Ontario Federation of Labour Affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress TERRY MEAGHER DAVID B. ARCHER President Secretary-Treansrer >’ 18 August 1972 To All Affiliates - Ontario Federation of Labour Greetings! The Ontario Anti-Poverty Organization, a group founded in Toronto at a poor peoples conference held January 1972, is in need of labour's support. This group, which is an aid and information centre, recently presented a petition to the Provincial government calling for an annual minimum income of $5000 for a family of four, an increase in the minimum wage, full employment policies, an overhaul of the welfare system, and TM:MS other measures endorsed by labour. The only funds available to them at present is a commitment of $200 a month from the Teamsters and $100 from Local 1144, Canadian Union of Public Employees. organization is to survive, and we believe it should, labour must get behind it by pledging financial support to them, We urge you to make cheques payable to - Ontario Anti-Poverty Organization, 1905 Danforth Avenue, TORONTO, Ontario. 18 Gervais Drive, Don Mills - Copy of a letter sent to all OFL affiliates. If the Fraternally, Fo Bag ha T. Meagher, Secretary-Treasurer. 429-2731 ~ GM rooks auto buyers ‘only a little bit’ By WILLIAM ALLAN DETROIT—Big deal! General Motors Corporation, which made in profits after taxes the first six months of 1972, $1,374 mil- lion has “yielded” to President Nixon’s pressure and agreed to add only $59 to the price of its 1973 cars. They originally set the 1973 car price raise at $90 per vehicle. Chrysler and Ameri- can Motors becoming militant (after all they didn’t make over a billion dollars already this year) refuse to cut the price of their 1973s with the added $90 and up. The price increase game is on for the 1973 cars, Each year this is how it goes. Chrysler or AMC comes out first with say $250 price increase, then Ford follows with $200. Then the “Big Dad- dy,” GM ponderously announces it will be $150. Then all the Satellites climb down to the $150, moaning about the “cuts” they are taking, the “sacrifices.” U.S. Senator Phil Hart (D. Mich.) commented sarcastically about this that it goes on like this every year, when everyone knows General Motors sets the price. Hart ought to know; his nephew is an executive of Gene- ral Motors, and Hart married Move to outlaw scabherders KITCHENER — The city council at a_ recent meeting unanimously adopted a resolu- tion calling on Ontario to amend the provincial Labor Act that’ would prohibit anyone from carrying on business as a professional strikebreaker. The resglution also calls for further amendments that would prohi- bit an employer from employ- ing persons not members of the bargaining unit involved during a strike or lockout. David Archer, president of the Ontario Federation of Labor, Sent a letter of congratulations to the city council of Kitchener for the action it has taken. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1972—-PAGE 6 ° into millions gotten from the Briggs Mfg. Company who made bodies for the auto companies. Those Price ‘Cuts’ But the name of the game in 1973 is “fight inflation,” with the tune being set to score by Presi- dent Nixon, with requested cut backs in price increases — via Nixon’s Price Commission. GM which already is a heavy contri- butor to Nixon’s campaign, and in return makes a third of its profits off war materials, via government orders, accedes to the Nixon request. This seeks to further the image that Nixon is really “cutting prices.” But, the auto companies, with 1,700,000 unsold 1972 cars on hand in their dealers, conducted a high pressure campaign re- cently that people should buy the 1972s, because a price in- crease was going on the 1973s, and anyway there wasn’t but a slight face lifting change. They sold 300,000 on that basis. So, the profits rolled up. GM with $1,374 million, Ford with $535 million, Chrysler with $103 million, AMC with $14 million. Records on profits were broken, $2,026 million combined profits for the first half of 1972. For the entire year of 1971, they made combined profits of $2,640 mil- lion. For 1972’s entire year they will easily climb over the $4 bil- lion mark, an all-time record. Making Potfuls United Auto Workers union president Lenoard Woodcock, said recently, “they shouldn’t be given any price increase — they are making potfuls of money, while unemployment in Michi- gan is 10.9%, or 392,000 unem- ployed. Public hearings should be held where the people can express their views.” Last year, auto executives got a 27% increase in salaries and bonuses, okayed by the Nixon Price Control Commission as “justifiable.” The auto workers got a 5.5% raise, while produc- tivity increased for them at least 25%, while one third of the UAW’s 114 million member- ship is jobless. Cost of living in Detroit went up 3.4% in a year. Garment workers win some gains in new contract By PEARL WEDRO A new three-year agreement has been ratified by the Toronto section of the International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union; a