a Labor Ma sth RL RAM A RL AL tL LL HL Lb JL ALLL Lim 1 snl som. a pop al | sae Bh . ae SRST age 8 or eo a : ‘ i 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. 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