By RAY STEVENSON (From the Mine-Mill Herald) XAMINING what lies behind many of the headlines such as those reprinted on this page, inevitably leads to the questions involved in the struggle for the independence of the trade unions of Canada. The peculiar growth of the “Inter- national” unions of Canada as integral parts of unions based in a foreign country is unique and presents special problems for Canadian workers. Canada is the only ceuntry in the world with this peculiar structural “International” setup of its trade unions. In 1901, at the annual convention of the Trades and Labor Congress, Presi- dent Ralph Smith stated in his opening address: “...A federation of American unions represented by a national union, and a federation of Canadian unions represented by a national union, each working with the other in special cases would be a great advantage over having local unions in Canada connect- ed with the national unions of Ame- rica . . . greater success would be ac- complished in the settlement of dis- putes in each country if the leaders of each were representatives of their own national grievances.” This point of view has recurred again US. Auto BE ig OIRO Es A eo TN a a aia . pas ea Rane ay es Autonomy and indepen A VITAL QUESTION FOR CANADIAN TRADE UNIONISTS and again over the intervening years. The demand for independence in “the trade union movement of Canada took different forms and found different ex- pressions. For example, The Canadian Unionist, in May 1929 stated: ‘‘A national policy is urgently needed and it must include the Canadianization of labor organiza- tion if it is to pretend to any sem- blance of completeness and efficacy. But if we contemplate taking effective action to offset any obvious tendency we must look first to the Yankee unions and our policy should be de- signed to make legally invalid any agreement affecting the economic or political interest of Canadians made by any organization having a major portion of its membership outside of Canada.” The All Canadian Congress of Labor was an organization based on the de- mand for independent unions in Can- ada, free from structural ties with the trade unions of the United States. The head of the organization was none other than A. R. Mosher, who later was to become head of the Canadian Con- gress of Labor at its formation in 1941. - a Similarly the OBU — One Big Union — was in fact a breakaway union from the U.S.-based Industrial Workers of RS Hamilton Spectator, Salurday, August 13, 1966 3 Pact Linked To Oshawa Worker Cut OSHAWA (CP) — General Motors of Canada Ltd. yesterday confirmed that the work force at its plant here will be cut at the start of the 1967 model decline ia the iA t — Nag og sorter, eo onten piuente trade } Gets Ne vy u po nice Canad é “6 R jons production year because of “the slight *sreement.” ‘gttke ‘The VANCOUVER SUN: Sat. Aug. 15.1966 | ‘Rebel’ Pulp Union Ba onfed-, The J.a' 30,000-s tron { ; delruled the international snion Strachan Backs Pulp Rebels’ Stand NDP Chief Says Secret Ballot Should Be Taken in Bitter Dispute; rood of Polo, Suphite snd Sue Stall Reperier NANAIMO — Opposition Jeader Robert Strachan vwas the official bargeining lagent for the workers. SHTU, a Quebec-bas oq) FULL SUPPORT Jabor group "formed by trade| The CNTU said in a telegram uaion elements who broke away to Orville Braaten, an executive from the Conadi Lal ber of the C union, Congress, pledged support it fully supported his group's Saturday fer the Canadian struggle to establish an ia- union, formed by workers who dependent union. left the International Brother- iCanada. Paper Makers. ~The: faternational fe a CLC affiliate. ~ % ‘The breakaway Canadian pulp support Yor a breakaway union en-| workers last week were denied waged in a jurisdictional battle at the Harmac pulp mill; here. See Strachan said he backs the an immediate sogry demand by the breaksway Pulp/irom Pat O'Neal, international Paper Workers of Canada representative of the Pulp, Sul- ballot to resol e the! phite Union, “WILD, IRRESPONSIBLE" r i “It seems to be a case of; Strachan running eff at the ite some rather + 7 ‘yi Brotherhood of Puls Sul- i ‘Carpenters, the World and while adhering to the same syndicalist theories, nevertheless represented a move by Canadian -work- ers to establish independence and self- government within their own organiza- tions in Canada. It is also interesting to know that at “the founding convention of the Indus- trial Workers of the World in 1905, the - name proposed for that organization was ‘The Industrial Workers of Amer- ica” but this was changed at the de- mand of -the head of the Western Fede- ration of Miners, because, he _ said: “The Canadian workers had taken ex- ception to the use of the name of the American Labor Union and insisted on recognition of their national rights.” Hence the name became instead of “The Industrial Workers of America” as originally proposed, “The Industrial Workers of the World.” Again it is.interesting to note that the workers of British Columbia organ- ized in the Western Federation of Miners refused to affiliate with the ‘IWW but instead, insisted on exercis- ing their independence by developing a political action program through the Socialist Party of Canada, to which they became affiliated. Again it will be recalled that in ‘much more recent times, during the late 1940s, the head of the Trades and Labor Congress of. Canada, Percy Ben- gough, and his executive laid down a central dictum for. all Canadian labor against the encroachment of the inter- national unions in the affairs of the Canadian workers when he proclaimed the slogan, “Cooperation Ever, Domi- nation Never.” 