similar agreement was won by the 14,000-strong Montreal union. In Toronto, after years of functioning separately, three Dressmakers and Sportswear locals, representing 2,300 work- ers, merged to form a Joint Council of Dress and Sports- wear. This Council, explained Joe Macks, ILGWU manager, nego- tiated the single agreement with the Manufacturers Guild of 45 manufacturers. Wages over the three years will rise by 21%: 9% retroactive to August 1, 1972, and increases of 6% on August 1 in 1973 and 1974. Pensions will go from $60 to $75 a month, at 65 years, de- pendent upon approval by the government actuary (the manu- facturers will pay .5% more to the fund). Added to the present eight legal holidays, is a full day with pay on the day of fed- eral or provincial elections, and entitlement to a day off with pay in case of death in the im- mediate family. The contract confirms a 35- hour work week and_ three weeks vacation after three months in a shop, the latter in- troduced three weeks prior to contract signing. Only the cutters are paid by the week; the remaining 95% in the industry are on piece work. Then, what are the conditions of their wage raises? On the basis of the old agree- ment, operators received a weekly bonus of $1.34 for each dollar earned; the new agree- ment provides for $1.66, $1.73 and $1.95 at the start of ensuing contract years. Pressers follow a similar pattern, going from $1.41 to $1.63, $1.77 and $1.92. For finishers it is: $1.55 to $1.78, $1.93 and $2.08. “Their bonus is higher to bring up their lower wages,” Mr. Mack said. Discussions with rank-and- file workers. disclosed that under the circumstances they support the settlement, although some sportswear workers hav- ing lower wages, had pressed for equalization. All said that with cost of living rising, bigger increases are really needed. Workers expressed the opin- ion that greater effort should be made to draw more women into the union work, and that at least one woman _ organizer should be on the staff. Workers look for improved activities in the union—such as ~ better participation in labor council meetings, in Labor Day parades, actions for peace and other activities. Cabinets, Courts, Cops In ancient days (Give freedom praise!) If slaves demanded cash, The owner exercised his rights By reaching for the lash. He then applied it to his help With more or less compunction, But nowadays (Give freedom praise?) He asks for an injunction Knowing a corporation judge Will issue it... with unction. —loe Wallace Candidate calls for aim of an all-Canadian car || WINDSOR—“‘Governments at both the provincial and federal levels have acquiesced with the big corporations in selling out our country; the people need to elect firm working-class repre- sentatives who are committed to hard-fisted prdépositions to trim the sails of these corporations and operate the economy for the people,” declared Ed Mc- Donald, nominated last week as the Communist Party’s federal candidate in Windsor-Walker- ville. McDonald, a_ skilled worker who was employed in the Inter- national Harvester and Westing- house plants in Hamilton, later became a trade union official and last month joined the staff of the Communist Party as or- ganizer, emphasized the fight the Communist Party intends to make in the coming election, where it is fielding 30 candi- dates, for a new direction for Canada. A new approach to the auto- mobile industry leading in the direction of a Canadian car; breaking away from our integra- tion with the U.S. auto industry —these are some of the require- ments. This is not a _ nationalistic question, McDonald emphasized. In the long run it will decide whether or not the jobs of Wind- sor auto workers are protected and the work force extended, or the industry phased out as is now happening in agriculture, aircraft and the small auto parts industry. a The Communist Party calls for government intervention in! economic decision making, MO Donald stressed, including PU? lic ownership of the resource industry, banking, credit insurance companies, and publi intervention and ownership | the manufacturing indus!!! wherever it became necessaly i the national interests. ' He reminded his audience th the Canadian Communist Patl) had been fighting against the i" trayal of our country since a when the Liberal government 4 gan its sell-out, and he et that there could be no solu to this problem which did He move in on the big monopdll and plan the economic devel : ment of the country in 4 © | anced way. Mr. McDonald’s was moved by Vic Billion, a | worker and member of uN local 100, and seconded Charles Mascott. : a nominatiol Straining at the silence While it must stay dumb | There’s a word that’s wa! For its hour to come. Forced to wait and witness Waste and want and wat less Witness some get less and While some take more a” more. a What's the word's solution Is it tind Just Out! IN TIME FOR SALES AT ALL LABOR DAY PARADES Order from: PROGRESS BOOKS 487 Adelaide Street West, Toronto 133, Ontario, Canad@ segeeaseeenessnenscensessneenseeenienseneey PROV./STATE...... ' AMOUNT: $..---~