UNION OPPOSES COMPULSORY ARBITRATION Fishermen hit ‘police state’ plan The six-man Federal-Provincial Committe e recommendations for the B. C. fishing indus try were branded as ‘“‘the first step towards a police state’ by a special meeting of the Gen- eral Executive Board of the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union (UFAWU) held Feb. — 26-27. ‘‘The only thing missing is a plan whereby the government could dismiss union offic ers and replace them. Otherwise it closely resembles Mussolini’s infamous corporate state,” U.S. renews hounding of Communist Party The U.S, government last week stepped up its harassing of the U.S, Communist Party, which is already due to face a second trial in Washington on March 16 for Faced with world-wide protests, the Franco regime last Friday announced it was dropping the charges under which the military prosecutor was de- manding the decth sentence on Justo Lopez, above, 60-year old anti-fascis? veteran. He is already serving a 23- year sentence imposed last December. failing to register under the witch-hunting McCarran Act, It obtained a decision from a Federal -Grand Jury re-indicting the Party for failing to register as a “Communist action organiz- ation” even though it was aware that a person was available and willing to register on its behalf, Hitherto the U.S, Justice De- partment has been unable to force registration of the Party because the courts held that the govern- ment had the burden of proving that a willing voiunteer, unafraid of possible self-incrimination, was available to register forthe Party. It now appears that the Justice Department is claiming that it has such a “volunteer” with whose aid it hopes to obtain a reversal of the U.S, Appeals Court ruling that registration would violate the Party’s constitutional rights against self-incrimination cov- ered by the 5th Amendment, said the union statement. The union executive scores the “secret-meeting” method by which the Committee gathered its evidence and materials upon which to base its undemocratic recommendations, which “places the rights and freedoms of thousands of persons in jeop- ardy.” The UFAWU demands the release of alltranscripts of evid- ence placed before the Committee in order that the unions should have an opportunity “to answer those who would destroy our. basic freedom,” The UFAWU executive was unanimous in its opposition to any form of compulsory arbitration; “Legislation which — prohibits strikes, destroys free collective bargaining. Compulsory arbi- tration means that one, two or three persons, appointed by the government , would dictate the rates of pay and living standards of thousands of fishermen, It could be the first step towards compulsory arbitration for all workers in all industries across : Canada.” While the Committee recom- mendations clearly aim to outlaw strikes, it proposes a “Hobson’s Choice” supervised ballot “on any terms of settlement proposed by a government-appointed mediator,” This, says the UFAWU Executive Board “is un- warranted interference in union affairs.” Nominate Caron in Coast-Capilano Charles Caron has been nom- inated as the Communist Party candidate in the Federal riding of Coast-Capilano. Caron, whois a veteran trade unionist and holds the post of organization secretary for the B,C, Communist Party, was his party’s candidate for the riding in the last Federal elec- tion, Speaking to a public meetingia North Vancouver’s Hendry Hall Sunday night, Caron said the central issue in the forthcoming election is peace, “Canada will only be able to solve its prob- lems and build for the future if thermonuclear war is prevented and peace maintained,” he said, Caron called on the Canadian government to press for apeace- ful settlement of the South East Asia crisis and also urged that Canada repudiate the new Atlan- tic Nuclear Force plan which would place nuclear arms in the hands of West Germany. He said the Pearson government had re- neged on its pledge to re-nego- tiate Canada’s nuclear role with the aim of abandoning the placing of nuclear weapons on Canadian soil, “Instead,” said Caron, “the Liberal government is speeding up the placing of nuclear weap- ons in Canada and at Comox, B.C? Referring to the recent re- port of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Bicultural- sim, Caron said that the very © survival of Canada as a united state is at stake unless a new constitution is drawn up which will guarantee equal rights for Canada’s two nations. “The French Canadian people are no longer prepared to ac-~ cept their present status and demand full equality and an end to all forms of discrimination, Canada will only survive if we adopt an entirely new constitution which will meet today’s condi- tions and needs of Canada and which will recognize full equality for Canada’s two nations. The Liberal government evades solu- tion of this problem by reducing it to one of repatriation of the old constitution,” said Caron. Drawing attention to the recent report of the Canada Economic Council, Caron said that this re- port points up the need for a new CHARLES CARON economic policy for Canada which will turn us away from being mainly a producer of raw materi- als and becoming a manufacturing nation instead, Unless we do that Canada will be left behind in the economic revolution now taking place, Caron, who was a sifone op- ponent of the Columbia giveaway in the last election, warned that the present MP, Jack Davis, supported further giveaways of Canada’s water resources through his backing of the Par- son’s Plan, “Canada’s rivers and water resources should be util- ized for Canada first,” said Caron, Caron is the first Communist candidate nominated in B,C, for the next federal election, The Party is expected to name ad- ditional candidates in the near future, Speaking at the meeting with Caron Sunday night, Maurice Rush, PT associate editor, charged that the U.S, is continu- ing the policy of brinkmanship in South East Asia first putforward by John Foster Dulles. He called for reconvening of the Geneva Conference to end the crisis in Vietnam, A resolution was adopt- - ed by the meeting urging this action on Prime Minister Pear- son, Well-known trade unionist and North Vancouver resident, Wil- liam Stewart, was chairman of the meeting, - While the Committee gracious- ly excluded UFAWU wage and prices negotiations “from the purview of the Combines Act,” it offsets this gratutious “rec- ommendation” by indicating that the Act may still be used to prevent “coercion or boycott” in fish production, This, says the UFAWU “would mean prohibition of picket lines or unfair lists or any sympathy action by fishermen in the event of a strike of their fellow union members ashore or on packer vessels,” According to the UFAWU Ex- ecutive the committee made no positive recommendations for the betterment of the industry as a whole, Nothing was recommend- ed towards a greater fishery industry for B,C, on a year- round basis; on extended ocean fisheries basedon expanded mar- kets for Canadian fish products, on Hmiting the number of fisher- men in relation to the volume of fish harvested, “The Union’s Executive Board believes the time has come t0 remove the threat of the Combines Act and provide all” Canadian fishermen with legal rights on a par with othe? Canadian workers. These rights must include the right to joi a trade union, the right to conduct collective bargaining, right to strike,” The UFAWU Executive Board | have forwarded a circular lettel | to all trade unions setting forth the dangerous recommendations of the Federal-Provinzial Com- mittee, danger implicit in these recom mendations, not only to fishermel put to all workers, “This attack,” says the letter, “is not only aimed at fishermen, Workers it any primary industry can be placed in the same strait-jacke on the excuse of providing for full use of the resource, In fact it is only one step further to leg- islate compulsory arbitration fo! all unions,” SIGNED Mr. Pearson — We do not want our children to come to this end! U.S. action could lead to world war! Tell them we insist on negotiations ee i ar ec er rr i ery Clip and mail to Prime Minister Pearson, House of Commons, Ottawa. (No stamp). Ad. published by B C. Peace Council and the and emphasizing the | 7 | March 5, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Pagé 2