Jack Phillips receiving presentation from Vancouver Labor Council president Syd Thompson at Tuesday's council meeting. Alderman Harry Rankin ap- peared before the Vancouver and District Labor council meeting, Tuesday night and was warmly welcomed, as he has been in past years, as the only representative of working people returned to the new city council. Rankin stressed the ever greater need for civic political action by the labor movement and for unity of working people around their chosen candidates. He warned council delegates that pressure is being brought to bear by right wing forces throughout the province to cut back welfare and other social services and bring about greater domination of municipal councils by developers. He noted particularly the campaign presently being waged, particularly in Vancouver but elsewhere as well, for “law and order’’, a campaign that has taken the form of ‘demands for sub- stantial increases in the number of police. Vancouver police officials, he said, are presently asking for an additional 300 officers and various police and crime commissions have asked for an additional 1700 police throughout the province. “They seem to think that more police will reduce the crime rate,” Rankin said. ‘“‘But we only have to look at New York where they have some four or five times the number of police per capita and yet 10 times the crime rate.”’ He pointed out that the election of four candidates from the NPA — seen by many people as being to the right of FEAM — was an in- dication of the threat of return to reactionary government and emphasized the need of working people to counter that threat. ‘‘Just as you bring about unity in order to make trade union organization effective,” he told the delegates, “‘youneed unity to make a political impact.” The same unity theme was struck by Jack Phillips, honored by | SEE NEW SOVIET FILMS TRAVEL-EDUCATION-CULTURE-SPORTS-INDUSTR Y-SCIENCE-ECONOMY, ETC. AT — HASTINGS COMMUNITY CENTRE (HALL) 3096 East Hastings St.; Vancouver, B.C. the council Tuesday night as he attended his last meeting in’ his former capacity as chairman of the council’s public relations committee. He had left active work in the trade union movement to take the post of provincial organizer for the Communist Party in this province. Council president Syd Thompson paid tribute to him, pointing out that although their politics had differed, Jack had remained loyal to his ideals throughout his life while hundreds of lesser unionists had cast their lot with the em- ployer. In addressing. the delegates for the last time, Phillips said, ‘‘there is no question that this council and the labor movement as a whole are very concerned about the threat of .a return to big business govern- ment. If the Socreds were returned at the next provincial election, it would be a disastrous setback for the labor movement. —Sean Griffin photo ““On this weare united. However, on the question of what we should do and what we should not do — that’s: where the differences ap- pear,” he stated. “Our greatest fire must be directed against the monopolies, against the multinational cor- porations who dominate the province. If we ever come to think that the NDP government is our main enemy, it would be a tragic day for the whole trade union movement. ‘“At the same time,’’ Phillips emphasized, “‘the government must learn to accept constructive criticism and should learn to ac- cept the labor movement as its political base. If it takes the labor movement for granted, if it alienates its trade union base of support, it will be with disastrous results. The last federal election showed that.” — JOBLESS RATE UP IN B.C. Cont'd from pg. 1 have their waiting period before collecting unemployment in- surance increased from the present three weeks to six weeks. @ That the amended act would. make it possible to shorten the: number of weeks of paid benefits to . unemployed workers in areas where UIC officials consider that - other jobs are available. The fact that the federal government is proposing to bring down amendments which would: further restrict the benefits of the. act to the unemployed in a period of sharply rising unemployment, : indicates the Trudeau government intends to take action not against’ unemployment, but against the. victims of its policies — the unemployed. Rather than restrict aid to the- AT — GREEN TIMBERS COMMUNITY HALL 14210 - 88th Ave. Surrey, B.C. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 1975—Page 12 jobless, the federal government should be compelled to expand assistance to make sure that all workers laid off are guaranteed the maintenance of their incomes for the duration of unemployment. Further, that the government introduce a moratorium on debt to ensure that jobless workers do not lose their homes or personal possessions. These emergency measures are urgently needed to protect the unemployed who are without jobs through no fault of their own. Canada’s working people must not be left to carry the major burden of the growing economic crisis while the big corporations, who laid off tens of thousands of workers in the last few months, reported a 27.7 percent increase in profits in the third quarter of 1974 compared to the year before. January 12, Sunday T p.m January 19, Sunday 7 p.m. January 26, Sunday 7 p.m February 2, Sunday 7 p.m. ee = Sears : p.m February 16, Sunday 7 p.m. ebruary 23. unday -m shi i i March 9, - Sunday 7 oe rir Se rhe Association (Membership Meeting and Film) March 23, Sunday 7 p.m 2-198 West Hastings St., March 2: Sunday 7 p.m. VANCOUNES. 