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Workers at. Massey-Harris-Ferguson in Toronto demonstrate for jobs.

Spectre of a million jobless is
haunting Diefenbaker this Xmas

A spectre is haunting the Diefenbaker government — the spectre of up to a million job-
‘less Canadians, and pundits from Ottawa now say the Tories aren't anxious to go to the polls
‘in the spring because of unemployment.
At the federal- provincial conference the prime minister was compelled to agree to pay
“half the cost of maintaining people whose insurance benefits have run out and who are flock-

ing to city halls for relief.

Some 250,000 out- of work
Will have their benefits extend-
ed from 16 to 24 weeks, says
Minister Starr. The
S0vernment could stall on this
no longer. Seasonal benefits
Will also be paid.

But workers and their fami-
lies cannot live decently on
low. insurance benefits. The
trade unions have long asked
that they be increased, and
Paid for 52 weeks, as the Tories
themselves promised when
they were seeking votes last
June.

On top of this the auto com>
banies have put the squeeze on

_ Ottawa for reduced auto taxes
by laying off 16,400 workers.

Industrial production is down.

| Base metal mining is shrink-
Ing. Forestry puipat is down a

Quarter.

In Toronto, Bert Gargrave,
Chairman of the Political Ed-
Ucation Committee of the La-
ber Council, said unemploy-

ment was “pyramiding.” In
his own union, the United
Steelworkers in Toronto, he

Said, close to 2,000 would lose

their jobs in December.
Financial and editorial pages

i of the commercial press whistle
In the dark. The Toronto Globe
' 4nd Mail says unemployment is

Caused by “gloomy talk”

which is “disloyal and sedi-

tious.”
Because the total working
force is two percent higher

than in October 1956 the un-
employed are told that there
really is “not a serious situa-
tion” as though that helps feed
the people and pay the rent
for those out of jobs.”

Working people withow!: a
pay coming in every week are
unable to pay instalments on
their homes and many are
tacng eviction. Credit com-
panies are calling around for
overdue payment, or else... .

In Windsor and now Calgary
come reports that unions are
organizing ‘flying squads” to
block by action any attempt to
evict unemployed persons for
non-payment of rent. In Cal-
gary Mine-Mill rep Charles
Weir said early action by the
government to protect the peo-
ple involved might make these
moves unnecessary.

Members of Local 800 of the
Mine-Mill in Calgary are call-
ing for a moratorium on repos-
session of property of unem-
ployed persons.

Local 195 of the UAW in
Windsor is calling on the fed-
eral and_ provincial govern-
ments for a mortatorium on
debts owing government agen-

CLOSING OUT SALE |
Everything Must Go!
CASTLE

752 Granville

JEWELLERS

PA. 1014

KAA

§

cies. This would apply to
crown corportation mortgages.

Employers are not too un-
happy. Longer lines of appli-
cants for fobs enable them to
force down wages for workers
unprotected by union agree-
ments, Even those who have
been protected find themselves
at the mercy of the boss when
they go job-hunting.

A brass-faced attitude to
union labor is seen in negotia-
tions coming up. On the rail-
ways the demand of 140,000
non-operating employees for a
35-cent hourly raise is con-
temptuously dismissed by the
companies. In auto, .UAW
negotiations promise to be the
toughest in years.

Claude Jodoin, president of
the Canadian Labor Congress,
has called for action in a “na-
tional emergency.” Minister of
Finance Fleming pooh-poohed
this, but on CBC-TV he squirm-
ed and shied when newspaper-
men tried to pin him down on
economic prospects. He hid be-
hind the) phrase, “It is sea-
sonal.”

It is going to be a hard win-
ter. Union men and women,
unemployed breadwinners and
their families, “many with
memories of the terrible ‘thir-
ties’, as usual wil have to bat-
tle hard to wrest jobs or full
maintenance from employers
and governments. =

As it has in many similar sit-
uations in past years the Labor-
Progressive party is distribut-
ing a leaflet from coast to
coast demanding government
action in this national unem-
ployment emergency. Toronto
LPP members are planning to

* distribute 10,000 of them.

AUTO SQUEEZE

Thousands facing
Christmas layoffs

WINDSOR

There is no reason why Can-
adian automobile manufactur-
ers cannot start rolling 1958
cars out to the dealers and
send 16,400 laid-off workers
back to their jobs.

This statement by Revenue
Minister Nowlan was finally
pressed out of the Diefenbaker
government in the House of
Commons last week.

Ctits made in the 10 percent
excise tax on automobiles will
be passed on to dealers, who
take cars from the makers on
consignment, said the minister.

Auto manufacturers arbitra-
ily shut down the plants and
laid off thousands of GM, Ford
and Chrysler employees in
Oshawa, Oakville and Wind-
sor.

George Burt Canadian diree-
tor of the United Auto Work-
ers, wired Finance Minister
Fleming urging that the gov-
ernment clear up the issue of
the tax cut (which have since
been announced). If the tax
slash is imminent, he said,
there should be a proviso in
the regulations compelling the
manufacturers to pass on the
saving to the buyer.

“The restoration: of confi-
dence among the buying pub-
lic demands it,” said the tele-

gram. “The unemployed auto
worker’s plight demands it.
The economic welfare of the
country demands it.”

In last summer’s election
campaign the . Tory party
promised to cut the 10 percent
excise and 10 percent sales tax
on cars.

“We’ev always been against
this Juxury tax on cars, but
even with the cut the price of
cars will be still too high,
said Burt.

“The

”

companies should
match, the tax cut with an
equal cut of their own: and
more people would be able to
buy cars. It’s obvious the
price is too high.”

He referred to small foreign
cars cutting in on 15 percent
of the market as a result. Burt
also said tax cuts were never
passed on to consumers.

It is widely believed in laber
circles that auto’s Big Three,
GM, Ford and Chrysler, start-
ed the rumors in order to
“pass on” the tax cut to the
workers in the form of re-
duced pay and jobs, squeeze
the government and administer
a “lesson” to their employees
by a lay-off just before Christ-
mas and with an eye to coming
negotiations with the UAW.

Railroaders ask for
conciliation ruling

: TORONTO
Non - operating railway
workers on the CPR and CNR
and smaller lines, the 140,000
men and women who are not
on the trains, are going to con-
ciliation as they have done in
all negotiations for several
years. The joint committee. of
the 15 unions asked Labor
Minister Starr for a board
when three talks with the com-
pany proved sterile.

The unions are asking for
a wage packet to bring them
into line with pay in compar-
able industries. This was ad-
mitted to be fair by Mr. Justice
Kellock in previous negotia-
tions.

Rail companies
and are seen to be setting the
pace for other employers:
They dismissed the unions’ de-
mand for a 35-cent hourly in-
crease, eight statutory paid
holidays, severance. pay, im-
proved vacation with pay and
higher company contributions
to a health-welfare plan as

are tough

December 13, 1957 —

“shocking and_ irresponsible.”
The present contract expires
this month. Judging by previ-
ous experiences the companies
will drag out conciliation and
then call on the government
for strike - breaking action,
which they did successfully
last time. The Tories, who
criticized the Liberal govern-
ment’s strike - breaking, are
now on the spot themselves.

Building Trades parley

reviews jurisdiction

ATLANTIC *CITY

The Building Trades Depart-
ment of the AFL-CIO, meet-
ing in convention here, backed
down from a rigid position on

jurisdiction. The construction
union delegates voted to pur-
sue talks with industrial

unions on job rights for factory
maintenance and construction
work.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE_PAGE a