CART ala hi ALE OIE.

A EET

eetue of Alcan dispute

Work in the world’s longest tunnel, from Tahtsa Lake to Kemano, came to a halt two weeks
ago when miners walked out after the AFI. Hodcarriers Union signed a backdoor agreement with
Alcan officials setting miners’ wages at $1.75 an hour. When “replacements” rushed in by the Hod-
carriers Union refused to touch the job until a decent wage agreement was arrived at, union officials

hurried north to try and settle the dispute.
unica is supporting their just demands for higher wages.

Many of the miners are members of Mine-Mill, and that
(See story on back page),

BUT NO SOCIAL CREDIT ‘BASIC DIVIDEND‘

Alberta prosperous province-
for the giant oil monopolies

By TOM McEWEN

To an outsider travelling in
Alberta, evidences of an oil boom
are plentiful. Oil derricks now
dot the skyline ina near-equality
with grain elevators. On rail-
way Sidings and vacant lots mil-
lions of feet of oil piping of all
sizes is stacked up like cordwood.

In Edmonton and Calgary the
huge administrative buildings of
‘the oil] monopolies are springing
up with the speed of ‘the old
‘boom-town shacks. ;

On the surface there is an air
of prosperity (the real thing is
in the coffers of ‘the big Yankee
oil trusts) and in hotel lobbies
and restaurants, wherever the
“hope - to -strike-it-rich-next-year”

: fraternity gather there is pay,

of speculating about -develop-
ments. : 2

The Social Credit government
of Premier Manning is riding the
‘oil boom, strong in its belief that
not only has it succeeded in per-
suading American capital to de-
velop (‘‘loot” would ‘be a better
word) Alberta's oil resources ‘but
that through some mysterious
Social Credit alchemy it is itself
responsible for the oil being there
in the first place. .

True, the royalties returned to
the province from the exploita-
tion by the oil monopolies of this
fabulous wealth have enabled
the government to provide some
extension of services and social
‘benefits to the people. Most*citi-
zens, however, are aware that

they are not getting anything
like the schools, hospitals and
other services they might if the
oil monopolies weren’t pocketing
the lion’s share of ‘the proceeds
—as they are.

A few Albertans have made.a
little money out of the oil boom.
The majority are no closer to
realizing the oft-proclaimed but
never instituted Social Credit
“basic dividend” of social security
than they were when the late
Premier Aberhart was wrapping
his theology with Social Credit
seript.

Alberta is indeed prosperous, as

every Social Crediter insists. but ]-

much depends on the side of the
tracks from which you view this
prosperity. The picture varies
giles stat a

TE OU,

RGIS LE EIS SOM

TTC rank = file

still demanding
10-cent increase

By MEL CORBY

TORONTO

The 19-day strike of 4,768 transit employees of the Toronto

Transportation Commission (TTC) ended January 22,

with the

union leadership capitulating to Bay Street pressure and giving up

most of the important issues the‘men had fought for.

But rank-

and file TTC workers told me after the settlement was announced:
“As fas as the en are concerned, we’ re still demanding our $1.55—

10 cents more.”

Continuous: meetings in the of-
fice of Ontario Labor Minister
Charles Daley, during which the
leadership of the AFL Street
Railway Union bowed before the
heavy Tory pressure to call off

the strike and put thé issue to}

arbitration, resulted in the fol-
lowing agreement:

i The ‘strikers to return to
work with a five-cent wage
‘increase retroactive to Octo-
ber 1, to bring the baserate
to .$1.45; ‘the additional 10
cents the union demanded to
be decided by a Single arbi-
trator appointed iby Daley.
The TIC wanted a _ three-
man board.

Any increase over the $1.45
figure will also be retroac-
tive to October 1, 1951, and
the new contract is to run
until October 1, 1952, mean-
ing that negotiations for the
1953 contract will begin in
August of this year. :
On the basis of the five-cent
increase the strikers will re-
ceive a minimum of $35 in
retroactive pay, more if the
arbitrator increases the wage
boost.

A second point yielded to ar-
'‘pitration is the formula for
a cost-of-living bonus. Under
the old agreement it was one
cent an hour for every 1.3
jump in the index. The ar-
bitrator will decide if this is
to be increased. The pres-
ent 10-cent COL bonus is in-
corporated nt the new base
rate.

On the issue af tae demands
the union won four concessions.
J Six hundred extra men are
_ guaranteed 80 hours’ pay for
Ywo weeks instead of 70
hours.

Maintenance workers will be
paid for six instead of four

2

statutory holidays, with dou-. ©
ble time if worked.

A $200 increase was granted
pensioners between the ages
of 65 and 70. :
Workers in certain of the car
houses and TTC shops will
receive the top ra'te for their
particular job regardless of
seniority if they show they
can perform the task satis-
factorily.

