te nmeentts tiny) FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 1959 Continued from page 1 ACTION Bill Black, president, B.C. Federation of Labor: “This government had to pay off the employers for assistance received from them over the _ years. The payment demand- ed was Bill 43, designed to pull the. teeth of the trade union movement. Not indust- rial peace but industrial chaos will result. The BCFL is pre- pared te challenge Bill 43 in the courts—but we'll pick our own time and the battle- ground.” Ed Kennedy, western direc- tor, Building Trades Depart- ment: “We believe in electing our friends in all four political parties, but we now realize we have no friends in the Socred government. But we want tc be fair. We commend the Socreds for what they have done to build up the province. Hitler and Musso- lini also done good for. their countries (sic). until they got too much power. Communism has no place in the labor movement in B.C., but we must take care that while lighting communism, fascism dves not. overtake us. The only way to fight Bill 43 is to challenge it in the courts, and to elect our friends to office. Strife and discontent ean ruin all we now enjoy. Industrial peace is our great objective.” (Cries from the au‘lience: “Get off the plai- furm!*") ’ Cliff Parker, international representative,’ Operating Engineers: “Talk is cheap, because the supply exceeds the demand. We have no choice but to live with Bill 43 and to elect our friends and defeat our Guemies at the polls,” Stu Hodgson, secretary-trea- surer, IWA Local 1-217: “the destiny of the labor movement is in our hands, For the past few years things have come too easy for us across the bar- gaining table. Bill 43 is the government’s ammunition. The see and the employers “a are ready for battle, but are we? (“Yes!” roared the audi- ence). “In Newfoundland, where I have been these past two weeks, the war is alréady on. the IWA loggers had the bosses licked when Premier Joey Smallwood stepped in. Today groups of vigilantes roam the streets, looking for IWA mem- bers and sympathizers. Many strikers are in jail. But their morale is still high and the fight goes on. I hope we'll find the same spirit here when the. time comes.” (Cheers). Pat O’Neal, secretary, BCFL: “Bill 43 is a piece of legisla- tion that free men in a free country will not and cannot accept. As long as we have a government composed of. rep- resentatives of employers, and carpetbaggers, we'll have legis- lation like Bill 43. We must stand solid and united in our efforts to have Bill 48 re- pealed.” s Introduction of the resolu- tion opened the way to discus- sion, which chairman Russ St. Eloi had- previously ruled would not be allowed. He had also stated there would be “no question period.” But members of the audience were determined to inject some fighting spirit into the meet- ing, and jumped to their feet to demand action, not words, “Job action is the answer to Bill 43, said Larry Henderson (Carpenters). “Let’s remember than in in- jury to one is an injury to all,” said another speaker from the floor. “The minute they try to use Bill 43 against one group of strikers, let’s all hit the pic- ket line, with our wives and children. R?: “We can’t depend “on elec. tion of a CCF government in _the distant future,” said one rank and filer. “I was in the Old Country when the Tories intro- duced restrictive legislation like this—and later the Labor government called out the troops against us.” : ‘Credit government in ‘bor UFAWU CONVENTION ‘Joint action can defeat Bill 43’ The “ Fishermen and Allied Workers Union in a special resolution Saturdé passed unanimously by its fifteenth annual convention called for ‘ unions to defeat Bill 43 and any other anti- labor legislation . ment under instructions from big business.” Type of action seen as nec: essary by the 160 delegates present from all parts of B.C. “should include mass public meetings, parades, mass marches and picketing in Vic_ toria and the major cities of B.C. and a general strike if necessary to stop, this des- truction of labor’s fundamen- tal rights.” Also urged as part of the campaign to defeat the legis- lation was “united political action by all the trade unions, farmer groups and politicai parties which esupport labor in order to defeat the Social the next provincial election.” The union voted to work with the B.C. Federation of Labor “in public and mass ac- tions designed to defeat the anti-labor legislation.” Bill 