4. C; March 16, Sunday 7 ao On Christmas Eve, just two weeks ago, the workers at B.C. District Telegraph in Vancouver, members of Local 213, In- ternational Brotherhood ~ of Electrical Workers, had’ been out on strike for two full years. It was only in the latter part of those two years and into the third year that the breaks began to come; the first as a result of a favorable, if equivocal, ruling by the Labor Relations Board and the second because of successful organizing efforts by Local 213 of the IBEW among workers at B.C. District Telegraph’s major competitor. But it took two years to reach that -point. Following the 1972 walkout — on the Christmas Eve contract expiry date — the com- pany attempted to carry out, normal operations through an elaborate network of rentaguard and alarm ‘system companies, at. least one of which was admittedly involved in scab _ herding operations. : And all of the companies were either owned or managed by one man. Established not long after the war — initially under local ownership — B.C. District Telegraph operates a central alarm station into which are hooked fire and burglar alarm systems for office buildings, department stores and various other customers. If an alarm is tripped it registers in the central station and the appropriate department is notified. Workers at B.C. District Telegraph service and maintain equipment as well as provide new installations. The company was certified with the IBEW in 1949 and for several years the collective agreements that were signed provided wage rates and benefits that were fairly close to agreements signed in the construction section of the elec- trical industry. During the mid-sixties however, Dominion Protection Company took over B.C. District Telegraph. It in turn was wholly owned by American District Telegraph, a huge multinational corporation with operations all over the U.S. and Canada. Efforts by the parent company to impose a national contract on its employees in Canada, coupled with the failure of the international office of the IBEW to go after substantial improvements ~in wages and conditions, caused considerable deterioration in collective agreements signed with B.C. District Telegraph. When the strike came in 1972, it was, according to Cliff Rundgren, business agent for IBEW 213, and Norm Reid, employee of B.C. District for more than 20 years, the culmination of longstanding grievances and poor wages that by then had fallen to almost $2.00 an hour below the rate earned by IBEW wiremen. : The company immediately began staffing the struck operation by contracting the work to A. A. A. Rentaguard Canada Ltd. aff Northwest Mobile Patrol Servich two of several such companié owned or managed by Ranéh Stenzer, who also owns Richmoll Patrol, Guard Agencies Ltd) Alarm Installations and Alarmé Ltd. The union attempted picketitl various operations which had Bl District Telegraph alarm systetl installed but in- each case wel halted by injunctions. And over! period of time the company Wa able to recruit a scab work force} hiring from A. A. A. Rentagual those employees that were able! do the work. Brought before a _ Labd Relations Board hearing © charges laid by the union that # company had used _ profession Strikebreakers in violation ® Section 3 of the Labor Cot Stenzer denied that A. A. A. Renll guard was a source of professiolt strikebreakers but admitted’ tht Northwest Mobile Patrol was, } fact, such a source. Although fl ruling from the board — broug! down just before the new year ~ did not recommend any actif against any of Stenzer’s col panies, it was favorable to ff union on two counter charg brought against the IBEW by ff Royal Bank of Canada and B. District Telegraph. The Bank of Canada had applié for a cease-and-desist order ! prevent the union from picketil any customers of B.C. District bt the board ruled that when equil ment is leased by a company, place where the equipment | located is a normal work area all can be picketed. B.C. District Telegraph had alé charged the union with ‘‘illeg conspiracy to induce breach ! contract” as many companie unable to get equipment servic had cancelled contracts. 1 charge was thrown out. That was the second break in! company’s adamant anti-unll! posture. The first had come a months earlier in October, 1 when the IBEW successful concluded a first contract W Chubb-Mosler, B.C. Distr! Telegraph’s only major col petitor. 4 When the benefits won under & contract were published, the s@ employees in B.C. District’s pl@ department asked the company ' a similar wage scale. Refused the company, they approached # IBEW and subsequently walked! the job. The latest break came this we as the IBEW began discussid with a representative of the Lab Relations Board aimed at fore company compliance with Sect! 68 of the Labor Code wi! stipulates that any exif provincial company (with he offices outside the province) 5” appoint a representative wh? resident in the province and W shall have authority to conclud collective agreement. of The local put proposals on table in November which a © pany official said was the basis” a settlement but after retur™ from talks with the office i Toronto, refused to settle on previously agreed terms. Despite previous difficult particularly scab herding, | strike has now made its point, wi company operations virtually al standstill and no new syst being installed. } “It took two years, Cliff RI dgren told the Tribune Monda) but suddenly the strike has pecd! effective.”