Trades Congress sets pattern for labor unity against disruption adjour vention in By LESLIE MORRIS ~Writing two days after the 63rd Convention of the Trades and Labor Congress ned, some really basic conclusions- can already be drawn. Hamilton and the Calgary convention of the militants that year which saw a Not since the 1919 con- tragic split in the trade union movement, has the TLC faced stch grave decisions. The decisions were both faced and dealt with squarely and progressively. The TLC was confronted with a well-organized . assault which had for its purpose a split in the Con- gress on two issues: the rights of AFL craft unions as against the TLC policy of Canadian autonomy and the organization of the un- organized workers in the unskilled and mass production industries; secondly, the issue of “commun- ism” which was deliberately fos- tered by the Hall group and the CCF right wingers to achieve the domination of the craft unions and unists from the pr votes, President Percy Bengough and the. majority of his old ex- ecutive council, and all of his new executive, represented this unity of “left and centre.” It was never broken throughout the hectic week of the convention. What is the significance of this, especially when contrasted with the scandalous performance of the at the CCL convention? It*is that hon- est trade unionism and the growth of the trade union movement can be gained and consolidated when the workers are given proper lead- Moesher-Conroy-Millard clique gates of that party going with Bengough and against their floor managers — Alsbury and Gar- greaves. On the resolution which “de- plored” the actions of “some” Com- munists the yote was tight—308 for and 264 against. Again a large part of the “centre,” even on _ the straight placement of the question, stayed with the left wing. Ben- gough’s speech on this matter, in which he said that this was not an issue of the convention, was mas- terly. Secretary Buckley, a CCF supporter, for ever will deserve the thanks of labor for his fine speech on this matter. The Hall gang, on this resolution, condemned it as Effie Jones charges neglect in miner’s death ‘I charge the present Van- couver civic administration with full responsibility for the man- ner in which a citizen died last Thursday, alone and in agony, in a small hotel room on East Hastings,” declared Effie Jones, Civic Reform candidate for mayor, in an exclusive interview with the Pacific Tribune this week, “For six hours the frantic ho- tel manager phoned police, hos- pitals and doctors, but was unable to get the dying man, Paul Olanek, admitted to a hospital,” Mrs. Jones stated. “But within a matter of min- utes, city police, who for several hours had ignored appeals to call and take the dying man to a hospital, arrived and removed the body.” Mrs. Jones reviewed the whole vised contacting another doctor. He, too, was out. “ The manager finally managed to get in touch with a nurse from the welfare department. she came up, looked at the pa- dent, tried unsuccessfully to teach several doctors, and then left. The worried manager kept trying to contact doctors, nurses and hospitals. Finally a nurse from the Royal Victorian Order of Nursés arrived in response to one of his calls. She quickly examined the patient, realized the urgent need for action, and called a hospital and several doctors, to no avail. She left but promised to return soon, and try again. At 9 p.m. when the manager went again to ‘the patient’s room, Paul Olanek was dead. “meaningless” and “mild,” but vot- ed for it. Naturally the left wing fought the resolution well and hard. It would have been better to remove Comm trade union movement. story. Paul Olanek, an ex-miner suf- fering from a bad silicotic con- ership, that when that leadership is corrupted and degenerated by red-baiting, the union movement This time a call to the police got immediate action. In a mat- On both these issues the Hall group and the CCF right wing were defeated and the Congress leader- ' ship of Perey Bengough decisively upheld. : ‘ 4 a The significance of this for the ‘ Canadian labor movement cannot ‘be emphasized too strongly. With- - out forgetting that the Hall group will continue their work of under- mining the TLC, and remembering - constantly that the unholy alliance of Hall roadmen with CCF right? § wingers, reactionary employers and the government will continue to work unabated, it would be ut- ly incorrect to regard the Con- vention as anything but a victory for progressive Canadian trade unionism. And the labor movement ‘is sorely in need of victories today. simple but powerful The success of the Victoria con- vention was made possible above all by the courageous and far- sighted leadership of President - Bengough. He held firm to the proposition - that within Canada the TLC has autonomy, without prejudice to the _ yights of AFL international officers to operate within the terms of the enters into crisis. This is proved by the facts. Un- the Bengough leadership the TLC is the largest trade union centre, embracing now over 400,000 members, and with the aim, as Carl der LESLIE MORRIS had the resolutions committee car- ried out the spirit of the resolutions, sent to the convention, and brought in a unity resolution, as delegate MacManus of the CSU proposed in the resolutions committee. Be that as it may, the resoultion as finally adopted was not a victory for the red-baiters and the position of left wingers in the, Congress remains unchanged by the resolutions nar- row passage.* - It would be wrong to single out the above resolution as giving the main keynote, of the convention’s decisions. That keynote was the smashing of the Hall gang-up. All delegates in reporting back will be duty bound to make that the es- | sence of their reports. The resolution on peace was "a fine resolution which proposed that all aid to Europe be’ given through the UN, and that the Congress, alarmed by war talk, goes on re- cord for peace. It calls on the Big Four unity for peace, What a contrast to the warmongering re- solution passed as the) CCL con- vention! The Marshall Plan was not an issue at the convention; it finds ho place in the resolution, al- though some delegates undoubtedly do not regard the resolution as committing the: Congress to a con- demnation of the plan. The point is Canadian government to work for) dition, left Tranyuille Sanator- ium recently and came to Van- couver, where he took a room in a small hotel in the 200 block ter of minutes a police car came and took away the body. : os “Who is responsible for such callous treatment of a dying’ Hast Hastings, on October 7. Last Wednesday, October 13, he took sick and stayed in bed all day, without: food or medical