COMPANY

WORKERS SIT DOWN

SPEEDS UP

By a Hamilton worker

The highly mechanized Vic-
toria Avenue North plant of
American Can Company in
Hamilton has been shut down
by a disciplined work stoppage,
sparked by a speedup attempt
by the company. The strike was
originally a _ sit-down protest
when the company attempted to
implement an increased work
load for press feeders at seven
o’clock in the morning of April
18th. Can Workers Union (CLC)
officials, who cannot legally en-
dorse the strike, met with the
plant management Friday morn-
ing; But the men and women re-
fused to work until they re-
ceived a guarantee that the
speedup plans of the company
would not be implemented.

At a meeting held at the Ham-
ilton Labor Temple on Friday
evening attended by rank-and-
file, stewards and executive of
the local, the human and difficuit
problems of the workers poured
forth from young and old, men
and women, in a steady con-
demnation of killing work loads,
discrimination against women
and youth, as well as against
20 years of pent-up bitterness
and anger at company arrogance
and greed. It was also obvious
that workers were subjected to
standards and programs sent
from the United States, and that
Canadian management do not
even have the authority to nego-
tiate a settlement.

All was not anger and bitter-
ness, however, as the strength
of working people united in
struggle found expression in the
speeches of determination and
victory.

“We've talked for 20 years
and never had a strike, but now
we're fighting back and we will
win,” was one expression re-
peated over and over in many
different ways. A member of the
Lithographers Union promised
that “although I can’t speak for

_my union, and speak only for

By Bruce Magnuson

myself, I am sure our members
will understand your struggle
and conduct themselves in a
responsible manner.” The Litho-
graphers Union has about 40
members under a separate con-
tract and to date have honored
the work stoppage.

The meeting passed a motion
that Can Workers would stay
out until the speedup and many
other grievances are cleared up.
It then adjourned after agreeing
to set up picket lines Monday
morning.

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dics Ji-deaplia! worker

plan to march on Queen's Park

The first results of the Ontario
government’s cut-backs on
grants for the hospitals were
felt last week in Riverdale Hos-
pital in Toronto where 30 nurs-
ing assistants were laid off.

The hospital gave as its reason
for layoff the budgetary rules
laid down by the government.
The result is that the nursing
staff, already severely overwork-
ed, is going to have to take on
even more.

The majority of those laid off

were Filipinos, young girls, who
had been recruited directly by
the hospital in their own coun-
try and who have been in Can-
ada only between two and five
months. Most are still confront-
ed with payment for their fare
over, and of course have no un-
employment insurance or any
other benefit to fall back on.
Their starting, rate was $298 a
month. Only after 27 months
does pay rise to its peak of $331.

The government’s cut-backs

Construction shutdown?

Negotiations have broken off
in most of the trades represent-
ing 150,000 Ontario construction
workers and the April 30 con-
tract deadline draws closer with
a mass shutdown of the industry
looming.

Metro Toronto contractors and
unions met last week in a last
ditch effort to avert strike or
lockout action but company
spokesmen drew the line at 8 to
10 percent wage increases, This
is far from the settlement point
for the unions.

The word is that $1.10 has
been offered to the Electricians,
Plumbers and Sheet-Metal Work-
ers unions with offers ranging
around this hinted to other
trades.

These three unions signed a
four year agreement in 1965
included in which was a reduc-
tion of the work week from 40
to 3714 hours. Officials estimate
that a combination of living cost
increases, tax increases and the
loss of wages due to shorter
hours requires an increase of
$1.50 an hour just to maintain
the purchasing power in 1965.

They calculate that a 19 point
increase in living costs is equal
to 95 cents per hour. The loss of
pay from reduced hours 20 cents,

and taxes not covered by the
cost of living indices 35 cents
Thus they argue, the company
offer of $1.10 does not even put
them back where they started in
1965.

Settlements have been reached
in Windsor for the Ironworkers
in that area at $1.04 bringing
their top rate to $5.18 at the end
of a two year agreement and in
Kitchener electricians have set-
tled for a $1.72 an hour package
over two years with $1.50 to
apply to wages bringing their
rate to $5.65 at the end of the
agreement.

There are behind the scenes
talks at figures around $1.30 an
hour for some trades but most of
the offers, or suggested offers
fall considerably short of union
saw off figures. This week com-
pany attitudes seemed to be
hardening and although contacts
are being maintained between
the parties on a daily basis it
would appear that unless there is
some softening on the part of the
contractors the entire indystry
could be shut down early in May.

Most unions have scheduled
meeting this week and next
where final preparations for
showdown action are expected
to be taken.

probably mean that nursing ag.
sistants will also not be hired jp
other hospitals. The indication js
that there could be more layoffs

The Canadian Union of Public
Employees local at Riverdale
has already sent a protest to the
Ontario Hospital Services Com.
mission against these regulations
which cut back on much-needed
personnel and force a continy,.
tion of the low wage scales,

On March 27 CUPE held q
meeting in London of represen.
tatives of all locals of hospitals
and homes for the aged at which
the decision was taken to havea
mass demonstration at Queen's
Park on June 11 to protest the
wage guideline policy and the
no-strike legislation.

