Iron Joint Labor Council is
the pe the recent deéision of
BC a government to award
tion. 4ectric the power distribu-
A eens to the Sechelt area.
oe Uncil resolution call it “a
a w2Y of our power resources”
: verse mands the decision be re-
eee * * *
3 erie of beer parlor waiters
ain’, Westminster, scheduled to
ed at Monday this week, was avert-
“bers of tf last minute when mem-
eon €verage Dispensers Union,
+ 939, voted t -
ttibutors 0 accept a con
“ry sick benefit-medi in-
an Nee plan, t-medical i
x " * * *
“been, pe Percent wage boost has
Vanadian by 4,000 workers in
cifig e National and Canadian
Otels in Victoria, Vancou-
on, Wien aeay, Jasper, Saska-
bee City, beg, Ottawa and Que-
Boa five months of strike a
Electrica] about 20 members of
Tetum eS Trades Union (COL) have
Drydock to their jobs at Burrard
endorsed €ir action has been
“Te Jara by all other unions in
Vv
* * *
* * \
_Up their convention
Week, delegates to the
| Parley tur ckinghouse Workers’
ecutive Wet thumbs down on an
s, P¥oposal to- double the
a eye
Bee cont tnment policy of
~ Visio, x Tol of radio and tele-
Week ri Celved solid support this
Couve, ey members of Van-
SSciatig €condary Teachers’ As-
ing n at their annual meet-
{ They wired Prime
aurent to hold off
f the “radio lobby.”
*
which will lead to for
ORVILLE BRAATEN
“Fences around our markets”
of the Vancouver Street Railway-
men said. ;
He pointed out that the re-
solution’s restrictive character
was in conflict with the executive
officers’ own report submitted
to the convention. In its report
on ‘its legislative proposals sub-
mitted to Ottawa November 8,
1954 there appears the follow-
ing:
“It is the view of our affiliated
membership that trade in the wid-
est possible terms should be en-
couraged with all countries.”
x x x
A similiar retrograde step was
taken on a resolution covering the
need for a ban and the destruc-
tion of atomic bomb stocks by all
countries. Substituted for excel-
lent resolutions was an altered one
which, while it declared positively
that “the maintenance of world
peace is the greatest single pur-
pose in the world today,” fell short
of the mark on disarmament.
It substituted phrases about the
need ‘“‘to- inspect and restrain na-
tional armaments, atomic and non-
atomic” under the authority of the
UN, straying far from the airtight
one adopted at Regina last year
calling for an end to all H-bomb
tests and urging the Canadian gov-
ernment to take the initiative in
gate Douglas Carr told the conven-
tion. 7
His comment came during de-
bate on a jobs resolution substitut-
ing for 11 motions submitted by
local unions; and it served to il-
lustrate how far removed official
top leaders of the TLC are from
_ ‘Ca lineman.
the real thinking down below on/|the UN. seeking a ban of the ter-
the issue of trade and jobs. TOr-Weepons.
A trade resolution earlier rejec- * * *
On the important jobs resolu-
tion, warnings were raised that
next winter would see a return to
mass unemployment at a new high.
Delegates endorsed the idea of all
affiliates seeking “substantial wage
increases in 1955 and 1956,” and a
comprehensive public works gnd
housing program. ;
“Another separate proposal was
to convene a “tripartite commis-
sion” of labor, management and
government to tackle the creation
of new jobs. .
_ Delegate R. H. Brown of T
ronto Printing Pressmen. said
the key to providing jobs was to
combat “foreign exploitation of
our natural resources.” —
k x * =
Debate flared up on the conten-
tious issue of political action with
rf
ted by the convention, because
resolutions chairman A. F. Mac-
Arthur’s ruling that trade would
be all right if it were carried on
with countries employing “free
labor,” opened up insistent ques-
tioning by delegates as to whether
South Africa, Venezuela, Spain,
Brazil’ and numerous other coun-
tries should be cut off our trading
lists.
