By GEORGE MORRIS

MIAMI — There was more
controversy, discussion and
open expression of opposition
to the dominant leadership at
the AFL-CIO convention here
.than .I have ever .seen in
AFL, CIO or the merged
federation’s conventions in
25 years.

There is an obvious trend
toward a realignment, as the
-relationships and the “unity”
built mainly on  coldwar
grounds are breaking up.

_ There has been'no apprec-
iable departure from coldwar
policy. But President George
‘Meany’s~ pathological anti-
Communism and his frantic
‘keynote cry that .the alleged
“red danger’’ even. ‘‘oversha-
dows in importanée” chronic
mass unemployment, can no
longer divert people from
- things closer to home.

ON DEFENSIVE

The group in control in the
AFL-CIO leadership was on
the defensive on many of the
major issues that came up.
These included:

e The executive countil’s
civil rights policy, especially
its outrageous ‘‘censure” of
A. Philip Randolph, were sub-
jected to withering fire, but
there was not a single speech
from the administration in re-
ply.to thse attacks. There
is at least the promise of a
New Deal on civil rights and. |
some steps were taken to!
make good the promise.

The personal pleas of Presi-
dent Kennedy and Secretary
of Labor Arthur Goldberg. to
the delegates for restraint on,
-Wage demands and on the
movement for shorter hours

_were rejected in resolutions,
_despite Meany’s assurance to;
_the President.of “1,000 per-
cent co-operation.”
LEADERSHIP CRITICISED.

Criticism of the leadership
stemmed from four different

sources:
® The Industrial Union
Department, whose _contro-

versy with the craftiest build-
ing and other groups expand-
ed to other issues;

© The Negro American La-
ber Council, led by Randolph,
speaking for 1,500,000. Negro
workers in the unions, with
growing support among the

. whites;

e The growing number of
local and state AFL-CIO
leaders who. took. initiatives
for-advanced action on var-

ious issues;
e.The Teamsters and other
expelled unions and_ the

movement. within the AFL-
CIO for their re-admission.
INTERNAL DISPUTES

On. internal disputes ma-
chinery, the plan adopted _es-
sentially meets the demand
of the building trades for
terminal, authority on disput-.
es in the hands of the execu-
tive council. The plan pro-
vides an intermediary stage

(after mediation fails) for set- |,

tlement of a dispute by an
umpire.

The union that loses can
appeal the umpire’s decision
to the executive council.

With 19 of the 29 members

New critical spirit

at AFL-CIO parley

formerly AFL unions, the
chances of the craft unions
having a: majority of 15 —
the minimum necessary to re-
verse an umpire’s decision—
are far better than for the
IUD. The IUD wanted arbi-
tration to be the final and
binding step.

The underlying conflict
goes far deeper. The basic
difference that led to the for-
mation of the CIO- ang the.
20-year-long split continues,
and the division is becoming
sharper due to the newer
problems that face the work-
ing class. -

TEAMSTERS

The resolution on the Team-
sters was passed unanimously
which called for “early vead-
mission” of. the Teamsters,
but.attached a series of con-
ditions and guarantees protec-
ting the rights of other un-
ions.

Under. it, Meany thinks he
can keep the IBT out, while
those who want the union’s
return believe unification
can be reached in time. The

| resolution says nothing con-

cerning Hoffa’s presidency.

UNORGANIZED

Organization of the unor-:
ganized received more atten-
tion than at previous conven-
tions. The resolution adopted
did not essentially differ
from previous resolutions.
But all the speakers, includ-
ing Reuther, John Livingston,
Michael Quill, Curran, David
Livingston, and others, were
critical and said the issue
was: continued decline or:a
new advance.

. Shorter hours, too, came in
for. discussion for the. first
time. In the past shorter-
hour resolutions were given
perfunctory approval without
discussion.

On-foreign policy, the AFL-

CIO held generally to its past |

position — for intensification
of the coldwar and worse.
The IUD, while still clinging
to a coldwar position opposed
nuclear tests by the U.S: and
called for negotiations with
the USSR on all issues, both
control of nuclear arms and
eventual disarmament.

Only Emil Mazey, of the
group of labor leaders who
earlier this year had begun
to differ with Meany’s rabid
anti-Sovietism, took the. floor.
He spoke on the resolution
on Germany. Mazey said:

“T believe. we ought to sit
dewn with the Russians now
and negotiate a German
peace treaty..I do not believe
it is unreasonable for the
Russians to insist on negotia-
tions of a _ peace treaty 16
years after the war.”

on the council coming from

Painting:class

for. children
Children in the Greater.
Vancouver area,under. 14
syears.of age who.are. in-.
iterested. in painting.classes .
are.asked to. phone.CY 9-
(2788.0r MU 5-5288. A new .

|
|

a

of the Cuban Labor Con-
federation was the first so-
cialist congress of that body

; the Cuban working class to
leadership of their country,
Elgin (Scotty) Neish told the
Pacific Tribune recently.

“Scotty” and his wife,
Gladys, were fraternal dele-
gates to the congress from
the United Fishermen and
Allied Workers’ Union on
the west coast.

Scotty was impressed by
the unity of the congress, and
its emphasis on the need for
the Cuban people to. carry
forward the Cuban revolu-
tion. He described -how this
task was linked to the role
played by the trade unions
in the great campaign against
illiteracy in Cuba.

He said the first phase of
the anti-illiteracy campaign
—with everyone able to read
and write—was scheduled for
completion by the end of this
year.

But, he stated, the congress
had stressed that the trade
unions could not be satisfied
with only this; the next stage
must be for the people to

and marked the advance of;

the Cuban revolution so they
can strengthen their resolve
in the building of socialism.

