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LABOR SCENE:

The Hutcheon report appeared to
be heading for defeat as the
Tribune went to press this. week
with a majority of IWA locals
voting no.

Even Syd Thompson, president
of the Vancouver local of the IWA
and a main advocate for ‘ac-
ceptance of the report, predicted
an overall defeat.

The Vancouver local and three
interior locals voted narrowly for
acceptance, but Victoria, Duncan,
Port Alberni, Courtenay, Campbell
River and the big New West-
minster local all expected sizeable
no votes.

‘BUILDING SOLIDARITY‘

Labor history was made on

August 14 as a delegation led by
Canadian Labor Congress
president Joe Morris left Canada

for a two week tour of the USSR as:

guests of the Central Council of
Trade Unions of the Soviet Union.

Accompanying Morris on the
delegation are W. A. C. McGregor
of the Brotherhood of Railway and
Airline Clerks (BRAC), Claude
Edwards of the Public Service
Alliance of Canada (PSAC),
Robert Smeal of the Canadian
Flight Attendants Association and
Henry Tomaschuk, general repre-
sentative of the CLC from Ed-
monton.

Though details of the tour
itinerary are not fully known-it is
believed that the CLC group will be
visiting Moscow, Leningrad, the
Black Sea, and possibly Siberia
where they would inspect the
Trans-Siberian Railway. The

EDITORIAL

Cont'd from pg. 1
leaving the impression that Moores
spoke for him on the crucial
question of wage controls?

It has been known for some time
that Manitoba ~ premier Ed
Schreyer has been an outstanding
advocate of wage and price con-
trols. Saskatchewan premier Allan
Blakeney has avoided a forthright
stand against the imposition of
wage controls. It’s time the NDP
made its position clear on an issue
on which the trade union
movement has taken a forthright
stand: opposition to any form of
wage controls no matter under
what pretext.

The trade unions have put for-
ward their own nine-point program
to fight inflation which rejects
controls. The program of the
Canadian Labor Congress should

be backed as the only realistic way :

to fight inflation. Wage and price
controls are a means to impose
lower living standards-on working
people, and labor has correctly
rejected them. The NDP should do
no less.

delegation is expected home on~™

August 30.

This visit is seen as an important
development in the strengthening
of closer ties and communication
between trade unionists around the
world especially those in different
social economic and political
systems.

Of particular significance is the

fact that this delegation is the first

in the history of the Canadian labor
movement which has represented
the official central governing body
of the Canadian trade union
movement in a visit to the Soviet
Union.

The move is in line with the
policy adopted at the last CLC
convention which _ outlined
Congress plans for a travel and
exchange program ‘‘designed_ to
prepare (the CLC membership) for
a more active role in the world
trade union movement.”

The policy statement goes on to
say that this program ‘‘will be
oriented toward building up union
solidarity across geographical and
ideological barriers’’ and that the
CLC hoped to ‘bring Canadian
workers in contact with workers in
Europe including workers in East
Europe and the Soviet Union (and)
with workers in Asia including
Japan and China.”

JOE MORRIS

FISHERMEN

Cont’d from pg. 11.
year ‘“‘we have no choice but to get
tough.”

Still another lesson of the strike,
and one fishermen won’t forget,
was the open collusion with the
employers by the federal govern-
ment. Federal regulations
governing the export of'sockeye
and pink salmon were neatly over-
looked by federal officials to allow
fish to be sent to the U.S. without
processing. The regulations are
intended to protect Canadian jobs
by ensuring that all Canadian fish
are processed in Canadian plants.
By ignoring their own regulations
the federal government allowed
scab fish to be sent to plants in the
U.S. for processing.

Fishermen had raised eyebrows
as. well over: the decision of the
International Pacific Salmon
Commission when in mid strike it
cut fishing times on the Fraser
river to allow for four days fishing
in American waters as opposed to
two days on the Canadian side. It
simply -meant that the fish

monopolies would get their fish’

through their U.S. counterparts.
That J. Nelson, chairman of the
board of .B.C. Packers,- is a
member of the International Com-
mission only seems to make sense.

“This whole strike pointed out
the class question,’’ Hewison
stated, “‘the common class _in-
terests of the government and the
courts with the employers, and of
course the common class interests
between the employers and- the
leaders of the Native Brother-
hood.” :

The dispute with the Native
Brotherhood played a large role in
weakening the position of the union
during the strike. The décision of
the Brotherhood leadership to call
on their members to go fishing in
the third week_of the strike ‘‘can
only be construed as_ outright
scabbing’’ the union had declared.

