“LOCKED OUT”. Youthful retail clerks shown
in Vancouver by the food monopolies rather t

—G. Legebokoff photo
picketing one of the supermarkets of the six chains closed down
han meet the legitimate demands of the meatcutters and clerks.

The retail clerks are mostly young people, making this one of the biggest working class youth struggles seen
in these parts for many years.

~ Vernon,

LABOR SCENE:

U.S.-owned B.C. Telephone

may face rotating

Should the strike vote being
conducted by the Federation of
Telephone Workers of B.C. now
under way and expected to be
completed late in June, involving
some 6,600 workers throughout
the province reach the high
positive total expected, the B.C.
Telephone Company could face a
complete shutdown.

B.C. Tel, a subsidiary owned
and controlled by the powerful
U.S. telecommunications, the
General Telephone and
Electronics Corporation gets its

policy direction from the parent °

organization.

The union recently rejected a
concilliation board
recommendation ‘‘approved’’ by
the company of a 17-percent
wage increase by an
overwhelming majority,
claiming that it did not come
near Federation demands on
wage, working conditions,
pensions and other fringe
benefits sought by the B.C.
Telephone workers.

What has really set the
powerful U.S.-controlled B.C.
Telephone monopoly in a dither

BENSON BUDGET

Cont'd from pg. 1

tax reform, based on the Carter

Report, to ease the burden of
taxation on those earning below
$10,000 a year and to make the
rich pay their full share: to
commence a massive public
housing program; to attack the
problem of poverty with the full
participation of the people
involved; not to freeze but to cut
at least in half the arms budget
and use it to finance education
and social welfare measures; to
begin the process of reversing
U.S. domination and continued
takeover of our economy.

What we need is not a slow
down of our economy and an
increase in unemployment but a
growth of our economy, the
development of the under-
developed regions and full
employment.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 13, 1969—Page 12

is the Federation’s proposals,
should strike action become
necessary, to adopt ‘‘rotation
strike’ tactics: that is in which
one section of the B.C. Telephone
would be struck at a time, rather
than the whole B.C. Tel. Vice
president Gordon MacFarlane in
a recent press statement
declares that such a tactic ‘‘will
not be permitted’, and of course
adding *‘in the public interest’’.
MacFarlane is also making
unsubstantiated “charges”
about sabotage, tampering with
company equipment, bugging
etc, etc, generally implying that
the telephone workers are
Inresponsible: ‘‘Such
provocations’’ a Federation
spokesman declared, ‘are
typical of the parent U-S.
telecommunications and
electronics monopoly which

.determines B.C. Tel policies in

labor-management as well as in
all other fields.

The union has also offered ina
widely circulated advertisement
setting forth its case, that in any
damage to company property,
“the union will pay one thousand
dollars to any person giving
information leading to the arrest
and conviction of -any person
wilfully causing damage to
company property or making
‘bomb threats’ ”’

It is expected that the
Federation of Telephone
Workers strike vote will be
completed by June 20.
Meantime, negotiations between
union and management are
practically deadlocked.

Because of its high telephone
rates, reputed to be the highest
in Canada, coupled with a
relatively low public service,
demands over a long period of
time in B.C. public circles have
been made for a “‘take over’’ of
the B.C. Telephone, These are
again coming to the fore in
greater volume, now
accentuated by the anti-labor
policies of a U.S.-controlled vital
industry.
“ * *

The May edition of the Lumber
Worker,_organ of the Western

strike

Canadian Regional Council No. 1
carries a fitting headline for the
job ahead; ‘‘Union to Fight For
Contract Reopening’. The story
below the headline states the
case in a nutshell;

“The members of IWA
Regional Negotiating
Committee have unanimously
decided to continue campaigning
for the reopening of the present
Coast Master Agreement to
permit negotiation of a 1969 12-
percent wage boost. The flat
refusal of the employers
representative, Forest
Industrial Relations Ltd., to
consider activating the mutual
agreement clause, as provided
for in the contract has not been
accepted by the union’.

So far, so good. Unfortunately
in the 12-pages of that edition of
the IWA Regional organ, there is
little to indicate anything more
than just stating the case.

On the other hand, if one is to
judge by the number of IWA
camp papers coming into being
on the job the ‘‘Franklin River
Haulback”; the Menzies Bay
Bulletin’, ‘‘The Bean’, etc,
there is already in these small
fighting mill or camp papers not
only a non-silk gloved “stating of
the case’’ but a lot of job actions,
coupled with some very sharp
and direct criticism at the
Regional leadership.

The IWA “‘Menzies Bay
Bulletin” puts union policy on
enforcing ~ ‘“‘work-to-rule’’ and
banning overtime very neatly —
and very briefly; ‘‘Brothers; If
we do not have the intestinal
fortitude to enforce the ‘work-to-
rule’ policy, (an 8-hour day 40-
hour week) then how do we
expect to uphold union policy
when logs produced by non-union
labor is declared ‘hot’? We are
not playing games.”’