Orville Braaten of Vancouver
Pulp and Sulphite Workers
charged that the policy would
“place fences around our mar-
kets” and would make no sense
to the unemployed. ;
r|. Taken literally, the chairman’s
interpretation of “free labor”
would immediately cut our country
off from 40 percent of the world
markets at.least, Charles Stewart
ne TAKEN FROM OUR
AR STOCK To CLEA
7
' CANADIAN-SOVIET FRIENDSHIP SOCIETY.
~ SOCIAL and DANCE
,Russian People’s Home 600 Campbell Ave
FRIDAY, JUNE 17 — 8:30 P.M.
a procession of CCF speakers urg-
ing immediate adoption of the
CCF as the political arm of. the
TLC. Delegates settled for “non-
partisan political action and edu-
cation consistent with the principle
of electing our friends and defeat-
ing our enemies.” Some have in-
terpreted this as a “vote as you
_\like but vote” campaign of post-
|| ers.
The CCF delegates were split
on the issue, the more cautious
seeking to soft-pedal the political
arm demand until the merger con-
vention early in 1956. Vancouver
Pulp and Sulphite delegate Orville
Braaten saidr
charges along McCarthy lines.
* * *
good deal of care by TLC officers
Was seen in the final voting for
Office. /
«
Two vice-presidents came close
to being toppled. William Jen-}
oves for Ontario got in by a bare!
73 votes, his first serious challenge |
in years. He received 312 votes:
to William Acton of Windsor’s|
239. Acton. had demanded that.
the executive carry through a
country-wide campaign at the local
level for health insurance. Carl
Berg, Prairies vice-president, just
squeaking through wgain as at Re-
gina, this time by a mere two
votes. He received 272 to Don
Swailes’ 270. Jodoin and secretary
Cushing were returned. by accla-
mation. -
The anti-administration voting
gave some indication of the dis-
satisfaction among the rank and
file on TLC leadership and is a
warning to: them: not to plunge
ahead too recklessly on the terms
of the approaching merger.
Among other policies endorsed
by the convention -were:
Proof that there was need at}
this pre-merger convention for a!
| a
“Surely we’re big enough to go| .
out and organize our own political
arm and not have any political .
party do it for us. Labor needs a
party of its own. We have to | -acssesems
build our own political arm and :
shape it the. way we want.”
There was notable restraint on
the part of those who in the past
have found it necessary to beat
the drums of hate against “Com-
munists” in the trade union move- E L S | NK |
ment. -
President Jodoin frequently : D A Y
spoke of how “democratic” the 3
convention would be, while mak- SAT. JUNE 18
ing sure their main polities would | :
g0 through, | © TORONTO vs
Z A ete: The Case of
eorge Gee, dealing with the a
peal of a wien ee: paisate VANCOUVER
on his abitrary expulsion from
the AFL Brotherhood of Elec- | Peace workers in the two
trical Workers, was closely read ., cities will compete in ecol-
by delegates. Gee-was expell- _ lecting signatures to the
ed and barred the right. to a job | World Appeal. Against
on orders of the U.S. interna- Atomic War. Volunteers,
tional office using trumped-up | needed any time from
@® Condemnation of the “bar-
baric racial policies” of the gov-
ernment of South Africa.
@ Regular radio and TV cov-
erage of the various parliaments
of Canada while in session. .
@ Full benefits to jobless ‘strik-
ers, when they go on strike to
enforce a majority. ruling of a
conciliation board and the same
|in cases where employers force a
lockout.
© Upping of jobless benefit
payments to two-thirds regular
wages paid. ®
© Support for those unions
presently engaged in a struggle
|for’guaranteed annual wage plans.
10 a.m. -.5 p.m. at our office.
144 West Hastings.
© HELSINKI
CELEBRATION —
Concert
Vancouver Folk Singers,
of the UJPO
Conducted by Claire Klein
“The Plight of Willy
_, Atombomb”
A dramatic reading
"Dance
Refreshments
SAT., JUNE 18
; 8:30 P.M.
Place To Be Announced
B.C. PEACE COUNCIL
.
@