\.ful in’ the main

'

Portrait of an un-American

The man who has smeared

scores of honest men, wrecked

Careers and sent progressives to jail for well-merited “contempt”
arrives at the Washington court house to throw himself on the
mercy of the court on charges of payroll padding. This is Rep. J.
Parnell Thomas (accompanied here by his wife), chairman of the
notorious Un-American Activities Committee. :

Miners denounce
raids against UE

Solidarity with the United Electrical Workers, ine fighting union-
raiding attempts in Ontario and Quebec, was vciced this week by the
B.C. district executive board of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers’ Union,

in a telegram sent to the UE convention at Toronto.

We unanimously condemn all
attempts being made now to dis-
rupt your great union organiza-
tion,” wired the Mine-Mill. board
members. “We are not part of
the Canadian Congress of Labor,
through no fault of our own.
Our membership, . 8,000 strong,
has held solid despite _attempted.
disruption and has made gains
in wages and conditions in this
year’s negotiations. We , stand
with you for unity of organized
labor against all disruption and
we know UE will come through
with flying colors. Special greet-
ings to Pat Rooney, Westing-
house delegate from Hamilton,
who championed our cause SO
ably at the CCL .congress in ap-
position to our expulsion.”

The Mine-Mill telegram was
signed by president Ken Smith,
secretary D, McGhee, board mem-
bers G. W. Anderson, D. Gold and
G. Osborne, and regional director
Harvey Murphy. :

A telegram from Cos; Jackson,
president of UE’ district five, was
read at the Mine-Mill convention
in Vancouver. It said:

“Greetings to your convention

of the B.C. district. We are sorry
not to be represented there in, per-
son but know that the member-
ship of your great district are very
close friends of the members of
this union. We, like yourselves,
are faced with disruption and
raiding by the boss collaboration-
ist elements within the trade union
movement, but have been success-
in beating off
these attacks.

“Here is a copy of the wire sent
to the CCL in answer to an at-

Tom Uphill acclaimed
as mayor of Fernie

—-FERNIE, B.C.
Tom Uphill, veteran Labor mem-
ber of the legislature for Fernie,
has been returned for another
term as mayor of Fernie — by
acclamation.
_ Uphill was the first mayor of
the East Kootenay city when it
was incorporated 33 years ago
and he was first re-elected to
post last year in a contest with
Harry E. Miard. This year there
were no contenders for the office.

tempt on their part to technically
declare the UE out of the CCL:

“Tt has come to our attention
that you have informed. officers
and executive council members of
the CCL that the UE is three
months in arrears in per capita
payments to the Congress. This is
an incorrect statement. The UE’s
per capita to the Congress is paid
in the second week of the month
following .the month for which
per capita is collected. That is,
November’s per capita is payable in
the second week of December.
Therefore, in view of the fact that
you have received on September 14
the per capita for the month of
August, the three months in ar-
rears does not elapse until Decem-
ber 15. Further, I have checked
with the international office, which
pays this per capita on behalf of
the Canadian UE members, and
find that due solely to inadvert-
ence’ the per’ capita cheques. due
the Congress on October 15 for
the month of September and on
November 15 for the month of
October were overlooked’ but are
in the mail today. We therefore
request that you set the record
straight with all executive offi-
cers and executive council mem-
bers of the CCL with regard to
the per capita standing of the UE
as an affiliate to the CCL’.” ©

‘Canadian government

the past year.

“Tt is significant that our union,
although under continuous attack,
has been able to make unexampled
gains in bargaining, and has con-
tinued to grow both in membership
and locals,” says the report.

“We welcome to membership in
the district union our new brothers
in local 900 at Beaverdell; local
901 at Nelson; and local 564 at
Dawson, Yukon Territory. We al-
So point with pride to the exten-
sions of our local in Taku; which
has taken in the Consolidated
Mining and Smelting operation at
Tulsequah; and in Yellowknife,

4 which is assisting the organization

of the workers in the Port Radium
uranium ore mines into this union.

“Mine-Mill in B.C. is now at peak
strength, and over 8,000 workers
in the industry are members in
good standing in the various locals
of our jurisdiction.”

Reporting on wage gains won
in recent negotiations at various
operations, the report says: “In the
Consolidated Mining and Smelting
where the bulk of our membership
is concentrated, benefits were won
for all workers, including statu-
tory holidays with pay, which would
in total, amount to a parcel of ap-
proximately seven and _ one-half
cents an hour. ss

“Recent negotiations in copper
‘have resulted in breaking through
on two principles which compa-
nies have fought bitterly ever
since this union came into exis-
tence — the elimination of the
copper bonus and the establish-
‘ment of statutory holidays with
pay. With the elimination of
copper bonuses, the guaranteed
wage in the copper mines has
been raised to the all time high
of $9.50 on the miner’s rate ...

“In spite of all the difficulties en-
countered, including the. fact that
workers in other basic industries:
in the province had signed agree-
ments without improving wages,
this union has been able to make
gains in all sections of the indus-
try. But this doesn’t mean that
We are satisfied and the program
of this union must contain the
stabilization of wages at the high-
est point throughout the industry.

“In considering proposals for the
coming year consideration must be
given to the recent action of the
in devalu-
ing the dollar, which even before
the ink was dry on some of our
1949 agreements, thas eliminated
the gains made and will further
amend the standard of living of
Canadian workers, while at the
same time benefitting our employ-
ers,

pean view of the foregoing your
district board has no alternative
but to propose that the 1950 bar-
gaining demands must include, to-
gether with a program of stabili-
zation of wages, a general wage

dustry.”

