Detroit teamsters hack Jimmy Hoffa By WILLIAM ALLAN DETROIT EAMSTER union members by the thousands left their trucks, the docks, the plants on. Dec. 15, in a one- day work stoppage protesting their anger, and disgust at the government’s sending their Pre- sident James R. Hoffa to jail: for eight years, based on_ stool pegeon testimony. Hoffa was. sentenced to eight years in jail and fined $10,000 by a federal court in Chatta- nooga, Tenn., in 1964. He was convicted of attempting to bribe jurors in an earlier federal trial in Nashville which ended with a hung jury. He has been free on bond. The appeal was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, Dec. 12 where a split decision of 4-3 was rendered by the court. He has 25 days to file for a rehearing which is seldom granted. At a meeting on Dec. 14 of Hoffa’s home Local 1299, of _ which he is president, stewards and rank and file members vot- _ ed 3,000 to 12 to not work Dec. 15 to protest Hoffa’s going to jail. Hoffa and other top Team- ster officials were in Chicago in a national grievance meeting. He flew here and addressed several thousand and asked them to return to work which they: did. The feeling for protest ac- tions against the long govern- ment “Get Hoffa’ campaign, has been simmering and it took the Supreme Court decision to make it burst into action. For two days this reporter along with other newsmen mingled with, drove with, talk- ed with Teamsters. The men shook their heads in disbelief when told of the Supreme Court’s decision. The walkout was a foregone conclusion. No one knows how many drivers left their rigs, ware- house men left their spots, dockers vanished in the dark- ness of midnight and early morning. Employers spread their hands and said, “you tell us where they are’. The great semis (trailers) stood in long rows, silent, unattended. Trucks of all shapes and sizes were parked. Motorists on the throughways whizzzed to work because no trucks could be seen. ’ Late Dec. 15, the state’s 75,- 000 Teamsters set their trucks and other work moving at the behest of Hoffa. Asked about him going to prison in the next 25 days, they. reply, “he’s not there yet. I bet he won't go.” Asked if they thought there would be a nationwide stoppage, most of the men said “No.” “He could lock up this town, He could lock up a lot of towns,” said Everett Stewart, a Teamster for 22 years. “But I don’t think he will do it. It would hurt him.” Clair Briggs, a 3l-year member of Hoffa’s home local, thought that Hoffa wouldn’t want a shutdown. Briggs called Hoffa’s indict- ment and sentencing “a_ rail- roading.” It’s a political thing and we all know it,” he said. “He won't go to jail, but even if he did he will still be our president, he'd run the Teamsters and when he comes out we will all vote for him,” said Ray Edwards. The loyalty to the union, to Hoffa is intense, they all are eager to tell you why: “I can retire at 57.” “When you walk into head- quarters and Hoffa’s there, he will talk to you all day if nec- essary.” “He paid for my glasses.” They attribute to him the rise in wages from 60. cents back in 1935 to over $3 an hour now, plus pensions — of $275 a month at 57 years of age, health and welfare funds, safety on the rigs and vaca- tions, time paid for waiting for repairs. Most Teamsters make $8,000 to $14,000 a year. “T was making 34 cents an hour 30 years ago pulling for Kroger,” said Ray Edwards, “now I make $3.51 an hour.” Emil Mazey, secretary-treasur- er of the United Auto Workers said, “I am disappointed with the Supreme Court decision that reaffirmed Teamster Presi- dent James Hoffa’s conviction . Iam sorry to see that deci- sion and I don’t like to see Hoffa convicted because a stool pigeon was the one used.’”’ He was referring to Edward Partin, government witness. Chief Justice Earl who dissented said, “without Partin, who was the principal government witness, there would probably have been no convictions here.” Partin was. a jailbird lan- guishing in a _ Louisiana jail under indictments for state and federal crimes, such as em- bezzlement, kidnapping, and manslaughter: In their appeal Teamsters lawyers said Partin told the government that if they would let him out of jail, he would be a spy for them against Hoffa. They not only let him out of jail but they reduced his bond from $50,000 to $5,000 and for four years he became a govern- ment spy for the U.S. Justice ‘Department. New York U.S. Senator Robert Kennedy was head of the Justice department at that time. The government also paid Partin’s alimony and he himself is kept out of jail today. Three thousand Teamsters at Local 1299 meeting demanded an investigation of the U.S. Justice Department. Warren WITH ALL the huffing and puffing that emanated from the “mediation” between the rail unions, the companies and Mr. Carl Goldenberg the public could have gotten the impression that actual collective bargaining was taking place. If anybody was fooled by the parlor games in