By JACK PHILLIPS |

The Cominco Chain Conference
of the United Steelworkers of
America, held in Trail on February
5, brought together delegates from
BEG... Alberta, Northwest
Territories and Washington State.
In addition to Steelworkers,
there were representatives of the
International Chemical Workers
Union, the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
and the Association of Clerical and
: Technical Employees. It was a
_ fitting site for the conference.
Delegates could look out the
Window and see the Cominco
_ Smelter that dominates the city.
*Steel Local 480 of Trail was the host
local. : :

Cominco is 54 per cent owned by
Canadian Pacific Limited which
Started as a railway and is now an
international conglomerate. When
you fight Cominco you take on the
CPR, Bank of Montreal, Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce,
Royal Bank, Toronto-Dominion

_ Bank, Bank of Nova Scotia, T.
Eaton Company, Dupont of
Canada, MacMillan Bloedel,
Dominion Foundries and Steel,
Royal Trust and Steel Company of
Canada. These banks and com-
panies were among: those repre-

_ Sented on the Canadian Pacific

_ Board of Directors in May 1973.
Cominco itself is no small
business. Its operations are located
In B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan,
Ontario; Quebec, Northwest
Territories, Washington State,
Missouri, Montana and Hawaii. It

has large holdings in mining,

Smelting, refining, chemical

_ fertilizers and exploration. Its
principal products are chemical

fertilizers and exploration. Its,

Principal products are lead, zinc,
Chemicals and fertilizers produced

~ Mainly from Sullivan Mine and the
Subsidiary Pine Point Mines (69
~ per cent owned by Cominco). Other
Metals and metal products include
Steel, mercury, silver, gold,
cadmium, bismuth, indium, an-

’ timonial lead, copper, tin, tungsten
and certain fabricated products.
Cominco also has substantial
Subsidiary and affiliated interests
including zinc dies casting and
Plating plants, steel plants, hydro-
electric utility service, docking
facilities in Canada, a lead smelter
in Japan, a zinc and sulphuric
Plant in India, a zinc-lead mine in

Greenland, as well as interests in_

oil, gas and coal.
Cominco sales in 1973 were
distributed as follows: Canada,
26%; United States, 36%; United
Kingdom, 29%; other 9%. Profit
after taxes for the first six months
of 1974 was estimated at $50.8
Million as compared with $19.4
Million in the same period for 1973.
Canadian Pacific Limited, which
wns Cominco, has announced a
het income’’ of $187 million for
1974 as compared with $122 million
as SES SSS
Starting with next. week’s
edition, the Tribune will add an
‘additional page of B.C. news
Which will give us six B.C.
Pages each week, which
together with six national pages
from the Canadian Tribune will
Sive our readers extensive
Coverage of major world,
National and local events.

This is part of our plan to
€xpand and improve the
Tribune during this, our 40th
Anniversary year. On April 1 we
Will be launching our spring
financial drive and we will
appeal to our readers for added
Support in 1975 to make these
improvements possible.

Next week we will feature a
Special article on the Columbia

Teaty along with a special
Cartoon by labor cartoonist
Carless. Don’t miss it! —

for 1973, despite the lengthy strike
at Trail and Kimberley in 1974.
In discussing co-ordinated
bargaining strategy at the chain
conference, the delegates were
confronted with a number of
substantial problems. Steel locals
operate under a number of
provincial and state jurisdictions,
with different labor codes,
separate certifications, different
expiry dates for collective
agreements and wide variations in
wages, fringe benefits and working
conditions. To further complicate
the picture, there are different
market conditions to contend with,
in some cases more favorable to
the union than in other cases. Also,
the union has to contend with
regional disparities in wages and
working conditions across the

country.
The chain conference adopted a
six-point program for con-

sideration by the locals:

‘@ That we recognize and affirm
that the long-term interests of all
our members will best be served
by working toward a full co-
ordination of our bargaining ef-
forts.

