se
nyone who may think May Day as The Day of the
world’s workingclass has become outmoded, a thing
of the past, has still a lot of thinking to do. No more big May
Day parades to mark the event, no*more ‘‘down tools’’ nor
work stoppages to highlight the Day. Perhaps the Inter-
national workingclass have “‘gone soft’? Don’t you believe it.

All down through the years since 1886 and before, May Day
has symbolized a glorious saga of Labor on the march, an
annual ‘‘stock-taking” of its victories and defeats; an ever-
lasting pledge that while exploitation, injustice, tyranny and
Labor martyrdom prevails, the ideology of May Day will
resound to the thunder of marching feet.

The May Day of Antiquity with its renewed promise of
New Life for all Nature goes far back to the beginning of Time,
yet from this sylvan forest glade taking on its new green
verdure and the surging river breaking the rigorous ice jams
of winter, it is only one short step in the passage of Time to the
modern industrial jungle where Man toils, and sweats, and
dies.

“Mother,” said the little boy firmly clasping his mother’s
hand, “‘it’s an awfully long parade, I can’t see the end of it.”
The mother’s reply was prophetic: ‘You will never see the end
of it laddie, until the workingclass come into their own.”

It is truly a big May Day parade in this year of 1972, its
ranks swelling every year with new martyrs; working men
who gave their lives that the generations who live today, and
who will live tomorrow, might live in a common brotherhood
and peace, freed from the galling yoke of ‘‘Man’s inhumanity
to Man.”’

There at the head of this big May Day parade are the
Haymarket martyrs, Albert Parsons and his comrades, whose
lives became forfeit for the 8-hour work day. There too is the
lanky form of the poet and logger, Joe Hill, swinging along, his
laughing eyes telling the bystanders ‘don’t mourn, organize’.
And the Centralia lumber worker Wesley Everett, his bullet-
torn body hanging from a bridge, where the monopoly-power
‘‘aw-’n order” scum draped him that all might see, and seeing
cringe. But the workingclass do not cringe— they march.

It is sure a long May Day parade, endless as the mother
told her little son, until the workingclass come into their own.
There is Tom Mooney and Walter Billings; Sacco and Vanzetti,
the Immortals of Labor; the murdered miners of Cripple Creek
and Coeur d’ Alene; Bill Davis of Nova Scotia; Nick
Zanchuk of Montreal; Ginger Goodwin of B.C., shot in the
back because he stood for trade union organization — and
against war.

And there marching along are a little Jewish man and his
wife, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, whose boundless love for
their little sons and all humanity transcended all else in their
brief lives. They march bravely, and a world inspired by their
courage and devotion, marches with them!

And what contingent is this in the great May Day parade
just swinging around the bend? A new Black Othello, only
yesterday a slave, today proclaiming Freedom for all his
people; Martin Luther King, Jr. At his side the murdered
‘convict’? George Jackson, and with them the countless
thousands of Black Americans, victims of the lynch law, the
assassin’s bullet, of the tortures and the clubbings of the
“white supremacists’; of race hatreds and race discrimina-
tions. They too are marching, to end this racism for ever, so
that Black and White workers alike should and can share the
riches and opportunities of this bountiful Earth, in a common
bond of equality, peace and happiness.

Can so much be crowded into one big May Day parade?
Indeed it can, despite the fact that only a very small part is
included here.

On this May Day too there is another name who will be
marching in every parade around the world, a Black woman, a
courageous Communist, a ringing tribune of the social science
of Marxism-Leninism, Angela Davis, ‘‘our Angela’’, victim of
the evil institution of U.S. Establishment “‘frame-up”’ that has
taken so many victims!

To honour Labor’s martyred dead — and to save Angela
Davis from this murderous evil of frame-up, May Day’s oldest
slogan must be rekindled with a new fire and a new strength—
‘““Workingmen of all countries— UNITE.”

SPANISH WOMEN HERE

Victoria Rodriguez and Juana Leon Sanchez arrived in
Vancouver Thursday morning. They are the Spanish women,
wives of political prisoners in Franco Spain, who are on a tour
of Canada under the sponsorship of the Canadian Committee
for a Democratic Spain.

While in the city they will address a mass meeting in John
Oliver High School, 41st and Fraser, on Thursday, May 4, at 8
p.m. In addition they will be interviewed on radio and T. V. and
by the press. '

They will talk about the conditions of political prisoners in
Spanish jails and the daily problems which face their families.
Americans from the Seattle area are planning to attend the
John Oliver meeting and a large turnout of Vancouver people is
expected

(bt au Miia v Gs Ve ev tig -<* = ae . e

STRIKE AVOIDABLE

Mayor sabotaged council
decision on civic disput?

