Labor Front

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

The trade union movement is faced with the need for double-
barrelled action this year—one side directed to achieving new goals
in collective bargaining, the other directed at Parliament to compel
it to adopt useful legislation.

On the bargaining front many unions have
already established: their goals. Common to
most of the demands advanced is that they
constitute an integral part of the fight for
employment, job security, against the effects
of automation, for more leisure time and higher
living standards.

* * *

It is interesting to note that the workers
and their unions in many cases shy away from
long term contracts, thus giving themselves
more elbow room to cope with a changing economic situation.

Equally interesting is the growing trend towards united action
in negotiations. One of the latest examples is the decision of all
civil service organizations in Ottawa (except postal employees)
to undertake joint negotiations. On a different level, the united front
established between the Quebec Federation of Labor and Confedera-
tion of National Trade Unions with respect to anti-labor legislation
proposed by the Lesage Government, constitutes a significant de-

velopment.

At. still another level, negotiations are afoot between the Brother-
hood. of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen and their counterpart
with the aim of merging into one union. .

These few examples indicate that in the face of monopoly’s
drive, a growing body of workers recognize that united action has
become an objective necessity.

The idea of the united front against monopoly is beginning to
replace the united front in support of the cold war. Those divisive
elements who wish to perpetuate the cold war in the labor and trade
union movement will find themselves increasingly isolated.

* * *

Joint action on the bargaining front, whether within industry
or on a national Scale, through solidarity action of all kinds, needs
to be buttressed by united pressures on government and parliament
with respect to the proposed Canada Pension Plan, a National
Labor Code and other vital issues,

The attitude parliament takes to the pension plan will indicate
how seriously it is considered an A-1 social priority and how ser-
iously the social consequences of automation are being tackled.

Based on performance so far most of the parties in parliament
are trying to protect the interests of the insurance companies, not
the interests of the Canadian people.

The CLC is to be commended in initiating a nation-wide
campaign on the issue of pensions and on insisting that the original
proposal of $100 a month pension, be the basis of such a Canada
Pension Plan. :

Obviously to compel the government to revert to the original
proposal and defeat those who wish to whittle it down will require

considerable effort, a much greater effort than thas yet been indi-
cated by the trade union movement,

But it can be done and it is being assisted and comlemented by
the decision of the UAW Economic Conference to place the issue
of pensions at age 60 high on the list of demands which will be
negotiated with the auto companies this year.

As the UAW conference correctly stated ‘‘the realities of the
present-day employment situation in Canada are such that the
labor movement cannot afford ‘to wait on government to provide
the kind of pensions which will allow—indeed, encourage—workers to
retire early. The on-coming of automation has reached such a pace
that greater leisure is achievable and early retirement has become
a ‘must’? if young people entering the employment market in the
coming years are to find a job.”

* * *

In a very real way therefore, the struggle on the collective
bargaining front is merging with the pressures labor is exerting
on parliament for legislation in the interests of the Canadian people.

This kind of action can prevent the government and parliament
from ‘fiddling while Rome burns.”’

|

CIGARETTES IMPAIR HEALTH”

| WILL BENEFIT B.C. WORKERS
Labor mutual aid pac

with the Canadian Labor Congress exceP |
the Teamsters. b

The statement issued from the mee?
outlined the basic purpeses of the mutt
pact which were given as follows:

A four-point mutual aid pact of great
significance for the trade union mcvement
in B.C., was signed last week by five large
International unions with large member-

ships in the province.

The agreement, which was announced
last week, would cover upwards of 50,000
B.C. unionists, or nearly one quarter of the

trade membership.

Unions involved are the International
Woodwerkers of America; International
Brotherhood cf Pulp, Sulphite and Paper
Mill Workers; Lumber and Sawmill
Workers; International Longshcremen’s
and Warehousemen’s Union and the Inter-
national Brotherhocd of Teamsters.

The mutual aid agreement has been
under discussion for some time and was
finally drawn up at a meeting of officers
of the five unions in Portland, Oregon last

Tuesday.

All the unicns involved’are affiliated

© To promote job and income secull
for members of unicns in B.C., Wast?
ton and Oregon. The pact aims at J®
termination of all major contracts
ultimately joint negotiations betwee?
ployers and the five unicns.

e Give mutual support in securing
and income security for all members 0”
five unions. Involved here is the con®
felt by workers over the effects of au
tion and mechanization and the nee™
union acticn to protect workers.

_ @ Work out procedures for avoid
inter-union raiding.

: The membership of the five unions
have to approve the pact’s four points
fore it can be implemented.

Indians
to fight
appeal

The Native Indians on Van-
couver Island announced this
week that they will fight an
appeal against the judgement
granted last week by Judge
A. H. J. Swencisky allowing
Indians to hunt and fish on
unoccupied lands.