Interest keen in
report on USSR

Is there any unemployment in
the Soviet Union? How are old
age pensioners treated? What
about living. standards? Do
trade unions operate as they do
in Canada?) Have women won
full equality since the revolution?
Do the Soviet people want peace?

These questions are among
those asked by trade unionists
of Pear] Wedro, Fur and Leather
Workers Union member, who vis-
ited the Soviet Union last fall as
a member of a Canadian trade
union delegation.

Recently Miss Wedro spoke to
300 members of Local 502, Inter-
national Longshoremen. and
Warehousemen’s Union, at the
Legion Hall, New Westminster.
Following her report she was
plied with questions for more
than an hour, primarily on sub-
jects relating to social security
—employment, medical and den-
tal care, pensions and compen-
sation. :

Trade unions, organizations or
house gatherings wishing to hear —
Miss Wedro’s first-hand account —
of what she saw and heard on
her trip to the Soviet Union can
contact ‘ther at 2345 West Second ©
Avenue, BA 1990.

Union trend today toward

TORONTO

There is a growing tendency
in the trade union movement to
demand that cost-of-living ad-
justments or escalators be in-
cluded in their contracts. Very
few contracts are being’ signed
these days without such clauses.

What is the reason for this
attitude? Recent experience has
taught the workers that in the
present period of’ armament-
created inflation what they gain
today in ithe way of wage in-
creases is immediately lost to-
- Morrow because of continual

price rises.

\

The ee understand also
that they are in no ‘position real-
istically to demand the reopen-
ing of the contract’ every other
day or even every other month.
It is true that some unions have
‘been able to get wage openers
included in their agreements pro-
viding they accept a two-year
contract, while a few have them
in one-year contracts. But even

é ! a

here they have to wait six months
or a year before being able to
negotiate. In the meantime

prices rise while real wages and |

purchasing power decline.

Clearly then with armaments-
created inflation continuing in
the future, workers are favor-
ably inclined to cost-of-living ad-
Justments or escalators being in-
cluded in contract negotiations.
They are correct, too, because to-
day it is one of the important
means, although not the only
one, of ensuring that the burden
of armament costs is not placed

on the shoulders of the working |

class.

A second ‘tendency is the fight
workers are putting up to have
escalators incorporated in their
base rate. The Toronto gas
workers are a case in point. They
finallv . forced the Consumers
Gas Company to incorporate the
cost-of-living adjustments,
amounting to 25% cents, into
their base rate. :

Workers are making sure that

union

escalators will not become a two-
way street, to be taken away
from them when and if prices
drop. This fight on their part,
which is becoming general, re-
flects ‘their efforts to protect
themselves in face of an eco-
nomic crisis.

A third feature in most nego-
tiations is the fact that workers
are not prepared to accept cost-
of-living adjustments or escala-
tors as substitutes for wage in-
creases. They are opposed to a
wage freeze no matter how it ‘is
doctored up.

Employers would like them to
accept such a formula and. so
would a number of right-wing
bureaucrats. | However,
the majority of workers have
rejected and. continue to reject
such a formula. The direction

‘they are taking is towards in-

creasing ‘their base rate and
raising their living standards.

~ "That is the essence of the fight
of the TTC employees. It was

|‘the same in the fight of the To-

ronto gas workers when they re-

Ss wage éscaintors

jected the conciliation board re-
port which merely proposed that
part of the cost-of-livihg bonus
be incorporated in their base
rate.

A fourth feature of negotia-
tions is the fact that workers
continue to reject long-term con-
tracts. The only group of work-
ers stuck with such long-term
contracts are the ‘General Mo-
tors auto workers in ‘this coun-
try.

Thus all the evidence available

shows that the Reuther formula, |

which establishes the principle
that workers cannot and should
not improve their living stand-
ards in a period of war economy,
finds very little support in the
Canadian trade union*movement.
fe Valdes

The left wing in the trade
union movement is duty bound
to take note of these strivings
on the part of workers and adopt
a positive attitude towards these
developments. In the present
period of armament-created in-

flation it should actively fight
for the inclusion of cost-of-liv-_
ing adjustments or escalators in
contracts provided they are not
substitutes for wage increases
and as long as they are not tied

to long-term contracts. =

Two things should be borne

in mind. One is the need to _

fight for one-way escalators that —
can be incorporated in the base
rate on a monthly basis. The
other is the need. to force
changes in the government’s cost-

of-living index which does not

reflect a true picture of the cost
of living in Canada.

The International Union of
Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers —

and the United Electrical Work- _

ers are to be commended for the
fine job done in, exposing the
present government index. The
booklet prepared by them should —
be in the hands of every local in |
Canada and should serve as a
hasis for widespread pressure on
government , to bring about —
changes in the index. ei

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — FEBRUARY 1, 1952 — PAGE 3