> Four-week strike ends in victory Solidarity key to settlement TORONTO — “Settlement -terms achieved by 6,400 UE members in five cities were among the top contract settle- ments in all industries in the past year,” said George Harris,. secretary-treasurer of the Unit- ed Electrical Workers in com- menting on the union’s month- long strike against Canadian ‘General Electric. “The strike defeated the com- pany’s effort to impose a: three- year contract which was regarded by the workers as un- acceptable in times of rapidly escalating commodity prices.” he said. In addition to substantial wage increases ranging from 85 cents to $1.12 an hour by Dec. 24 of this year, the settlement provided for cost-of-living ad- justments of up to 20 cents an hour in the second year of the contract, an unusual feature in two-year agreements. In addi- tion, all female workers will re- ceive an extra two cents. Vacations were improved to provide three weeks after five years, four after 15, and five after 25 — all to apply this year. An additional paid plant holiday will apply in 1975. BY BRUCE MAGNUSON The Public Service Alliance’ of Canada which bargains for 145,000 workers in the federal public service have called upon seven of its bargaining units to vote for a conciliation method that would allow for exercise of the right to strike. The alli- ance is hoping to complete and tabulate voting results before ' their bargaining committees meet at the end of March. : Last January the PSAC called on the Treasury Board for an upward adjustment in present rates because “the adverse ef- fect of spiralling and unforeseen increases in the cost of living have eroded the salaries of mem- bers whose present collective agreements are effective from 1971.” PSAC leaders expressed their concern for employees at the lower end of the pay scale who are most heavily affected by in- creases in such essential goods as food and home fuel. It was announced also that a plan of action would be developed to ensure a favorable outcome -of the PSAC submission to the Treasury Board for the reopen- ing of the collective agreements. Escalator Clauses Claude Edwards, PSAC presi- dent has pointed out that “the unprecedented rate of increase in the consumer price index dur- ing 1973 has resulted in a stun- ning set-back for public service employees so much so that the 1973 salary adjustment is now completely eroded.” Mr. > Ed- -wards has put particular empha- ‘sis on the necessity for cost of living escalator clauses to main- tain purchasing power of em- ployees. He has called for imme- diate consideration to an upward adjustment for the hospital ser- vices group where the salary rate of many members is now below the new minimum wage rate. Also, while the consumer price index advanced 9.1% in 1973, several groups of public GEORGE HARRIS Other features are: : CGE weekly sickness and ac- cident benefits to be integrated with Unemployment Insurance Commission sickness benefits to provide up to a maximum of 54 ° weeks coverage, up to a maxi- mum of $113 a week, and com- pany to pay 75% of present OHIP premiums. Improved pensions by increas- ing earned pensions to 1958 by 10%, providing early retirement at age 62, with 32 years of ser- vice at no discount. Special rate adjustments were made to workers in Batrie and Trenton, with up to 14 cents an hour being added to rates in ‘Barrie, while in Trenton there were increases of up to 18 cents over the life of the agreement. “Of outstanding significance in the achievement of the high- est, settlement terms ever with this giant electrical corpora- tion,” said Harris, ‘was the complete coordination of effort by the UE and thé IUE whose contract covering its 3,500 mem- bers employed at Canadian Gen- eral Electric was _ reaching termination when the Ontario Labor Department requested UE and CGE ré-open talks. “The solidarity and coordina- tion of the UE and IUE in the General Electric negotiations this year paid off in much higher benefits for all employees of the corporation, regardless of trade union affiliation. Trade union competition and disunity. which benefited the electrical com- panies for the past two decades ended in 1974 with the settle- ment at Canadian General Elec- tric,” he concluded. WU eKShs\ 4 Frustrated with arbitration Alliance may opt for strike servants received’ ‘general in- creases ranging from 4.5% to a maximum of 6%. On March 15, C. M. Drury, president of the Treasury Board, appeared before the Commons miscellaneous estimates commit- tee and was bluntly told by MPs that frustration and dissatisfac- tion has arisen among public ser- vants because the Treasury Board has failed to bargain in good faith with its employees. David Orlikov (NDP Winnipeg North) told Mr. Drury that the first-year offer of 3% to the 45,- 000 government clerks as bar- gaining opened last year was not even equal to half the rise in the cost_of living. He said it stood in sharp contrast to a 20% raise (from $50,000 to $60,000) for deputy ministers: Mr. Drury’s reply to Mr. Orli- kow’s charge of bargaining in bad faith was that the Treasury Board as an employer is “fre- quently putting forth unreason- able propositions.” Capitalist Impotence When the public service were given bargaining rights in 1967 they were given two choices within the framework of the legislation. They could either opt for voluntary arbitration, or choose conciliation and strike if conciliation failed to produce an agreement. The Public Service Alliance, which is composed of 16 com- ponent unions, has 49 bargain- ing units, 41 of which at that time chose voluntary arbitration. But the mood is changing rapid- ly as general dissatisfaction and frustration has set in with re- spect to the arbitration method, which has not worked. A spokes- man for the 30,000 member Union of National Defence Em- ployees says his union has long advocated adoption of the con- ciliation-strike option. All government leaders in