“Many people learned ~ to
delineate the difference between a
narrow nationalism and class
solidarity,’’ Hewison said. . ‘“‘The
actions of the Brotherhood could be
explained by the composition of
their leadership. Five out of eight
members of the executive are
vessel owners and two more are
wives of owners. By their class
nature they fear the working class
more than they do the monopolies.

“‘This strike was a lesson for the
whole labor movement. It showed
the necessity to examine how one
section of workers can be played
off against another as in the case of
shoreworkers and fishermen — or

pulp workers and woodworkers. It:

showed the necessity of looking at
the concrete’ class forces and
recognizing the alliance of the
employer with the government and
the courts, and it'shows the need to
marshal all of your forces at the
most opportune moment.”

Communists in the industry had
been actively working for -a

rejection vote, pointing out that the .

Hutcheon report would mean a net
gain of only 32 cents per hour for
IWA members in. the first year of
the two year proposal.

On the eve of the vote, Forest
Industrial Relations, -spokesmen
for the forest monopolies, at-
tempted to influence the outcome
with their announcement that they
would ‘reluctantly accept” the
terms of the report. In accepting
the recommendations, FIR ap-
pealed to other employers to hold
down the general wage level.-The
reasoning behind the appeal was
clear as it became apparent that
IWA members would not be
satisfied with 32 cents per hour
while other sections of organized
labor are winning substantial pay
increases in line with increases in
the cost of living.

The FIR statement — almost in

anticipation of a no vote by the

IWA — declared that the Hutcheon
report is their last offer. A full
strike in the forest industry could
be imminent.

The three major locals are in
Vancouver, Port Alberni and New
Westminster. And _ although
Vancouver voted for acceptance, it
did so by the leadership pushing for
a quick vote and without mem-
bership meetings to discuss the
recommendations. An acceptance
vote resulted, but with a small
overall vote adding to the im-
portance of the rejections in other
locals.

* * *

Vancouver could be without
postal services as of September 8 if
local officials continue to disregard
the terms of the collective
agreement with the Canadian

- Union of Postal Workers.

The 1,400 members of CUPW in
Vancouver voted 93 percent to
authorize strike action, regardless
of the outcome of national
negotiations in Ottawa. Vancouver
postal workers are prepared to
strike solely on local issues as
grievance after grievance piles up
without any meaningful response
from post office management. ©

“The last straw”

for CUPW.

members was a letter from
acting manager of the post off
informing’ them _ that
agreements made_ betweel
union and the former manag
_were henceforth “null and vol

Pete Whitaker, president of
CUPW Vancouver local, expla!
the issue to the last meeting of
Vancouver Labor Council whet
stated bluntly ‘‘they bre

_ agreements as fast as we can m#
them. Even a signed agreemée?
worthless for each time J
around it is violated.”’

}

Whitaker also impressed ue

delegates the importance s
continuing to apply the boycott

the postal code. “‘It is still the™ it

effective weapon we have tof"
discussion and negotiation
technological change,’”’ he sal®

’ CUPW is offering special &
velopes marked ‘‘justice for P%
| workers’ to trade unions al
public at inexpensive - rates:
addition the union has t-shirts
sale ($2.50) that are cartooned
captioned ‘‘speed your ma
boycott the postal code.” Both 0
available from the CUPW
couver office.

* * *

Uncle Ben’s beer, wine, @
and soft-drinks are ‘“‘hot’- i
announcement was made 4
Wednesday by the B.C. Feder,
of Labor following meetings
the Retail Wholesale, Depart™™
Store Union, local 580.

The union has been on strike
Uncle Ben’s Richmond plants!”
June 20. ‘

The chain of Dad’s Pop Shops *
also affected by the hot declara#
since they are owned and ope!
by Uncle Ben’s.

“Ben Ginter is well known f0! 5
 anti-union activities,” Feder@
secretary Len Guy sal®.

“This strike is just one.
example of his outdated att
concerning employer-emP

relations.”

tu
jos"

Restore Democracy in Chile |

Public Meeting with

ABE.FEINGLASS |

International vice-president,
Almagamated Meatcutters Union,
Chairman U.S. Labor Commission to Chile,
February, 1974.

Also: Chilean speaker, aa
‘entertainment by Vancouver Chilean-Association

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

8:00 P.M.
UNITARIAN CHURCH
49th and Oak, Vancouver

Sponsored by Canadians for
Democracy in Chile

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PACIFIC

- i
TRIBUNE—AUGUST 29, 1975—Pas