LABOR SCENE

by

BRUCE MAGNUSON

The world market for autos
is expanding at an annual rate of
seven percent, But U.S. auto
makers have a _ stockpile of
1,500,000 unsold vehicles on
hand, Canada’s automotive trade
deficit with the United States

increased by nearly $100 million -

to a total of $674 million in 1965,

The decline in April and May
auto sales has been blamed on
everything from the weather to
the campaign for safer cars,
However, some surveys have
pointed to economic factors, such
as tighter money, rising interest
rates, increasing taxes and
simply lack of funds in the hands
of potential customers, Perhaps
the seemingly insatiable auto
market has a saturation point
after all, Who knows where?
Ad when?

Declining auto sales have set
the stock market tumbling, The
steel industry is worried about

its main customer. Other an-
cilliary industries such as glass,
paint, rubber and others are
getting uneasy, ~ The automobile
seems to be kind in our society.
It has become as much a part of
our way of life and existence
as oxygen is to all life on earth,
As auto goes, so go we all,
We are the slaves to the modern
auto, not its masters,

The auto monopolies arepres-
ently engaged in a mortal com-
bat for the control of world
markets. It is a global struggle
with tremendous stakes, US.
auto producers have established
more than 128,000,000 square
feet of manufacturing floor space
abroad, which is more than one-
third of similar space utilized
within the U.S. itself. United
States auto makers have wiped
out the Canadian-U,S. border and
placed themselves ,in complete
command of the Canadian auto
industry, This has become possi-
ble because our government —
unlike any other in the world —
has completely abandoned even
the pretense of defending Can-
adian national interests.

In the meantime, British, Ger-
man, French, Italian and Swedish
auto monopolies arealso shipping
billions to foreign countries, in-

“eluding Canada and the U.S.A.

Japan is rapidly moving into a key
competitive position,

To take one example, The giant
German Volkswagen concern has
not only increased its share of the
home market to a record, but has
managed at the same time to
build a manufacturing plant worth
$80,000,000 in Mexico, a $100,-

VIETNAM FILMS

SUN., JNE 5 — 8 P.M., PERETZ SCHOOL
6184 Ash St., Vancouver
Guest Speaker: Prof. W. E. Wilmott, U.B.C.

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CANADIAN AID FOR VIETNAM CIVILIANS

000,000 addition to facilities in

Brazil, $47,000,000 in Australia,
and so on, Volkswagens are now
being manufactured or assembleg
in 18 countries, with facilities
being completed ina 14th, namely

Peru,
Last week 2,600 United Auto

Workers delegates, representing |
1,400,000 U.S. members and
82,000 Canadian members, as-
sembled in that union’s 20th con-
vention at Long Beach, Cali-
fornia, After 30 years of exis-
tence the UAW is at an im-
portant crossroad, The direction
for 1967 bargaining, as outlined
by Walter Reuther, international
president, appears to be:

(a) annual salaries in place of
hourly wages for production

- workers;

(b) equal pay in Canadian and
U.S, auto plants, with more money
whether in the form of salaries
or wages, as the main target;

(c) a call on the automobile
manufacturers to cut prices by
$100 to $200 per car to counter
inflation and stimulate sales so
the workers may keep working
(as a result of recent drop in
sales, General Motors and
Chrysler will work a shorter
week and Ford will cut out over-

time work on Saturdays).
(d) mobility of workers across

the U,S.-Canadian border in re-
sponse to any moves by capital
as a result of the so-called
conditional auto free trade agree-
ment,

Concretely, however, the pre-
cise goals for contract bargain-
ing will not be formulated until
next year, most likely at a pre-
bargaining convention in some

place like Detroit.
It seems to me, consideringall -

of the above facts — and many
more could be added if space
permitted — that Canadian auto
workers would be well advised to
give serious thought to:

(1) the need-to establish an
autonomous bargaining com-
mittee to represent Canadian
members within the international
union; i

(2) the imperative need to ex-
tend bargaining issues to include
joint union-management deter-
mination of production norms,
to reduce in-plant grievances,
deal with speed-up, overtime and
the shorter work-week.

The time has come for some
solid forward steps in the area
of speed-up and job security,
which has already becomea mat-
ter of life or death for Canadian
auto workers, It is a fight to
take democracy into the auto
plants,

PARLEY MEETS IN CITY

vow urges Canada act
for peace in Vietnam

Canada should stop the export
of war materials to the U,S, that
may be used in Vietnam, and the
Federal government should press
the U.S. to declare its intention
to withdraw its forces from Viet-
nam, these were two demands put
forward in Vancouver last week-
end when the Voice of Women held
their Sixth Annual meeting at the
University of B.C,

The parley, which was attend-
ed by women from across Can-
ada, also urged that Canada offer
effective help in the form of
medical supplies and refugee ac-
commodation to all victims of the
war in Vietnam,

