VLC TO ENTER CIVIC. CONEEST

Three labor candidates for council

A recommendation by the
political education commitee
that Vancouver Labor Coun-
cil sponsor three aldermanic
candidates in the civic elec-
tions next December rece:ved
overwhelming endorsation

from council delegates Tues- —

day night this week.

“We should spearhead the
attack of progressive forces
in the civic election field,”
said the committee report,
program which will~ attract
groups with which we can co-
operate.” *

5° at at

Rejecting. a‘ motion that
council should not present its
views on projected increases
in civic taxation “because of
the. time element,’ delegates
instructed council’s research
director to immediately pre-
pare a submission on taxes and
assessments for presentation
to Vancouver City Council.

“Our research director will
have to go ahead and present
the available material,” said
president Lloyd Whalen when
a show of hands indicated that
the motion was lost. 3

“‘I>would suggest that help
could be obtained from a for-
mer senior evaluator in the
city’s assessment department,
J. S. Mulcahy, who recently
appealed against the low CPR
assessment and has facts and
figures at. his disposal,” said
Bill Stewart (Marine Work-
ers).

“Pm no expert, but we all
know there is a lot wrong
with’ the tax evaluation sys-
tem,” said Charles Stewart
(Street Railwaymen). “CPR
lands and many industries are
not taxed heavily enough, and
homeowners are overtaxed.”

be 503 bes

Proposal to send council
president Lloyd Whalen to
the next Canadian Labor Con-
gress board meeting as an ob-
server met with a mixed re-
ception, several delegates ex-
pressing the view that coun-
cil money. was being wasted.

“I’m on my way,” cracked

IWA faces
stiff stand

International Woodworkers
of America has made 13 pro-
posals to employers—including
the key demand for a 20 per-
cent wage increase in current
negotiations but the only com-
pany proposals presented were
a few minor contract changes
to strengthen management
rights.

This was reported Tuesday
to Vancouver Labor Council by
Stu Hodgson. member of the
IWA negotiating committee.
Because outcome of the nego-
tiations in the province’s big-
gest industry will have a bear-
ing on the wage struggles of
other unions Hodgson said the
IWA would keep VLC fully in-
formed on all developments as
negotiations continue.

Whalen when the motion fin-
ally was passed.
a it
A letter from Attorney-
Genéral Robert Bonner ad-
vising council there is no leg-
islation planned to boost jur-
ors’ fees brought an angry re-
sponse from delegates.
Council has debated the sub-
ject at previous meetings and
several cases had been listed
where union men served long
terms as jurors at $6 a day —
a loss in income they could
ill afford.
at xf at
A scheduled debate on the

benefits or otherwise of fluor-
idation was postponed to a
September meeting, when
speakers for both sides will
give their views.

50 xt tt

Speedup and low wages in
small bakeries is leading to a
showdown, Mel Kemmis of the
Bakery Workers told dele-
gates.

“Productivity has increased
tremendously with no extra
help being employed,” said
Kemmis. “Employers say they
will ‘set the speed of machines
and the workers will have to

keep pace.

“Overtime in non-union:shops
is. prevalent... I. know_ one
young man in a Main Street
bakery who works a 56-hour
week for $30. Other local
plants work 56 hours and even
66 hours with no overtime
rates. Hundreds of thousands
of dollars are being taken out
of workers’ pockets on over-
time alone.

“The thing is haywire. Com-
plaints are taken to the de-
partment of labor but nothing
is done. No wonder, when the
department has only 12 inspec-

tors who are expected to pro-
cess certifications and police
the Hours of Work Act. The
job is too big for this number
of men.

“We are approaching a show-
down. and I ask this coun-
cil for its full support when
the time comes.” :

it os am

After the council
many delegates say
and wished goodluck to Jim
Bury, who leaves next week
to take up a new post in the
organizational department of
the ICFTU in Mexico City.

meeting

farewell ©

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MARCH 22, 1957 — PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 13