48, the convention de- clared, “is aimed at break- ing the trade union move- ment, making the unions ‘legal entities’ and restricting their freedom to defend the living standards and working conditions of employees in a period of price gouging, un- _bridled profiteering, and open disregard by employers of la- contracts -in -order to squeeze more and more pro- fits as unemployment and economic crisis increases.” The union charged that the new Trade Unions Act “would’ in one sweep - push labor back 57 years.” It would “create a situation where high-priced corporation law- yers and ex-Supreme Court Judges like J. V. Clyne, the $75,000 a year chairman of McMillan and Bloedel, could work together for court de- cisions, building precedent after precedent, which would | “strip the unions of fundamen- tal rights to enforce agree- ments, respect picket lines, refuse to handle scab pro- ducts, or even notify the mem- bers that products are pro- duced by non-union labor.’ The union accused Labor Minister Lyle Wicks of a “dictatorial policy . . . aim- ed solely at putting labor in legal chains so the employers can exploit them in ‘indus- trial peace’ and in a ‘partner- Ship’ forced on labor and whose sole benefits will ac- crue solely to big business in ‘a way reminiscent of the ‘la- ¢ - armaments, bor fronts of Hitler and Mus- solini.” In its. resolution, the con- vention pointed “out that the government amendments to the Trade Unions Act had been made on the basis of re- quests from ‘the Industrial Association of British Colum- bia, the B.C. Heavy Construc- tion Association, the Vancou- ver Board of Trade and other “Stevens ‘joint action by all trad . brought in by the gover emloyer groups.” ' Union secretary Home said: “There is na longer any pretense of im partiality by the present goy- ernment — it has taken sides with the employers and against the working . peop of this province. Bill 43 mus’ be thrown out along with thi Social Credit ‘members whi passed it.’ Alsbury wears blinkers Mona Morgan charges’ “It would appear that Mayor Tom Alsbury and members of Vancouver City Council wear blinkers, and only see thi taxpayers when they want to find more money,” ’ Mona Mor. gan, secretary of the Civic Reform Association; charged this week. Mrs. Morgan was referring to a recent sgatement of Mayor Alsbury in connection with the recent serious. cut- back in the educational grant to the city—a cutback which has occurred each year since the . present provincial gov- ernment took office, and which has resulted in higher taxes on homes each yéar. “There are other sources of funds available if city and provincial officials would take off their blinkers,” said Mrs. ' Morgan. “Education Minister Leslie Peterson spoke only of provineial finances in relation to education when he ad- dressed the legislature, ignor- ing the fact that vast sums are being wasted yearly on and that he should be pressing for part of this money for education. - “He also ignores the_ fact that only one-fifth of pro- vincial revenue is derived from the province’s rich nat- ural resources which, if prop- erly administered and taxed, could provide millions for es: sential services, : “Tt is deplorable that! Mayor Alsbury and the city council should accept such treatmen at the kands of the provincial — government because Vancou ver citizens have shown they are ready and willing to par ticipate in any campaign that would compel Victoria to as- sume its obligation with re gard to education costs. “In addition, equitable dis- tribution of taxes in Vancou- ver could also provide much greater revenue without ex cessive taxes being’ placed on homeowners. 2 IWA local protests U, 3 missile bases in Canada — DUNCAN, B.C. — A protest against U.S. missile bases be- ing located in Canada was made this week by the annual meeting of Local 1- 80, IWA, held here Sunday. “The only defense for Canada isa policy of peace, and disen- : gagement from the ‘preventive war’ maniacs in Washington,” said a resolution passed by the meeting. The resolution advocated a March 27, 1959 — summit conference of the great powers; banning of all nuclear weapons; turning of war in- dustry into peace industry; and recognition of the Peopiag ; Republic of China. It pointed out that establish- ment of Bomarc bases at North Bay, Ont., and Mont Laurier, Que., would expose Canadians to automatic involvement any war in which the US. was engaged. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 8