It also asked that Canada press
the U.S, government to recognize
the National Liberation Front as
a “necessary participant in any
negotiations toward a settle-

~ ment,” Also urged was the im-

mediate recognition of the Peo-
ple’s Republic of China,

Reaffirming VOW concern that
there be no further proliferation
of nuclear weapons, the parley
proposed the establishment of a
nuclear free zone in Europe as a
step towards disarmament and
disengagement, As part of this,
VOW urged Canada withdrawal
from NATO,

A two minutes silence was ob;
served by the newly- elected
Voice of Women Council to com-
memorate the deaths by self-
immolation of two south Vietna~
mese women, Dr. Frances Rich-
ards, a Burnaby psychiatrist, in
suggesting the silence said, “I
feel we should not end without
some outward recognition of our
concern over these deaths.”

She said “self-immolation hor-
rifies us and suicide itself is
against our moral and religious
background, But we must try to
see it with Asiatic, rather than
Western eyes,” Calling it “an
outward symbol of an agony so

‘great as to cause a supreme

sacrifice,” she said ‘*we stand
first as human beings to remem-
ber all those who are dying in
Vietnam, and as women, to re-
member those two patriotic wom-
en.” :

“As a psychiatrist, I feel we
cannot dismiss every suicide as
the act of just another nut,’
Historically, and in other cul-
tures, suicide is recognized as
an altruistic act.’ she said.

A telegram was sent to Presi-
dent Johnson protesting the con-
tinuation of bombings in Vietnam.

Turning to other Canadian
problems, the VOW parley ex-
pressed concern over the pro-
posed transfer of Indian Affairs
to another government depart-
ment, Northern Affairs, Pointing
out that such transfer will “con-
tinue to fail to meet the needs of
our native people,” the VOW de-
cided to seek a re-examination
of the Indian Act by the Canadian
government,

Ottawa will also be asked to
zonsider establishment of an In-
dian and Eskimo Rights Commis-
sion, the majority of whose mem-
bers should be of Indian or
Eskimo ancestry, The function of
this commission, said VOW,
should be the planning and im-
plementing of a pattern of ser-
vices and programs suitable to
the needs ofour Indians, Eskimos
and Metis,

On Saturday night a North Viet-
namese film on the bombing of
the lepers’ hospital was shown to
delegates. Mrs, Betty Winter of
San Francisco, guest delegate
from the Women’s Strike for
Peace in the U.S,, urged Ca-
nadian women to “have a greater
intensity of feeling” about the
war in Vietnam,

PT Victory Celebration—

Residents of the Lower Main-
land, Fraser Valley points and
Vancouver Island have come to
look forward to the annual PT
Victory Celebration as an annual
high point in their cultural life.

And not: without good reason,
for in the past they have been
treated to some rare evenings and
wholesome entertainment by the
likes. of Earl Robinson, Tomasi

Tawake, The Milestones, The
Folkmasters, and many, many
more.

Thus it is that many people
view the annual Drive Windup
celebration as “the event of the
year.”

From all indications, they will
not be disappointed this year,

Headlining animpressive array
of B.C, working class talent will
be a pair of folk singers from
the West Kootenays, Joe Irving
and Skip Fraser, whowill display
a good sampling of their ae

folk song creations,

‘One of their originals which is.

sure to be a hit with the audience
is “The Dam Song,” which deals

with the Socred government’s:

giveaway of the Columbia River
(aided by Ottawa, of course.)

This song has been played on
virtually every radio station in
the West Kootenays, stretching

down from Revelstoke to Trail

andthe U.S, border.

Joe and Skip recently record- "

The song will no doubt reach
new hights of popularity all over
B.C. when Premier Bennett de-
cides to call his provincial elec-
tion and Columbia costs begin to
figure prominently in campaign-
ing on the hustings,

Another new talent who will
be‘ appearing for the first time
at the Trib Windup will be 14-
year-old Claire Carlson of Cum-
berland, who just has to be (even
at her young age) one of the
better accordionists on Vancou-
ver Island,

These and other new faces will

it’s the event of the year

be augmented by a few of the old
favorites, such as The Milestone,
The Folkmasters and Tom Haw-
ken, who has just returned from
the professional circuit in East-
ern Canada anda sojourn toCuba,

All in all, the evening promises
to be very enjoyable and reward-
ing, particularly if a last minute
surge by Press Clubs puts the
Financial Drive substantially
over the $18,000 objective,

There are no reserved seats,
so plan to be at the Queen Eliza-
beth Playhouse early. The date
is Saturday, June 11 — at 8 p.m,

imal

IPE UE 519

ed it for one of the large com-
mercial recording companies and
-it is expected that thousands of
copies will be on the open market
shortly, in the form of a 45
r.pem. disc at popular prices,
(Watch the PT for further de-
tails), ~ ; :

P.O. Box 2543, Vancouver 3, B.C.

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