Montreal it was not the railroad workers. The choice was given them in September by Parliament — “either take what you can get by mediation, and do it within a time limit or it will be imposed by arbitration.” It may well be that this year’s bargaining will be a bitter pill for the workers, who have been sold out by their own leadership and had their rights as trade unionists wiped out by parliament and have had a cheap, chinzy settlement rammed down their throats to boot. But there are also lessons to be drawn, not only for the rail- roaders who no doubt will yet settle the hash of their “leaders,” but for the whole Canadian working class who can witness in this episode a further erosion through legislation and the courts of labor’s rights to bargain. * * * ONE MAN who appears to have very little trouble keeping up with the rising cost of living is oil billionaire Jean Paul Getty. For many years Getty has been reputed to be the world’s richest man with about $3 billion stashed away in his oil empire. During the past two weeks Getty has managed to pick up another $100 million be- cause shares in the Getty Oil Co. rose on the New York Stock exchange by eight points. Getty owns 12,573,789 shares, and every time these shares go up a point Getty makes $12,573,789. Shares in Getty Oil are rising because speculators figure that any day Getty is going to announce the merger of his various oll holdings. No doubt such a merger will enable Getty to make some real money so he will not have to be content with picking up the chicken feed. * * * A STRIKE of 80 bricklayers at Algoma Steel Corporation in Sault Ste. Marie has caused a complete shutdown of the company’s’ operations. The shutdown was announced by the company when members of Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen and the Brother- hood of Firemen and Enginemen honored the bricklayers picket- line. About 200 railworkers are involved in operating Algoma’s internal transportation ‘system. When the strike was announced the executive of Local 2251 of the United Steel Workers ordered 6,000 members of the union to cross the picket line. The bricklay- ers are demanding a 50 cent an hour wage increase over a one year period. * * * HAMILTON LABOR COUNCIL has unanimously passed a re- solution condemning the U.S. bombing of Hanoi. The motion, pre- sented by Harold Keaton of the United Rubber Workers, called on the Canadian Labor Congress to make representations to the Can- adian government to have the bombings stopped. : * * * A SPECIAL committee to fight injunctions has been estab- lished by the Hamilton District Labor Council. The committee’s first task will be to convene all presidents of affiliated locals to plan a course of action. Several speakers demanded stronger ac- tion by the labor movement, including civil disobedience and mass picketing when injunctions are enforced. Many delegates also stressed the need for the council to broaden its approach to the injunctions fight by involving non-affiliates of the council such as the Teamsters and the United Electrical Workers. * * * CHRYSLER has announced that it will close its Windsor as- sembly operations for one week beginning Jan. 3 and 5,000 work- ers will be laid off. The move is part of a five factory production cut to be carried out in stages during January. The cutback will mean that 2,900 units of the planned January production will not be manufactured. The other assembly plants involved in the cut- back are all in the United States, however the Chrysler owned, Walker Metal Products of Windsor which produces engine blocks for all the plants concerned will also be affected, but Chrysler is not saying yet what the layoffs will be. * * * THE FOUR British Columbia trade unionists who have been serving jail sentences will all be released for Christmas. However, two of them will have to return to jail after the New Year to com- plete their terms. Jeff Power, president of the Marine Workers Union, has been released and the balance of his three-month term remitted. Arthur O’Keefe of the International Brotherhood of Elec- trical Workers has also had the balance of his term remitted. The other two, Paddy Neale, secretary of the Vancouver Labor Coun- cil, and Tom Clarke of the International Woodworkers of America, will be forced to return to jail on Jan. 3 to complete their six- -month sentence. The men were sentenced to jail for violating a court order forbidding picketing at a struck electrical firm in Vancouver, Employees of the Coleman Manufacturing Co. in Etobicoke have been on the picket line for three months to back up demands of a wage increase. This first strike against the Canadian operation of this American company, which is owned by Sheldon Coleman, a notorious supporter of right-wing “causes in the United States. The strike has been marked from the beginning by a determined effort to _ smash the union by scab herding. January 6, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—