfare.

Dr. Pfeiffer is a member of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science and is the author of many
scientific articles on chemical and biological warfare. A
recent article by him on the ‘‘Ecological Effects of the War in
Vietnam,”’ was published in Science Journal. He is a graduate
of the University of B.C. where he obtained his M.A.

Chairman of the meeting will be James M. Minifie, former
CBC correspondent in Washington, D.C. and author of the
controversial book, ‘‘Canada-Peacemaker of Powdermonkey.”’

Dr. Pfeiffer will show a short film and some colored slides of
his Vietnam tour.

The meeting is sponsored by the Peace Action League,

problems confronting B.C, labor

representing five major city peace organizations,

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