EMULATION

With production quot#s set
and accepted by Cuba’s 25
industrial unions, they were
now united behind the four-
year plan. and the plan for
1962, and Cuba’s workers are
now entering a stage of so-
cialist competition, or “Emu-
lation,” as the main way to
promote interest in fulfil-
ment of the plan.

The present 25-union set
up was itself an advance over
the past, when the workers
of Cuba had been organized
into scores of craft unions.

Neish said the congress
had emphasized the import-
ance of developing secondary
industries first, then  pro-
ceeding to build basic indus-
try.

He said unemployment in
Cuba was almost non-exist-
ent and would soon be wiped
out. In addition to now
being employed on a year-
round basis, workers’ wages
had gone up.

B.C. unionist impressed.
t Cuban labor congress

5 ioe recent 11th Congress} learn about the politics of

Workers on state farms,
who formerly received $1.40

a day and who were employ-
ed only a few months, now
receive $2.40 a day and work —
the full year. Most of them

also live in rent-free homes. ° —

The wages of the formerly —
higher-paid workers. — such
as in breweries, etc. — were
maintained, while the wages.
of the lower-paid workers
were. being brought up _.to
this level,

TRADE POSSIBILITIES:

In addition to attending the
congress, the Neishes spent a
month in Cuba as visitors. ~
There are big possibilities for —
increased trade with Cuba, ~
declared Neish, but’Cuba has
a shortage of Canadian ~
money and the Canadian gov- 4
ernment would have to: ex- —
tend credit. | oe

He especially mentioned —

the fishing industry as an.ex- -

ample of where Canada could —
help to.supply modern equip< ©
ment were it not for the U:S. —
embargo. f “|
While in Cuba, “Scotty” —
Neish and his wife had a con<
versation with Fidel Castro
who extended. greetings to
the Canadian people and said
“all we want is to be left
alone to build socialism.”

Cont’d from pg. 6

troops. on the Soviet frontier
and concentrating: them on
what were to be the main
lines of attack.

Under Heusinger’s. leader-.
ship, the German General
Staff’s Operations Division
drew. up plans for attack on
the. Soviet. Union, Britain,
France, Yugoslavia, Greece,
Belgium, the Netherlands and
a number of other states.

A. trusted henchman, Heus-
inger received Hitler’s highest
military decoration, was
made.a general, was inform-
ed of Hitler’s military plans,
invited to conferences in his
headquarters and given the
right to issue orders in Hit-
ler’s name. That was a right
enjoyed only by a very fe#
of the top military — amongst
them, the executed war crim-
inals Keitel and Jodl.

The Soviet demand that
Heusinger be tried for these
crimes is based on the four-
power agreement of Aug. 8,
1945, which quefifies war'
crimes as planning, prepara-
tion, initiation or waging a
war of aggression or war in
violation of international
treaties, agreements and
pledges. This agreement ap-
plies. in full measure to
Heusinger:°

The Operations Division,
“in addition, knew of and par-
ticipated in crimes against the
civilian population.

The Operations Division
hmapped out: and carried
through measures relating to
i treatment of the population
and establishment of the re-
-gime desired by. the nazis on.
territories they seized.

Its- Resettlement Commis-

series. of painting classes.
are to begin soon.

sions, in. conjunction with

the. nazi- occupation. authori-.

f

ties carried out forcible re-
settlings, deportation to slav-
ery and wholesale massacres
of the populations.

In August, 1942, Heusinger,
as chief of the Operations Di-
vision of the General Staff
was. placed in. immediate
charge of anti-guerilla opera-
tions and the selection of per-

sonnel for security units
formed for this purpose,
On this proposal, “Jagd-

kommandos” were set-up to
hunt ‘guerillas and wreck re-
prisals on the civilian popu-
lation. }
Heusinger put into effect
in the army the ‘Directive
Combatting Guerillas in the
East.” It ordered that “cap-
tured guerillas shall be. shot
or hanged... Every unit

commander is responsible for
seeing that guerillas captur-

| GENERAL KEITEL, co-worker of

Heusinger,-who was executed as a
war criminal, — :

Heusinger's record exposed —

ed in action (women includ-
ed) shall be shot, or still bet- —
ter, hanged.”

On: Aug. 28, 1942, the se-
curity troops commander of
Army. Group ‘“‘Centre” report-
ed to Heusinger that guerillas —
had. smashed the fascist gar-—

rison: at Slavnoye station -in-_

Byelorussia. The same..day,
Heusinger sent Army Group ©
“Centre” a telegram demand-
ing, in. the Fuehrer’s name, ~
that-‘‘the most drastic meas-
ures” be employed.

“On: Aug. 30, Army Group
“Centre” requested his sanc-
tion for the public shooting —
of 100.inhabitants of Slav”
noye who had been seized:.as
hostages. On. Aug: 31, Heus-
inger telegraphed:: “Proposed
measures. approved. Report
results.” : |

A dispatch from the 9th
Army Command on Aug. 22,
1942. reported that 68 per-
sons had been shot by. the ~
7th. Reinforced. Detachment —
of the 59th Army Corp be-
tween Osipovka and Alexan-
drovy on. suspicion of being —
guerillas.

A report from the rear area ©
commandant and _— security —
troops commander of Army —
Group ‘Centre’ on -the re-—
sults of. Operation Franz, dat-
ed Jan. 16,1943, stated that.
the troops had shot 882 per-—
sons. suspected of being —
guerillas.

In planning and carrying
out-acts of bloody violence
against the population on
Soviet territory; Heusinger
co-operated actively with SS
units..the, International Mili-_
tary Tribunal. branded crim-—
inal. In;.a number of. cases, —
SS-units were directly subor-
dinated. to him-and. acted on-—
ly on his orders.: ;

5 tose 7
January 12, 1962—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8 _