e That as first steps in this
direction we work toward, the
achievement of common ex-
piration dates by the following

local unions — 480 Trail; 651
Kimberley; 901 Salmo; 7517
Pinchi; 804 Pine Point; 801

Yellowknife; 8320 Kimberley; 834
Garrison; Acte 1750 Trail; Actr
1672 Kimberley; and ICW 465
Calgary.

e The inclusion of Local 7517
Pinchi within the present Cominco
bargaining council in British
Columbia, and

e The establishment of common
pension and social insurance
benefits at all locations
(recognizing whatever difference
various provincial, state and
national legislation may require).

e That the first common ex-
piration date we seek be the ter-
minal date of the current
agreement of the Cominco
bargaining council.

e That the Cominco chain
continue to meet regularly, not less
than annually, that efforts be
continued to include every
unionized Cominco property
wherever it may be, and im-
mediate steps be taken to provide a
continuing exchange of contract
and other relevant information,
and that prior to the next
negotiations of the Cominco
bargaining council there be a full
discussion of common objectives
involving the whole of the Cominco
chain.

e That district director Williams
be asked to request a top level
meeting with Cominco to begin
discussion with the company of our
co-ordinated bargaining ob-
jectives, and to have whatever
consultation may be necessary
with the leadership of the other
unions involved in this chain. .

: * * *

In his book The CPR, a Century
of Corporate Welfare, Robert
Chodos points out that the CPR was
born in 1880 with a silver spoon in
its mouth, inthe form of millions of
acres of land donated free of
charge by the Canadian govern-
ment, plus $25 million in cash and
some existing railroad track
thrown in — and has continued
growing in wealth and power ever

since. Its petroleum, subsidiary
explores in Italy and the North Sea,
the railway operates in the United
States, the mining company has
interests in Australid and Spain
and the hotel chain. has expanded
into Mexico, France and Israel. A
shipping _subsidiary is_ in-
corporated in Bermuda, builds
ships in Japan and mans them with
British officers and Spanish crews.

To cope effectively with such
conglomerates, the trade union
movement must fight for national
and international solidarity. The
chain conference is a _ good
beginning.

The 22nd convention of the
Communist Party of Canada, held
in May 1974, said in a policy
resolution: ‘‘While directing
particular attention at this time to
the need of nationalizing energy
and natural resources, the Com-,
munist Party does not limit itself to
these immediate aims. It ad-
vocates public ownership under
democratic control of big industry,
banks and credit systems, in-
surance companies, transportation
and communication systems!

’ “This ‘is a task a democratic
coalition government would un-

dertake anda socialist government . -

would complete.’

* * *

The U.S. Office of Management
and Budget’s Standard Industrial
Classification Manual. divides
corporate activity into 85 major
groups. The CPR is involved in at

-least 20 of them as the chart below,

prepared by the Steelworkers
Union shows. These include:
Metal mining (Cominco); coal

and gas extraction (Pan Canadian
Petroleum); mining and quarrying
of non-metallic minerals, except
fuel (potash mine at Vade, Sask.) ;
lumber and wood products (Pacific
Logging etc.); chemicals and
allied products (Cominco);
primary metals industry
(Cominco); rail transportation
(CPR).

Also: Local and suburban
transport and interurban highway
passenger transportation, in-
cluding commuter railways as in
Montreal; motor freight tran-
sportation and warehousing (CP
Transport and Smith Transport);
water transport (CP Ships); air
transport (CP Air); pipelines
except natural gas (CP owns a
crude oil line in Alberta and is
working on development of solids
pipelines) ;

Communications
Telecommunications) ;

Ce.
: electric,

‘gas, Sanitary services (West

Kootenay Power and Light);
eating and drinking places
(through CP Hotels); business
services (through CP Consulting
Services); credit agencies (other
than -banks) ;

Real estate (Marathon Realty, a
name_ ~ Vancouverites will
remember because it was involved
in a number of big promotional
deals which were labelled as rip-
offs and opposed by the labor and
democratic movement); hotels,
rooming houses, camps and other
lodging places.