care. 4 * \ Silicosis, often called “miners’ consumption,” is not a disease, but a condition. It develeps through years of work in the mines, as a result of silica dust settling in the lungs, where it forms ‘a solid, rock-like mass. .Breathing ‘is painful, the suf- ferer gasps for air, he doubles up with pain, feelseas though someone was ‘choking him. On Thursday, October 4, Paul Olanek was feeling worse. The hotel manager came in to see nim. He had fallen from the bed and was lying on the floor; his body was turning blue. Alarmed, the hotel-keeper put him in bed, ran downstairs and telephoned the police, telling them that his sick roomer must be rushed to hospital, : Then began a tragedy of er- rors that continued all afternoon human being, in this year 1948?” asked Mrs, Jones, and answered her own question: “In the final analysis the wel- fare of all citizens is the respon- sibility of our city government, the mayor and council. This is where the finger of responsibil- ity points. ~ Ses “I charge the present city council with full responsibility for neglecting to instruct’ our police department and hospitals to take immediate actidn in | cases like that of Paul Olanek. Police should have rushed this dying man to a hospital. Any nurse should have the author- ity to order any hospital to ad- mit any case they find, in an emergency state, needs hospital- ization, . “Perhaps this man’s life could not have been saved. I don’t ing could have been eased in his dying hours, had he been taken to a hospital and placed under medical care. know. But I do know his suffer- _ TLC constitution. Applied to the “TLC autonomy and labor unity -@su and the Hall-sponsored Sea-| took priority over red-baiting.” - farers’ International Union, that | meant that Bengough and the | Berg put it, at having 500,000 or- ‘Congress leadership went down Say ccogiee workers in its ranks in a line with the fighting seamen, That} year from now: The TLC is organ- was the issue, as placed by Ben-| izing groups of workers never be- gough; he quite properly debunked fore in the trade unions; it is lead- the red bogey on those terms, and/jing with the CSU executive the py that means succeeded in making} most bitter strike in Canada since ‘the heart of the convention’s de€-|the Winnipeg strike of 1919; it is _. liberations the authority and au-|, growing, healthy organization, - tonomy of the Congress and not/with the rank and file united -. the phoney red-baiting of Hall and} around the TLC leadership and not ‘the CCF right wing leaders. confused and divided on false is- - Because the refused te be drawn, SUCS- fe. ¢ ve into the red-baiters’ trap, Ben-| ‘The convention strategy followed -gough succeeded in drawing the py Bengough on the Hall issue was) lines at the convention, not between) beyond reproach, From’ the’ first|’ oo “anti-communism” and “commun- day Bengough took the convention with him by seating the Railroad ism” as the Hall gang and the CCF tried to do, but between those who| Clerks for the hearing on their case. Following a long debate (about eight hours) which left the Hall group not only without com- plaint about “democracy” but com- pletey disoriented, and conceding to their “put-them-on-the-spot” de- mand for a roll-call vote, the Con- vention proved beyond question that the masses of the membership were behind Bengough. It is of note that international union delegates in several cases went against their “roadmen”™ and went down the line for the Congress position. The split even extended to the CCF, many rank and file . dele- : : ke f Beate cee: , % that the delegates (with but a few nays heard) went on record for a strong resolution for world peace and Big Four unity; that is the point to be emphasized. ‘ : and evening until nine o’clock, when Paul Olanek died, De hk. eet Here is what happened. Police told the hotel manager to phone a certain doctor con- nected with welfare work. The: doctor was out. Police then ad- “When I am elected mayor I will change this callous indif-_ ference to the welfawe of our | - workers and ordinary citizens; I will order city police, city health | departments and hospitals to place the needs of the people first.” The CSU delegates were the ad- miration of the convention. They were a magnifient group of young Canadians, and the convention twice, and unanimously, backed their strike by resolution. The splendid resolutions sent to the Congress, 260 of them (not one of which was an endorsation of the Marshall Plan, and not one con- taining Soviet-baiting and only one mentioning the need to oppose “communism”, contained a fighting program of labor, which, the daily press has in the main reluctantly reported. E The TLC is on a rising curve of power, prestige and strength. That is due to honest trade on leadership which, as Bengough said time and again, does not take its orders from the St. James St. crowd and the corrupt press. ‘ Ky Rigging at CCL parley seen in CBRE letter “You supply the credentials and we'll supply the delegates _ would*seem to be the ‘something new’ that has been added to the ‘democracy’ as practiced by top CCL-CCF strategist’ in the recent CCL convention. Many delegates raised both ee eyebrows and asked, ; “How did they get here?” This is the $64 question levelled at the front table gang at the 8th annual convention of the CCL by many delegates, since it has been revealed that definite rigging tactics were used in “electing” the ‘Canadian Brotherhood of Railway ‘Employees delegation, — CBRE secretary-treasurer J. E. McGuire wrote all his union’s lo- cal presidents and _ secretaries on October 1 of this year, re- “We feel that in the event of an emergency arising, we sh ie take whatever steps may be col” sidered necessary to protect the — interests of the Brotherhood — es ‘this convention,” the letter 4& clares. ee, he. The largest TLC convention since 1919 was an inspiration to all Cana- dian labor, and will not be without its effects abroad. It indicates what can be achieved by proper leader- ship which refuses to be led up the path of red-baiting, but which sticks to the issue of the day and preserves democracy and auton- omy. A victory for Canadian labor, Such actions as these serve en underline the existence of a h@ picked machine “at the conventio? at the service of CCL leadé every day of it! That's the sum| questing them to send him signed | A. R. Mosher, CCL president, 27 and substance of what this “Par-| and sealed credentials in every | heads the CBRE, and roots fF iament of Labor” achieved at Vic-| case Where the locals were not | CCF “democracy” in both capack able to use them. ties, eee PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 22, 1948—PAGE 2 ‘routing them on three decisive