the capitalist world today (Canada not excepted) proclaim the aim PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 1974—-PAGE 8 “to curb inflation.” But no indication of how it is to be done is given except through the squeeze on labor income. The impotence of capitalist governments in fact of inflation after all defiant proclamations to end it, is not surprising (the publicity about ending inflation is a cover for new attacks on wages and conditions or the social services) since it is the governments’ own policies that chave been the main operative factor in causing the develop- ment of inflation. Not, to be sure, by expenditures in social services such as health, educa- tion and housing, but by waste- ful subsidizing of monopoly profits, military and foreign in- vestments, causing huge nation- al debt structures with escalat- ing interest payments. In Political Forefront It is this which monopoly and governments seek to pay for by mounting taxes and increased prices on necessities of life bought by ordinary working people. ; The trade unions are today in the political forefront of the class battle (whether they recog- nize it or not). Every successive wage struggle is visibly bound up with the ownership and con- trol of the industry in question, the country’s economy and goy- ernment policy. One of the most hawkish spokesmen for monopoly in the Trudeau administration is with- out a doubt Mr. C. M. Drury. It is time for all of organized labor from coast to coast to mount a strong campaign against monopoly price and profit goug- ing, for much larger than the usual wage increases, and for a rise in living standards. This would also test Mr. Tru- deau’s sincerity, since he so elo- quently made his recent pro- nouncement against price and profit gougers at public expense. LAWS TO BAN STRIKES PLANNED IN QUEBEC QUEBEC — Quebec’s Liberal government set the stage for a showdown with the labor move- ment by reviving its plan to pro- hibit strikes in “essential ser- vices.” Premier Bourassa told report- ers the ‘ban will be a key ‘feat- ure in dn extensive revision of labor laws at the new session of the Quebec National Assembly. Similar - legislation was _ at- tacked fiercely by the province’s three main labor organizations last year, and the proposals died on the assembly order paper when Bourassa called the Oct. 29 election. The legislation, known as Bill 89, would apply to both private and public sectors whenever the labor department decided a contract dispute threatened es- sential services. TORY LABOR BILL FROM OUT OF THE 18TH CENTURY OTTAWA — Speaking on his private members bill in the Commons last week, Tory MP Frank Oberle (Prince George- Peace River) attacked interna- tional unions’ control over Cana- dian unions. Oberle’s bill, de- scribed by Paddy Neale (NDP) —Vancouver East ) as “18th century legislation,” would out- law mandatory union member- ship as a work requirement. DIVERT PRODUCTION TO U.S. DURING 3 MONTH STRIKE — . MONTREAL — A spokesman for United Aircraft of Canada Ltd. said that some production at strike-bound Longueuil is be- ing moved to the United States. “No contracts or machines will be moving out,” he. said, but certain stages of the manu- facturer of jet engines will be shifted to company plants in East Hartford, Conn. The company has threatened to eliminate hundreds of jobs at Longueuil if a strike by 2,600 preduction workers, which be- gan Jan. 7, does not end. UNION CHARGES WIRETAP ON PHONES ’ LONDON — Chemical Work- ers Union international repre- . sentative, Frank Rogers charged. last week that the union’s tele- phones were being tapped as the union entered its seventh week on strike- against Union Gas, At thé same time 15 per- sons have been arrested on the picketline as the company at- tempts to bring non-union work- See Se ers through, More than 60 union . SAN FRANCISCO —State police drag picketers from members have been questioned by police to date in such cem ters as Guelph, Stratford, Water loo and Goderich where Unio# Gas provides service. Contract talks between the 1,100 striking members. of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Work ers Union, the Internation® Chemical Workers Union 4 the company were broken © and are tentatively scheduled 1 resume this week. The unions claim the company’s wage, Pe sion and fringe benefit package wasn’t fit to present to membership. LOCKOUTS URGED IN CIVIL SERVICE DISPUTES OTTAWA — The federal £Y ernment, as an employer, be given the right to lock 0 employees during contract om putes, a report on public servic bargaining recommends. 7 The report, which could b the basis for new legislation 97 plying to unionized federal em ployees, was tabled in the Cont mons March 14 by Allan Ma Eachen, privy council presid Union spokesmen said ‘ would prefer more time Mig making full statements. ut only comment about the lock? proposal came from the 145, member Public Service Alle of Canada; which said it emp’ tically opposed the suggestiom MORE FACTS REVEALED ON CANADA-CUBA TRADE “Ady OTTAWA — The Treas Dept. disclosed on March 7 that the biggest deal betWe Canada and Cuba so fat 2 i proved by the USA was ne of completed, $1,375,000 worth synthetic fibre. tie It was also revealed that ane 1968 about five licences ' fof been granted by the U.»- de Canadian-based firms to wa) with Cuba. One was for seund projectors ($20,000), e. other for 500 units of medicif COAL STRIKE ENDS IN U.S. A CHARLESTON, W. Va: ee strike by: an estimated wd southern West Virginia Jose miners began drawing to 4 © ibe as some men reported ays pits for the first time in 18 as A West Virginia Coal © nat ciation spokesman repo) i about 40% of those involv inet the walkout went back t? jobs. o , Operations were deseribet is nearly normal in some cou at but the spokesman said jose! tered pickets kept mines © in others. te! io" a comm bus terminal during an 8-day strike that halted public transP? in that city.