General concensus of IWA
membership on the job, is that if
the tempo of action is stepped
up, Forest Industrial Relations’
Man Friday, Joe Billings will be
compelled on behalf of those
operators he speaks for, to agree
to reopening of the Master
Contract.» +

New militancy shown
_ at CUPE convention

By Convention Delegate

pion
The sixth annual Convention of the B.C. Division, Canadian OT
of Public Employees (CUPE) held in Victoria, June 5-6-7. reflec =

new militancy among public employees in Canada.

The 148 voting delegates
represented 11.000 members in 92
locals, mainly municipal and
school board employees. Those
delegates who had attended the
Penticton convention in 1968
freely commented on the
improved tone of the Victoria
assembly. There was more
discussion on trade union issues,
a higher level of policy debate
and a deeper identification with
the aims and moods of the B.C.
labor movement.

Since the 1968 convention
CUPE members have been on
strike in New Westminster,
Kamloops, Kelowna,
Fernie, Kimberley, Richmond,
Burnaby and Vancouver. The
strikes in the Greater Vancouver
area and the unity they
represented were still fresh in
the minds of the delegates.
Together with the other strikes,
and along with the general
turbulence in the B.C. labor
movement, they set the tone for
the convention.

A special resolution on the
closing day rapped the
Federation of Mayors and
Municipalities for proposing that
welfare recipients be compelled
to work for welfare payments.
CUPE demanded that all levels
of government be responsible
for guaranteeing full-time work
for all those able to work.

On taxation, the convention
called upon the federal govern-
ment to implement the
recommendations of the Carter
Commission. It also demanded
the repeal of the provincial
government’s' cost-sharing
formula on education, because of
the severe hardships it is
causing. ;

Other resolutions adopted were
as follows:

e Military Alliances: For the
withdrawal of Canada from all

FOOD TRUSTS

Cont'd from pg. 1

are they trying to kid?” After
challenging the food chains for
talking piously about ‘“‘protecting
the public interest’ by refusing
to negotiate a settlement of their
lock-out with the Meatcutters
and Retail Clerks, the advertise-
ment makes these points:

e September, 1967: 10 firms in
the food industry were convicted
of a conspiracy to fix prices and
prevent competition, and were
fined accordingly.

e March, 1968: The Batten
Royal Commission found that:
“Canada Safeway and the
Weston companies have
sufficient power to make prices
rise above competitive levels.”’

The BCFL advertisement
closes with this statement: ‘‘The
facts are ... that food prices
and’ food profits have always
been tied together. . . that price-
fixing does happen and has led to
excessive profiteering at your
expense. Now the food industry
giants are trying to hide these
facts behind a smokescreen of
hypocritical double-talk in the
name of ‘public interest.’”’

A full scale probe of the
monopoly set-up in Canada’s food
industry, into price-fixing and the
prices spread is long. overdue.
It’s time Mr. Basford got on with
the job.

re

military i that
NATO and NORAD, in order os
Canada may play a better role
‘peace keeper and mediator =
e Vietnam: Canada to use ‘
full influence for -a si
settlement based on the Gene’
Accord and self-determination: :
e B.C. Mediation Commis
Act: Full support for the

Federation of Labor k
the Commiss!

boycotting
beyond the mediation 9%
stage. sone

@ Cost-of-living for
Clauses: Agreed to press ©
same in collective agreeme? is
order to “protest negotla ‘i
increases’, but not as a substit
for wage hikes. the

e Pollution: Called upo? 3
senior governments to inna
stricter controls before f0
country reaches “the point of ¢
return”. The proposed high
through the Greater vancot™
watershed was condemned, il
the grounds that it would des
the natural beauty of the af
and bring new dangers
pollution and contamination.

The proposal of the Nat
Executive to increase 1.60
monthly per capita tax from $1.
to $2.90 per member | ‘
endorsed in principle following
lengthy debate in closed eee.
National president Stanley Lit
and national secretary
Hartman appealed t0
‘delegates to support the pro
increase. ;

This issue will be decide
the national convention of
130,000 member union in TO a
next September. A dues is,
capita increase of ee:
magnitude is never popular Me
everybody directly concer in
and this proposal is no excep?
However, the debate proved re
if the majority in Toronto ie
convinced that CUPE needs nip
money and that the members
will gain by the increase.
will be an affirmative vote.

The election of the 15-mempe
provincial executive brought
surprises with Harry Greene Es
North Vancouver returne ii
president and John Knight
Burnaby as secretary.

Elected for his second t ;
was Dave Werlin, secretary he
Vancouver Local 1004. a
largest local in the division ee,
more than ten percent of the tol
membership. Werlin was 01 to
1967-68 executive, but failed
win re-election for the 1968
term. He will now represet
CUPE’s Metropolitan von
couver District Council on e
provincial executive, along ie
Eddie Apps, chairman of
Council. Werlin played |
prominent role in the recent joo
negotiations 2

the

erm

involving
members in Burnaby, Richmo?
and Vancouver, and the str!
that followed. by
In many debates, in 0b”
discussions ‘and in sont
gatherings, the importance zg
stepping-up political activity W4
freely discussed. As one deleg?’ z
put it, “‘why break your heart !

trying to negotiate a fair agree
ment with an anti-labor councl
if you can make the job easier ©"
pro-labor

electing genuine
candidates?”’

alliances including ©

fficer

jonal.

Grace ;

the
posed
qd at

onto —

There

69

\