The announcement came
from the Council of Allied
Tribes of South Vancouver
Island. Chief Doug White of
Nanaimo said a campaign for
funds to fight the appeal will
be launched across Canada.
The appeal will be addressed
to white men as well as In-
dians. —

The B.C. government saidit
intends to appeal the judge-
ment handed down last week.
Meanwhile, Vancouver Island
Indians are going ahead with
plans for a giant potlach to-
celebrate the court victory.

Lower age
for pensions,
urge women

The Canadian Congress of Wo-
men has submitted a brief to
Prime Minister Pearson and
Health and Welfare Minister
Judy La Marsh urging that ser-
ious consideration be given to

lowering the universal pension .

age to 60 for women and 65
for men, without a means test.

Signed by CCW president Hil-
da Murray and secretary Vi Dew-
hurst, the brief welcomes the
proposal to introduce the Canada
Pension Plan at this session of
Parliament. ‘*However’’, says
the brief, ‘‘the proposed plan
falls far short of what is needed
today.”?

“The speed an intensity of to-
day’s production processes have
produced strains and stresses in
modern working and living condi-
tions that have greatly affected
the working life of men and
women. Their ability to contin-
ue working until the age of 70
before they are entitled to an un-
conditional and full Old Age Pen-
sion becomes considerably
impaired,’’ says the brief.

“It is basically for this rea-
son,’? adds the brief, ‘‘that we
recommend that the universal
pension age be lowered — to 60

“for women and 65 for men, with-
out the degrading means test.’’

B.C. Fed parley falls
short of labor's need

‘By CHARLES CARON

The Wages and Policy con-
ference, called by the B.C. Fed-
eration of Labor last Saturday in
the Bayshore Inn, fell far short
of meeting the needs of the pro-
vince’s unions, now faced with
major negotiations. The agenda
of the parley was deliberately
arranged by the right wing lead-
ers to avoid consideration of the
major issues.

Instead of a conference to con-
sider ways of strengthening the
unions in this year’s contract
negotiations, which was the in-
ent of the re-
solution pass-
ed by the last
B.C. Federa-
tion of Labor
convention,
the agenda tur-
ned it into a
seminar - type
discussion.

Delegates

ge fought to over-
come confusion caused by the
leadership and finally got three
quarters of an hour for reports
on current strikes, which were
not even mentioned on the con-
ference aganda.

William Stewart, Marine Wor-.,
kers and Boilermakers Union,
spoke on the shipyard strike
which involves twenty - two
unions. He pointed out that the
shipyard owners, wallowing in
tremendous profits gained thr-
ough government subsidies, were
trying to chain shipyard workers
to long term contracts.

Two other strikes were re-
ported on — the Meat Cutters
and Bookbinders.

_An outline of these strikes
and the obvious need for plans
to strengthen labor unity to win
these struggles was the approach
needed for the conference, But
that kind of approach was lack-
ing. sae

Charles Stewart, business
agent for the Amalgamated Tran-
sit Union, called for a change in
the conference agenda, for a prac-
tical approach to the problems

at hand, He was summarily ruled
out of order, ironically by confer-
ence chairman J. Moore, whose
union, the I.W.A., is just enter-
ing negotiations.

At this point three economists
lectured on certain aspects of
union demands, mainly from a

_ to defeat the present Colum

legalistic standpoint. These #
tures were followed by
half hour of questions and °
cussions.

@

Charlie Shane, Construct
and General Laborers
drew attention to New Demoe
tic Party Leader Tommy D°
las’ efforts in the House of ©
mons to defeat the sellout
umbia River Treaty. Shane
exception to the formulatio®
the conference agenda 0
Columbia — ‘probable effe¢
major capital project’’ (Pe
and Columbia). He said thisP
ed the question of the Colum
Treaty as settled.

The conference chairmal
mented on the need ‘‘to be
istic,’’ leaving no doubt that
B.C. Federation of Labor 1
ership, like that of the
provincially, has abandone
fight (if they ever waged i
save the Columbia for Cal

This stand of both leader?
is in violation of their rest |
tive conventions (B.C. Fe 4
tion of Labor and NDP)
called for every possible eff

ao

Treaty.
The afternoon session wa® rf
en up mainly with panel
cussions. Some benefit |
‘gained inasmuch as the deleg®
insisted on discussion 0?
negotiation problems.

The only positive note exP*
ed by the BCF leadership
in the summary of its secrTe™,
Pat O’Neal, when he called
support of the striking work
If that appeal had been made
the outset of the confere?
instead of lectures on long-
contracts for labor-manage
«¢peace’?—the feeling of frust
tion and lack of concrete P™
could have been avoided.

However, \
to be grasped in
last weekend’s experience 19"
there are forces at work W
will result in unity of 1
regardless of the trickery ©
rightwing leaders. 2

Increasing application —
mechanization and automati?
production accompanied by *”
unemployment in a peri?
capitalist boom is the forc®

See B.C. FED., pg. 8

March 13, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P

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