Dealing with growing unemploy-
ment in the province, the board
report proposed that strongly
worded resolutions be sent to pro-
vincial’ and federa] governments,
demanding public works programs
to absorb the jobless.

Calling for more trade between
Canada and other nations, the
report says: “Vast sections of
this world can provide markets
unheard Of if this country would
agree to trade. We are in dan.
eae of ee markets in Britain.

markets are openim,
_the Pacific. as Pe "

“We believe that Canadian pros-
perity is tied up with peace and
world |trade. New markets are
awaiting development and. we can
certainly increase the domestic
market. We know that the pro-
ucts of our industry are of great
peacetime ‘importance. We are
against war and we are for peace,
and our members who mine pitch-
blende know that what they pro-
duce can be of the greatest use to
all humanity for peaceful purposes

and not for purposes of destruc-

increase to all workers in the in-

Mine-Mill will seek wage —
boost in 1950 contracts

More than 8,000 organized hard-rock miners in: British Columbia will seek wage incr:
contracts, delegates at the seventh annual B.C. district convention of the
and Smelter Workers decided this week. :

.Meeting at Pender Auditorium here, Mine-Mill representatives from locals in all
listened to an officers’ report on the state of the unign which recorded gains in wages an

on

eases for Nee

International Union of Mine,

parts of the province
d membership during
4

tion.”

On the fight for autonomy, the
report states: “We deplore the po-
licies now being enforced by the
CCL and the CIO as expressed in
the CIO convention with regard to
placing President Clark and our
union on trial] because they car-
ried out the decisions of our mem-
bership. The charge of communist
domination in this union\is a false-
hood. This union is dominated by
nobody except the membership.

“We, as an organization, have
every desire to be affiliated with
the Canadian Congress of Labor
and the Congress of Industrial
Organizations, and look forward
to the day when all labor in
Canada and the United States
will be in one trade union center.
We welcomed the formation of
the ;}World Federation of Trade
Unions and our _ international
vice-president, Reid Robinson,
was one of the founding officers
and delegates to the Federation
which founded the world orga-.
nization.

“This union welcomed the agree-
ment signed between our interna-
tional officers and the officerg of
the Mexican Miners’ Union which
lays the groundwork for eventual
combination into one union of the

workers in our industry on this
hemisphere. :
“The executive board recom-

mends to’this convention that from
the national conference to be held
in Western Canada early in 1950
our union send a representative
delegation to the Mexican Miners’
convention in April; that B.C. be
represented on this delegation; and
that every step be taken to speed
the unification of our union with
the unions in Latin America.”

Longshore meeting
to discuss attacks

—SEATTLE.

The many pronged attack on. the
International Longshoremen’s and
Warehousemen’s Union will be on
the agenda of a special regional
conference of Washington and Bri-
tish Columbia locals, on December
10 and 11. .

s : 7 : s

Officers acclaimed
Leading Mine-Mill’s drive in B.C.
for wage increases in 1950 will
be Harvey Murphy (above), re-
gional director, and a district exe-
cutive board composed of: Ken
Smith, president; Dave McGhee,
secretary-treasurer; G. W. An-
derson, Douglas Gold and W. G.
Osborne, recently elected in a
deferred referendum vote. Con-
vention delegates this week re-
turned all board members by ac-
clamation and they will hold of-
fice umtil the next convention in
December, 1950.

‘|these destroying ‘angels’, the Mur-

Gag ordered

A few days after he returned ;
from China, Canada’s Ambassa- |
dor to that country, T. C. Davis
(above) told a CBC national net
work audience that the British _
are trading with the new Fe?
ple’s Republic of China, and
asked “why not Canada’? But
in Ottawa, the government Fe
fused to allow Ambassador Davis
to appear before the House of |
Commons Committee on Exter
nal Affairs. External Affairs
Minister Pearson issued the g4&
order. er

Christmas fund)
now near $500F

The friendly competition bet
ween Ol’ Bill and Betty Tarnowsk?
to fill a Christmas stocking wit!
dollar bills for the Pacific Tribun€
is producing results as old-timers .
and young-timers in the progres j
sive movement respond to appeals
to “sock it in the sock”, From
all parts of B.C. contributors sent
in donations this week to boost the
total to $474.15—$307.40 for OY Bil
$166.75 for Betty. ‘

Ol’ Bill feels so much better a=
a result of this response that he
short-jabbed a message to his
friends: y

.

“Sixteen chopping days to Christ-
mas, as we used to say in the woods
when the Loggers’ Ball was one of
the great events of the Vancouver
year,” writes Ol Bill. “That event
will flourish again, maybe with 2
greater glory, but in the mean-_
time, for this year anyhow, in tihs
column, we are using Christmas
to keep the PT fighting against

rays, Careys, Moshers and Con-
roys, who cannot succeed in their
nefarious scheme to maintain 2
press to expose them and their
plotting and conniving with the
lumber barons, the mine bosses and
the manufacturers.”

\ F ee

4 if a
Unionist elected i
‘ —POWELL RIVER, B.C.
In the recent municipal elec-
tions here, a progressive trade

unionist, Ken Gibson, was’ elected
school trustee. -

EAST END
AO

UNION DRIVERS
HA. 0334

Pe. ge ae

Fully 24-Hour :
Insured Service :
811 E. Hastings Vancouver

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECKMBER 2, 1949 — PAGE ¢