By MAURICE RUSH

As this was being written
before going to press, final elec:
tionresults were not yetin, butit
was clear that COPE’s Harry
Rankin was returned near the
top of thealdermanic poll, run-
ning second, and that TEAM
had swept most positions at city
hall.

The election was marked by
the demise of the NPA after its
35-year domination of city hall.
Openly associated with the most
right wing big business circles
and large developers, the NPA
was virtually wiped out.

It’s clear from the election
results that the voters went to
the polls determined to put an
end tothe NPA and the policies
it represented. The over-
whelmingrejectionofthe NPA
was a protest against the big
developers and fast buck pro-
moters and for new civic poll
cles.

Because of the split in the
progressive vote brought about
by the NDP’s entry with a full
slate, and its rejection of unity
with COPE. TEAM was able to

appear to most voters as the
alternative.

TEAM demogogically ex-
ploited public resentment
against NPA policies, and by
paying lip service to public
demands for progressive poli-
cies, apparently convinced
most votersit was the ‘reform
party.’ From that point of view
the overwhelming vote for
TEAM wasa vote for changeand
for new people's policies.

However, TEAM is far from
being committed to carry out
the new policies the public
wants. The big business backers

B.C. civic
election

results

Second class mail registration number 1560.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 15, 1972

VOL. 33 No.-50

By SEAN GRIFFIN

Labor throughout British Columbia has welcomed the recent decision of the
Executive Council of the Canadian Labor Congress to readmit the United Fishermen
and Allied Workers Union, a move which followed closely on the heels of an earlier
agreement by the executive to grant affiliation to the United Electrical, Radio and

Machine Workers (UE).

Originally expelled from the
old Trades and Labor Congress
in 1953 for defending the Van-
couver Civic Employees Union
which had been expelled two
years before, and for alleged
“communist domination,’ the
UFAWU sought readmission in
1957 and again in 1967. It was re-
fused until last week onthe basis
of ‘“non-proliferation of
unions,’’ a contentious argu-
ment because that policy was
not formally adopted by the Con-
gress until 1970.

Nevertheless the statement
by CLC secretary William
Dodge during the November
convention of the B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor that he ‘‘got the
message loud and clear’,
obviously had reverberations in
the Congress halls. A similar
mood prevailed in the Ontario
Federation of Labor and
although the Congress only
granted regional status to the

of the NPA and the media they
control obviously shifted their
support to TEAM, realizing that
new winds were blowing. They
saw in TEAM asafeand reliable
alternative to the NPA and the
means by which they could con-
tinue their control of city hall.

Instead of being a party for
progressive civic reform,
TEAM is, assome critics said,
the ‘‘sonof NPA,’’ ora‘*swing-
ing version of NPA.\’ However,
TEAM’s control of council does
not mean things will go on as
before. The people have demon-
strated they want sweeping
changes which will put people
first. With Rankin in a strong
position as a result of being
returned near the top of the poll,
the people are ina position to
win important advances in the
period ahead.

The NDP’s poor showing and
failure to elect anyone em-
phasises once again the incor-
rectness of the Vancouver NDP
area council's policy of reject-
ing unity of progressive forces.
In a year in which the NDP
elected a provincial govern-

See ELECTION, pg. 8

Fisherman, the- decision is
being viewed as the culmination
of a long campaign waged by
several trade unions to end
barriers to Congress affiliation.
UFAWU president Homer
Stevens pointed out that the
‘‘cold war hysteria of the late
40’s and early 50’s infected the
labor movement with discrim-
inatory policies resulting in
expulsion and suspension of
unions on the phony charge of
‘‘communist domination”’.

And, in recent years, the process
of reunification has been
impeded by _ jurisdictional

HOMER STEVENS

—Fisherman photo, Walter Alliot

claims of unions inside the
CLC,” he said. -

‘* Against this background, the
decision of the Executive
Council to admit the UFAWU
and the UE constitutes a major
step forward. Itrecognizesthe
strong and growing demands,”’
Stevens emphasized, ‘“‘that were
expressed in the last two CLC
conventions and the B.C. and
Ontario Federation of Labor for
an end to these barriers.”

Ray Haynes, Secretary of the
B.C. Federation of Labor,
applauded the new policy of the
Congress. ‘‘We’re very pleas-
ed,’’ he stated.”’ The officers of
the Federation have been work-
ing on this for some time and our
position was strengthened at
our last convention where dele-
gates had an opportunity to
make their position known to
Bill Dodge.”

‘‘There were jurisdictional
problems,”’ Haynes added, “‘but,
at the same time, we would not
have seen the Fishermen
admitted if there had not been
the fight put up by affiliated
members of the Federation
over the past two or three
years.”

“Tt was Jong overdue,’’ said
Syd Thompson, President of the
Vancouver and District Labor
Council. ‘‘And, in my opinion,
the Fishermen will make an

See CLC, pg. 3