5 That Bengough was finally driven off this position by the weight of those who accepted the cold war policies emanating from the American State Department, does not change the fact that the basic demand was for Can- adian independence. : The facts of the cold war policies led directly to the smashing of a num- ber of Canadian unions that did not accept the idea of domination from abroad. Who will forget the heroic struggle of the Canadian Seamen against almost unheard of odds, in- cluding the importation by the Can- adian government of strike-breaking thugs from the United States? Or who will forget the takeover and the expulsion without reference to the Canadian members of the union of the leadership of the Textile Workers Union? Who will forget the all-out drive by big Bill” Hutchinson, of the to destroy the militant Jeadership of the lumber workers in Ontario? Last but not least, in the metal industry of Canada there is rea- son to remember some 18 years of un- mitigated and ferocious attacks to de- stroy the organization of the metal mine workers in Canada, namely our own union, the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers. The establishment of autonomy by our union in Canada in 1955 with the cooperation of the International Ex- ecutive Board and the U.S. member- ship was based on the necessity to es- tablish the means whereby Canadian - the United States who had by theif a result of its war policy in Vietnam: September 16, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page workers in metal mining would be able to protect themselves from any depradation or attack from the U.S. ° The establishment of this autonomy and self-government under our ow Canadian constitution of course was not to the liking of the companies if ownership of Canadian metal resoutc- — es a vast reservoir to exploit and tO use to fill the yawning maw of the American industrial complex for many — years to come. The idea that the Morgan, Rockefel- ler, or Guggenheim interests in the — USA would have to deal with an inde- _ pendently organized Canadian trade union was not to their liking. Hence the ferocious attacks on this union it Canada including the direct interven’ tion of U.S. Secretary of Labor Gold- berg, (formerly the. Steel Union legal counsel) in the raid in Sudbury. — It is not too much to suggest thal — the leadership of the Steel union in — Canada, who since the year of 1948, have consistently and unswervingly — carried through a policy aimed at the — division of the working force in the metal mining industry, not only has done irreparable damage to the nee@? of the workers in the industry but 4§ well has done grave disservice to thé real national interests of our country. — This is so because they have assiste@ the huge U.S. concerns in preventing — the growth of an independent metal mine workers union in Canada, bas on the needs and aspirations of Canada The question of independence mains the central burning question fot Canadian trade unionists. The layofls in auto, as a direct result of the Un ed States-Canadian auto pact, illus trate this point. Jobs are at stake. But other things are involved, it cluding the right to take a position vis-a-vis the dangerous foreign policy of the U.S. government that threatens the world with atomic annihilation 4° Certainly the need to end that wa! — now, is imperative. It is to be welcomed that the Cal adian Labor Congress has a positiof# on this vital question that is almost diametrically opposed to the forel policy position of the AFL-CIO as @ poused by Meany, Lovestone, et al. UP course also to be welcomed is the fac that within the AFL-CIO there has grown up under the leadership of Wat ter Reuther, UAW chieftain, opposi tion to the Meany-Lovestone kowtoW ing to White House foreign poli¢ Certainly to defeat the present highlY dangerous war policy- is in Canad national interest. . Failure to see this and failure to a} with the Reuther forces in the AFL CIO makes it impossible for the dev@ lopment of a genuine relationships % fraternal equals as between Canadial and U.S. unions and workers. It is only on the basis of the dev® lopment of a proper and true relatiom ship of fraternity and equality th there can be a good and lasting rel@ tionship between Canadian and Unite? States workers.