Support for the contention of
the union that the guidelines ar
woefully inadequate has come
from even the Toronto Globe and
Mail. In an editorial headed Ex.
ploited Hospital Workers, the
paper says: f

“In its lofty once-removed
fashion, the commission (OHSC)
has informed hospitals ani
unions of certain wage guide.
lines for 1969. Wage increases,
it says, must not exceed 5.5 per
cent to 6 percent and 6.5 per.
cent in extreme cases. If a hos.
pital decides to pay more than
this, says the commission, it can |
of course do so; but it will have
to steal the money from othe
parts of its budget, which can
not be permitted a total increas
of more than 8.5 percent. The
workers could be paid more but
the patients might not eat 9
well; that could form a rough
translation of the dictum.”

Already the Windsor Labor |
Council has pledged full support
to the hospital workers and it
can be anticipated that other
centres will do the same. All
this will add up to a large tum-
out in June to confront the
government on its hospital

policy.

Mass picketing essential

———_

A rather crucial debate may
soon come to a head in the labor
movement of this country. Deve-
lopments in Britain may help to
clarify the basic issues involved.
As put on page 4 of CUPE Jour-
nal, March 1969, the question is:
“Mass picketing essential for
successful strikes” or “give up
_mass picketing if strikebreakers
outlawed.”

I do not wish to enter into the
particulars of the debate be-
tween CUPE Education Director
Jimmy Dowell and the editors
of Vancouver Civic Employees
Union, CUPE Local 1004. But I
would certainly agree with
Local 1004 that picketing is an
essential ingredient for victory
in any and every strike. Picket-
ing is very much related to such
fundamental rights as assembly,
organization, demonstration, and
the right to ultimate sanction of

the strike weapon in the process .

of collective bargaining. It is
impossible to surrender any of
these nights without interfering

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 2

pl
AR ee eee

with the most crucial issue in
any negotiation, which is the
balance of ‘negotiating power
between the employer and the
union of his employees.

Not “social partnership” but
the stern and immutable laws of
class struggle determine the life
of our society. Neither repres-
sions nor concessions can do
away with the class struggle.
This struggle cannot be tamed
or appeased. It is a fact of life
in a capitalist society, based
upon private ownership of the
means of wealth production and
the exploitation of labor. Capi-
talist rationalization in this
period of rapid scientific and
technological advance intensify
that exploitation. While the rate
of surplus value in the capital-
ist countries of Europe and
America was roughly 100 per-
cent a ‘century ago, today it is
more in the nature of 250 to 300
percent.

Only by means of the most.

tenacious struggle has it been
possible for the working class to

gain concessions from the rul-

ing class. But while economic
concessions have been won, on
the one hand, attempts are con-
tinuously being made to abolish
these concessions. This takes
place through monopoly price
inflation and by making use of
the state machinery, controlled
by the biggest capitalists and
monopoly, to shift the tax bur-
dens on to the backs of the
working class. Higher living
costs lead to a lowering of the
real wages of the workers and
force them to struggle for more
income.

In the current situation, the
military-industrial complex reaps
millions of profits from aggres-
sive wars and the arms race,
which in turn means more pov-
erty and misfortune for the
workers. The growth of misery
and undernourishment widens
the gap between labor and capi-
tal, and between poor nations
and rich nations in the orbit of
imperialism. Even in a rich
country, like Canada, disparity
is common between provinces

and between regions within in-

ae) wre C23 8 CS ae ie |

ners bone

dustrially advanced provinces,
as well as between French Can-
ada and English Canada. As
much as 40 percent of Canada’s
unemployed are to be found in
Quebec. More than one-quarter
of our population within Canada
live in poverty. :

Current labor laws, even the
best of them, are still stacked
against the workers and their
trade unions. Even the most ef-
ficient conciliation machinery
and collective bargaining sys-
tem will not solve the problem
of organizing the unorganized
workers, who are still the ma-
jority of our labor force. This
is a job for the trade unions act-
ing together in solidarity on the
basis of their class interests. For
this, the sanction of the strike
weapon and the right to demon-
strate and picket must be pre-
served inviolate. Moreover, this
holds equally for workers in the
public sector as well as the
private sector, witness the de-
plorable conditions of hospital
workers and similar vital ser-
vices in Ontario and elsewhere.

vata eS Te 6 La EY se

rs
% 9st A

ing would still have to be en
forced. 7

Indeed, one must disagree”
with brother Murray Cotterill,
Public Relations Director of the
United Steelworkers of America, —
when he writes “that over
percent of Canada’s workers will
remain the potential enemies of ©
the labor movement because
they can’t help but be jealous of
improvements won by organlz
labor, and it’s safer to be mae —
at your higher-paid fellow
worker than critical of you!
low-paying boss.”

To the extent that such wrong
attitudes prevail, they are not
the product of objective las
contradictions in our society:
but artificially fostered preiut
ices promoted by monopoly’
inspired propaganda and theif |
organs of public mis-informé ’
tion. As such they must be |
batted by organized labor ei J
every means at its disposal, i {
cluding mass picketing and 4&
monstrations.

Laws to prevent strike-break- |
£

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