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The current strike of Vancou-
ver civic workers could have and
should have been avoided. Much
of the responsibility for it rests
squarely on the shoulders of
mayor Tom Campbell. He
refused to carry out City Coun-
cil’s decision of April 18 aimed at
getting negotiations going
again.

You will remember that on
April 11 civic workers staged a
one day strike. That strike was
not aimed at forcing the city to
agree to their demands, they
simply demanded that negotia-
tions should be resumed.
Previous to that the Municipal
Labor Relations Bureau, an
organization created by seven
Lower Mainland municipali-
ties to conduct negotiations, had
broken off talks and refused to
come back to the bargaining
table.

It should be made clear at this
point that the Municipal Labor
Relations - Bureau is’ an
appointed body taking its instruc-
tions from the Liaison Com-

mittee which consists of the ~

mayors of the seven municipali-
ties involved.

On April 18 City Council
agreed that talks should begin
again and instructed Mayor
Campbell to get in touch with
Mayor Ron. Andrews of North
Vancouver District, the chair-
man of the M.L.R.B.’s Liaison
Committee, to instruct him to
return to the bargaining table
‘“without any pre-conditions’’.
Mayor Campbell refused to
carry out this decision. All he did
was instruct the City Clerk to
send Andrews a copy of Council’s
resolution by mail.
absence of official word from
Mayor Campbell, Andrews did
nothing. It’s quite clear that
Campbell was circumventing
and actually sabotaging the
carrying out of Council’s
decision.

In~ the.

When -civic workers saw that
Campbell was stalling and that
the Municipal Labor Relations
Bureau was not budging, they
decided to again go on strike in
an effort to get negotiations
going. And now, in violation of
Council’s decision that talks be
started ‘“‘without any pre-condi-
tions’, the M.L.R.B. has
informed civic workers that it
will return to the bargaining
table only if the civic workers
promise in advance in writing
that they will accept a two year
agreement! In other words, it is
demanding advance’ con-
cessions from civic workers
without being willing to make
any itself.

Mayor Tom Campbell's ir-
responsible refusal to carry out
Council’s decisions makes him

fy
unfit to remain any longs
Vancouver's representa Cot

the M.L.R.B.’s Liais0

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‘ng
by someone who is will
negotiate with civic emp i st
Mayor Campbell obviously é
He’s trying to stir up
animosity as he can ws

civic workers and our mut
administration by irresp? sf
and provocative stateme”
the mass media.

The M.L.R.B. should a 3
ditched. For municipal ©
to place negotiations 4 i
hands of an appointed y
delays settlements.
tions should in futule,

conducted directly betwee
employees and comm y
appointed by municip@!
cils. ;

Transit conference to draft |
positive program for action |

A positive program towards
the establishment of a public
transit system is the overall
purpose of the conference called
for May 13, said Bruce Yorke
this week. He told the Tribune

‘the conference would be a

working conference, with the
participants breaking into
panels by areas so that the
specific transit problems in their
districts could be discussed.

The conference call was sent
out recently by the Citizens Co-
ordinating Committee for
Public Transit, of which Bruce
Yorke is chairman. It is to be
held in the auditorium of
Templeton Secondary School,
(Templeton Street), com-
mencing at 9.a.m. :

The Co-ordinating Committee
is made up of representatives
from 26 organizations, with
many individuals interested in
public transit. taking. an .active

part. Delegate fees for the con-
ference are $2.00 each for
organizations. Individual fees
are $1 which entitles the person
to full voice but no voting rights.

It is hoped the conference will
come up with good solid ideas for
an immediate improvement of
public transit on the short and
long range basis. The conference
call says it will ‘‘adopt policies
and a program of action on the
desired form of transportation
authority for the greater Van-
couver region, and a campaign
directed to the appropriate
levels of government for its
speedy establishment.”’

Secondly, the conference will
work towards the adoption of a
transportation plan for the area,
including the specific modes
desired, the question of priori-
ties, and a timetable for their
implementation.

Third, it will deal with a

.

financial formula foF a
involving all levels ot
ment, and an indepe? guile
cal action campaig® "fel
forthcoming provincl® oF)
and municipal elecl®
pledges of action.

jet

Yorke said that a
applications continu? Nu
in, with some ™ corn
MP's. notifying the ral
they will attend the ©°

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e

Everyone interes of
formulating a citize™ he >»
for public transit, De’ vel
run goal of an imp ale (|
system, or more ela?” {0
for the future, will ¥ ore!
part in the conferen®™ in
tions should sen tay Bi
delegate forms PY © di

address of the C07

Committee is Roo™
8th Avenue, Vancouve”