The CPR is ripe for public
ownership. This should be one of
the political demands of the labor
and democratic movement.

CANADIAN
PACIFIC
LIMITED ¢
= | | 50% | | | 56% | 50% 22% 50%
CP C.P. C.P. ICAN C-R CANPACK|||COMMAND-| [500 LINE] {CASCADE | |NORTHERN| ]TORONTO| | TORONTO
STEAM -| | BURMUDA| | AIR MARINE | | TRANS- INTER- ||| ANT RAILWAY | | PIPE ALBERTA PRUFFALD TERMINALS
SHIPS >| | LINES : PORT NATIONAL|| | PROP. Raicways| |© BUFFALO | | corp.
5Ov.
cP. SHE LPACK
JNVEST - RESEARCH
MENTS.
a7 Ban 59% 53% l | | |
PAN~ COMINCO ALGOMA | |MARATHON| |GREAT C.P. PACIFIC CP: CANPAC
‘CANADIAN J] JLIMITED STEEL REALTY LAKES HOTELS ‘| {LOGGING | |SECURITIES| |LEASING
PETROLIUM ‘ PAPER
60% fon 0% Apu { 43% 20%. I 49%, 20% 80%
1
FORDING| |CANPAC CANNELTON | {DOMINION CIPA MACKENZIE] | SOOKE LADYSMITH] |SALITAR
OAL MINERALS INDUSTRIES | ~ | BRIDGE SAWMILLS] |LOGGING | | FOREST FOREST LUMBER
Ss PRoDUCTS| |PRODUCTS
as :
| } 9% Qu 13% ie T T 50% ] | |
PAN- BANNER PAN- MANNOR CALGARY) [NEW BRUNS-||MARATHON | FALBERTA | JMEADOWBROOK| FOUNDATION
CANADIAN ALASKA ARCTIC PROPERTIES| | TOWER WICK COLDI{AVIATION | |STOCK - DEVELOPMENT | |SCOTTISH
GAS Ms OF ALBERTA| [LIMITED STORAGE {|TERMINALS| [YARDS ae PROPERTIES
[ Rope les 77. Tole | 78% 69% 95% 50% 75% E-
GP. CP. VESTGRUN VALLEY RYCON NATIONAL | | PACIFIC PINE COAST CANADA ARVIK WEST
OIL & GAS ot € GAS] | mes COPPER | [MINES HARDWARE] |COAST POINT COPPER | METAL MINES OOTENAY
(u-K.) (WETHERLAND)] | GREENLAND) SPECIALTY | | TERMINALS] | MINES POWER
Hepat SS
[ | f | ] | I a5%.. Fe | 40%
CP, PAN. - | TcOMINCO cominco | [cominco | |WESTERN | |COMINCO | [MITSUBISHI] | TARA COMINCO | |COMINCO
OIL $ GAS CANADIAN | Jey proR ATION EUROPE AMERICAN | CANADA | JAUSTRALIA | |COMINCO | JEXPLORATION] | U.K. BINANI
(NORWAY) PETROLEUM] | (UK) (USA) STEEL * (JAPAN) | | (IRELAND) | |LIMITED | [ZINC (Now)
q
| 63% 55% | | 50%-
PANCANADIAN] | |PAN™ . REPANTO -fexproracion| |CANAMEX ABERFOYLE| | COMINCO COMINCO MAZAK
PETROLEUM | | [CANADIAN | [EXPLORATIONS] ern INC LIMITED EXPLORATION GMBH ~ [LIMITED
| (ITALY) PETROLEUM] | |(PHILLPINES) INTL. (SPAIN |(USA) . | GERMANY)
. po% 60% . T
MINERALS CENTRAFRICAINE A ic pees
LIMNTED EXPLORATION CANADI N PACIF LTD METALL
PRINCIPAL INTERESTS MBH

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1975—Page 3 __

—

‘Union takes aim at CPR-Cominco octopus

(Fording Coal in the Rockies); oil ~

i ie